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

News of Cedric’s case remained a hot topic throughout the empire. But before the discussions could die down, another shocking story surfaced.

”The Malvain family has abused its authority. They have oppressed numerous noble families in the southern region, driven up commodity prices several times beyond their original value for personal profit, and committed crimes such as nepotism.”

As soon as the news broke, the entire empire erupted once again.

”The Malvain family scandal is unbelievable! I never imagined they’d do something so despicable!”

”You’re right! My view of the noble families has been completely shattered. I don’t know whether the other three ducal families are guilty of the same things, but I doubt they’re any better.”

”Tsk! Prince Cedric’s case has already thrown the empire into chaos, and now the Malvain family is caught in a massive scandal. The Imperial Palace is going to have its hands full.”

Heated discussions spread across cities throughout the empire. Unlike the rumors surrounding Cedric’s case, news of the Malvain family scandal spread with astonishing speed, like wildfire.

Naturally, no one knew who was behind it. Even so, some suspected it was the same person who had reported Cedric to the Phantom Guard.

…

”M-My Lord! Terrible news!”

Fenric burst into Jason’s office without even knocking.

Jason frowned, his sharp gaze locking onto Fenric.

”Have you forgotten what I told you?”

His voice was cold and sharp, like a well-honed blade.

Realizing his mistake, Fenric quickly lowered his head and apologized.

”I-I’m sorry, my lord! I didn’t mean to! But... the news I’ve brought is truly terrible!”

Jason took a deep breath before leaning back in his chair.

”Tell me. What happened?”

Fenric took a moment to steady himself before answering.

”There’s a rumor... No, rumor isn’t the right word. My Lord, the Malvain family’s reputation has been completely ruined in the eyes of the public!”

Jason’s eyes widened.

”Ruined? What happened?”

Fenric quickly explained everything.

The more Jason listened, the darker his expression became.

”Damn it!”

He shot to his feet and slammed his palm onto the desk.

Bang!

The loud impact echoed throughout the office. Fenric immediately lowered his head even further, not daring to look at the furious Jason.

”Who did this?” Jason asked, his voice dripping with hatred.

”I-I don’t know, My Lord,” Fenric replied nervously. ”B-But according to our spies, the scandal first broke out in the imperial capital. From there, it spread like wildfire to every major city, including those in the southern region.”

This was the first time Fenric had witnessed such chaos. The Malvain family was one of the oldest and most influential noble families in the empire.

They had existed since the empire was founded. For over a thousand years, no one had dared to provoke them.

But now, someone had actually challenged them. It was no different from declaring war on the Malvain family.

Jason took a deep breath. A few minutes later, he managed to calm himself, though the anger on his face was still impossible to hide.

”Send the Black Veil Unit to find the mastermind behind this scandal. I don’t care how you do it. I want the culprit’s identity on my desk by the end of the day. Understood?”

Fenric bowed his head and replied in a trembling voice,

”U-Understood, My Lord!”

Jason waved a hand, dismissing him, and Fenric immediately left the office.

Jason sat back down and closed his eyes. His thoughts were in complete disarray. He had never expected someone to expose the Malvain family’s scandal.

”Who on earth did this?” he muttered through gritted teeth.

This was the first time anyone had dared to challenge the Malvain family so openly.

Didn’t they know the consequences?

No matter how much he thought about it, Jason couldn’t come up with a single plausible suspect.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the same person who had gone after Cedric a few days earlier.

Suddenly, the office door swung open, and Vanessa walked in with a grim expression.

”Brother, sorry to interrupt.”

Jason looked up and gave a slight nod.

”Have you heard the news?” Vanessa asked anxiously.

”Yes.”

”So, what are you going to do?”

Vanessa stood before him, her fists clenched.

”If this isn’t resolved soon, it could affect Aldric’s future.”

Not every noble in the southern region supported Aldric. Some had thrown their support behind Elina, Adalen, or Cedric.

But of the three, Elina was the most dangerous. After Aldric, she had the strongest support among the nobles in the southern region.

The Caltheron family was one of her biggest supporters. They had convinced many other noble families to side with her.

Vanessa was worried that Elina would use Aldric’s current predicament to gain a significant advantage.

Jason waved a hand dismissively.

”Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of it. Your only job is to keep an eye on Aldric. Don’t let him do anything reckless. It’ll only make the situation even harder to control.”

Vanessa let out a long sigh before giving a small nod.

”I understand.”

…

”Your Majesty, news of Prince Cedric’s crimes has spread like wildfire and is completely out of control! What should we do?”

”Your Majesty, the people in the capital have sent countless letters of protest! Please make a decision!”

”Your Majesty...”

The throne room echoed with the panicked voices of the ministers.

Ragan sat on the throne with his eyes closed, as though he couldn’t hear their pleas.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of sharp, crimson-red pupils.

”Enough!”

His voice thundered through the throne room, instantly silencing every minister.

Ragan took a deep breath, swept his gaze across the room, and spoke in a cold voice.

”I already know what happened. Cedric’s crimes are grave. I will hold his trial in five days. You may all leave.”

The ministers exchanged uneasy glances. They could all see the anxiety on each other’s faces.

Most of them had supported Cedric in the battle for the throne. After all, Prime Minister Roswell was Cedric’s uncle, so it was only natural for them to stand on his side.

That was why they were so worried about Cedric’s fate. If he fell, they would be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Even so, none of them dared to question Ragan’s decision. They simply bowed before turning to leave.

Ragan let out a long sigh before shifting his gaze to Roswell, who stood beside him.

”So...” His voice was cold and piercing. ”How do you intend to explain this, Roswell?”

Roswell’s expression darkened, but he quickly regained his composure.

”I know nothing about this, Your Majesty. Everything Cedric did was his own decision.”

Ragan let out a faint, mocking chuckle.

”You make it sound as though he has nothing to do with you. Are you really going to abandon him that easily?”