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

Chapter 911: The Story Behind the Comma (What If)

”Hey, do you know how fast cherry blossoms fall?”

The woman looked at the man standing before her with a gentle smile.

She was beautiful. Her long black hair flowed down her back, and her tall, slender figure only made her even more captivating.

But the first thing anyone would notice was her enchanting light pink eyes.

The man thought about her question for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.

”Let me guess... one meter per second?”

The woman giggled and shook her head.

”Wrong!”

”Then? How fast?”

Cherry blossoms drifted behind her as the woman smiled faintly and spoke in a soft voice.

”Five centimeters per second.”

”Five centimeters per second?” The man raised an eyebrow in surprise. ”Did you figure that out yourself?”

The woman clasped her hands behind her back and chuckled.

”No, I didn’t. I read it in a famous novel.”

The man rolled his eyes.

”So the speed you mentioned was just made up?”

”Of course not!” The woman puffed out her chest proudly. ”The novel didn’t just make it up. It was based on scientific research.”

The man simply smiled without saying anything.

How could anyone even measure the speed at which cherry blossoms fall?

And even if someone did... what would be the point?

As if she could read his mind, the woman gently took his hand and said, ”Cherry blossoms symbolize love and longing between two people. And did you know? The speed at which they fall has a meaning too.”

”Hmm? What does it symbolize?”

”Parting.”

The man’s eyes widened in surprise.

”Parting? What do you mean?”

The woman didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked at the row of cherry trees beside them, her eyes filled with longing.

”The falling of cherry blossoms symbolizes an eternal farewell. The chances of meeting again are incredibly small... only about 0.0003 percent.”

The man frowned.

”Isn’t that too small?”

”Yes... it is.”

The woman nodded slowly before turning to look at him.

Her gentle gaze seemed as though it wanted to etch his handsome face into her heart forever.

”So...”

She intertwined their fingers before resting her head against his broad chest.

”If we ever part one day, I’ll find you... even if I have to cross into another world.”

She closed her eyes, and a beautiful smile bloomed across her face once more.

”That’s my promise.”

The man stayed silent for a moment before smiling and pulling her into his arms.

But just as he reached out to wrap his arms around her waist, her body suddenly dissolved into thousands of cherry blossom petals that drifted into the sky.

”W-What!?”

The man froze as the world around him began to crack like glass.

Before he could make sense of what was happening, everything shattered into countless pieces.

Darkness swallowed him whole, filling his heart with fear.

”What’s happening!?”

Panic surged through him. He couldn’t understand why everything had suddenly gone dark.

What terrified him the most was that the woman—the person he loved more than anyone—had disappeared.

”S-Seira!” he shouted.

No one answered. In the endless darkness, he was completely alone.

”S-Seira!”

Whoosh!

A powerful gust of wind slammed into him, sending him stumbling backward. He tried to fight against it, but it was no use.

In the end, all he could do was let the wind carry him away to an unknown place.

...

”Ugh...”

Nolan groaned in pain as he slowly opened his eyes.

”You’re awake! Thank goodness...”

A voice filled with relief came from beside him.

Startled, Nolan forced himself to turn his head despite the lingering ache.

The room was filled with people.

Dr. Johan, the one who had treated him when he first woke up, was there, along with Dr. Reina.

At least four nurses stood behind them, unable to hide the relief on their faces.

”W-What happened?” Nolan asked weakly.

Johan looked Nolan over carefully before answering, ”You were suffering from mental exhaustion. Your condition suddenly worsened, and it had all of us panicking.”

”Mental exhaustion?” Nolan repeated, staring at him in disbelief. ”H-How could that happen?”

Reina lowered her head.

”It’s my fault. After I asked you that question this afternoon, you suddenly collapsed. I’m so sorry! I never meant for this to happen!”

Nolan was taken aback. Their conversation from earlier that afternoon flashed through his mind.

Once he understood what had happened, he calmed down and replied softly, ”It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

He didn’t understand why he had fainted because of such a simple question. But one thing was certain—it wasn’t Reina’s fault.

”But—”

”Ahem.” Johan cleared his throat, cutting her off. ”Are you feeling unwell, Nolan Frey?”

Nolan closed his eyes, checking his condition, before replying, ”No. I don’t feel any pain at all. Though... there is one problem.”

He opened his eyes and met everyone’s worried gazes.

Nolan chuckled softly.

”I’m a little hungry.”

Everyone: ”...”

...

The next day...

”Are you sure you’re not sick?” Reina asked worriedly.

Nolan smiled gently.

”No, Doctor. I’m fine. Besides, this is the fifth time you’ve asked me, you know?”

Reina’s face flushed with embarrassment. She knew she was being a little overly cautious.

But she couldn’t help it. Because of her question, Nolan had suddenly suffered mental exhaustion and fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, he was fine. Even so, she couldn’t shake the fear that it might happen again.

”By the way, Doctor. Yesterday, you asked me something, didn’t you?”

Nolan’s words caught Reina off guard.

”You don’t have to—”

Before she could finish, Nolan cut her off.

”You asked what happened to me while I was in a coma.”

He fell silent for a moment before quietly saying, ”I was reincarnated.”

Reina gasped.

”Reincarnated?”

Nolan gave a slight nod, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

”I was reincarnated into a fantasy world, where I was reborn as the sixth prince of one of the strongest empires. My name was Nolan Lorian. At first, I thought it was all just a dream. After all, I never believed in reincarnation. Funny, isn’t it?”

He turned to Reina with a self-mocking smile.

Reina remained silent, as though she didn’t know how to respond.

Nolan didn’t mind her reaction and continued his story.

”I had a younger sister. By the way, we were twins—I was born before her. Since I always spoiled her, even when we were babies, she followed me around everywhere like an adorable little puppy. Then...”

Nolan recounted everything that had happened to him.

He even told her about his identity as the Singularity of Chaos and his other identity as the founder of Blue Moon.

Before he realized it, an hour had passed, and he finally finished telling his story.

Silence filled the room for a few seconds.

Then Nolan asked in a weak voice, ”Do you think... my story was just an illusion created by my mind?”