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

"Well, that's all I have to say," Nolan said as he slowly rose to his feet. "Rest for a while. Your soldiers should have woken up from their stupor by now."

Aston gave a small nod. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Nolan simply nodded back before leaving the room.

As he watched Nolan's back disappear through the door, Aston let out a quiet sigh and lowered his gaze.

Prince Nolan is truly terrifying. Can someone his age really possess such a mind? He muttered, a trace of fear in his voice.

Even Cedric, renowned for his sharp mind, lacked such ability. Inevitably, Aston had to reassess Nolan—he must never underestimate him nor make him an enemy.

Otherwise, it would be the Valmire family that suffered.

...

Nolan walked down the hallway of the Castellan family mansion. Along the way, the passing servants bowed their heads respectfully.

"I didn't expect you to be so cunning, using your status as a prince and claiming to be a palace envoy."

A cold voice came from his right. Without turning, Nolan already knew who it was.

"It's not cunning, it's strategy," he replied casually with a small chuckle. "You'd do well to learn from me, Malverna. At the very least, you'll know how to handle yourself in every situation. Only then will you survive longer. Don't go repeating the same foolish mistakes of the past, you know?"

He cast Malverna a sidelong glance, his eyes full of mockery.

"You…" Malverna seethed at his words.

Yet she couldn't fight back. As much as she hated to admit it, Nolan was completely right.

In the past, she had been overconfident, believing everyone would bow before her—including her own disciple.

But she had been naive, blind to the hidden thoughts and ambitions of others. In the end, she fell, betrayed and destroyed by them.

If only she hadn't been so arrogant, perhaps she wouldn't have died, and the demon race would have claimed the victory it deserved.

Still, she carried little regret. Perhaps her death had been fate. After all, it was through that death that she came to witness the most terrifying and cunning figure now standing at her side.

Everything was connected, and she chose to believe in that.

Shaking off her annoyance, she glanced at Nolan. "To be honest, I'm curious about something. Why are you always helping your sister? I know you love her, but isn't it a bit much? For instance, that sea monster incident—you solved it from the shadows. And now, the Castellan family matter—you handled that too."

"If I remember correctly, you once said you wouldn't interfere too much, because it would only prevent your sister from growing."

For the past few days, that question had kept swirling in her mind. She knew Nolan was a man of his word, yet everything he had done so far seemed to contradict it.

Nolan was briefly surprised by the question, but only for a moment. Crossing his arms over his chest, he replied casually, "Before I answer, I want to ask you something first: how strong was that sea monster? And how strong is Rovert?"

Malverna winked and answered firmly, "They're both strong, but to me, they're very weak."

Nolan: "..."

All right, you're strong, but don't be so blatant in front of me.

That was what he wanted to say, but he held back. With a lazy wave of his hand, he simply said, "Yes, they are indeed weaker than you. But do you know that these two are not ordinary enemies?"

Malverna frowned. "What do you mean?"

Nolan let out a small sigh, staring straight ahead. "You might not know, but there are several parties behind the figure controlling the sea monster. They're very powerful—no less than the Singularities."

His words left Malverna stunned. Her eyes widened, her heart racing.

She wanted to accuse Nolan of joking, but his expression was anything but playful.

Malverna remained silent for a moment before finally asking, "Then… what happened next?"

She hadn't expected something like this to be behind everything, and a creeping sense of panic began to settle in her chest. The Singularities were the ones who stood at the top of the world.

At the very least, they weren't the type to kill indiscriminately. In fact, they were protectors of this world.

Yet, if another party with equal power existed, it could spell disaster. No one knew their motives or goals—it wasn't out of the question that they might act in direct opposition to the Singularities.

"I banished them, of course," Nolan said tersely, a hint of pride in his tone.

Malverna couldn't help but be amazed. Her annoyance slowly gave way to surprise, and a faint glimmer of admiration appeared in her eyes.

"Think about it: if they had attacked Elina and the two warships, what would have happened?"

Nolan's question hit Malverna instantly. She fell silent, for the answer was clear—they would have died.

"Besides the sea monster, Rovert isn't an ordinary man either. He's incredibly powerful—at least to anyone below our level. Do you really think the Valmire family could defeat him? Or that Elina could? Of course not. That's why I had to step in and handle everything myself."

Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to act so much either. As Malverna had pointed out, he had broken the promise he made earlier.

But circumstances had forced his hand. The enemies lurking behind the scenes were too strong. Without his intervention, Elina would have been in grave danger.

Malverna remained silent. Yes—Nolan was completely right. Neither the sea monster nor Rovert's problem was something Elina could have handled alone.

Without Nolan's help, her chances in the battle for the throne would have been slim.

Noticing her silence, Nolan took it as agreement. He said no more and continued down the hallway, finally stopping in front of a door on the right.

Slowly, he opened it and stepped inside. An incredibly beautiful woman was waiting for him.

She was Anna, Rovert's wife. Upon seeing him enter, she hurriedly rose and bowed deeply, her head lowered.

"Welcome, Your Highness," she said in a trembling, timid voice.

She was just an ordinary woman whom Rovert had chosen to bear his child. It was her first encounter with someone from the Imperial family, and she didn't dare meet Nolan's eyes.

"Get up," Nolan said, raising his palm slightly.

Suddenly, Anna's bowed body was lifted upright by an invisible force.

Startled, she looked at Nolan in surprise. Yet she didn't dare speak, keeping her lips tightly sealed.

"Sorry to disturb you so early, Lady Anna. But I need your help," Nolan said, a faint smile on his face.

Malverna, standing beside him, rolled her eyes lazily.

This man is starting to plot something devious again, she muttered irritably.