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

Two days passed, and tonight was New Year’s Eve, eagerly awaited by everyone on the continent.

”Hahaha!” Aldric laughed heartily as he gazed at the clouded sky before him. ”I’m sure Nolan and Seira failed the task Father gave them. I can’t wait to see how he punishes them.”

The task of decorating for the New Year was crucial. It was an annual event, and for the people, it was sacred.

Failing to decorate the capital would surely draw the people’s anger and dissatisfaction toward them and the imperial family.

”Brother, there’s terrible news!” Novaria’s voice came from behind him.

Aldric turned to look at her, confusion on his face.

”Bad news?” His brows furrowed slightly. ”What happened?”

Novaria gasped, her voice trembling. ”Nolan and Seira managed to decorate the city for New Year’s Eve!”

Hearing this, Aldric’s eyes widened in shock. He froze for a moment before snapping back and shouting, ”What are you talking about? How did they manage that?”

He had made sure they wouldn’t be able to finish it. He had placed a massive order at the shop that supplied the palace decorations.

That meant the palace should have been unable to obtain any decorations.

Not to mention, the other shops in the capital couldn’t help them either.

After all, not only the southern region but also the western, northern, and eastern regions were suffering from a shortage of decorations.

”I don’t know either.” Novaria shook her head. ”I only heard that there are ten giant statues standing at certain points in the capital right now. They caught everyone’s attention—even Father himself had to come and check them out.”

Aldric’s face turned gloomy. He gritted his teeth, clenching his right palm.

However, the next second, he calmed down and regained his smile.

”So what? Do they think that simply placing giant statues is enough to complete the mission Father gave them? How naive.”

He didn’t know what Nolan and Seira’s true purpose was. But he had a guess: they were desperate, with no other way to complete it.

Therefore, he didn’t need to worry. In the end, they would still fail.

Novaria remained silent. She also felt that Nolan and Seira were merely acting out of desperation.

But for some reason, a sense of foreboding rose within her.

’I hope it’s not what I think it is. Otherwise...’

She glanced at her brother with a pitying look and let out a deep sigh.

...

Ragan and Orion headed to the capital. To avoid causing a commotion, the two disguised themselves as ordinary people.

”Is what you said true, Orion? Did those two kids really place a giant dragon statue in the city square?” Ragan asked in an annoyed voice.

Orion nodded slightly and replied, ”Yes, Your Majesty. This news came directly from the soldiers. It is said that Princess Seira and Prince Nolan ordered several giant statues to be placed at strategic locations throughout the capital. The stated purpose was to celebrate New Year’s Eve, but even I still don’t understand the meaning behind that celebration.”

A small sigh escaped his lips. Placing giant statues in the capital would only cause panic and fear among the people.

Yet Seira and Nolan had done it anyway, which confused him greatly.

Ragan remained silent, but the anger on his face was difficult to hide.

They walked along the snow-covered road until they reached the center of the city square.

There, people from all walks of life had gathered—children, adults, the elderly, and more.

They had come to take pictures with the magic tools they had bought from the Blue Moon Trading House or to chat casually with one another.

The scene clearly surprised Ragan and Orion. At first, they had thought the public would be frightened or react in a similar way.

But what stood before them was the complete opposite. The people looked genuinely happy.

”Hey, I heard the statue will spit fire on New Year’s Eve. Do you want to come and enjoy it?” a young man asked while holding his partner’s hand.

”Of course I want to! New Year’s Eve this year is sure to be amazing. I can’t wait to see it,” the woman beside him replied, her face bright with a happy smile.

And it wasn’t just them—other couples also seemed excited as they waited for New Year’s Eve.

Orion glanced at Ragan and asked, ”Your Majesty, what should we do? Do we need to dismantle it?”

Ragan didn’t answer immediately. He observed the joyful expressions on the faces around him, then let out a deep sigh.

”It’s not necessary. Let Nolan and Seira do what they want. But remember—keep troops and mages stationed to guard the area. If an unwanted tragedy occurs, you must be ready to intervene. Understand?”

Orion nodded slightly. ”I understand, Your Majesty.”

Ragan smiled with satisfaction. Honestly, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

Something he thought would upset the people of the capital instead had the opposite effect—they were genuinely happy.

Considering that public trust in the imperial family was currently declining, the actions taken by Nolan and Seira had clearly succeeded in preventing the situation from worsening.

Although the existence of the statues would disrupt the imperial New Year’s Eve tradition, he didn’t really care.

After all, traditions could change as long as they led to something positive.

”Let’s go.” Ragan turned and walked back toward the imperial palace.

Orion immediately followed him, and the two slowly disappeared from view.

”Tsk! That old man even checked it himself. Was he really surprised by what I did?”

Behind one of the shop buildings, Nolan peeked in the direction Ragan and Orion had gone.

The two had disguised themselves as ordinary people to avoid attention, but to him, the disguise meant nothing.

”But it seems like he’s not upset at all,” Nolan muttered contentedly.

He wasn’t afraid his father would be displeased, because he knew the old man couldn’t be.

The purpose of assigning him and Seira to handle the capital’s decorations was to increase the people’s trust in the imperial palace.

And what he had done succeeded in making the people of the capital feel curious and excited as they welcomed New Year’s Eve.

When night fell, the grand spectacle would naturally restore their trust in the palace.

”Well, I can’t be careless,” he whispered. ”The Demon Emperor Zerathos will appear tonight. I must prepare a proper welcome for him... hehehe...”