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

”Am I going to die?”

That was the only thought in Elsa’s mind. The murderous intent around her was so overwhelming that her body froze.

Just as she was certain her end had come, Nolan moved with lightning speed.

He appeared behind her and slammed his palm into the man who was about to slash her throat.

The man froze, completely unprepared for anyone to stop him.

But there was no time to react. Nolan had already slammed the man’s face into the floor with brutal force.

The impact crushed his skull, scattering the contents of his brain in all directions.

Fortunately, Nolan had surrounded himself with an invisible barrier, so not a single drop of blood touched him.

Elsa trembled with fear. When no pain came, shock filled her, and she quickly looked around in panic.

”Nolan? Are you there?” she called, her voice trembling.

”I’m here,” Nolan replied from beside her.

Elsa clutched his left hand, letting out a long, shaky sigh.

”Thank goodness… I thought I was done for. I guess it was just my fear.”

Nolan rolled his eyes. If he hadn’t acted, she would have been dead by now.

But he had no intention of showing off. It was unnecessary—and he didn’t want to reveal more of himself than he had to.

”Let’s go.”

Without another word, he pulled Elsa away from the hall.

Screams of pain, panic, and fear echoed from every corner of the hall.

Elsa’s grip on Nolan tightened as her fear surged.

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from behind. The blast was so powerful that it created a massive fireball.

Elsa instinctively turned her head—and her face drained of color.

The fire was burning Alina’s birthday cake. But that wasn’t what made it terrifying—it was the corpses of men and women scattered all around them.

The bodies lay lifeless, their heads completely severed.

”Ugh…” Elsa felt nauseous and was about to vomit, but Nolan quickly pressed his palm over her mouth.

”Don’t vomit here. Otherwise, you’ll leave a trail for those killers,” Nolan warned coldly.

Elsa’s fear intensified, and she didn’t dare disobey his order. She had no choice but to suppress her nausea and keep running.

Nolan glanced back, his gaze cold.

’Meliodas, I truly underestimated you…’

Although he knew this chaos would cause a stir, he was still slightly shocked by the sight.

Many had fallen victim, and all of them were utterly innocent.

For his own ambition, Meliodas had committed an atrocity. If he ever became king, Nolan could already imagine the destruction he would bring to the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

The two ran on, finally disappearing from view.

***

”Everything has been carried out perfectly, Your Highness.”

A servant bowed respectfully to a handsome man.

That man was none other than Meliodas, the third prince and the mastermind behind the chaos in the hall.

Meliodas smiled as he gazed outside the palace.

”Thank you for your help, Arkash. I will reward you greatly later.”

He turned to the servant, his gaze filled with appreciation.

Upon closer inspection, the man named Arkash resembled the one who had hosted the birthday party in the hall earlier.

Arkash looked up and grinned.

”You’re welcome, Your Highness. Helping you is my duty.”

Meliodas nodded in satisfaction, then asked, ”Have the guards and servants been knocked unconscious?”

Arkash slowly stood up and replied confidently, ”Yes, Your Highness. For the next two hours, there will be no outside help. We’ve also sealed the palace completely. Unless we open it, no one will be able to enter.”

His words made Meliodas’s smile widen. He was pleased with the perfect arrangements Arkash had made.

It was well worth the exorbitant price he had paid.

”In that case, proceed with the second plan,” he ordered coldly. ”I want Aldrian dead right now!”

His eyes flashed with overwhelming killing intent. This chaos wasn’t entirely his fault—it was all because of Aldrian.

The throne should have been his; that much was certain.

After all, he had secured the support of many parties, including ministers and noble families.

Yet, unexpectedly, his father had appointed Aldrian as crown prince. It all happened so suddenly, without any meeting within the royal family.

Of course, Meliodas was furious and even voiced his dissatisfaction with Gulvar’s decision.

What hurt the most was that Gulvar simply said, ”I am the King, and all my decisions are final.”

Those words cut him like a knife. He had once believed his father would treat him fairly.

It turned out that belief was nothing but a pipe dream. From the very beginning, his efforts to win over the ministers and noble families had been in vain.

Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to dirty and cruel methods. Many fell victim to his actions, but he didn’t care at all.

As long as he succeeded in becoming the next king, all those sacrifices were insignificant—even necessary.

”I understand. Don’t worry, Your Highness. The assassins have followed Prince Aldrian and Princess Seira. But there’s something I want to ask. Is Princess Seira…”

Before he could finish, Meliodas raised his left hand and replied flatly, ”Kill her—don’t let her live. Aldrian loves her deeply, doesn’t he? Let the couple go to the afterlife together.”

As for the possibility of offending the Great Velmora Empire, Meliodas was not the least bit intimidated.

From the very beginning, the Ancient Kingdom of Eron and the Great Velmora Empire had never been on good terms. Velmora’s hegemony was so overwhelming that it made the kings of Eron envious.

In the past, Eron had been just as strong and vast as Velmora. But after the rise of the Demon Emperor a thousand years ago, its glory was shattered, leaving the Ancient Kingdom of Eron far weaker than at its peak.

So, it was no surprise that his father leaned more toward the Holy Empire of Valtanir than the Great Velmora Empire.

Arkash did not dare to argue and bowed his head once more before walking out of the room.

Meliodas took a deep breath and let it out. He walked over to the window and gazed at the night sky.

”Aldrian, don’t blame me for being cruel. It’s your fault for taking what was mine.”

A faint smirk spread across his lips as he imagined Aldrian’s imminent death.

What he didn’t know was that his decision to involve Seira in his plans would instead lead him into an abyss of despair he could never have imagined.