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

”Here’s your food, sir, ma’am.”

A waiter pushed a cart loaded with food over to their table and began arranging the dishes one by one.

Since Nolan had ordered quite a lot, the table was soon filled with all kinds of delicious dishes.

After the waiter left, Nolan placed an empty plate in front of Seria and served her some food.

”Let’s eat.”

Seria remained silent, but a faint smile appeared on her lips. Despite the aloof demeanor she always put on, she actually enjoyed the attention Nolan was giving her.

The two of them then began eating.

The sun shone brightly overhead, but its warmth wasn’t too intense. The city of Eldar stood not far from a vast forest connected to the Elven Forest.

Because of that, the weather remained pleasantly cool even in the middle of summer.

After finishing lunch, they continued their date. Perhaps because of Nolan’s attentiveness throughout the day, Seria no longer showed the same resistance as before.

She even took the initiative to clasp Nolan’s hand tightly and rest her cheek against his arm.

Nolan smiled in satisfaction. Finally, that stubborn woman had started to let her guard down.

Still, he wasn’t all that surprised. After all, Seria had never been in a relationship before.

The Elf Queen wasn’t her real daughter but an elf she had taken in and raised to one day lead the elven race.

By placing her adopted daughter on the throne, she could keep the elves united while using the queen’s authority to deal with anyone who dared oppose her.

Nolan slipped an arm around Seria’s waist, making her body stiffen for a moment.

Even so, she didn’t push him away and simply let him hold her.

Before either of them realized it, five hours had passed. The bright sky had long since faded, replaced by the darkness of night.

Nolan looked up at the star-filled sky.

”We should head back.”

Seria suddenly tightened her grip on his arm.

”Can we stay a little longer?” she asked softly.

Nolan paused.

Bathed in the moonlight, Seria looked so breathtaking that she could have been mistaken for a goddess.

Even in disguise, her features were unchanged, and her beauty was just as captivating as ever.

”But...”

”Come on,” Seria said with a small pout, tugging at his arm. ”The date isn’t over yet.”

Without waiting for his answer, she pulled Nolan along toward the shopping district.

Nolan could only shake his head with a helpless smile and let Seria do whatever she wanted.

And so, their date continued until eleven o’clock that night before they finally returned to the Elven Forest.

…

”What’s wrong, Rafine? Why are you daydreaming?” Elina asked curiously.

Rafine snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head.

”Nothing...”

Elina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. However, since Rafine insisted it was nothing, she didn’t press the matter any further and simply nodded.

”By the way, has the monthly report for the Essential Wood Factory come out yet?”

”It has. Wait a moment, I’ll go get it.”

Rafine walked over to her desk, picked up a document, and handed it to Elina.

Elina accepted it and opened the document. After reading its contents, she nodded in satisfaction.

”Twenty million Sharn in profit during the first month. Not bad,” she praised.

Although twenty million Sharn wasn’t a large amount, the factory had only been built a few months ago. Besides, it was common for factories to operate at a loss during their first three months.

Yet the factory had already generated a net profit of twenty million Sharn, which showed it was off to an excellent start.

”Most of our products are sold to the Blue Moon and White Lotus trading houses. Thanks to our long-term contracts, nearly all of our production is guaranteed to be sold. It’s been very profitable,” Rafine said with a satisfied smile.

One of the main conditions of the investment from Blue Moon and White Lotus was that all of the factory’s products had to be sold to them at a price twenty percent below market value.

That twenty percent became Blue Moon and White Lotus’s profit.

At first, it might seem like the Essential Wood Factory was losing money, but that wasn’t the case.

The cost of making a table, chair, or any other piece of furniture was about forty percent lower than its market price.

So even after giving Blue Moon and White Lotus their share, the factory still made a net profit of around twenty percent.

On top of that, it didn’t have to run its own stores, build a brand, or deal with the extra costs of selling directly to customers.

More importantly, it had secured two reliable buyers in Blue Moon and White Lotus. Even if the market slowed down in the future, the factory would still have a steady source of income.

”As promised, we’ll use twenty percent of the revenue for Virella’s development. Thirty percent will go toward subsidies for farmers, and the rest will be deposited into the town’s treasury.”

”I understand. I’ll see that it’s done,” Rafine replied softly.

…

Three days passed, and Nolan spent them peacefully in the Elven Forest.

The elven village was relatively quiet during the day. Combined with its calm and serene atmosphere, it was the perfect place to relax without a care in the world.

”Once Elina takes the throne, I’ll finally have time to enjoy life,” Nolan muttered as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

If it weren’t for the fight over the throne, he would have left the empire long ago to travel the world and chase his dreams.

But after spending time in the Elven Forest, he realized he’d already found the perfect place.

There were no power struggles, no endless conflicts, and none of the noise of the outside world. Everything was peaceful.

”Still, I have to go back tomorrow,” he sighed.

He had already spent too much time away. His time was limited, and he needed to return to his original world as soon as possible to reunite with his beloved fiancée.

Nolan slowly got to his feet, stretched, and let out a deep breath.

”All right, let’s get this over with.”

The next moment, his figure vanished from where he stood.

***

Seria sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. Her breathing was calm and steady, as though her consciousness had drifted away from her body.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and saw Nolan standing before her.

”Singularity of Chaos?” she called softly. ”Do you need something?”

In contrast to her usual cold and distant demeanor, Seria now seemed much calmer and gentler.

The change had begun after the date they went on three days ago. Ever since then, the hatred she once harbored toward Nolan seemed to have disappeared.

Nolan smiled as he walked over and sat down across from her.

”Nothing. I just wanted to have a casual chat with you.”

Seria smiled.

”Do you want to talk about yesterday’s date?” she teased.

Nolan maintained his smile and shook his head.

”No. It’s something much more important.”

Then, his purple eyes turned cold.

”Goddess of Life, things have gone far enough. There’s no need to hide anymore,” he said indifferently. ”Come out, or do you want me to force you out?”