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

”Achoo!”

Nolan suddenly sneezed and looked around warily.

”What’s wrong?”

Evalyn’s curious voice came from beside him.

Nolan shook his head.

”Nothing. I just have a feeling someone’s talking about me behind my back,” he replied helplessly. ”Could it be because I’m too handsome, so they can’t help but talk about me?”

Evalyn: ”...”

His shamelessness was on another level.

Evalyn ignored him and continued walking behind her father.

When they arrived, Luke gestured for them to sit in the chairs across from his desk.

He leaned back in his seat lazily.

”So, where were you two just now? I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Luke asked.

Evalyn immediately stiffened.

There was no way she could tell him that she and Nolan had traveled back in time and met the Lionheart family’s ancestors.

Not only would it sound absurd, but her father would undoubtedly gather the entire family to hear the story. Once that happened, an endless stream of questions would leave both her and Nolan completely overwhelmed.

”We—”

Just as she was about to answer, Nolan cut her off.

”Evalyn and I went for a walk around the city, Uncle. We also stopped by the Dragon’s Tear Restaurant for a meal. As it happens, I have one of their membership cards, so we even got a nice discount.”

”Oh? I didn’t know you had one. How much was the discount?” Luke asked eagerly.

”Nothing special. Just twenty percent.”

”Twenty percent? Tsk, tsk. That’s quite a lot, kid. I’ve never gotten a discount there, not even once.”

Luke let out a long sigh, looking genuinely aggrieved by the restaurant owner’s stinginess.

”Pfft! Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll talk to the owner later. I know them personally,” Nolan said confidently.

Luke’s eyes lit up at once.

”That’s great! I owe you one,” he said with a grin.

Watching their interaction, Evalyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Nolan had effortlessly deflected her father’s question. That was a good thing, as it spared them from a barrage of follow-up questions.

After exchanging a few more words with Nolan, Luke turned to Evalyn and said seriously, ”Earlier, I received a letter from the Asbourne family. They said the arena is ready. I want to ask you something—are you confident?”

Seeing the worry in her father’s eyes, Evalyn realized just how much this meant to him.

After all, the upcoming match would decide the reputation of both the Lionheart and Asbourne families in the public’s eyes.

”I’m ready, Father!” she answered without hesitation.

If this had been before her journey to the past, she might have felt nervous and uncertain.

Nathan had successfully mastered Lucas’s fighting techniques, while she knew almost nothing about Rei’s combat style.

But now, everything was different.

She had been personally taught by Rei himself.

On top of that, she had seen Lucas fight during the war against the Demon Empire and later when he joined forces with Rei to defeat the Demon Emperor.

Because of this, she no longer felt intimidated by Nathan. In fact, Evalyn was confident she could defeat him within a few moves.

Luke studied Evalyn’s face carefully and found not the slightest trace of hesitation.

That meant she was confident in her abilities.

A smile returned to Luke’s face. Deep down, he had never wanted to put that kind of pressure on Evalyn.

No matter what happened, he just wanted her to face the challenge with confidence and give it her all.

That way, even if she lost, she wouldn’t be left with any regrets.

But it looked like he had worried for nothing. His daughter was still the same—stubborn, fearless, and never the type to back down.

”Glad to hear it,” Luke said with a satisfied smile. ”I believe in you.”

Evalyn smiled back, and the atmosphere in the room quickly became warm and relaxed again.

”Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

Luke opened a drawer and pulled out a black book.

The book was covered in dust, as if it hadn’t been opened for years.

A sword emblem was engraved on its cover, and up close, it closely resembled the emblem of the Divine Sword Luminus.

”I found it by chance in the library,” Luke said as he set the book down. ”The language is strange too. Have a look—maybe you can make sense of it.”

Evalyn picked up the book.

The moment she opened it and glanced at the contents, her brows immediately furrowed.

”What language is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

”Let me see.”

Nolan took the book and started reading it.

As his eyes moved across the pages, a flicker of surprise flashed across his face before quickly disappearing.

”Do you understand it?” Evalyn asked.

Nolan closed the book and shook his head.

”No. But I’d like to take this book and study it. May I, Uncle?”

Luke smiled. ”Of course, Your Highness. Take it. Besides, there’s no point in me keeping it.”

Nolan gave a slight nod and said nothing more. His gaze lingered on the book, as though he were lost in thought.

Evalyn glanced at him and could tell something was on his mind. However, she decided not to pry and continued her conversation with her father.

***

Nighttime...

Nolan sat against the headboard of his bed, the black book Luke had given him resting in his hands.

He opened it and stared at the contents of the first page.

”This language...” he muttered, his eyes narrowing. ”These are kanji characters from the Eastern nation in my previous world.”

Although he wasn’t from an eastern nation, he could speak the language.

Furthermore, the kanji characters closely resembled those used throughout the Eastern Continent, so he had little difficulty understanding them.

Nolan’s gaze shifted to the top of the introductory page.

A single name was written there.

”Rei.”

A faint smile appeared on Nolan’s lips.

”So this is your diary, huh?”

Aside from the Hero of Light, there was no one more likely to be its owner.

”I didn’t expect Luke to find his diary. This is truly a stroke of luck.”

As it happened, Nolan wanted to learn the true historical record. When he and Evalyn traveled to the past, events had unfolded in a way they never should have.

He and Evalyn had interfered far too much. Without realizing it, they had likely already altered history.

[”I never expected to end up in a fantasy world. It’s truly unbelievable—like a dream. Will I be okay? Mom and Dad will surely be worried about me. But it’s fine. I’ll find a way to return home after I finish what I need to do here.”]

”A strong opening. It seems he wrote this a few days after being summoned,” Nolan muttered.

He turned the page and continued reading.

[”Her Highness Princess Roseline, huh? What a beautiful name. She’s even more beautiful than any actress I’ve ever seen on TV. It’s hard to believe someone like her actually exists. But yeah, don’t get your hopes up. There’s no way she’d ever be interested in me.”]

”He’s still as self-deprecating as ever,” Nolan said with a chuckle.

Nolan continued reading, occasionally laughing at Rei’s foolish thoughts. Before he realized it, he had already read nearly seventy percent of the diary.

Then, as he turned to the next page, his eyes suddenly widened.

[”I still can’t believe it. My descendant from the future came to see me. This is completely absurd.”]