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

Seira smiled and rose to her feet.

”What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to welcome us?” she asked jokingly.

Sharon snapped out of her surprise and shook her head.

”I-It’s not that. I’m just a little confused right now. Wasn’t Father supposed to come? Why are you guys here instead?”

Seira stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

”Father’s busy. It can’t be helped, so we came in his place to see you. Are you disappointed?”

Sharon returned the embrace and replied softly, ”No. I’m actually happy that you came.”

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed. However, there was nothing she could do.

She knew the Great Velmora Empire was facing several problems, especially the threat posed by the Holy Valtanir Empire.

At the very least, the arrival of Seira, Nolan, and Rafine eased some of her loneliness and disappointment.

”Good morning, Your Highness,” Rafine greeted politely.

Sharon released Seira and smiled at Rafine.

”Good morning to you too, Rafine. Thank you for coming all this way.”

”You’re welcome, Your Highness. It’s an honor to be part of this journey,” Rafine replied softly.

Sharon smiled and nodded. Then her gaze shifted to Nolan, and a hint of displeasure appeared on her face.

”So, why are you just standing there in silence? Don’t you like seeing me again?” she asked, pouting slightly.

Nolan chuckled and walked over with Eira in his arms.

”How could that be? Of course I’m happy to see you,” Nolan replied casually.

Sharon giggled and pinched his cheek.

”You really do have a sweet tongue.”

Her gaze then shifted to Eira.

”So, who’s this little girl?”

Eira smiled and waved.

”Good morning, Sister Master! My name is Eira, and I’m Master’s pet!”

”Pet?” Sharon froze. ”Nolan, you…”

Her face immediately turned pale.

Realizing she had misunderstood, Nolan quickly explained, ”Don’t get the wrong idea. Eira isn’t human—she’s a baby dragon. Do you remember the baby dragon I brought back from the Kingdom of Kaldarion? This is her.”

Sharon’s eyes widened in shock.

”That baby dragon? How is that possible?”

She examined Eira carefully. In her memory, Eira had been a fragile yet adorable little dragon.

Who would have thought that in such a short time, she would turn into such a cute little girl?

”Eira is a rather special dragon. She grows much faster than ordinary dragon babies,” Nolan explained.

”So that’s it...” Sharon nodded lightly before holding out her hands.

”Give her to me.”

Nolan handed Eira over.

As Sharon hugged her, a refreshing scent of sweet milk drifted into her nose.

”Good morning, Eira. Do you remember me?”

Eira tilted her head.

”No, I don’t remember you.”

Sharon sighed in disappointment. Still, it was understandable. Back then, she hadn’t spent much time at the imperial palace because she had to return to the academy.

As a result, her interactions with Eira had been quite limited.

”I have some snacks in my room. Would you like some?”

”Snacks?” Eira’s eyes lit up. ”I’d love some! Do you have any chocolate?”

”Chocolate?” Sharon looked slightly surprised before smiling and ruffling her hair. ”Of course. Let’s go to my room.”

She then glanced at Seira, Nolan, and Rafine.

”You three should come as well. There’s something you want to discuss with me, isn’t there?”

The three of them nodded and followed Sharon toward her room.

***

”It’s been a while, Chloe. I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I heard you suffered some trauma while trying to break through to the Beyond the World level.”

Sylvia walked toward the woman seated across from her, a meaningful smile on her face.

The woman was exceptionally beautiful. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, while her soft pink eyes carried a captivating charm.

She wore a loose purple dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure.

Anyone who met her gaze would find it difficult to look away. It felt as though she could draw in a man’s soul with a single glance.

”Thank you for your concern, Sylvia. I’m fine,” Chloe replied calmly. ”Please, have a seat.”

She gestured toward the sofa in front of her.

Sylvia was slightly taken aback by her reaction.

She had recently become a Beyond the World mage. That was also the reason Chloe had attempted to break through to that level herself, only to fail.

The news of her failure had been kept tightly under wraps. However, nothing could escape Sylvia’s watchful eye.

As far as she knew, Chloe should still be recovering from serious injuries.

Yet strangely, she looked perfectly healthy.

”What happened? Didn’t the reports say she was seriously injured? Why does she look completely fine?” Sylvia wondered inwardly.

”Why are you so quiet?”

Chloe’s voice pulled Sylvia from her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Sylvia sat down.

A servant placed two cups of tea on the table.

Taking a sip of her tea, Sylvia crossed her legs and asked curiously, ”How did you recover? As far as I know, you were injured after failing to break through to the Beyond the World level, weren’t you?”

”Heeh...” Chloe smiled meaningfully. ”It seems the Tower Master has quite an impressive information network.”

Sylvia wasn’t offended by the remark. Whether it was her or Chloe, both of them maintained spy networks within their respective organizations.

”Yes, I was injured,” Chloe admitted frankly.

”Then why do you look perfectly fine?” Sylvia asked directly. ”Your aura is stable, and your complexion looks healthy. None of this makes any sense—unless…”

Her eyes narrowed.

”You successfully broke through to the Beyond the World level.”

Chloe remained calm. She took another sip of tea before replying mysteriously, ”Why don’t you take a guess?”

Sylvia fell silent for a few moments before letting out a long sigh.

”So it’s true, then? You managed to break through.”

To be honest, Sylvia wasn’t that surprised. Chloe had always been exceptionally talented. The two of them had been rivals for many years.

Whenever Sylvia accomplished something, Chloe’s name would inevitably be mentioned—and vice versa.

In fact, it would have been strange if Sylvia had reached that level while Chloe had not, even if Sylvia’s success was aided by the Singularity of Chaos.

Chloe said nothing, but her silence was answer enough for Sylvia.

”Then why did I hear that you were injured? Did something happen?”

”Well...” Chloe smiled meaningfully. ”How should I put it? Perhaps there was something weighing on my heart that caused me to suffer a backlash while breaking through to the Beyond the World level. Something along those lines.”

Sylvia furrowed her brows but didn’t question her explanation. Breaking through to the Beyond the World level was nothing like advancing to the Celestial level.

The mind, heart, and soul had to be in perfect harmony. Even the slightest mistake could lead to severe consequences.

Back then, Sylvia had been aided by the Singularity of Chaos, allowing her to break through much more smoothly.

”All right, let’s leave that topic for now,” Chloe said, changing the subject. ”There’s something I want to ask you.”

Sylvia nodded and waited calmly.

Chloe crossed her legs and leaned back against the sofa.

”Did you meet Nolan Lorian earlier?” she asked meaningfully. ”What do you think of him?”