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

[”I don’t know how to put this, but hey, am I dreaming? My descendant has come from the future! Her name is Evalyn! She said she came from a time a thousand years in the future. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! Hehehe! And she says my future wife is Princess Roseline. That’s surprising and… wonderful!”]

Nolan froze in place. His breathing grew heavy, and his thoughts turned chaotic.

”How could this be happening?” he muttered, pressing a hand against his pounding chest. ”Rei wrote Evalyn’s name in this diary? Then… does that mean the time travel we undertook is affecting this era?”

Just the thought of that possibility sent chills down Nolan’s spine.

If his suspicions were correct, this truth could shake the world to its core.

However, Nolan was a master at controlling his emotions. He forced himself to calm down and resumed reading.

Strangely, when he turned to the next page, it was blank. The paper was pristine white, without a single sentence on it.

”Blank?”

Nolan flipped to another page, but the result was the same—blank.

”Still blank,” he whispered, squinting his eyes.

He flipped back to the previous page. To his surprise, it was also blank.

The sentence that had previously mentioned Evalyn and his arrival in the past had simply vanished. All that remained were pages describing Rei’s experiences before he met both him and Evalyn.

”Weird… this really doesn’t make any sense!”

Suddenly, he remembered something, and his expression went flat.

”The gods must have done it.”

That was the only plausible explanation.

In other words, history could not be tampered with. Everything that had happened in the past had already shaped the present era through his and Evalyn’s intervention.

His name and Evalyn’s were not recorded in history, as if time itself had erased their existence from everyone’s memory.

And the mastermind behind it all?

Wasn’t it obvious?

The gods who guarded the flow of space and time itself.

Nolan shook his head and set the book down to his right.

”If this present era is the result of my actions and Evalyn’s… does that mean the demons I saved and Chloe are still alive too? And… does that mean Sylvia’s rapid development is also due to my intervention?”

He turned to the window, gazing at the dark, silent night sky. The expanse of stars slowly calmed him.

”Well, whatever. It’s none of my business,” he said, shrugging indifferently.

Without much thought, he lay down and hugged Eira, who had already fallen asleep beside him.

…

The sun was bright, and the morning air felt fresh and pleasant.

People from all walks of life had gathered near the vast arena.

They all came for one reason—to witness the contest between the Lionheart and Asbourne families, held once every ten years.

”Who do you think will win?” a man asked.

”Hmmm… it’s hard to say. Young Master Nathan and Young Lady Evalyn have clearly improved since ten years ago. But I’m sure Young Lady Evalyn will win!” a young man replied without hesitation.

The others nodded in agreement. Aside from Evalyn’s victory ten years ago, many were also drawn to her extraordinary beauty.

Because of that, their support was tinged with rather personal motives.

”Tsk! You men are truly disgusting!” a voice came from the right. ”Supporting someone just because of her beauty… isn’t that shameful?”

The men were startled. They turned toward the source of the voice and saw a group of women staring at them with disgust.

”What’s the big deal? Aren’t you the same? You’re definitely supporting Young Master Nathan, aren’t you?” one of the men retorted.

The women immediately blushed. They were indeed supporting Nathan because of his handsome appearance.

”Tsk! Then you’re just as disgusting!”

Before long, an argument broke out between the men and women in the lower stands.

***

”Welcome, Count Emberlyn and Viscount Darkmoor. I didn’t expect you to attend this event.”

Luke clasped his hands together in greeting toward the two men in front of him.

The man on the left was the head of the Emberlyn family. He was tall, with a youthful face, and wore a hat adorned with a feather at its center.

His robe was black with white lining, giving him an elegant and formal appearance.

Meanwhile, the other man was the head of the Darkmoor family.

Although a viscount-ranked house was not particularly powerful within the nobility hierarchy of the Great Velmora Empire, Luke did not underestimate him.

The Darkmoor family was the main supplier of weapons to the Lionheart family. The two families had known each other for a long time, making their relationship quite close.

More importantly, the Darkmoor family was Elina’s supporter in the battle for the throne. Not only Darkmoor, but Count Emberlyn’s family was also part of Elina’s faction.

As fellow supporters of Elina, they were closely aligned and regarded each other as allies.

”Thank you for the welcome, General Luke,” said Count Emberlyn. ”I hope Young Lady Evalyn can win this contest, just as she did ten years ago.”

”Hahaha! I hope so too, Head of the Emberlyn Family,” Luke replied with a hearty laugh.

The three chatted casually before the two family heads excused themselves and returned to their seats.

They knew Luke still had to greet many other family heads, and they did not want to disturb him.

As Luke continued greeting the guests, his attention was suddenly drawn to a new arrival.

A middle-aged man approached, accompanied by two young people—a man and a woman—at his side.

”The head of the Ashvale family,” Luke muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The Ashvale family supported Cedric in the battle for the throne. Clearly, they stood on the opposing side.

In addition, the Asbourne and Ashvale families had a very close relationship, as both supported Cedric.

Although Luke had expected their arrival, the appearance of the head of the Ashvale family still caught him slightly off guard.

But Luke quickly set aside his wariness and stepped forward.

”Welcome, Duke Ashvale,” he greeted politely.

Duke Ashvale looked startled for a moment before smiling.

”Thank you for the welcome, General Luke.”

He glanced at Margaretta and Allen, and they immediately understood his intent.

”Greetings, General Luke,” they said in unison.

Luke smiled and nodded in response.

”By the way, General,” the Duke of Ashvale said with a playful expression. ”I hear Nathan Asbourne managed to obtain the legacy of the Dark Hero a thousand years ago. What about your daughter? Did she manage to obtain the legacy of the Light Hero?”

Luke’s expression darkened slightly, but he remained composed.

”Not yet, Duke Ashvale. But I’m sure she’ll win the battle later.”

Duke Ashvale smiled and nodded without saying anything further, though his expression carried clear dismissal.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Luke, he walked away with Allen and Margaretta.

Luke shot a cold glance at Duke Ashvale’s back and muttered, ”He’s really annoying.”