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

A horse-drawn carriage arrived at the gates of the imperial palace. The soldiers didn't dare to block its path and immediately stepped aside to let it through.

The carriage soon stopped in front of the entrance hall, where several servants immediately came to greet them.

"Welcome, Princess Elina."

Elina, dressed in a blue dress, stepped out of the carriage. Nolan followed behind her.

"Thank you."

Elina smiled in response.

"Where is Her Majesty Seira?"

"Her Majesty is in her office. She asked you to go straight in," one of the servants replied.

Elina said nothing more and walked inside.

Nolan naturally followed behind her. However, the servants were startled when they saw him.

"You…"

"Hmmm? What's wrong?" Nolan glanced at them, confused.

The servants gasped and quickly bowed their heads.

"I-It's nothing. Sorry!" one of them said nervously.

Nolan simply smiled without saying a word and walked away.

The servants watched him disappear into the palace before exchanging glances.

"Did you notice?"

"Yeah, I did! That man looks exactly like the owner of the Blue Moon Trading House who came here earlier!"

They swallowed hard in unison before quickly turning around and leaving.

They were just ordinary people and didn't want to get involved in the affairs of powerful people.

…

Knock!

"Your Majesty, it's me, Elina. May I come in?"

Elina waited calmly. Before long, Seira's voice came from inside.

"Come in. The door isn't locked."

Elina opened the door and stepped inside.

Seira was sitting on the sofa, sipping her tea.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," Elina greeted politely.

Seira laughed.

"It's just you and me here. Don't be so formal."

But the moment her gaze fell on Nolan, her smile froze.

"Y-You…"

She stammered as she stood up and pointed at Nolan with a trembling hand.

"How did you get here?"

Elina was taken aback. She looked back and forth between Nolan and Seira.

"Do you two know each other?"

Seira didn't answer. Her gaze remained fixed on Nolan.

Nolan feigned confusion.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Do we know each other?" he asked awkwardly.

"Don't pretend!"

Seira stepped closer and stopped right in front of him. She looked Nolan up and down before asking, "How did you end up here? And how are you with Elina?"

Nolan scratched his head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know you."

His tone and gestures were completely natural. Seira couldn't detect even the slightest hint of a lie.

But she was certain—one hundred percent certain—that this man was the same person as Frey, the owner of the Blue Moon Trading House.

"Wait a minute!"

Elina hurriedly stepped between them. She looked at them suspiciously, one after the other.

"What's really going on? What's your relationship?" she asked sharply.

Seira took a deep breath and shook her head.

"It's okay. I must have mistaken you for someone else. I'm sorry."

Even as she said this, her gaze never left Nolan, as if silently warning him.

"Really?"

Elina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Yes." Seira nodded indifferently.

Elina felt confused. Since Seira had already said that, she felt uncomfortable pressing her any further.

"All right, please have a seat. What would you like to drink?"

"I'll just have tea."

"Me too," Nolan chimed in.

Seira then prepared tea for both of them while they sat on the sofa across from her.

Once she was done, Seira brought the two cups of tea and placed them on the table.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Elina lifted her cup and took a sip.

Nolan did the same.

Seira's gaze occasionally drifted toward Nolan.

Nolan noticed, of course, but pretended not to.

"So, Sister, what do you need from me?" Elina asked bluntly.

Seira pulled her gaze away from Nolan and calmly looked at Elina.

"I need your help, Elina. The situation in the southern region is very serious. You're the only one who can help me."

She then explained her plan to her.

Elina listened calmly. But when Seira mentioned "sending troops and having you lead them," her expression changed.

She stiffly turned toward Nolan, but he ignored her gaze.

Elina took a deep breath to calm herself before turning back to Seira.

"Are you sure? I mean, what about Adalen and Cedric? Why me?"

Seira smiled dismissively as she took another sip of tea.

"Adalen? Cedric? Neither of them deserves this opportunity. You're the only one, Elina, whom I can trust."

Her confident reply made Elina feel both embarrassed and happy.

"I understand. But can I ask for one thing?"

"Of course. What is it?" Seira didn't refuse.

Elina paused for a moment before turning toward Nolan.

"I want Nolan to come with me. Make him the vice general of my future army."

Seira froze, her eyes widening slightly.

"Are you sure? You've received military training, so I believe you have what it takes to lead a unit. But him…"

Her gaze shifted hesitantly toward Nolan.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to underestimate him. It's just that this is very important, and I can't just give such a position to anyone."

"Trust me, Sister. He can definitely do it! I guarantee it!" Elina insisted.

She didn't know how Nolan could have known that Seira would ask her to lead the troops, but a promise was a promise. She couldn't go back on her word.

"Hmmm…"

Seira seemed lost in thought. After a moment, she looked up and said, "I've already given the position of vice general to Freya. But since you're insisting, I can grant your request. You'll just have to convince her. What do you think?"

"S-Sister Freya!?"

Elina's face stiffened at those words.

Freya was a stubborn woman. Convincing her was like trying to move a mountain.

But suddenly…

"I'll do it."

Nolan's words startled them both.

"What did you say!? Take that back!" Elina said in a panic.

But Nolan ignored her and looked directly into Seira's eyes.

"I'll spar with her and prove my abilities. Please set up the arena."

Seeing his confidence, Seira was stunned for a moment. Shortly after, she smiled and nodded.

"All right, then."

"S-Sister!"

Elina was about to protest, but Seira stopped her.

"Don't refuse. This could be a chance for him to prove himself in front of everyone. The military isn't a playground for children."

Her words silenced Elina.

"But…"

"All right. I'll prepare the venue. You two, please wait outside for now."

Nolan nodded without saying a word before pulling Elina away.

…

The Training Arena…

Right behind the imperial palace was a dojo, or training arena, that the soldiers often used for physical training.

At that moment, dozens of soldiers and servants had gathered around the edge of the arena.

Their gazes were fixed on the two people standing in the center.

"Who is that man?"

"He's the man Princess Elina brought with her. Rumor has it that he had a conflict with Princess Freya."

"A conflict with Her Highness? Is he asking for trouble?"

A discussion quickly broke out among them. Many thought Nolan was being foolish, while others thought otherwise.

After all, the man Princess Elina had brought with her couldn't possibly be just anyone.

Isabella, Eliza, and the other concubines, including Cassandra, Melinda, and Clarise, were also present.

"Huh? Why does that man look familiar?"

Clarise stared intently at Nolan.

She felt like she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't tell if he was really the same person.

Isabella glanced at her and smiled without saying a word.

"All right, you two. I'm going to set a few limits and rules for this fight," Seira said from atop the small stage. "This is just a friendly spar. Don't use your full strength. Anyone who breaks the rules will be punished. Understood?"

"Understood!" Nolan and Freya replied in unison.

After setting a few limits and rules, Seira stepped down from the stage and joined Elina at the edge of the arena.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect anyone to challenge me," Freya laughed as she stretched her stiff body. "I don't know who you are, and I don't know why you're so bold as to take the position of Deputy Commander. But remember, I won't go easy on you!"

She was wearing a somewhat tight training outfit that clearly showed the curves of her beautiful, toned body.

Nolan clicked his tongue and shook his head.

'This gorilla of a woman never changes.'

Nolan remembered that, about ten years ago, he and Freya had gotten into a fight.

Of course, he had lost to her. Aside from their physical differences, Freya had always been naturally talented at fighting.

But not this time.

This time, he was going to get his revenge for losing to her ten years ago.

A playful gleam flashed in Nolan's eyes as he licked his upper lip.

'Sis, I'm not the same person I was ten years ago. I hope you don't cry… hehehe…'

--><--

A/N: Time flies so fast! Thank you all so much for your support! I really appreciate it!

By the way, I honestly didn't expect to reach 1,000 chapters. This is way beyond what I originally planned, since I thought I'd finish this novel in fewer than 1,000 chapters, hahaha.

But well, after thinking it over, I realized that if I rushed the ending, there would probably be a lot of unsatisfying plot holes. So, I'll take a little more time to wrap everything up properly.

Once again, thank you so much for all your support, and please keep supporting me next month!

And as a little gift for those of you who have supported me, here's a free FP code!

Code: `<ABDHYASZ2ANXM5UMA>`

For the first 10 people!