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

”Aldrian, Karakh, go to your rooms,” Gulvar ordered in an indifferent tone.

Aldrian hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but held back and nodded reluctantly.

Karakh said nothing and immediately left the throne room.

Once the two were out of sight, Gulvar turned to Melody and asked, ”What do you think of Seira?”

Melody rested her cheek against her palm and replied briefly, ”Brave, foolish, and cunning.”

Gulvar’s eyebrows rose slightly. ”Cunning? You see it too?”

Melody nodded and explained, ”She’s deliberately trying to sow dissent between us and Clarise. There’s likely an issue between her and her mother, but I’m sure there’s another motive. I just don’t know what it is.”

Gulvar fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding.

”I think so too. It’s strange for an older sister not to want her younger brother to take the throne. It seems Clarise has treated her badly. But that’s fine. We’ll delay this for a week before making a decision. During that time, we’ll make her feel comfortable and try to change her mind. However, if that still fails, we’ll resort to our last option.”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Melody said nothing, as if agreeing with him.

Then, suddenly, she asked doubtfully, ”What about Nolan Lorian? Aren’t you going to keep an eye on him?”

”As for that kid…” Gulvar narrowed his eyes. ”I’ll have Alex and Eldrin watch him.”

”Alex and Eldrin? Are you sure?” Melody was surprised.

They were Gulvar’s most loyal and reliable subordinates.

They were also incredibly powerful—their strength comparable to that of a Celestial Mage.

Gulvar leaned back against the throne and said in a heavy voice, ”That prince isn’t the trash everyone makes him out to be. He’s truly dangerous. I could sense it just now. We must not underestimate him.”

His instincts told him Nolan was far more dangerous than anyone he had ever encountered, but he had no proof.

So, he could only keep an eye on him and monitor his every move. After all, this palace was under his control.

No matter how dangerous or cunning Nolan was, it wouldn’t matter.

Melody frowned slightly at his words. But she said nothing, only nodding slowly.

…

”This is your room, Princess Seira,” Alina said, pointing to the room on the left. She then pointed to the room on the right and continued, ”And this one is yours, Prince Nolan.”

Seira smiled. ”Thank you, Princess Alina. Sorry for the trouble.”

Alina smiled back and shook her head.

”You’re welcome, Princess Seira. I hope you’ll be comfortable staying in this palace.”

After exchanging a few more words, Alina turned and walked away.

Nolan watched her back as it slowly receded, his expression unreadable.

”What’s wrong? Are you interested in her?” a teasing voice tinged with jealousy came from beside him.

Nolan turned to Seira, who had puffed out her cheeks, and chuckled softly.

”You’ve got the wrong idea,” he replied, folding his arms across his chest. ”I just find Princess Alina… a bit interesting.”

His purple eyes glinted with hidden meaning.

”A bit interesting? What do you mean?” Seira raised an eyebrow slightly.

But Nolan didn’t answer. With a playful smile, he walked into his room and whispered, ”That’s a secret.”

He closed the door, leaving Seira standing there, her face full of annoyance.

…

Three days passed quickly. During that time, Aldrian tried various ways to persuade Seira and ask her out on a date.

Unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain. Seira wasn’t interested at all and rejected him firmly.

This left Aldrian so frustrated that he lost his appetite.

”What’s wrong, my dear?”

Melody walked in and was startled to see Aldrian lying listlessly on the sofa.

Aldrian turned to his mother with teary eyes.

”Mom, I really don’t understand!”

He sat up and clenched his fists tightly.

”I’ve tried to get close to Seira, but she hasn’t accepted anything I’ve offered. I’ve even tried surprising her and everything, but the result is still the same. What did I do wrong?”

He scratched his head, filled with anger, disappointment, and frustration. Nothing was going according to plan, and it was truly infuriating.

Melody felt pity for her son. He loved Seira so much, yet she kept hurting his feelings over and over again.

But what could they do?

Seira was the key for the Lyren family to connect with Clarise—or more precisely, the Singularity of Light.

Like it or not, they had to swallow this bitter pill, even if it would only make Seira act even more insolent.

She sat down beside her son and stroked his head affectionately.

”Don’t be sad, my dear. I have a wonderful idea. In two days, there will be a birthday party for your sister, Alina. Nobles from all over the kingdom will be coming. You can use that opportunity to get closer to Seira. What do you think?”

Aldrian was surprised. In that instant, his eyes lit up with hope.

”You’re absolutely right, Mom! If I’m not mistaken, there’ll be a dance session too, right? I can ask Seira to dance with me there, and I’m sure she’ll be captivated by my dancing skills.”

He had mastered various skills expected of princes and princesses, such as noble etiquette, horseback riding, dancing, and more.

As it happened, dancing was his greatest strength. He had deliberately honed it in the hope of dancing with Seira one day.

Melody felt relieved to see him regain his enthusiasm. But deep down, she had already taken note of all of Seira’s mistreatment of her son and vowed to repay it in the future.

…

”Hoamm…”

Nolan yawned lazily, lying flat on his back on the bed like a dried fish.

He stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.

He had been staying in this palace for three days now and still had no idea what to do.

With that same lazy look on his face, he got up and walked over to the table.

He picked up a glass and took a sip. Then, he walked to the window and looked out.

His room faced directly toward the palace’s backyard. It was spacious and beautiful. A garden lay on the southern side, clearly visible from his vantage point.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a woman carefully tending to some flowers.

Nolan’s eyebrows rose slightly as he recognized her.

”Alina Lyren? It’s unusual to see her in the palace garden. Could it be that she likes flowers?”

He pondered, rubbing his chin. For the past three days, he had been watching the backyard and had never seen Alina.

So, it was quite a surprise to see her there.

”This is a good opportunity to get some information from her,” Nolan muttered with a meaningful smile.