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

Standing on one of the branches of the World Tree, the spirit watched Nolan and Luna leave, a smile on her lips.

However, the sadness in her eyes was hard to hide.

”It’s so hard to have someone as interesting as him, yet in the end, we still have to part ways,” she muttered helplessly.

As the spirit of the World Tree, she lived in solitude. Even when she wanted to interact with the elves, she had to disguise herself.

Only in front of Seria and Nolan could she reveal her true form.

But now Nolan had returned, which meant she would be alone again for the foreseeable future—maybe a year, ten years, or even... a hundred years.

A butterfly suddenly appeared and then slowly took the shape of Seria, draped in a white veil.

The woman turned toward her without any surprise, as if she had already expected her arrival.

Smiling, she greeted her. ”Was the investigation successful?”

Seria exhaled deeply and shook her head.

”No, it failed. I found no trace of those people. Even after expanding the search to two hundred kilometers around the elf forest, there was nothing,” she said wearily. ”Could you have been mistaken, Yillia?”

A few days earlier, when the Singularity of Chaos arrived in the elf forest, Yillia told her that the evil people hiding behind that world might have set up a base nearby.

As the guardian of the elf race and this continent, Seria immediately searched for the base Yillia mentioned.

But after days of searching, she found nothing, making her wonder if Yillia had miscalculated.

”Nothing, huh?” Yillia furrowed her brow, rubbing her chin. ”But I’m sure I sensed that base earlier. Could it be that they became alert and left as soon as my senses locked onto their location?”

Seria found the reasoning plausible and shook her head helplessly.

”It seems so,” she muttered.

Her gaze lingered on the departing figures of the Singularity of Chaos and Luna, a trace of gloom on her face.

Earlier, she had planned to spend time with the Singularity of Chaos.

There were many things she wanted to ask him about his true feelings in the past.

Did he really love her back then, or were there other motives behind it?

Seria remembered how he always seemed distant, as if his mind and soul were elsewhere, far beyond her reach.

That was one of the main reasons she chose to end their relationship.

Unfortunately, bad news came from Yillia, leaving her no choice but to ensure that the elf race’s territory and its surroundings were safe from the evil people who could pose a great threat to the world in the future.

Yillia glanced at her, guilt clearly visible in her eyes. However, she quickly hid it and lowered her head in silence.

...

”Oh no! I forgot something!”

Nolan suddenly stopped in his tracks and tapped his mask in annoyance.

Luna, walking ahead of him, was startled and turned back with a curious look.

”What’s wrong, Singularity of Chaos? Did you forget something? If so, should we go back and get it?” she offered.

Nolan shook his head. ”It’s fine. It’s not important. But...”

As he resumed walking, he asked hesitantly, ”Do you remember the story about the Spirit of the World Tree you mentioned earlier, Luna?”

Luna nodded. ”I remember. What about it?”

Nolan steadied his emotions and asked casually, ”You didn’t mention her name. Do you know it?”

During his conversations with her over the past few days, he had learned almost nothing about her—aside from her identity as the Spirit of the World Tree.

And last night, when they parted ways, he forgot to ask, which left him wondering.

”Ah, so that’s what you’re thinking about?” Luna looked surprised, then giggled. ”The Spirit of the World Tree is called Yllia, Singularity of Chaos.”

”Yllia?” Nolan’s eyebrows rose slightly. ”Is that her last name?”

Luna shook her head. ”I don’t know. My grandmother and mother both call her that.”

She herself had never met Yllia, so she didn’t know much about her.

”I see.” Nolan nodded slightly, his eyes holding a well-hidden sense of relief. ’Yllia, huh? What a beautiful name. Will we have a chance to meet again in the future?’

He looked up at the cloudy sky, obscured by the thick foliage overhead.

Two people, far apart, shared the same dilemma.

***

”Alright, I’ll be going now. Be a good girl, okay?”

Nolan gently patted Luna’s head.

Luna couldn’t hold back her smile and nodded enthusiastically.

”Thank you, Singularity of Chaos! Take care!”

Nolan smiled, then his figure vanished from where he stood.

Watching him leave, Luna felt momentarily dazed. Meeting the Singularity of Chaos already felt like a dream, let alone being escorted there and back by him.

If she told the people at the Blue Moon office, they would never believe her.

Fortunately, she had taken a few photos with her magic device, which could serve as concrete evidence.

With a smile still on her face, she turned and walked back toward the Blue Moon Trading House office.

***

”Ugh... I’m so tired.”

Nolan stretched his stiff body and walked toward the bed.

A clone of himself lay there, with Eira sleeping soundly beside it.

The clone gave him a small nod before turning into a beam of light that flew into his forehead.

Nolan sat beside the little dragon and affectionately rubbed her head.

”M-mm...”

Eira whimpered softly, then slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Nolan, her eyes widened at once.

”Master!”

She jumped into his arms and rubbed against him in a spoiled manner.

Nolan chuckled softly as he continued stroking her back.

”Why do you look so happy? Haven’t I been by your side this whole time?”

Eira lifted her head and looked at him with dissatisfaction.

”Don’t lie to me. The one who stayed with me wasn’t the real you, was it? It was just your clone.”

Nolan looked surprised. ”How did you know?”

”Humph! I’m very smart, so figuring out something like that is easy.”

She folded her small arms and flashed a proud smile.

Nolan couldn’t help but laugh and gently pinched her right cheek.

”I’m sorry. I did switch places with my clone to go to the elf race’s territory. Will you forgive me?”

Eira’s annoyed expression slowly faded, but when she remembered being lied to, she pouted again.

”I’ll forgive you, but on one condition.”

”Oh? What is it?”

Eira glanced at him shyly. ”I want a box of chocolates.”

Nolan blinked twice before bursting into laughter.

”That’s all? Alright. Later today, I’ll ask Claire to send you two—no, three—boxes of chocolate. So don’t be upset anymore, okay?”

Eira’s eyes lit up. She hugged him again and said in a voice as soft as cotton, ”Thank you, Master!”