The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne

Everyone naturally turned to Nolan with curious looks.

”Do you have any ideas? If so, just say it,” Sharon said softly.

Since she wasn’t the only negotiator—her brother was involved too—she didn’t mind Nolan stepping in.

Moreover, the situation wasn’t good. Neither she nor the kingdom of Kaldarion was willing to back down.

If Nolan could offer good advice, it would definitely help.

Nolan nodded with a smile still on his lips, then looked at Leina and Glarvic indifferently.

”How about this—you give us the right to manage the port of Sevarn, as we requested, and we will give you a forty percent royalty from the total profits we earn later. What do you think?”

When Leina and Glarvic heard that, their faces immediately hardened.

Earlier, Leina had demanded a sixty percent profit share and a twenty percent mandatory royalty paid separately from the profits.

But now, Nolan was proposing something extremely unfavorable to them.

A forty percent royalty from the profits was the same as getting nothing.

There was no way they could accept that.

Leina held back her emotions and replied indifferently, ”No way, Prince. What I proposed earlier is final. Take it or leave it. If you don’t like it, you can go.”

Her intention was clear—she wanted to kick them out of Kaldarion if they refused.

Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco were furious at her words.

They had come from far away, only to be dismissed like that.

As the tension peaked, Nolan raised his right hand to stop them before they did something unexpected.

”Are you sure about your statement?” Nolan looked at Leina indifferently, as if piercing her deepest heart.

Under his gaze, Leina—who was usually emotionless—suddenly showed fear.

Those two purple eyes seemed to stab into her soul, making her slowly gasp for breath.

Sensing something strange about Leina, Glarvic quickly took over the negotiation.

”What Leina said is my decision, Prince. So choose—accept it or not.”

Nolan glanced at him and smiled coldly.

”Your Majesty, you are truly a wise man. But unfortunately, you are also... stupid.”

The unexpected insult left Glarvic furious. He glared at Nolan and asked in a deep voice, ”What do you mean, Nolan Lorian? Are you insulting me?”

His way of addressing Nolan, which had previously been ’Prince’ and ’Your Highness,’ had now changed to using his full name.

This clearly showed that Glarvic was truly offended.

It wasn’t impossible for this feud to escalate into a conflict between two great powers.

However, did Nolan care? Not at all.

He leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs casually.

”Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I never insulted you or anything like that. That’s just how you feel,” Nolan replied with a playful smile. ”However, when I said you were stupid... that part was true.”

Glarvic’s anger intensified upon hearing this. But before he could say a word, Nolan continued coldly.

”You were the one who asked for help. We were sent by the Emperor with conditions already set. But what was your reaction? You threatened to kick us out. Apart from being stupid... what else?”

”That’s because you asked for the port of Sevarn! That’s the same as destroying our kingdom’s economy!” Glarvic growled angrily.

His eyes bulged with hatred and resentment. Sevarn was their gold mine. If it disappeared, they would lose one of their main sources of income.

”I understand that Sevarn is very important, but...” Nolan smirked. ”Is it more important than the fate of your people? I heard many of them have died of starvation. How long do you intend to cling to your selfishness, Glarvic Alkenor?”

This time, Glarvic was speechless. His mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

”And don’t forget, there are still important matters to handle, Your Majesty. One of them is the dragon problem. If it’s left alone, aren’t you afraid the monster will rampage and attack Nivara? When that happens, do you think... your people will still trust you and your government?”

Nolan’s relentless words left Glarvic frozen, unable to argue at all.

As annoyed as he was, everything Nolan said was true.

Because of his obsession with defending the port, he had forgotten that his people were in crisis.

Many had died, many were starving, and in some parts of the city, rebellions had already begun.

If it spread to the rest of the kingdom, the question of whether he could remain king was easy to answer.

Even so, giving up the port of Sevarn just like that still made him extremely reluctant.

At that moment, Nolan spoke again.

”How about this—we’ll split the profits from the port. You get fifty percent, and we get fifty percent. Every year, you can manage it for one month, and all the income during that period will be yours.”

”But in return, you have to handle the port’s repairs, maintain its security, and most importantly, we won’t pay you annual royalties. How does that sound?”

Nolan rested his left cheek on his palm and looked at Glarvic casually.

”Think about it carefully. This is the best offer we can give. If not, then we might as well cancel this aid plan. After all, there’s no benefit for us in helping someone who’s unwilling to spend a little money for the prosperity of his own kingdom.”

His words were full of well-hidden sarcasm.

”I...” Glarvic gritted his teeth, then took a deep breath. ”Fine, I... agree.”

After saying that, he slumped back on the sofa. Giving up the port of Sevarn was truly a huge sacrifice.

But he knew that if he didn’t, his people would suffer even more.

”Good! I take back what I said earlier. Your Majesty, you are very clever,” Nolan praised with a broad smile.

Glarvic: ”...”

Now he finally realized just how cunning this prince was. According to the rumors, Nolan was a useless and foolish prince.

But that turned out to be completely false. The one who was labeled stupid had actually pressured him to the point he couldn’t fight back.

Even Leina beside him couldn’t say a word.

It had to be admitted that those born with Lorian blood were not people to be underestimated.

Meanwhile, Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco were delighted with the outcome.

Sharon, especially, never expected her brother to use such ruthless yet powerful methods to suppress Glarvic and Leina.

In an instant, her admiration and affection for her brother shot up several levels.

After that, they continued the negotiations. Although the port of Sevarn was the big fish they were after, it still wasn’t their most important target.

What they truly wanted was only one thing—twenty-five percent of the southeastern region, where a high-quality Netherium mine was located.