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

”Then, Your Highness, Orlan and I will go see Princess Elina first and help her gain the support of the other noble families,” Rudy said respectfully.

Nolan didn’t object. He simply gave a small nod. ”Very well, Count Balfron. Thank you.”

Orlan looked like he was about to say something, but Rudy quickly pulled him away, leading him toward the group where Elina was surrounded by the heads of noble families.

Seeing Orlan’s annoyed expression, Nolan could barely hold back his laughter. Luckily, he took a sip of wine just in time to hide his smile.

Now left alone, he finally had a moment to relax and enjoy his meal.

One might wonder why he hadn’t gone to congratulate his father on his birthday—well, there was no need.

The old man had more than enough guests to greet. If Nolan went to wish him well, he’d surely be dragged to stand beside him and get caught up in all the boring conversations.

Small talk and flattery weren’t his thing. He’d had enough of that in his previous life.

Now, he just wanted to enjoy the moment and have some fun.

But his peace didn’t last long. Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

Surprised, he turned—and saw the last person he wanted to meet: Evalyn.

”Evalyn?” Nolan swallowed the cake he was chewing and blinked at her. ”Why are you here? Don’t you have your own circle with those young nobles?”

As he spoke, he glanced briefly at the group of young nobles chatting about ten meters away.

Irritation flickered in Evalyn’s eyes as her expression turned sharp. Without hesitation, she pinched Nolan’s waist—hard and on purpose.

”Does being around a woman as beautiful as me make you uncomfortable?”

A faint, yet unmistakably intimidating smile curled on her beautiful face.

”Ouch!” Nolan winced and took a quick step back, rubbing the sore spot on his waist.

He frowned. ”I don’t exactly mind, but I’d rather not have my precious time interrupted. With your status, I’m sure you have plenty of admirers—and if they see you getting too close to me, they might actually try to kill me.”

He wasn’t really afraid of them—he just didn’t want to waste his time dealing with those young nobles.

They were usually pretentious and irritating—like Allen, that guy who acted as if the whole world revolved around him.

Well, maybe everyone was the main character in their own story—but he couldn’t care less. As long as no one disturbed his peace, that was all that mattered.

Evalyn rolled her eyes and casually linked her arm with his.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she said playfully, ”We’re childhood friends, dear Nolan. Do you really think anyone would dare complain if we got a little close?”

Nolan: ”...”

He glanced around, and sure enough—he could already feel the hostile glares of several young nobles burning into his back.

Their eyes burned red, sharp as blades. If looks could kill, Nolan would’ve died a thousand times by now.

But their reaction wasn’t surprising. Evalyn, ranked as the fifth most beautiful woman in the Empire, had plenty of admirers—and more than a few obsessed men.

On top of that, she was the main heiress of the Lionheart family, one of the two Hero families. Their status stood equal to the dukes of the Empire.

Nolan sighed in resignation, but he didn’t show any anger or irritation.

After all, they had been together since childhood. To Nolan, Evalyn was one of the most important people in his life—right alongside his mother and Elina.

Without a word, he poked a piece of cake on the small plate he held and gently fed it to Evalyn.

She blinked in surprise, then smiled and accepted it without hesitation.

Had it been anyone else, they might’ve been flustered—it could easily be seen as an indirect kiss.

But for Nolan and Evalyn, who had grown up side by side, things like that meant nothing.

They had even bathed together as children. Sharing a spoon was hardly worth noticing.

Still, the scene was enough to ignite a wave of jealousy among the young noblemen.

Some stared with red, tear-filled eyes, while others clenched their fists like they’d just watched their wives get stolen.

Unfortunately for them, Nolan and Evalyn didn’t care in the slightest. Lost in their own world, they treated everyone else as nothing more than background noise.

”By the way, have you seen Nathan Asbourne?”

The sudden question caught Evalyn off guard. The smile on her face vanished, replaced by a displeased and slightly irritated expression.

”What are you looking for?” Her brows drew together, and she shot Nolan a piercing glare.

”Ahem!” Nolan straightened awkwardly. ”Don’t get me wrong. I’m just curious if the Asbourne family has arrived—and who they’re backing in this succession.”

Although both the Asbourne and Lionheart families came from the Transcendent bloodline, they had never been on good terms.

Their feud wasn’t anything new—it traced back to their founding ancestors, the original Transcendents.

No one knew the exact cause, but legend said it all began with a woman.

The founder of the Asbourne family had fallen in love with a princess named Anna Lorian.

Unfortunately for him, the love was one-sided. Anna gave her heart to another Transcendent—the one who would become the ancestor of the Lionheart family.

The Lionheart bloodline was born from the union between the Transcendent and the princess, making them distantly related to the Imperial family.

Of course, that blood connection had long faded—now little more than a footnote in history.

Still, the rivalry between the Asbourne and Lionheart families had persisted for generations.

Nathan Asbourne—the man Nolan mentioned—was the current heir to the Asbourne family.

He was also known as the one chosen by the Dark Sword of Eclipse—one of the two legendary swords said to have slain the Demon Emperor.

As it happened, Evalyn and Nathan were bitter enemies.

Being the only two in their generation recognized by the legendary swords, their rivalry came naturally.

After hearing Nolan’s reasoning, Evalyn let out a soft sigh of relief. She took a glass of wine from a passing servant and sipped it slowly.

”Nathan’s been here for a while. And according to my intelligence network, the Asbourne family has declared their support for Cedric,” she said casually.

”Cedric, huh? Not too surprising.” Nolan gave a small nod, his expression unchanged.

The Asbourne family had always maintained close ties with the Kleith family—the Prime Minister’s household.

Since Roswell’s appointment as prime minister, the bond between the two families had only grown stronger.

”By the way, what about the Lionheart family? Who do you support?” Nolan asked, raising his glass and taking a sip.

Evalyn smiled mysteriously. She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, ”Of course, it’s Elina. Happy now?”