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

The atmosphere in the throne room instantly turned heavy and silent. Everyone held their breath and stared at Gulvar’s somber face.

”So… that mysterious figure managed to defeat the Ancient Mage Flugar with ease?” he asked in a low, heavy voice.

Eldrin didn’t answer. He only nodded slowly.

Gulvar was left speechless. Just how powerful was Flugar?

Everyone in the room knew the answer all too well. Yet such a terrifying old man had died just like that—without warning, without a commotion, and without even causing chaos that might have alerted the royal palace.

If that was the case, then how powerful was the figure who killed him?

Gulvar didn’t know. He was even afraid that if he learned the truth, it would haunt him in his nightmares.

At the very least, anyone capable of killing Flugar was clearly far stronger than him. It wasn’t impossible that such a figure could overthrow the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

The desire for revenge inside him slowly began to fade.

Aldrian was indeed his precious son. He was also the heir to the Void Reaver Disc, destined to become the king who would restore the kingdom to its former glory.

However, Gulvar was a selfish man. He didn’t want to provoke someone that powerful and risk losing everything—even his own life.

”My love… why… why did you die?”

Melody’s hoarse, broken voice snapped Gulvar out of his thoughts.

After crying for so long, Melody looked exhausted, as if she had lost the will to live.

”Tch!” Gulvar clicked his tongue, feeling extremely annoyed.

He was the king. If he didn’t take action, everyone would see him as cowardly and incompetent.

If that happened, the people’s trust in him would waver, and his position as ruler would be threatened.

Gulvar took a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, ”Are there any other clues? More importantly… what was that person’s motive?”

Eldrin nodded. ”Actually, there are a few suspicious things, Your Majesty. Do you remember when I said Prince Aldrian was killed by a dagger? That dagger bears a pattern not found in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron. It came from outside our borders.”

He then ordered a servant to bring the dagger that had been secured as evidence.

The servant presented the dagger, sealed inside a glass case.

Eldrin took it and walked over to Gulvar, showing it to him.

Gulvar opened the case and took the dagger, examining it carefully.

A dragon motif was engraved along the blade from end to end. Eldrin was right—this design didn’t exist in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

After all, dragons had never been part of their culture.

After finishing his inspection, Gulvar looked at a tall, burly man standing among the ministers and asked, ”Erkan, do you recognize this dagger?”

Erkan was a war general of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron. His years on the battlefield gave him a far broader perspective than the others.

Erkan stepped forward, took the dagger, and examined it carefully.

”This dagger…” His eyes narrowed. ”Your Majesty, it belongs to the Great Velmora Empire.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

Gulvar held his breath, his heart pounding, as he asked in a trembling voice, ”How certain are you?”

”One hundred percent,” Erkan replied firmly. ”In the past, I traveled to that empire. I saw a weapons shop there, and many swords, daggers, and spears had engravings similar to this.”

His words struck everyone in the throne room once again. They drew deep breaths, their minds racing with countless possibilities.

Gulvar frowned and muttered, ’Could Seira have done it? But how is that possible? She should have been unconscious at the time. She couldn’t have done something like this.’

”That’s it… it must be that woman!”

Melody’s hoarse voice echoed throughout the throne hall.

She stood up and staggered toward Gulvar. Gripping his arms tightly, her eyes—red from crying—glared at him with hatred.

”Gulvar… Seira has to be the culprit! I’m sure of it!” She gritted her teeth. ”Find her. Arrest her and drag her to trial right now!”

The atmosphere instantly turned heavy. Everyone went quiet, waiting for the king to respond.

If Seira truly was the culprit, this matter would escalate into a major conflict. It wasn’t even impossible for it to turn into a full-scale war.

Gulvar took a deep breath and patted Melody’s shoulder to calm her.

”Don’t worry. I’ll handle this. Go and rest first.”

Not long after he said that, Melody’s vision swam. Her body went limp, and she nearly collapsed—but Gulvar caught her in time and held her steady.

After ordering the servants to escort Melody back to her room, Gulvar turned to Alex and asked, ”Are there truly no more clues?”

Alex frowned and shook his head.

”No—”

Before he could finish, his eyes widened and his body stiffened.

”Your Majesty… there is actually one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”

”Speak,” Gulvar ordered coldly.

Alex unconsciously glanced at Alina, who was standing beside Gulvar.

The moment she noticed his gaze, a strong sense of foreboding rose in Alina’s chest.

”Your Majesty, during dinner earlier, two people were dining at the same restaurant. They were Princess Alina and Prince Nolan.”

The throne room erupted instantly. Everyone turned to stare at Alina, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Gulvar’s expression changed as he faced his daughter.

”Is that true?”

Alina panicked. But she knew she couldn’t lie to her father.

”It… it’s true, Father. Prince Nolan and I had dinner together. I didn’t know Brother Aldrian was at that restaurant as well,” she stammered.

”Then where is Nolan now? Bring him here and let him explain himself!”

Alina froze. Her face turned pale as fear took hold of her.

”He… he… he can’t be found.”

Gulvar’s eyes narrowed sharply. ”What do you mean?”

Alina bit her lower lip and replied, ”During dinner, Prince Nolan excused himself to use the restroom. Since then, no one has seen him. I searched the entire restaurant, but I still couldn’t find him.”

Gulvar fell silent for a moment. His mind raced as countless possibilities flashed through his thoughts.

’Could it be…’ His eyes widened, his heart pounding. ’Is he the culprit?’

It sounded implausible—no, it was actually the most plausible explanation.

Seira was Nolan’s older sister. When Nolan went to the restroom, he might have seen Aldrian taking his sister to the Seven Lights Inn and followed them.

Once he realized what Aldrian intended to do, Nolan must have flown into a rage and killed him on the spot.

At the same time, a mysterious figure could have been holding Flugar back, giving Nolan the chance to act.

As for how Nolan managed to suppress the spirit of the Void Reaver Disc, Gulvar couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

But did it matter?

All he needed now was a scapegoat. And Nolan was the perfect one.

”So that’s it… I understand now…”

Gulvar gritted his teeth, his eyes burning red with fury.

”The culprit is Nolan Lorian! He’s the one who killed my son!” he roared.

Everyone held their breath. No one dared to speak.

Seething with rage, Gulvar raised his finger and pointed toward the throne room doors.

”Erkan, by my order, take twenty thousand cavalry and pursue Nolan Lorian and Seira Lorian! Capture them—by any means necessary!”