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

Chapter 812: Robert’s Panic

Early in the morning...

”Hmmm... They should still be at the inn,” Robert murmured with a faint smile.

He rose from his seat and left the manor, followed by several soldiers.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the inn where the three of them were staying.

”Welcome, Mayor,” the innkeeper greeted him politely.

Robert nodded and asked, ”Are Her Highness Princess Seira, His Highness Prince Nolan, and Young Lady Rafine in their rooms?”

”Yes, Mayor. I’ll take you to them.”

Robert raised a hand.

”No need. I can go on my own.”

Without another word, he headed to the second floor with three soldiers following behind him.

They stopped in front of room twenty-five. It was Seira’s room.

Knock!

”Your Highness, it’s me, Robert. Are you awake yet?”

He waited quietly. A few seconds passed, but no response came from inside.

Robert raised an eyebrow and muttered, ”The princess is quite the lazybones.”

Well, that was only natural. Seira was a member of the imperial family, and many noblewomen were known for sleeping in. It was hardly surprising that she was no different.

Knock!

”Your Highness, I need to discuss something important with you. Please open the door.”

He called out several times, but there was still no answer from inside. A sense of unease slowly crept over him.

He glanced at the other two doors and knocked on them one by one. Just like Seira’s room, the rooms belonging to Nolan and Rafine remained silent.

Robert stared at the doorknob and slowly turned it.

Clack!

The door swung open.

Robert’s eyes narrowed.

”Open? Is Prince Nolan really this careless? What if a thief or criminal sneaks in?” he muttered.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, he gently pushed the door open and peeked inside.

A fairly spacious room lay before him. It was empty and silent.

Robert’s eyes widened in shock.

”Empty!?” he exclaimed.

The soldiers behind him were startled and quickly rushed over.

”What’s wrong, Mayor?” they asked anxiously.

Robert steadied his racing heart and ordered, ”Open the other two rooms. Quickly!”

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. Those rooms belonged to Seira and Rafine.

Opening them without permission was practically asking for trouble.

Seeing that they remained frozen in place, Robert gritted his teeth and barked, ”Why are you just standing there!? Hurry up and do it!”

The soldiers no longer dared to hesitate and immediately turned the doorknobs. To their surprise, neither room was locked.

They slowly pushed the doors open and looked inside.

”Empty?” the soldiers exclaimed in surprise.

Robert’s breathing grew heavier at their words.

”Not only Prince Nolan, but Princess Seira and Young Lady Rafine aren’t in their rooms either. How is that possible?” he muttered, biting his thumbnail.

”Could it be...” A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ”Did they move to another inn?”

That was the only explanation he could think of.

He hurried down to the first floor and approached the innkeeper.

Noticing the worried look on his face, the innkeeper stepped forward and asked, ”What’s the matter, Mayor?”

Robert stopped and fixed him with a sharp gaze.

”I want to ask you something. Have Prince Nolan, Princess Seira, and Young Lady Rafine left without informing anyone?”

”Huh?” The innkeeper looked taken aback. ”What do you mean, Mayor? They were in their rooms last night.”

Robert stared into his eyes, searching for any sign of deceit, but found none.

That could only mean one thing—he genuinely had no idea.

Without another word, Robert turned and left the inn.

However, before he had gone far, several soldiers suddenly came running toward him.

”M-Mayor! Bad news!”

Robert stopped in his tracks and shot them a cold glance.

”What is it now?”

One of the soldiers gasped for breath before reporting, ”Just now, my team and I checked the location where the magic stones were stored, and we discovered they’re gone!”

”What!?” Robert’s eyes widened. ”Gone!? How is that possible?”

The soldier shook his head frantically.

”I-I don’t know, Mayor! My team and I searched the area for any sign of the thief, but we couldn’t find anything.”

Robert gritted his teeth as rage boiled inside him, but he had no idea what to do.

”Nolan Lorian, Seira Lorian, and Rafine Austin have vanished. And now, the magic stones I hid have disappeared as well,” he growled. ”Could the two be connected?”

He fell silent for a moment before forcing himself to calm down.

Fixing the soldiers with a cold glare, he ordered, ”Find the thief’s trail. I don’t care what it takes—you must find him today!”

”Y-Yes, Mayor!” they replied in unison.

After the soldiers left, the area fell silent again. But the unease in Robert’s heart only grew stronger.

He was certain—absolutely certain—that there was a connection between the disappearance of the three of them and the missing magic stones he had hidden.

...

”Wow! It’s so crowded!” Rafine said in awe.

The city of Anaris, which had been quiet just last night, was now bustling with life.

The decorations were beautiful as well. Red banners hung at every street corner, along with red and blue balloons.

Horse-drawn carriages came and went while merchants called out to passersby.

Even though Rafine had seen the capital at its busiest during the previous empire anniversary, the sight before him still left him amazed.

”You’re right. For some reason, I feel like the celebrations in this city surpass those of many cities in the empire. Could it be because of the feud between the academy and the Tower of Silence?” Seira stroked her chin.

The feud between the two had been well known for a long time. They also competed to recruit extraordinary talents from across the continent.

Of course, their hostility was limited to competition and never escalated to the point of bloodshed. After all, the founders of both institutions were siblings.

”Mhmm...” Nolan stretched his stiff body and said, ”Let’s go. We need to report to the academy head as soon as possible.”

Seira and Rafine nodded and walked ahead.

Nolan carried Eira and followed after them. Along the way, many people glanced at the four of them.

That was only natural, given their striking appearances.

As they walked leisurely through the streets, chatting from time to time, an enthusiastic voice suddenly called out from behind them.

”Nolan!”

Startled, they stopped and turned around at the same time, only to see Jisha walking alongside Sylvia and several high-ranking officials from the Tower of Silence.

”Jisha?” Nolan’s eyes widened.