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

Chapter 698: A Tainted Pure Heart

”Bring Gulvar Lyren down! Hold him accountable!”

”Bring Gulvar Lyren down!”

The chaos in the capital was growing worse, spiraling out of control. People kept kicking the palace walls, as if they wanted to tear them down.

On top of one of the buildings, Nolan stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

His face was expressionless, devoid of emotion.

”I don’t know how the royal palace will resolve this issue. Karakh executed it too perfectly,” he whispered.

Although he hated Karakh, he had to admit the man was extremely clever—worthy of becoming the next king.

Karakh was a master of plotting from the shadows, manipulating propaganda, and using various other methods to sway the masses.

In Nolan’s previous world, political opposition often employed such tactics to overthrow legitimate governments.

In his own country, such incidents had already occurred twice. The Frey family had nearly been dragged into the turmoil, shaken to its core.

Fortunately, their foundation was strong, allowing them not only to survive but even to grow richer.

”Don’t you think you’re being a bit too cruel, Nolan?”

Malverna appeared beside him, looking at him with curiosity.

”Cruel? What do you mean?” Nolan raised an eyebrow. But then, as Alina came to mind, he smiled faintly.

”Ah... do you mean my treatment of Alina?”

Malverna nodded. ”Exactly. Just now, I could feel her breaking apart. It was truly heartbreaking.”

Malverna wasn’t the type to pay attention to strangers.

She didn’t know Alina and, frankly, didn’t care about her. Yet she possessed the ability to see into the depths of a person’s heart.

Alina had a pure heart. She was innocent—like a sheet of paper untouched by ink.

Earlier, Malverna had seen her pure heart slowly become covered with resentment, anger, and other dark emotions.

It was such a pity to watch something so pure turn dark and twisted.

”Don’t worry,” Nolan said soothingly. ”This world is very cruel. The law of the jungle prevails, and only the strong can survive. I’m sure you understand this better than anyone else.”

Kindness and innocence were two things that should not exist. Even if they did, kindness must always be accompanied by caution and a touch of cunning.

Otherwise, it could become a danger to one’s own safety.

On the surface, Nolan did indeed seem cruel to Alina. But in reality, he only wanted her to rise and become a strong figure.

That way, Alina could take control of her own destiny and safety with her own hands.

Malverna fell silent and said nothing more. She vaguely understood the purpose behind Nolan’s actions toward Alina.

”Alright...” Nolan stretched his stiff body. ”Let’s go. But before that, I want to help Alina a little.”

He raised his left hand. Suddenly, a magic circle as large as the royal capital appeared in the sky.

Everyone who had been protesting froze in shock and fear.

”W-What is that!? Could it be an enemy attack!?”

”I don’t know! But that’s a real possibility!”

”Run!”

Before they could fully react, Nolan lowered his hand.

Black light poured out from the magic circle and struck everyone below, including those inside the houses.

There was no explosion, no screams, nothing of the sort. Within seconds, drowsiness overcame them, and before they realized it, they collapsed into sleep.

Malverna could only stare at the scene with a blank expression.

”Let’s go,” Nolan said before vanishing from sight.

Malverna took a deep breath and vanished as well.

...

The next morning, Nolan was still sleeping soundly on his bed.

Although the place was a bit dirty, the bed was quite comfortable.

The wardens seemed to know Nolan was used to sleeping in a luxurious bed, so they had prepared it beforehand before he was placed in the prison.

As Nolan remained lost in a sweet dream, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside. A warden appeared and stopped in front of the iron bars of his cell.

”Prince Nolan Lorian, wake up. This morning, we’re heading to the imperial capital.”

Nolan furrowed his brows and slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

”Now? Can’t you postpone it until noon?” he asked, yawning lazily.

”I can’t, Your Highness. This is a direct order from my superiors. Last night’s departure had to be postponed for your safety, so this morning is the right time to leave. Please understand,” the warden replied indifferently.

Nolan knew there was no point in arguing, so he slowly got up and stood with sluggish movements.

”Show me where the bathroom is,” he said weakly.

The warden nodded. ”Follow me.”

Twenty minutes later, Nolan emerged with a refreshed appearance.

He was wearing a white robe, while his black hair was styled in a comma cut, making him look even more handsome.

”Let’s go,” Nolan said eagerly.

The warden nodded and walked with him toward the exit.

A horse-drawn carriage was already waiting, guarded by two other carriages behind it.

And standing beside the carriage were three beautiful women: Seira, Elina, and Rafine.

”Brother!” Elina ran up to him and immediately checked him from head to toe.

”You’re not hurt, are you?” she asked worriedly.

Nolan smiled helplessly. ”Didn’t we just see each other yesterday afternoon? Why are you asking that?”

Elina shook her head. ”That’s different. It’s been a whole day since we last saw each other. Who knows? Maybe the wardens hurt you?”

Nolan was at a loss for words. His sister’s affection was a bit over the top, wasn’t it?

”Nolan, let’s go to the capital,” Seira said gently. ”I’ve already sent a letter to Father. I’m sure he understands the gist of what happened. Your sentence will also be reduced or even dropped.”

”Alright. Thank you,” Nolan replied, feeling touched.

Then he glanced at Rafine. The woman immediately looked away in embarrassment.

The incident from that night flashed through her mind, and her face flushed red like an apple.

Nolan walked closer and said, ”Thank you.”

Rafine tensed, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm and asked flatly, ”Thank you for what?”

”Everything. I’m sure you’ve been helping me behind the scenes so I could live comfortably in prison,” Nolan explained frankly.

He wasn’t stupid. It was impossible for the wardens to simply provide such a soft bed out of nowhere.

Although he was a prince, there were strict rules about treating all prisoners equally.

Because of that, Nolan was certain this was Rafine’s doing.

Rafine bit her lower lip and whispered, ”You’re welcome. I did it because I wanted to. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Seeing her tsundere reaction, Nolan actually wanted to tease her—but he held back.

But suddenly, he hugged her, surprising Rafine.

”Just saying thank you isn’t enough. Once everything is settled, I’ll return to the eastern territories and take you to a place that will surely make you happy.”

Without waiting for her response, Nolan released the hug and walked toward the horse-drawn carriage.

Rafine stood frozen in place. The warmth of Nolan’s embrace still lingered throughout her body.