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

”Wow! I never expected Prince Nolan to take such a bold action at that time. It’s truly amazing!” A young noblewoman covered her mouth with an expression of awe.

”You’re right. This is something no one told us—even after the sea monster was defeated. It’s a shame. If I had known, I would have spread the word to the others,” another young woman chimed in with sparkling eyes.

The other young women nodded in agreement.

Ever since Nolan showed his true colors at the previous announcement of the succession to the throne, their negative and unpleasant thoughts about him had changed drastically.

Moreover, at the previous emperor’s birthday party, Nolan had shown a firm stance when confronting Allen and even displayed impressive dancing skills.

They were all young women who still had innocent hearts and loved touching stories.

The story of Nolan, a prince once labeled stupid and useless but who turned out to be a handsome prince with hidden strength, melted their hearts.

So, they admired and loved him greatly—even more than Adalen, who was known as the idol prince of young women.

And now, after hearing Rafine’s story that Nolan made such an incredible sacrifice to save her, their admiration and affection for him rose to the highest point.

...

”Achoo!” Nolan suddenly sneezed and looked around warily. ”It seems like someone is thinking about me. Don’t tell me it’s my brothers. If so, it makes perfect sense. But they’re quite annoying. I’m in the Kingdom of Kaldarion, yet they still have time to think badly of me.”

He sighed softly and rubbed his temples.

”What’s wrong? Why do you look so restless?” Sharon’s curious voice came from in front of him.

Nolan shook his head as he leaned back in his seat. ”It’s nothing. By the way, has there been any movement from the royal family?”

He sipped his tea and looked at his sister curiously.

”Not yet,” Sharon replied. ”But according to the information Cassiopeia gathered, the royal family is contacting the Tower of Silence to ask for help. It seems to be related to the dragon.”

”The Tower of Silence?” Nolan was surprised. His mind instantly drifted to the short girl with the big breasts—Jisha.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he gazed at the cloudy sky above.

Is it possible we’ll meet again? If so, that would be very pleasant.

...

”I... I’m sorry, Young Lady Rafine!” The viscount prostrated himself in fear.

His body trembled, and cold sweat poured down his neck and back.

He never expected something like this to happen during the mission to subdue the sea monster. If he had known earlier, he would never have dared to insult Nolan.

Most importantly, Rafine mentioned that Nolan was acquainted with one of the Blue Moon Trading House’s high-ranking officials.

In the Great Empire of Velmora, who didn’t know that trading house?

Even the poor knew about it.

But just now, he had insulted Nolan—something that could easily draw the wrath of the high-ranking official associated with him.

If that happened, he and his family would surely be destroyed.

Let alone maintaining his status as a viscount, he wasn’t even sure he could survive the anger of his own people.

After all, eighty percent of the territory he controlled had grown rapidly and created many jobs thanks to Blue Moon’s investments.

Listening to his apology, Rafine smiled mockingly. She actually wanted to humiliate him for a while longer.

But after thinking it over, there was no point. The viscount was nothing but a worthless minor noble.

If she kept pressuring him, she would only embarrass herself in front of many people.

Even so, she had no intention of letting him go just like that.

At the very least, there had to be a strong and firm punishment so people would no longer dare to insult Nolan.

”Don’t apologize to me—apologize to Princess Elina.”

The viscount quickly knelt down, begging Elina for forgiveness.

”Princess, forgive me! I won’t do it again! Please save me!”

Elina felt annoyed and didn’t want to forgive him so easily. But she shared the same thought as Rafine—she didn’t want to lower herself because of a viscount.

What’s more, many guests from outside the region had come to the party. It would only damage the imperial family’s image.

Without giving an answer, Elina simply waved her hand as if telling him to leave.

The viscount understood and reluctantly stood up before walking away.

The incident naturally drew the attention of everyone in the hall, including Prime Minister Mikazura, King Maldrin, and the many guests from other regions.

When they learned what had happened, they only nodded slightly and said nothing.

At a party attended by so many people, it wasn’t surprising for such things to occur.

Even so, they were all very curious about the prince named Nolan.

They already knew about him, along with the many derogatory nicknames attached to him.

Although they were only rumors, they had become a stigma in the minds of people outside the empire.

Unexpectedly, the prince known as ”trash” turned out to have the support of the young lady from a duke’s family.

It had to be admitted that, despite his reputation, the prince was quite capable of winning a woman’s heart—especially someone as beautiful as Rafine.

The minor incident quickly passed, and everyone continued their conversations.

Rafine and Elina also resumed speaking with the nobles around them.

No matter what, they had to make use of this opportunity to gain as much support as possible in the battle for the throne.

”Excuse me, Princess. May I have a moment of your time?”

An emotionless voice came from behind them. They stopped talking and turned around.

”You...” Elina frowned as she recognized the person—Margaretta Ashvale, the illegitimate daughter of the Ashvale family.

Rafine beside her was equally surprised. She didn’t know what Margaretta wanted by approaching Elina, but she couldn’t let her guard down.

After all, this woman had managed to gain the sympathy and affection of Duke Ashvale while slowly pushing aside Allen, the true heir.

”Do you need something from me?” Elina asked bluntly.

Since the Ashvale family had declared their support for Cedric, there was no business or relationship between her and Margaretta.

Margaretta’s face remained flat and indifferent as she bowed her head slightly and replied, ”I just want to get to know you, Your Highness. Is that okay?”

She blinked innocently and tilted her head. With her expressionless face and innocent gaze, she looked quite adorable.

Elina’s guard softened slightly, and she gave a small nod.

”Of course. Nice to meet you.”

A faint smile appeared on Margaretta’s lips, but the next second, it vanished as if it had never been there.

The two began their conversation. At first, the atmosphere felt awkward and unfamiliar, as Elina was still a little wary of her.

However, after five minutes, she started to relax. Margaretta turned out to be a unique woman with extensive knowledge.

Naturally, that made Elina even more curious about her.

Suddenly—

”By the way, I heard that you and Prince Nolan are very close. How close are you?” Margaretta asked flatly.

But there was a hidden meaning in her eyes.