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

”Checkmate, I guess?”

Cedric smiled and slid his knight pawn toward the black king’s pawn.

Margaretta, sitting across from him, sighed softly and shook her head in annoyance.

”I lost again. You’re really good, Your Highness.”

Cedric chuckled quietly, showing no particular joy at the compliment.

”Thank you. It’s only natural. My daily opponent is my uncle, and he’s very skilled at chess,” he said modestly.

”Prime Minister Roswell, huh? No wonder you’re so good,” Margaretta said while rearranging the pieces. ”Oh, right—I almost forgot. According to my spies in the southern region, Prince Aldric seems to be preparing something extraordinary. Be careful.”

Her words caught Cedric off guard. He took a sip of his black coffee and crossed his legs before asking hesitantly, ”Do you know what he’s preparing?”

”No. Not yet. For some reason, the spies I placed there died before they could finish their reports,” she replied coldly.

A few days ago, for no clear reason, many of her spies had suddenly died.

Of course, they were not spies directly raised by the Ashvale family, but members of the Underworld Gate whom she had discovered by chance within her family’s territory.

They had been disguised as servants and soldiers. Unfortunately for them, their disguises were completely useless in front of her.

Rather than killing them, she chose to turn them into her spies. With no other option, they agreed to her request.

But that night, she received news that the spies had died suddenly, followed by reports of deaths across the empire, which shocked the public.

She didn’t know the reason, but she suspected that those who died were members of the Underworld Gate, disguised and scattered across the continent.

Cedric fell silent as he considered her words. Then a thought surfaced, and he whispered, ’Don’t tell me he plans to attack me… or Adalen in the near future?’

That possibility was not unlikely. Among the current candidates for the throne, Elina held the strongest and most stable position.

If Aldric attacked her, it would be courting death. After all, the previous incident was still clearly etched in his mind.

According to his uncle’s spies, the Demon Emperor Zerathos had most likely died.

And the culprit? None other than the Singularity of Chaos.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence, Cedric was convinced.

”Margaretta, may I ask for your help?” Cedric asked, his expression serious.

Margaretta nodded slightly. ”Just say the word, Your Highness Cedric. After all, I am here to help you.”

A faint smile—beautiful yet sharp like a rose—bloomed on her lips.

...

”So, where’s your ship?” Nolan asked, glancing at Harad beside him.

Harad wasn’t very tall—around 1.7 meters—so Nolan had to bend slightly to look at him.

”Not far from here. Don’t worry, I’m not lying to you,” Harad replied casually, showing no sign of panic.

Nolan said nothing more. Judging by his demeanor, Harad didn’t appear to be lying.

Soon after, Nolan and Evalyn reached the end of the dock. Floating there was a massive silver ship.

Unlike the others, it looked far more luxurious and imposing.

Even Nolan and Evalyn were stunned at the sight.

”This is the ship you’ll be boarding. What do you think?”

Harad turned to them with a smug smile.

Evalyn and Nolan froze for a moment before slowly collecting themselves.

”Nolan, isn’t this ship… too luxurious?” Evalyn whispered hesitantly.

She had imagined their sea journey to be ordinary. After all, they were supposed to be traveling with common passengers.

Even then, Evalyn had been excited and raised no objections.

But the ship before her… how should she put it… was far too luxurious.

It looked more like a ship meant for nobles.

Nolan shared the same thought. He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he glanced at Harad and asked, ”Can you prove this is really the ship we’re supposed to board?”

In a port like this, fraud was nothing new. Many ship agents promised pleasant journeys, but in reality… it often ended in disappointment.

”Young Master, you underestimate me,” Harad said, sounding dissatisfied. ”But I understand your situation. I’ll tell you the truth—this isn’t the ship scheduled to depart for the eastern continent. That one is.”

He pointed toward a brown ship about a hundred meters away, old and poorly maintained.

”However, because a special guest wished to return to the Eastern Empire of Izanagi, this silver ship was deployed instead. Coincidentally, the brown ship was damaged. To avoid losses, the owner opened fifty rooms to passengers and raised the price so only the wealthy could board.”

After hearing his explanation, Nolan and Evalyn finally understood.

”So that’s how it is…” Nolan nodded slightly. ”Alright, I understand. Since you’ve been honest, I trust you. My partner and I will board this ship. How much is the total?”

Harad looked delighted. The seriousness on his face vanished, replaced by a broad smile.

”It’s eighty thousand Sharn, Young Master.”

Eighty thousand Sharn was an extraordinary sum—nearly eleven times the average income of the capital’s residents.

”Let me—”

Before Evalyn could finish, Nolan stopped her.

”Shh… be quiet, okay? Let me handle it.” He pressed his index finger to his lips.

Nolan took out a black card with a dragon engraved on its surface.

It was an ultra-exclusive card issued by the Silver Dragon Bank, unknown to anyone except the Blue Moon officials.

”Swipe the card,” Nolan ordered casually.

Harad stared at the card in confusion. It was the first time he had ever seen such a card.

Still, he had to admit it looked extraordinary, as if it revealed the special status of its owner.

”Please wait a moment.”

He accepted the card carefully, then placed it onto a one-meter-high board with a blue magic circle engraved on its surface.

The board was used to deduct balances from special cards issued by the Silver Dragon Bank.

This financial innovation had allowed the Great Velmora Empire to far surpass other kingdoms and empires.

”Nolan, where did you get that card?” Evalyn asked hesitantly.

She remembered that Nolan had once taken out a black VVIP card when paying the bill at the Dragon’s Tear restaurant in the capital.

Now he was taking out yet another black card, which only deepened her confusion about Nolan’s true identity.

Wasn’t he just an ordinary prince?

Nolan glanced at her, then gently pinched her lips between his thumb and index finger.

”Shh… it’s a secret…”

Evalyn: ”…”