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

Chapter 929: Elina Learns the Truth

”Ugh...”

Elina slowly opened her eyes and found herself back in her bedroom.

”Why am I in my room?” she muttered, rubbing her aching temples.

”You’re awake? Thank goodness...”

Rafine’s relieved voice came from beside her.

Elina was startled. She turned her head and saw Rafine standing there, holding a glass of warm milk.

”Rafine? Why are you here? And...”

Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered the monster named Kruch.

”That monster... What happened to him?”

She tried to sit up, but Rafine quickly stopped her.

”Don’t be reckless! Your body is in severe shock and hasn’t fully recovered yet!”

”B-But—”

”No ’buts’!” Rafine snapped. She gently but firmly pushed Elina back down and reminded her, ”I’ll tell you everything. Just stay where you are.”

Elina didn’t resist and weakly nodded.

Rafine sat down beside her and told her everything that had happened.

Once Elina understood what had happened, she was shocked all over again.

”My brother?”

”That’s right.” Rafine nodded slightly. ”It was Nolan who saved you.”

Elina fell silent. She had indeed caught a glimpse of Nolan’s back before losing consciousness.

At first, she thought it had been nothing more than an illusion. But it turned out to be real.

”Then where is my brother? Can you call him? There’s something I want to tell him.”

Rafine shook her head with a wry smile.

”I don’t know. He disappeared the moment I arrived.”

”Disappeared?” Elina was stunned. ”How is that possible? Isn’t he just an ordinary person?”

Rafine bit her lower lip, unsure whether she should tell her.

A moment later, she took a deep breath and steeled herself.

”Elina, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Elina tensed. Seeing Rafine’s serious expression made her feel uneasy.

”Please, tell me.”

She tried to calm herself, clenching both hands tightly.

”Nolan...” Rafine’s expression became complicated as she continued, ”He’s actually a mage.”

Elina’s mouth fell open.

”Brother Nolan is... a mage...?”

”That’s right.”

Rafine gave a slight nod and began explaining everything to her.

After hearing the whole story, Elina took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

She did this a few more times, trying to calm herself down, but the shock still wouldn’t go away.

Her heart was pounding, and her face had gone slightly pale.

She had never expected her lazy brother to be a mage.

No one had ever told her about it, and the thought had never even crossed her mind—not even in her wildest dreams.

Ever since she and her brother were born, they had naturally undergone examinations by the empire’s most powerful mages.

Elina had also heard from her mother that neither she nor Nolan had the talent to become a mage.

And it wasn’t just the two of them. None of the imperial family members possessed the talent to become mages.

Only the Fifth Emperor and Sharon had that talent.

But it turned out that her brother, who was as lazy as a salted fish, actually had it.

Elina was certain—one hundred percent certain—that not even Ragan or Isabella knew about this secret.

Otherwise, there was no way they could have hidden it from her.

Seeing the sudden shift in Elina’s expression, Rafine felt uneasy. She had already expected her reaction to be like this.

A few minutes later, Elina finally regained her composure.

Her expression turned cold as she asked, ”Since when have you known about this? And why didn’t you tell me?”

Rafine coughed awkwardly.

”I found out half a year ago—no, actually, I knew from the very first time we met.”

”The first time you met?” Elina’s eyes widened. ”Wasn’t that at my father’s birthday party?”

”Yes, at Emperor Ragan’s birthday party. Back then, Nolan sent me a telepathic message. That was when I first started to suspect something. And half a year ago, he finally told me about his true abilities.”

Rafine shrugged before continuing, ”As for why I didn’t tell you, you can ask your brother yourself.”

Elina pursed her lips. She felt annoyed—not at Rafine, but at Nolan.

They’d grown up together and had even been living under the same roof for the past few months.

Yet Elina had never imagined that Nolan would hide such a huge secret from her.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t upset or hurt. She felt like Nolan was questioning her integrity.

”Don’t be so upset.”

Rafine patted her on the shoulder, trying to comfort her.

”I’m sure Nolan has his reasons. Maybe he didn’t tell you because he was afraid it would put you in danger.”

”That’s too far-fetched,” Elina snorted, clearly dissatisfied.

Rafine chuckled and ruffled her hair.

”Get some rest. And don’t forget to drink your milk. I’ll take care of the mess outside.”

With that, she stood up and walked away, leaving Elina alone with the harsh truth still on her mind.

...

Two days passed quickly. News of the attack on the Lord’s mansion spread rapidly throughout Virella.

People had mixed reactions. Some were scared, panicked, and worried, while others were secretly happy about it.

Not everyone in Virella liked Elina’s style of leadership, which they considered too strict.

Of course, those who hated Elina weren’t native Virellans. Most of them were people from other towns who had migrated to Virella in search of a better life.

As a result, they didn’t know just how much Elina had sacrificed to turn Virella into what it was today.

”Are you sure? Don’t you want to rest a little longer?” Rafine asked hesitantly.

”No need. I’ve rested long enough. I’m bored.”

Elina refused without hesitation and sat down in her chair.

”But—”

”Rafine, you’re starting to remind me of my mother,” Elina interrupted with a small chuckle. ”Once you become my sister-in-law, then you can boss me around, okay?”

A teasing smile appeared on her lips.

Rafine’s face turned bright red.

”What are you talking about? Don’t talk nonsense!”

Elina giggled at her embarrassed expression and patted her on the shoulder.

”By the way...”

She picked up the documents on the desk and looked through them.

”Did you finish these?”

”Who else?” Rafine rolled her eyes. ”Since you were sick, I naturally took over the affairs of Virella.”

Elina smiled sweetly.

”Thank you, Rafine. You really are the only one I can count on.”

She was glad she had agreed to Duke Austin’s request to make Rafine her assistant. If it weren’t for her, Elina knew her workload would have piled up by now.

”You’re welcome.” Rafine waved her hand casually. ”Oh, right. About what happened two days ago...”

Her expression suddenly turned somber.

”There’s some bad news I haven’t told you yet.”

”Bad news?” Elina sat up straight.

”Because of the monster that broke into the mansion, General Luvistar suffered severe injuries. He has multiple broken bones and won’t be able to move for a while.”

Rafine paused for a moment before continuing.

”Meanwhile, the dozens of soldiers guarding the front gate...”

She clenched both fists, her voice trembling slightly.

”They... are dead.”