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

Chapter 902: Lyra’s Report

Boom!

Blue lightning tore across the sky. Just minutes earlier, the capital had been bathed in warm sunlight. Now, dark, ominous clouds loomed overhead.

Moments later, a heavy downpour swept across the bustling city.

Inside his office, Ragan stood by the window, his blood-red eyes calmly watching the rain fall.

Thunder rumbled, and flashes of blue lightning lit up the sky from time to time, making the atmosphere even more ominous.

Elina and Seira sat across from his desk. Both appeared calm, but only Elina knew how anxious she truly was.

She glanced at her father’s stern profile. Ten minutes had passed, yet Ragan still hadn’t moved from where he stood.

Just as she was about to break the silence, Ragan finally spoke.

”Do you two think what I’m doing is the right choice?”

Elina and Seira remained silent, neither daring to answer.

Ragan turned to them and smiled.

”Don’t be afraid to speak your minds.”

Seira was the first to respond. She cleared her throat before answering honestly.

”Your actions were decisive and precisely aimed at your goal. And that was your intention from the very beginning, wasn’t it? To strip Prime Minister Roswell of his power and authority while also dealing a blow to the Kleith family.”

Elina was surprised by Seira’s analysis. The thought had never crossed her mind.

Ragan’s smile widened, and he nodded in approval.

”You really are smart, my dear. Making you interim prime minister was definitely the right choice.”

Hearing the praise, Seira smiled.

”Thank you, Father.”

Ragan walked over and took his seat behind the desk. Outside, the heavy rain continued to fall, providing a fitting backdrop to their conversation.

”Roswell holds too much power in his hands. To be honest, I don’t like it.”

Elina considered his words and realized they made perfect sense. Roswell had indeed become too powerful.

He had built a power base of his own, including an intelligence network that stretched across the entire empire.

It could be said that no one could hide from his watchful eyes unless he chose not to look.

If she were in Ragan’s position, Elina wouldn’t feel comfortable having someone like that by her side either.

”But my decision will earn me Roswell’s hatred—and Cedric’s as well,” Ragan continued, straightening up.

His expression grew serious.

”And I’m certain he won’t willingly hand over the power he’s secretly built up. That’s why, Seira.”

He turned to Seira.

”I want you to dismantle Roswell’s network. I’ll turn a blind eye to whatever methods you use. Just make sure everything is done cleanly. Understood?”

Seira nodded firmly.

”I understand, Father. Leave it to me!”

Ragan was pleased with her response. He had chosen Seira as interim prime minister because she was the only one truly suited for the position.

Seira wasn’t the ambitious type. Ragan was absolutely certain of that.

The chances of her betraying him—let alone trying to overthrow him—were extremely slim.

What’s more, Seira was intelligent. Ragan believed that if she ever joined the battle for the throne, her chances of winning would be very high.

Ragan shifted his gaze to Elina.

Resting his hands on the table, he asked calmly, ”So, how are you going to explain yourself?”

Elina fell silent. She knew exactly what her father meant.

”I...”

Before she could answer, Ragan chuckled and cut her off.

”Don’t worry. I’m not angry.”

Elina blinked in surprise.

”You... aren’t?”

”Of course not.” Ragan rolled his eyes. ”On the contrary, I’m actually grateful to you. If it weren’t for your plan—and Nolan’s—I wouldn’t have been able to get rid of Roswell.”

Elina was at a loss for words. She had expected Ragan to scold her for causing such a mess.

Instead, her fears turned out to be completely unfounded.

She lowered her gaze, unsure of what to say.

”But you need to remember one thing.” Ragan’s expression grew serious. ”Because of you and Nolan, Roswell lost his position. With his intelligence, there’s no way he doesn’t know who’s behind this. I’m certain he’ll make his move soon, and I won’t be able to interfere.”

”I understand. Thanks for the warning, Father.”

Elina bowed her head slightly.

Ragan smiled.

The three of them went on to discuss many things. One of the most important topics was the state of the empire, which Seira would soon be responsible for.

As intelligent as Seira was, serving as prime minister was still an enormous responsibility.

There was much she still needed to learn, as every decision she made would affect the lives of countless people.

Half an hour passed before any of them realized it. Ragan decided it was time to end the discussion.

”All right. You may leave now.”

Elina and Seira nodded in unison. They stood, then quietly left the office.

Ragan closed his eyes before calling out, ”Lyra.”

Whoosh!

Lyra appeared beside him and immediately dropped to one knee.

”I’m here, Your Majesty.”

Without opening his eyes, Ragan asked, ”Did you bring Nolan?”

Lyra fell silent.

Sensing something was wrong, Ragan slowly opened his eyes.

”Why are you silent?”

Lyra took a deep breath before answering.

”I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I... failed.”

”Failed?” Ragan narrowed his eyes. ”How is that possible? Wasn’t Nolan in Virella?”

”No, Your Majesty. Prince Nolan wasn’t in Virella.”

A bewildered expression crossed Lyra’s face.

”I searched Princess Elina’s residence in Virella but couldn’t find him. I also searched every corner of the city, yet there was no sign of him.”

She lowered her head, waiting for Ragan’s response.

”I happened to meet one of the subordinates of the Singularity of Chaos who was protecting Princess Elina. She told me Prince Nolan went into the Calvron Forest and was never seen again.”

”The Calvron Forest?” Ragan’s eyes widened.

He knew that forest well. According to history, it was where one of the demon generals had slaughtered thousands—perhaps even tens of thousands—of humans.

Ever since that tragedy, the forest had become a cursed and dangerous place.

On top of that, it was inhabited by ancient monsters far more powerful than those found in the modern era.

”Did you search inside?”

”I did, Your Majesty. But I still couldn’t find Prince Nolan.”

She let out a quiet sigh.

”At the edge of the Calvron Forest is a towering cliff. Below it lies another forest. In my opinion, it’s impossible for Prince Nolan to have gone down there. If he had, he would’ve died.”

The cliff alone stood hundreds of meters high. The only way down was to jump.

She was certain Nolan couldn’t have gone there.

Ragan fell silent. His expression grew somber as he leaned back against the headrest of his chair.

”Nolan is nowhere to be found,” he muttered, staring at the ceiling. ”So where did that kid go?”