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

Chapter 1001: Major Changes in Five Days

"Ugh... My head really hurts."

Seira groaned softly as she rubbed her throbbing temples.

Her eyelids slowly opened, and the sight of her bedroom ceiling greeted her.

"My bedroom? Wasn’t I just talking to Frey?"

Suddenly, the memories came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Seira’s weary face instantly turned bright red.

"I-I was hugging him!?"

It felt as if white smoke were coming out of her head.

The memory was somewhat hazy, but she could still remember everything clearly.

"What did I do!?"

She hurriedly grabbed her pillow and covered her face with it.

Fortunately, no one was there at the time. Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would have been.

The image she had worked so hard to build would have been shattered into pieces.

After calming down, she pulled the pillow away from her face and shook her head in frustration.

"I have to be more careful next time."

She was the ruler of this empire. No matter how trustworthy the person she was speaking to might be, showing weakness in front of them was a fatal mistake.

Fortunately, Frey wasn’t a bad person, so she had managed to get away with it.

"Orion," she called.

Whoosh!

Orion materialized out of thin air and bowed his head respectfully.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Seira turned to him and asked, "Where is Frey? Has he returned yet?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Mr. Frey returned half an hour ago."

Seira simply nodded and said nothing. For someone as busy as him, it was impossible for him to linger in the palace.

"What about the outcome of the war? Is there any news yet?"

"Not yet. But in my opinion, Prince Aldric should be able to win. The rebel forces aren’t any stronger than the troops sent by Duke Malvain."

Seira remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"You’re wrong."

Orion was startled.

"Wrong? Please explain, Your Majesty. I don’t understand."

Seira turned toward the window on her left, her eyes gleaming with meaning.

"You’ll see. Aldric and his forces will definitely lose."

...

The battle outside the city of Kalbar was extremely fierce. Aldric and his forces had managed to gain the upper hand and drive back Corvin’s forces.

Even so, the cost was huge. Aldric had already lost at least a hundred men, while Corvin had lost only eighty.

Losing twenty more men was undoubtedly a crushing blow to Aldric.

But he didn’t give up. With financial and logistical support from the city of Kalbar, he and his troops were confident they could win.

"So, what was the result? Did Aldric manage to defeat the rebel forces?"

Jason leaned back and looked at Fenric, who was standing in front of him.

"His Highness managed to push them back, but he hasn’t defeated them yet. But if things continue like this, the rebel forces will eventually be defeated," Fenric said enthusiastically.

He had watched Aldric grow up and naturally held high hopes for him.

If Aldric could lead the forces and crush the rebellion, his standing among the people and the nobility would reach its peak.

Securing the throne would be a certainty.

"I see."

Jason gave a slight nod.

"He’s doing well."

There was none of the happiness or excitement one would expect from Jason, which surprised Fenric.

"My lord, why do you look unhappy?" he asked without thinking.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head.

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!"

"It’s all right."

He waved his hand and explained, "I’m happy, of course. But I don’t want to show it because Aldric might not necessarily be the true winner. It’s better to be safe than sorry."

Fenric’s eyes lit up.

"Just as expected of my lord. You really are amazing!"

Jason remained unfazed by the praise.

"Go on. Take care of your unfinished business."

"As you command!"

Without saying another word, Jason turned and left.

His expression turned cold.

He took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it.

When he finished, he folded the paper, placed it inside an envelope, and whistled.

Phiuw!

Before long, a pigeon appeared in the distance and flew toward him.

"Take this letter to the Southern Continent."

He tied the envelope to the pigeon’s right leg.

The bird flapped its wings and quickly flew out of sight.

...

Five days passed quickly, and the nationwide project proposed by Nolan officially began.

Many people were surprised and confused by the project at first.

But after the imperial palace explained it, they finally understood what it was about and were filled with admiration.

"How amazing! Blue Moon and White Lotus will lead the way in technology in the future!"

"You’re right! Our empire will continue to prosper, and we common people will finally be able to benefit from these major projects!"

"I can’t wait for the project to succeed!"

While some people were happy, others remained skeptical. Most of them were nobles from the four regions. To them, the project proposed by Nolan seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream.

Even so, some shrewd nobles saw an opportunity to make money and immediately proposed partnerships with Blue Moon and White Lotus.

Among them were Duke Austin, Marquis Valmire, and Marquis Caltheron. Count Balfron’s family was there as well, along with Marquis Castellan from the eastern region.

Coincidentally, these were the same families supporting Elina in the struggle for the throne, so they were given this opportunity.

Other noble families did the same, though not all of them managed to secure such an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Elina, Cedric, and Adalen were working at full speed to expand their influence.

Elina’s power base was in the eastern region, where nearly ninety percent of the nobility supported her.

The rest remained neutral or favored other candidates. Meanwhile, the northern region served as Cedric’s stronghold.

Ever since he lost his right to enter the capital and his uncle, the prime minister, was removed from his position, his popularity had declined significantly.

At least twenty percent of the nobles who supported him had withdrawn their support and were now considering backing another candidate.

But Cedric didn’t seem worried. It was as if he already had a plan to deal with everything.

...

"Welcome, Your Highness."

A servant opened the door of the horse-drawn carriage and greeted Novaria.

Novaria gave a slight nod.

"Where is my mother?"

"The queen is inside, my lady. Please come in."

Novaria said nothing and walked inside.

The Crescent Moon Swordsman followed behind her.

Once inside the mansion, Novaria saw Vanessa sitting calmly on the sofa.

Noticing her presence, Vanessa turned her head, and her gaze immediately turned cold.

"So, you’re back. I thought you’d forgotten about me."

Novaria tensed. No matter how brave she was, she didn’t dare show it in front of Vanessa.

"Sit down," Vanessa commanded indifferently. "I’m going to discuss your engagement."

Novaria’s heart began to pound. She tried her best not to argue and sat down across from her.

Vanessa naturally noticed the presence of the Crescent Moon Swordsman, but she said nothing.

Taking a sip of her tea, she calmly said, "Your fiancé has passed away."

Novaria: "..."