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

Chapter 1005: The Unexpected Puppeteer

"It’s dark... I can’t see a thing."

"Why? Why can’t I open my eyes?"

"Damn it! Someone, help me!"

"I really can’t see!"

Time seemed to drag on as darkness engulfed Aldric’s entire field of vision. He tried to fight it, but he couldn’t. It felt as though something was holding his eyes shut.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he still couldn’t open his eyes or move his eyelids.

Then, suddenly, whatever was holding them shut slowly loosened. Aldric was finally able to open his eyes.

His vision remained blurry for a few seconds before slowly coming into focus.

"Where am I?"

There was nothing but darkness around him, except for a dim light coming from the platform above.

He looked to his right and left and spotted chains, torture devices, and other strange tools.

Both his hands were chained. His feet were chained as well.

"Damn it!" he growled angrily.

He tried to break free but failed. These weren’t ordinary chains. He could feel magic flowing through them.

A pungent, rotten stench filled his nostrils, making him want to vomit.

"What’s going on? Wasn’t I in bed just a moment ago?" he wondered in confusion.

No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.

As he sat there, lost in thought, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from ahead.

Clack!

The door opened, and a masked figure strode toward him.

"Oh? You’re awake already? That’s quite a surprise. I thought you wouldn’t wake up for another hour."

The voice sounded familiar, but Aldric couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.

His eyes narrowed as he snapped, "Who are you, exactly? Why are you doing this to me? Do you even know who I am?"

The man chuckled softly. Instead of answering, he walked to the far end of the room, grabbed a stool, and placed it in front of Aldric.

He sat down and said, "Of course I know. You’re Aldric Lorian, the first prince of the Great Velmora Empire, right?"

"Then why did you capture me? Aren’t you afraid of the empire’s power?" Aldric asked coldly as he struggled against the chains, but to no avail.

"Your Highness, why are you asking such a foolish question?" the man mocked. "Since I dared to do this to you, it means I’m prepared to face the consequences."

Aldric’s heart pounded wildly, but the man didn’t give him time to respond.

"You’re a key pawn in this grand scheme. You’ve already thwarted the master’s plan, so I must kill you now."

Aldric’s face tensed at those words. He hadn’t even become emperor yet, but his fate had already taken such a terrible turn.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to negotiate.

"I’ll pay you whatever you want. Just don’t kill me."

"Oh? Are you trying to buy your life with money?" The man burst out laughing. "Are you sure you can afford the price I’m asking?"

"Just name your price!" Aldric urged.

"Hmm..." The man rubbed his chin as if pondering the amount. Then, he smiled and said, "How about two billion Sharn?"

Aldric’s face went pale.

"T-Two billion Sharn?"

"That’s right. Your life is very valuable, so I’d say that’s a fair price. What do you think?"

Aldric’s body went rigid. He didn’t have that much money.

"You don’t have it? Well then, I’ll just kill you."

The man stood up, pulled a blade from his pocket, and raised it toward Aldric.

"W-Wait!" Aldric hurriedly stopped him.

The man furrowed his brow.

"What now?"

Aldric felt cold sweat trickling down his back. He caught his breath and said breathlessly, "I want you to ask for something else. I... I’ll ask Seira to grant it. D-Don’t kill me!"

He lowered his head in fear.

To hell with pride and self-respect. If he died, what good would any of that do?

He hadn’t become emperor yet, and he didn’t want to die this soon.

"Pfft!" The man couldn’t help but laugh. "In the end, you gave up on your pride, didn’t you? Your resolve and courage are pretty weak."

Aldric gritted his teeth in frustration but didn’t dare resist.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t grant your wish. You must die now."

The man raised his knife and was about to swing it when the door behind him suddenly slammed open.

"Wait!"

Another man’s voice echoed through the room, causing him to stop.

The knife was only a few centimeters from Aldric’s neck.

Aldric, who had already resigned himself to his fate, let out a long sigh. He looked up and was stunned by the sight of the person standing there.

"A-Adalen!?" he cried out in horror.

Adalen walked in with a tall man behind him. The man’s build looked somewhat familiar to Aldric, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before.

"Surprised?"

Adalen laughed at Aldric’s shocked expression.

"H-How is that possible? Why are you here?"

Adalen and the man walked toward him and stopped about two meters away.

"What if I told you that I was actually the one who orchestrated that rebellion? I’m sure you’d be even more shocked."

"What!?" Aldric’s eyes widened in horror. "Y-You... Are you crazy!? You were the one who planned that rebellion!?"

He had already suspected that the Holy Empire of Valtanir was behind it, but it had never crossed his mind that Adalen was involved as well.

"Yes, I planned it. Oh, no—I mean, I was one of the planners," Adalen chuckled.

"You..."

"All right, enough with the small talk. It’s getting exhausting."

Adalen yawned lazily.

"To be honest, I didn’t want to do this. Catching you like this is a bit boring. Unfortunately..."

He pretended to let out a helpless sigh.

"I had no choice. Seira has shortened the time for the throne battle, and if I don’t act now, I’ll lose to Elina, Cedric, and you."

Aldric’s breathing grew heavy. He knew Cedric, Elina, and Adalen would eventually make their moves.

What he hadn’t expected was for Adalen to resort to such underhanded tactics.

"That damn sister is really annoying," Adalen grumbled. "Just because she’s become the regent, she’s cut off all ties with the Holy Empire of Valtanir. Does she think that just because she’s standing in for our father, she can do whatever she wants?"

He hated Seira intensely, especially after she became the regent.

She no longer listened to Clarisse’s advice, and Adalen knew that his useless older sister had finally broken free from their mother’s influence.

Like it or not, he had to act on his own—and, of course, with the help of his uncle and the Valtanir Empire backing him.

Aldric managed to calm himself, though his heart was still pounding.

"Adalen, think this over. Do you really want to do this? If Father—"

"Don’t use that man’s name to threaten me anymore. I’m not afraid of him," Adalen cut him off, waving his hand dismissively. "He’s in a coma right now. He could die at any moment. No one knows what will happen to him."

"Y-You—"

"All right, tell me," Adalen cut him off again with a playful smile. "How do you want to die?"