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

”You’re not afraid of them but worried about the conflict?”

Nolan was taken aback. His expression turned puzzled, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

”That’s right,” Ragan admitted, nodding slowly. ”You may underestimate other kingdoms, but not the Ancient Kingdom of Eron. They aren’t as strong as they were in their golden age, having been nearly destroyed by the demon emperor. However, they possess an extraordinary and terrifying artifact—the Void Reaver Disc.”

The Void Reaver was an ancient relic that had existed for five thousand years.

No one knew its exact function, but many claimed it contained immense power—enough to annihilate an empire as vast as Velmora.

Although it was only a rumor, no one dared to deny it or offer a counterargument.

There was reason behind the fear. The Ancient Kingdom of Eron had endured longer than most kingdoms and empires on the continent.

And their rise to power had been astonishingly fast—just a hundred years.

Following that, they conquered surrounding regions, expanding their rule across the entire southern continent and even into a small part of the central continent.

Ragan didn’t dare underestimate the Ancient Kingdom of Eron because of the Void Reaver Disc.

It wasn’t impossible that a conflict with them could lead to the downfall of his empire. He wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Nolan furrowed his brow. ”Aren’t you being overly cautious, Father? I mean, just because you fear clashing with them, there’s no need to sacrifice my sister, is there?”

Ragan rolled his eyes. ”It’s not that simple. You don’t know how obsessed Aldrian is with Seira, do you?”

Nolan was surprised and shook his head. ”No, I don’t. Can you explain it to me?”

Ragan nodded and began to explain. A few minutes later, he finished, and Nolan sat there, his expression stiff.

”This…” His mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

He hadn’t expected such a story to lie behind it all.

Aldrian and Seira had met as children. Well, calling them childhood friends was a bit of an exaggeration.

In short, they had known each other as kids and had been friends for a while, but their relationship had never been particularly close.

No wonder Seira didn’t want to get engaged to him—they really weren’t that close.

However, that wasn’t the most interesting part. Aldrian was the first prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron and the heir apparent to the throne.

Unfortunately, his brothers refused to accept the decision and challenged him for the crown.

Then, for some reason, Aldrian—once weak—suddenly grew strong and defeated every one of them.

In the end, he officially secured his claim to the throne and was simply waiting for the right moment to ascend as the new king of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

Perhaps because of their childhood connection, once he secured his position as heir, he began pursuing Seira. Seira, however, paid him no attention at all.

Eventually, Clarise took action, exploiting Aldrian’s feelings for her own gain.

”Father, is this really okay? Using outside help in the battle for the throne is the same as breaking the rules, isn’t it?”

”No, it doesn’t break the rules.” Ragan shook his head. ”Aldrian isn’t using his power to help Adalen directly. He’s simply leveraging his prestige to influence the nobles in the empire. There’s no coercion or anything like that, so it isn’t considered a violation.”

Nolan fell silent for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

”I understand. Alright, leave it to me. I’ll handle this,” Nolan said, slowly standing up.

Ragan was about to ask a question but held back, saying nothing more, merely nodding slightly.

After exchanging a few final words, Nolan turned and walked away.

Whoosh!

Orion appeared beside Ragan. As he watched Nolan walk away, he asked hesitantly, ”Your Majesty, aren’t you going to stop Prince Nolan?”

Ragan leaned back against the chair and glanced at him.

”Why should I stop him?”

Orion looked embarrassed. ”I know my words were bold, but Prince Nolan often causes trouble wherever he goes. What if he disrupts Consort Clarise’s arrangements? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

Ragan chuckled softly and waved his right hand.

”No need to worry. Do you think I didn’t see what he was trying to do?”

Don’t be fooled by how clueless he seemed just now—in reality, he knew exactly what Nolan intended.

That kid was bound to cause trouble in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron eventually.

But Ragan deliberately pretended not to notice and let Nolan act as he pleased.

Orion paused, then nodded. ”I understand. Thank you for the explanation, Your Majesty.”

He didn’t dare ask any more questions. Since Ragan had said it, the decision was final.

”By the way, have you obtained the information I requested?” Ragan asked.

Orion nodded, reached into his pocket, and handed him a document.

”Here is the document, Your Majesty. It contains details of the attack plan devised by the Holy Empire of Valtanir.”

Ragan accepted it, opened the document, and read calmly.

A few minutes later, he finished, his expression still unreadable.

”Dariel is bold to prepare an attack on the northern territories. It seems the Holy Empire of Valtanir is running out of funds,” he sneered coldly.

He had anticipated this possibility, so Dariel’s plan didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened in his seat. ”Summon Freya to the imperial palace in two days. I want to discuss this matter with her. Understood?”

Orion bowed deeply. ”As you command, Your Majesty.”

…

”Are you ready?” Seira asked, turning to Nolan as he approached.

”I am. Let’s go.”

Seira smiled softly and climbed into the waiting horse-drawn carriage.

Nolan followed her in, and shortly after, the carriage pulled away from the palace.

From the balcony of her room, Clarise watched them leave. A faint smile curved her lips as she whispered, ”Once that girl meets Aldrian, she’ll surely fall in love. When that happens, Adalen will finally take a step forward and be on equal footing with Elina and Cedric.”

The current frontrunners in the battle for the throne were Elina and Cedric.

Both held solid positions, especially thanks to the support of the Duke of the East and the Duke of the North.

Although Aldric had backing from his uncle, Jared Malvain, it wasn’t enough to match them.

Many southern nobles supported Elina, mostly due to the influence of the Marquis Caltheron family, who actively rallied support for her.

By comparison, Adalen’s position was the weakest among the four remaining candidates.

Inevitably, Clarise knew she had to act before it was too late.

”Seira, I hope you don’t hate me. For your brother’s sake, you must sacrifice yourself,” she whispered, a cold glint in her eyes.