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

Nolan knew his mother very well. Although she seemed stubborn, she was incredibly intelligent.

He was certain that she had her own reasons for becoming a geisha.

But what were they?

He couldn’t find the answer. Maybe he would ask her later.

Pushing the thought aside, Nolan continued his conversation with Ryuuten.

Most of their conversation was about his mother’s past, Isabella. Through his grandfather’s stories, he began to see a different side of her younger self.

Then suddenly, Ryuuten said something he never expected.

”Nolan, do you want to become an emperor?”

The question made Nolan freeze. He looked into his grandfather’s face and saw no trace of a joke.

Without hesitation, he refused. ”I’m sorry, Grandfather, but I don’t want to. Becoming an emperor is not my dream.”

How could he possibly accept it?

The reason he had refused to participate in the battle for the throne was to avoid becoming an emperor.

If he accepted his grandfather’s offer, wouldn’t that go against his own wishes?

Ryuuten sighed softly, as if he had already expected that answer.

”You’re just like your mother. She hated being a leader,” he said with a small chuckle as he sipped his tea. ”But it’s fine. If you ever change your mind, I’ll hand over my throne to you. Although you are a prince of the Great Velmora Empire, you are still my grandson and a descendant of the Taira clan.”

He was not the type to treat his grandchildren differently just because they were not born in his empire.

For him, as long as they carried the blood of the Taira clan—whether from their mother’s or father’s side—they still had the right to be part of the imperial family.

Nolan was moved by his words. Having been born into an imperial family full of intrigue, Ryuuten’s demeanor felt both unfamiliar and warm to him.

For the first time, he truly felt the warmth of family from someone other than his mother and sisters.

”Thank you, Grandfather,” he said softly.

***

Nolan stepped out of the room and realized it was already dark outside.

’How long was I in there? More than three hours?’ he wondered inwardly.

He walked to the right, along the seemingly deserted palace corridor.

Unlike the corridors of Velmora Palace, this palace exuded an indescribable ancient atmosphere.

It felt as if he were walking through history itself, able to sense the presence of thousands of years past.

’As expected of an empire that has stood for thousands of years—truly amazing,’ he whispered in awe.

Just then, a maid appeared in front of him. Nolan stopped her and asked, ”Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

The maid was startled and quickly lowered her head.

”Of course, Your Highness.”

At the same time, she stole a glance at Nolan, admiration flickering in her eyes.

A few hours earlier, she had received news that the son of the missing princess, Yuki Taira, had arrived at the palace.

Now that she saw him in person, she had to admit that Nolan was extremely handsome.

His facial features closely resembled the emperor’s, especially his eyes and hair.

”Do you know where Evalyn, the descendant of the hero, is?” Nolan asked.

”Lady Evalyn is in her room, Your Highness,” the maid replied politely.

”In her room, huh?” Nolan nodded slightly and smiled. ”Thank you.”

After that, he walked past the maid.

Watching him leave, she felt dazed for a moment and pressed a hand against her rapidly beating chest.

’What is this? Could it be that I’m… falling in love?’ she whispered, her face flushing.

Meanwhile, Nolan headed toward his room. Since Evalyn was probably already asleep, he intended to rest as well.

But suddenly, he stopped. His gaze fixed on the quiet palace garden, where only one figure stood—Kaede.

”What is she doing there?” he wondered silently.

Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, he decided to approach her. To avoid startling her, he suppressed his presence and hid behind a tree.

Kaede stood in the middle of the garden, clad in a white dress unlike anything Nolan had ever seen, its style reminiscent of a kimono.

In each hand, she held a short wooden stick about ten centimeters long, each decorated with small bells at both ends.

Kaede closed her eyes and began to dance with graceful movements.

Kling!

As the bells rang, her feet stepped lightly in different directions.

Kling… kling…

Accompanied by the continuous chime of the bells, she moved gracefully from one side to the other.

Her calm expression and gentle bearing were breathtaking.

Under the bright moonlight, Kaede looked like a goddess who had descended from the heavens.

Nolan stood in silence, watching her.

”The Dance of the Sun God,” he whispered softly.

He had seen that dance when he was a child. Back then, he and Elina often slept beside their mother.

Every night, right in the middle of the spring month, their mother would perform the Sun God Dance.

He never knew why she did it. He had simply assumed she wanted to preserve a tradition from the eastern continent.

Looking back, he realized how careless he had been. The Dance of the Sun God was performed only by those born into the Taira clan.

But at the time, he hadn’t thought much of it and had considered it nothing more than an ordinary dance.

If he had realized its significance back then, he might have guessed that his mother was a princess of the Eastern Empire of Izanagi.

Now, watching Kaede perform the sacred dance, Nolan couldn’t help but think of his mother.

The two of them were strikingly similar, as if carved from the same mold.

Kaede’s dance lasted a full ten minutes. Nolan had no intention of disturbing her and simply watched in silence.

Suddenly, the dance stopped, and Kaede’s gaze locked onto the tree where Nolan was hiding.

”Come out,” she commanded coldly.

Nolan was surprised. He hadn’t expected Kaede to find him, despite his efforts to stay hidden.

He stepped forward with a smile.

”Sorry, I didn’t mean to peek,” he said.

Kaede’s eyes widened—she hadn’t guessed it would be him. But in an instant, her expression returned to calm and neutral.

”It’s okay,” she said, turning and walking away.

Nolan suspected she still couldn’t accept that his mother was her sister. He decided to try to clear the misunderstanding.

”That dance… was it the Dance of the Sun God?”

The question made Kaede stop in her tracks. She turned to him, puzzled.

”How did you know?”

Nolan smiled and crossed his arms over his chest.

”In the past, my mother often performed that dance in the middle of spring. It was so beautiful that it’s clearly engraved in my memory,” Nolan said softly. ”Seeing you perform it reminded me of her. She hasn’t done it in a long time… maybe ten years?”

A small sigh escaped his lips.

Kaede froze at his words. ”She hasn’t done it… anymore?”