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

”M-mhhm…”

Evalyn’s eyelashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened, immediately meeting Nolan’s smile.

”Are you awake?” he asked gently.

Evalyn sat up and rubbed her eyes.

”How long have I been asleep?”

”Three hours.”

”Three hours?” Evalyn froze. She stared at Nolan in disbelief before asking irritably, ”Why didn’t you wake me up?”

”You were sleeping so peacefully. I couldn’t bear to wake you,” Nolan replied with a helpless shrug, as if asking not to be blamed.

Nolan was someone who respected other people’s sleep. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never wake someone before they woke up on their own.

He knew how unpleasant it felt to be forced awake while still exhausted.

Evalyn’s irritation quickly faded, replaced by embarrassment and a faint sense of warmth.

She quickly got to her feet and said, ”Let’s go!”

Nolan nodded, and the two got back on their horses before continuing their journey.

…

”I brought you breakfast. Eat first.”

Roseline placed a tray containing food, a glass of water, and several slices of fruit on the nightstand.

Rei slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard. Although his body still ached, he was in far better condition than yesterday.

”Do you want me to feed you?” Roseline asked hopefully.

Rei felt embarrassed and was about to refuse when Luminus’s voice suddenly echoed in his head.

”Just accept her offer. You still can’t move your hands properly yet. Otherwise, the food will end up all over the bed.”

Rei swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth and gave a small nod instead.

”If it’s not too much trouble, thank you,” he said shyly.

Roseline smiled happily. She sat on the edge of the bed and began feeding him.

At first, Rei felt nervous and awkward. However, after the third and fourth spoonfuls, he gradually calmed down and relaxed.

”By the way, where’s Lucas? Why haven’t I seen him these past few days?” Rei asked curiously.

Lucas was his comrade and also another hero—the wielder of the Dark Sword of the Eclipse.

Previously, Lucas had told him that he would come to the Dragon’s Foot border to help him.

Strangely, he still hadn’t appeared, and that worried Rei.

”Hero Lucas is currently dealing with a rebellion in the southern region of the empire,” Roseline explained with a complicated expression.

”A rebellion?” Rei’s eyebrows shot up. ”What happened?”

Roseline let out a long sigh before beginning to explain everything.

As Rei listened, his expression shifted between surprise, confusion, and horror.

”So you mean the demon race managed to brainwash the border city leaders into attacking their own people?” Rei repeated, his voice trembling slightly.

Brainwashing was one of the demon race’s abilities. They often manipulated the memories of humans and other races, eventually causing their victims to turn against their own kind.

Rei hadn’t expected them to target the leaders of the border cities. The situation was clearly serious, considering that any military coordination would inevitably involve those leaders.

”Something like that.” Roseline nodded as she fed him another bite.

Rei ate slowly. As he chewed and swallowed, his thoughts drifted toward Lucas’s situation on the battlefield.

He was worried the man might be in danger. Although Lucas was sometimes annoying and often argued with him, Rei still considered him a friend.

After all, they came from the same world, even if they were from different countries.

”So, how is Lucas doing? He’s okay, right?”

”Don’t worry. Hero Lucas and his troops are safe. They managed to suppress the rebellion, and now they’re hunting down the remaining demons responsible for the chaos,” Roseline explained gently.

”Thank goodness…” Rei let out a long sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his face.

As the two were engrossed in conversation, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

”Hero of Light, pardon the interruption. There are two people outside claiming to be your acquaintances who wish to see you.”

Hearing this, both of them were startled and exchanged glances.

”My acquaintances?” Rei furrowed his brow. ”Did they mention their names?”

”Umm… no. They only said they were your acquaintances,” the soldier replied hesitantly.

Roseline stood up and walked toward the tent flap, then opened it.

The soldier was startled when he saw her step out and quickly bowed his head.

”Good morning, Your Highness. I’m sorry—I didn’t realize you were here.”

Roseline didn’t seem to care and immediately asked, ”Why didn’t you send them away?”

It wasn’t unusual for people to claim they were relatives or acquaintances of Rei and Lucas, only to turn out to be impostors.

Most of them came seeking status, reputation, or personal gain.

Roseline was already tired of dealing with such cases. Because of that, she didn’t easily trust anyone who claimed to know the heroes—especially those who wouldn’t even give their names.

”I’m sorry, Your Highness,” the soldier said sheepishly. ”It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that one of them—a man—said he knew you and the Emperor. He even knew the layout of the imperial palace. That made us afraid to act rashly, so we decided to play it safe.”

A sigh escaped his lips. He was just an ordinary soldier with no real authority.

That man had the bearing and aura of a noble. More than that, he knew the imperial palace’s layout in great detail, including the names of the emperor, the princes, and the princesses.

Even if he wasn’t part of the imperial family, he had to be an important guest from another region.

That was why the soldier didn’t dare act recklessly and risk punishment.

”He knows me and my father?”

Roseline’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Doubt was written clearly across her face as she furrowed her brows.

’Someone who knows the layout of the imperial palace… could it be a guest from another region? But that’s impossible.’

Guests didn’t usually stay in the imperial palace. Instead, there was a designated area for them located outside the palace grounds.

This arrangement existed to minimize the risk of unexpected attacks on the imperial family.

Besides, no one could truly know a person’s deepest intentions—not even the guests.

After thinking for a few minutes, Roseline decided to meet the two individuals herself.

”Take me there.”

The soldier didn’t dare object and immediately led her to where the two were waiting.

***

”Are you sure that soldier will deliver our message?” Evalyn asked doubtfully.

Her gaze swept across the area, where numerous tents had been set up.

Twenty soldiers stood nearby, watching their every move as if monitoring them.

”Don’t worry. He will definitely report it. Even if it isn’t him, I’m sure a high-ranking official in this camp will come. Once that happens, we can state our intentions and persuade them to take us to your ancestor’s location,” Nolan said calmly.

Evalyn nodded and said nothing further. Time passed slowly, second by second, until finally, the soldier returned—with a beautiful woman beside him.

”Oh?” Nolan smiled faintly. ”This is far more than I expected…”