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

”His Majesty the Emperor is entering the hall!”

At once, everyone turned to look at Ragan.

He wore a golden robe with a dragon emblem on the back.

His short white hair was neatly combed, crowned with a seven-crystal diadem.

With each step, a subtle aura radiated from him, making everyone instinctively lower their heads.

Quickly, all except the visiting leaders from other regions bowed in respect.

”Welcome, Your Majesty,” they greeted him.

King Maldrin, Prime Minister Mikazura, and other distinguished guests followed suit.

Ragan smiled, meeting their gazes one by one.

”Thank you for attending the celebration I’ve prepared. I hope you enjoy it,” he said calmly.

”Of course, Your Majesty. We are truly honored,” the King of Serothia replied with a small laugh.

The others quickly followed with warm words of greeting for Ragan.

”Excellent. Since this is a celebration of the empire’s anniversary, I won’t bore you with a long speech. Just enjoy the party,” Ragan added.

At his words, the palace musicians began to play.

The harmonious blend of piano, violins, and other instruments filled the hall.

The music created a serene, uplifting atmosphere, refreshing both heart and mind.

Soon, the heads of noble families—dukes and marquises—approached Ragan to exchange greetings or a few words.

Lower-ranking nobles, meanwhile, had to wait patiently in line, their status less prominent in a gathering filled with higher-ranking guests.

”Elina, would you like a drink?” Rafine asked.

”I would,” she replied.

”Wait a moment; I’ll get it for you.”

With that, Rafine moved toward a nearby table laden with wine glasses.

Elina said nothing. One by one, the heads of noble families who supported her—or remained neutral—approached.

They made small talk or asked questions about her and those around her.

”By the way, Princess, I’ve heard of your exploits in the eastern region. Truly remarkable—defeating that sea monster,” praised the head of a Viscount family.

Rafine stepped up beside Elina and handed her a glass of wine.

”Oh! I’ve heard of it too. It was such spectacular news—it still echoes today,” another noble quickly added.

Before long, the heads of the noble families were eagerly continuing the conversation.

Elina listened quietly, responding only occasionally.

Then, the Viscount family head, who had started the topic, made a remark that silenced everyone around Elina.

”If I’m not mistaken, Prince Nolan helped you, didn’t he? I also heard he was declared dead after falling from a ship. Come to think of it... he’s rather useless, isn’t he?”

His tone carried a pretense of concern, but his expression dripped with mockery and disdain.

Rafine froze, glancing at Elina, whose face had darkened.

”Useless, you say?” Elina’s voice was cold and piercing.

A shiver ran down the spines of the nobles around her, even the Viscount who had mocked Nolan moments before.

”How dare you insult my brother! Do you know we won that battle because of him?” Her eyes narrowed, brimming with murderous intent.

The head of the Viscount family trembled instinctively and took a step back.

”P-Princess, you misunderstand. I didn’t mean to insult Prince Nolan. I—”

Before he could finish, Elina smiled mockingly and spoke with icy indifference.

”Do you think I—or the nobles here—are fools? You’re clearly mocking my brother.”

The others exchanged glances, then swiftly joined Elina in cornering the Viscount with their words.

”Yes! Princess Elina is right! You were clearly mocking him!”

”Tsk! Do you take us for fools? How ridiculous!”

The barrage of insults pushed the Viscount to the brink of anger.

His face flushed as he snapped, ”What is wrong with all of you? I merely misspoke, and you keep attacking me. Fine! I’ll make it clear—Prince Nolan is useless! Lazy, careless! Someone like him doesn’t deserve to be a prince!”

Instantly, silence fell. Elina, already burning with rage, grew even more furious.

But before she could act, Rafine stepped forward.

She raised her right hand, and then—

Smack!

A sharp slap landed squarely on the Viscount’s left cheek.

He froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The burning pain quickly snapped him out of his daze.

He opened his mouth to scold the person who had struck him—but froze when he realized it was Rafine.

”Y-Young Lady R-Rafine? Why did you—”

”Why did I slap you?” Rafine asked, her lips curling into a slight smile.

The smile was delicate, almost beautiful—but to him, it was the smile of a demon.

Coupled with the tense, oppressive aura she radiated, Rafine truly seemed like a demon descended from hell.

”It’s because you insulted Nolan. I will never let anyone insult him,” she replied with a cold, murderous gaze.

No one was allowed to insult him, let alone harm Nolan. Anyone who dared would have to face her wrath.

And the one who dared this time was merely the head of a viscount family.

If she wished, destroying that man—and his entire family—wouldn’t be difficult.

The man was shocked by Rafine’s words. He wanted to apologize but reminded himself that, technically, his words weren’t false.

”So what? That prince is trash!” he spat.

”Trash, you say?” Rafine remained calm, but her aura grew sharper, intensifying the tension. ”Do you know why we survived that battle with the sea monster?”

The man froze, unsure how to answer. Of course, he didn’t know.

All he knew was that the victory belonged to Elina, Luvistar, and Rafine—led primarily by Elina, who commanded the soldiers when Luvistar was injured.

Was there something he didn’t know?

Seeing him remain silent, Rafine snorted coldly. ”It was all because of Nolan. He had connections with a high-ranking official from the Blue Moon Trading House and asked for their help in sending a Celestial Mage. The mage cast a spell to protect our two ships.”

”And that’s not all...” Her voice trembled with restrained anger. ”You said he died because he was thrown into the sea, right? Wrong! He saved me! Because of him, I’m alive today!”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke.

Recalling that incident, Rafine felt a wave of sadness and gratitude wash over her.

Because of her, Nolan had nearly died. If not for a miracle, he would have been gone—and the guilt would have weighed on her for the rest of her life.

She owed him deeply. It was impossible for her to let strangers insult Nolan.

The nobles and guests nearby, curious about the commotion, exchanged surprised glances.

They had not expected Nolan to make such a sacrifice for Rafine.

Inevitably, their view of the prince shifted once more.

”Rafine...” Elina opened her mouth to speak but immediately stopped, letting out a deep, resigned sigh.