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

”Tell me, Cedric. What punishment do you deserve, you traitor?”

The word ”traitor” struck him like an iron hammer to the head.

Cedric felt his breathing grow heavy, but he quickly regained his composure.

Cupping his hands together, he said respectfully, ”The decision is yours, Father—I mean, Your Majesty. I will accept whatever you decide.”

Ragan narrowed his eyes. He studied Cedric’s expression, as if hoping to catch even the slightest change on his face.

Unfortunately, Cedric remained calm and expressionless, leaving Ragan unable to guess what he was thinking.

Ragan took a deep breath before turning to the judge seated on his left.

”In your opinion, what punishment is most fitting for him? Death... or exile?”

Everyone in the courtroom naturally turned toward the senior judge.

His name was Louis.

He was the same senior judge who had overseen the trial between the Castellan and Valmire families a year earlier.

Back then, he had accepted a massive bribe from Belfor to ensure that the Red Obsidian Trading House won the case and that both the Castellan and Valmire families were brought down.

His intention was that the court would restore the investment of the Red Obsidian Trading House in the Castellan family.

But it didn’t happen that way. A huge fine was imposed on the Red Obsidian Trading House instead.

As if that wasn’t enough, Belfor was also imprisoned for taking part in the slave trade, an unforgivable crime.

The moment Ragan asked the question, Louis’s heart began to pound.

He knew Ragan was doing this on purpose. He wanted Louis to take the blame and become the main target of Prime Minister Roswell’s anger.

His palms grew sweaty, and his expression stiffened.

But with everyone’s eyes on him, he had no choice but to speak.

”According to the law, I sentence His Highness Cedric—” Louis paused, then quickly corrected himself. ”No... I mean, the defendant, to exile in a distant land.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders.

To him, the death penalty meant the end of the road. Exile, on the other hand, was a far lighter sentence.

At the very least, it still gave Cedric a chance to make a comeback one day.

”Oh?” Ragan raised an eyebrow. He turned to the judge on his right and asked calmly, ”What do you think, Judge Darius?”

Darius was a man in his fifties. His dark brown hair was streaked with gray.

His stern face made it difficult for anyone to meet his gaze for long.

Hearing Ragan’s question, Darius looked straight at Cedric before answering in a hoarse voice. ”For those who betray your laws, Your Majesty, the death penalty is the most appropriate punishment.”

The moment those words left his mouth, tension once again filled the courtroom.

Everyone had expected Judge Darius to give the same answer as Judge Louis, but that wasn’t the case.

”What is Judge Darius doing? Isn’t he afraid of Prime Minister Roswell’s retaliation?” Marquis Valmire asked in astonishment.

Orlan glanced at Roswell’s dark expression before replying calmly, ”Judge Darius is one of former Prime Minister Gustav’s trusted men. There’s no way he’d let Prime Minister Roswell sleep peacefully tonight.”

Aston was taken aback for a moment before giving a slight nod.

”So that’s how it is...”

The feud between Gustav and Roswell was known to only a handful of people. As the former prime minister, Gustav naturally had his own underground network and loyal supporters.

However, after Roswell rose to power and replaced him, he gradually dismantled most of Gustav’s network.

A clash between the two was inevitable. Unfortunately, Gustav had already lost his position.

Even so, with the Montclair family backing him, Roswell couldn’t act recklessly against Gustav.

After all, the Montclair family was a marquis house in the western region.

What’s more, Gustav’s youngest daughter had been one of Emperor Ragan’s concubines. Because of that, the feud between the two had remained at a stalemate for years.

”The death penalty, huh?”

Ragan smiled meaningfully. His demeanor sent chills down everyone’s spine.

Cedric was his own son, yet he remained calm even when Judge Darius proposed the death penalty.

Then again, everyone remembered the path Ragan had taken to the throne. He had fought brutal battles against his own brothers.

Betrayal, premeditated murder, and countless other schemes had been part of his daily life.

It was through his cruelty and unwavering resolve that he ultimately ascended the throne as emperor.

”Your recommendation is reasonable and in line with the law. I don’t blame you,” Ragan said calmly before turning back to Cedric, whose face had gone pale.

”After giving it careful thought, I’ve made my decision. Cedric, your punishment is—”

Before he could finish, Roswell suddenly stepped forward and interrupted him.

”Your Majesty, allow me to speak in Prince Cedric’s defense!”

Darius furrowed his brows. He was about to reprimand Roswell, but Ragan raised a hand to stop him.

”Go ahead.”

Hearing Ragan’s permission, Roswell let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He bowed to Ragan and the judges before saying, ”Your Majesty, do you remember the promise you made to me?”

”A promise?” Ragan frowned. ”Which one?”

”The promise that you would grant me one wish.”

Ragan fell silent as he tried to recall it. After a few moments, he finally remembered.

Roswell had brought countless achievements and benefits to the Empire.

As usual, Ragan had rewarded him. One of those rewards was a promise to grant any request he made—just as he had once done for Nolan.

”I remember,” Ragan said with a slight nod. ”Why are you bringing that up? Could it be…”

His eyes narrowed.

”You want to use that promise to save Cedric?”

Roswell didn’t deny it.

”That’s right, Your Majesty.”

Cupping his hands together, he pleaded, ”Since the day I became Prime Minister, Your Majesty has owed me ten promises. I want to use all of them to save Cedric from the death penalty or exile!”

This was his trump card. Ragan was an emperor who would never go back on his word.

So now, Roswell was betting that the ten promises he had been saving all this time would be enough to save Cedric.

Ragan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tapped the judge’s bench with his index finger, causing the tension in the courtroom to rise once more.

Just as everyone thought Roswell had succeeded, Ragan’s indifferent voice shattered their hopes.

”I refuse...”