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

”Brother Karakh!?” Alina’s eyes widened. ”N-No… that can’t be! There’s no way Brother Karakh would do something like that!”

She shook her head again and again, like she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

”Brother Karakh is the most responsible person I know. He helped Father restore order eight days ago, and he’s accomplished so much for the kingdom’s survival. How could he possibly be the culprit?”

Alina frowned and glared at Nolan with clear displeasure.

Since Aldrian’s death, Karakh had worked tirelessly, helping the royal palace overcome one crisis after another.

And Nolan was the one who had shattered her trust before. There was no reason for her to believe his words now.

Nolan merely smiled in silence. Innocence was a rare thing in this world.

He knew Alina was naïve—perhaps even foolish—but he hadn’t expected her to be this naïve.

Anyone with common sense could see it: everything that had happened in the capital, from beginning to end, benefited only one person—Karakh.

Nolan was certain Gulvar had already realized the truth. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do but accept it with a heavy heart.

Karakh was the only son he had left. All the others—Aldrian, Meliodas, and the remaining princes—were already dead.

Perhaps Alina was the only one who still couldn’t see the truth—Karakh had the most to gain from all of it.

Nolan didn’t know whether he should laugh or pity the young woman.

But when he thought about it again, Alina wasn’t entirely wrong.

With Gulvar no longer able to stay by her side and her trust in Nolan already shattered, Karakh was the only one left who could offer her emotional support.

Nolan let out a quiet sigh.

”I’m not speaking nonsense. In the end, all the chaos in the capital benefits only one person—Karakh. Think about it carefully.”

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, leaving Alina alone with his words.

With her intelligence, it shouldn’t have been difficult for her to piece everything together.

The real question was… did she want to accept that reality?

Alina fell silent, her expression troubled and heavy.

She wanted to deny him, but Nolan’s reasoning was simply too convincing.

She had no argument to refute it. Still, Karakh was her brother. The disbelief that he could do something like this refused to fade.

”What if I prove it?” Nolan said.

His voice snapped Alina out of her thoughts.

Alina narrowed her eyes, suspicion rising in her gaze. ”Prove it? What do you mean?”

Nolan slowly stood up and stretched his stiff limbs.

”According to the plan I made with him, tonight is when he’ll make his move. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Badump!

Alina’s heart slammed against her chest. Her breathing turned uneven as fear crept into her body.

”Don’t tell me—”

Before she could finish, Nolan smiled and cut her off.

”Yes. Your father will be overthrown tonight.”

Without waiting for her reaction, he turned and walked out of the room.

Alina was dazed for a moment. Then she steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and decided to follow Nolan.

She needed to see it with her own eyes… Would her brother truly commit such a monstrous act?

If he did, Alina knew she would break completely. There would be nothing left in this world she could trust—not even her own blood.

***

Inside the throne room, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

More than twenty ministers from various departments had gathered, each wearing a grim and troubled expression.

”Your Majesty, how are we supposed to resolve this?” The minister of economy asked in a heavy voice. ”Millions have already risen in rebellion. If we do nothing, the chaos will only spread.”

Gulvar opened his mouth, but no words came out. He remained silent for a long moment before finally asking, ”Is there no support from the other cities?”

The Minister of Trade shook his head.

”No, Your Majesty. If anything, the situation is worse. Other cities are also being consumed by unrest. Protests have erupted everywhere—and all at the same time.”

Gulvar’s eyes widened.

”H-How is that possible!? Wait…” His expression darkened. ”Could this be the work of those noble families!?”

They were the most likely culprits. Even though the royal family had already settled the matter regarding the deaths of their son and daughter, Gulvar knew the nobles would never truly accept it.

And now, riots were breaking out across multiple cities—clearly with noble involvement behind the scenes.

The ministers remained silent, but their grim expressions only confirmed Gulvar’s suspicion.

”Damn it!”

Gulvar slammed his palm against the armrest of his throne.

”How dare they do this!?” he snarled, his teeth clenched. ”Are they not afraid of making enemies of the Lyren family?”

Until now, the noble families had always bowed their heads before the royal family.

This was the first time they had ever dared to resist on such a massive scale.

”Very good… very good…!” Gulvar whispered, his eyes burning red with rage. ”Minister of Intelligence, identify every noble family plotting behind the scenes. I want a full report within the hour!”

The Minister of Intelligence clasped his hands and bowed. ”Yes, Your Majesty!”

But then, an indifferent voice echoed from the entrance of the throne room.

”Father. There’s no need.”

Everyone froze in place. The ministers spun around and saw Karakh at the entrance, accompanied by two men draped in black cloaks.

With a faint smile, he began walking toward Gulvar.

The ministers quickly stepped aside, clearing a path for him.

”Karakh?” Gulvar frowned. ”Why are you here? No… that’s not the point. What do you mean there’s no need?”

His eyes narrowed, suspicion filling his gaze.

Yet Karakh showed no fear under the pressure.

Stopping two meters from the stairs leading up to the throne, he answered calmly, ”It’s unnecessary, Father. Even if you knew their names… what would you do with that information?”

Gulvar was taken aback and asked without thinking, ”What do you mean?”

Karakh let out a deep sigh.

”Father, everything happening now is the result of your negligence. Think about it. After what happened at that party, what did you do? Instead of calming the situation, you pressured the noble families. All they wanted was an explanation… and an apology. Is that truly so difficult?”

Gulvar’s shock deepened. He couldn’t understand why Karakh was suddenly speaking to him like this.

Worse, his tone carried the weight of an accusation.

Gulvar couldn’t deny that his actions back then had been harsh—cruel, even—but he didn’t care.

He was the king. No one had the right to question him.

And now his own son was daring to do it. Fury surged within him.

”What are you implying?” Gulvar demanded, struggling to keep his anger in check. ”Do you realize the severity of accusing your king of wrongdoing?”

Karakh didn’t flinch. If anything, his expression grew colder.

”So what?”