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

”Hey, Aldric, I heard the Malvain family scandal has been exposed to the public. I’m curious who did it.”

Adalen glanced at Aldric with a mischievous grin.

Aldric’s face darkened. He shot Adalen a cold look before snorting.

”Isn’t it obvious? It must’ve been one of you.”

His gaze shifted to Elina on his right, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Elina remained silent. She was indeed the culprit, but was she going to admit it?

Of course not. To the public, the mastermind behind the Malvain family scandal was still a mystery.

Many believed the person who exposed the scandal was the same one who framed Cedric, while others thought otherwise.

Those conflicting theories had kept the mastermind’s identity a mystery to this day.

As a result, Elina wasn’t the least bit worried about Aldric discovering the truth.

”Tch! I know you’re upset, Aldric. But accusing me out of nowhere... Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Adalen let out a mocking chuckle.

Aldric remained silent, but his suspicion of Adalen only grew stronger. Compared to Elina, Adalen was far more dangerous.

He was cunning and ruthless—just like Aldric himself. That was why Aldric believed Adalen was the most likely mastermind behind the scandal.

Elina simply shook her head as she watched the two of them argue. She then closed her eyes and calmly waited for the trial to begin.

Five minutes passed, and the tension in the courtroom continued to build. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Some were pleased that Cedric had been dragged into such a major case, while others were filled with panic and anxiety.

Among those feeling anxious was Cassandra, Cedric’s mother.

”Cassandra, your son is truly remarkable. Who would’ve thought that beneath his calm demeanor and all his impressive achievements, he was actually such a cruel person?”

Clarisse mocked as she looked at Cassandra, who was seated beside her.

Cassandra’s face darkened. She glared at Clarisse and snapped, ”Don’t you have any manners?”

Clarisse let out a soft chuckle. Covering her mouth with one hand, she replied playfully, ”Manners? Whatever do you mean? Your son is clearly a criminal. Do you have any idea how much His Majesty despises the slave trade?”

Cassandra’s expression stiffened. Her breathing quickened, and her body trembled with rage.

Clarisse pretended not to notice and continued mocking her.

”I’m sure you know that better than anyone. After all, you were one of the Imperial Academy’s top students. So prepare yourself to watch your son receive a severe punishment from His Majesty.”

She laughed shamelessly, instantly igniting Cassandra’s anger.

Just as Cassandra was about to slap her across the face, Vanessa quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

”Don’t act rashly. Cedric’s situation is already bad enough. If you cause another scene, I can’t imagine what His Majesty will do to the two of you.”

Cassandra’s anger instantly faded, like air escaping from a balloon.

As furious as she was at Clarisse’s taunts, she knew Vanessa was right.

In the end, she could only lower her head and ignore her. She feared that if she continued arguing, she would lose her composure and only make things worse for herself.

Clarisse kept trying to provoke Cassandra. But when she saw Cassandra sitting there as silent as a statue, she quickly lost interest and let out a cold snort.

Isabella had watched the entire exchange in silence.

Clarisse and Cassandra had never gotten along, so there was no way Clarisse would let an opportunity like this slip by.

”A trial like this reminds me of the last one, when my father stood before His Majesty for judgment.”

Melinda, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.

Isabella turned to look at her. Melinda’s face was calm and expressionless.

Back then, Melinda had been the most glamorous concubine and always dressed lavishly.

Even Vanessa, the Queen, had been overshadowed by her. That was only natural, since Melinda’s father, Belfor, had owned the empire’s second-richest trading house.

But now, Melinda looked like a completely different person. Ever since Belfor and Zarak died, she seemed to have lost her purpose in life.

From time to time, Isabella asked Maya and Miya how Melinda was doing. They always gave the same answer—Melinda spent most of her time alone in her room.

Even when His Majesty summoned her to his chambers, she refused without hesitation.

Because she rarely appeared in public anymore, people had almost forgotten she existed.

Isabella smiled and asked, ”Are you feeling unwell? How about—”

Before she could finish, Melinda cut her off.

”What happened to Cedric... Nolan did it, didn’t he?”

She stared at Isabella with a blank expression. Her face was pale, as if all the color had drained from it.

Her cheeks were gaunt, showing just how much weight she had lost.

The smile on Isabella’s face froze.

”What... do you mean?”

Melinda let out a mocking smile.

”Don’t bother trying to hide it. It’s useless.”

She shifted her gaze to the judge’s bench at the center of the courtroom.

Ragan and the other judges had not arrived yet, leaving the seats empty.

”That ’trash prince’ persona Nolan shows the public is nothing but a facade. Your son is the most cunning, dangerous... and terrifying person I’ve ever met.”

Her voice trembled slightly as pain welled up inside her.

”Because of him, my father lost his business empire. Because of him, Zarak lost his status as a prince and was exiled to a distant land. And because of him...”

She paused to take a deep breath before looking back at Isabella with cold eyes.

”I lost everything and ended up like this.”

The atmosphere between them instantly fell silent.

Isabella’s lips parted, then closed again, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

”There’s no need to apologize,” Melinda continued indifferently, her expression returning to its usual blankness. ”It’s all in the past. And the truth is, my father made mistakes. So did Zarak. They both deserved that punishment. But now, Nolan is playing with fire. Prime Minister Roswell won’t let him get away with it.”

After saying that, she closed her eyes and fell silent.

Isabella took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. She couldn’t tell whether Melinda’s words were meant as a warning or a threat.

Still, she couldn’t help but agree. Nolan had provoked a powerful enemy, and Elina would be the one forced to bear the consequences.

”Ever since she was a child, that girl has never stopped causing trouble for me,” Isabella complained inwardly.

Even so, she wasn’t worried. Even if Elina ultimately lost the battle for the throne, Isabella would take her back to the Izanagi Eastern Empire.

Making Elina the empress there was far from impossible.

Isabella was certain that her parents, Ryuuten and Ayamori, would support her decision.