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

Chapter 711: Sparring with Evalyn

"Forty percent?" Nolan looked surprised. "That low?"

He had thought Evalyn was confident she could beat Nathan, with odds somewhere around sixty to eighty percent.

But it turned out he was wrong—Evalyn only had a forty percent chance, far below his expectations.

"Actually, the odds might be higher," Evalyn said with a helpless smile, "but I’m only confident at forty percent. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve hit a plateau over the past few days, while Nathan continues to improve. That’s what creates the gap between us."

Evalyn wasn’t the type to boast without reason. If she said her chances were only forty percent, then that was the most realistic estimate in her eyes.

"Hmmm..." Nolan fell into deep thought.

Just then, a servant entered and placed a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, and a glass of iced chocolate on the table.

Eira’s eyes lit up. She immediately grabbed her chocolate and drank it with delight.

Nolan took a sip of his coffee, then looked up and said calmly, "What if I help you break past your body’s limits?"

Evalyn froze, staring at him in disbelief.

"Huh?"

***

In the Lionheart family grounds, Evalyn stood with a wooden sword in hand.

Across from her, Nolan also held a wooden sword.

He had taken off his robe and changed into tight training clothes that outlined his well-defined muscles.

"Are you sure?" Evalyn asked hesitantly. "I don’t want to be responsible if you get hurt, you know?"

She knew Nolan’s physical condition all too well. How should she put it... His body was extremely weak.

She had never seen him exercise, let alone hold a sword.

All she had heard from Elina was that Nolan spent most of his time lazing around in his room.

"Pfft!" Nolan chuckled softly. "You’re underestimating me, Evalyn. How about this—let’s make a bet."

"A bet?" Evalyn blinked in surprise.

"Yeah." Nolan nodded. "The rules are simple: whoever loses has to grant the winner’s wish. What do you think?"

He paused, then added, "Oh, right. Don’t use all your power. Just fight with physical strength. You can do that, right?"

Evalyn was a competitive person. There was no way she would refuse.

Sure enough, after hearing his challenge, her grip tightened around the sword hilt.

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she stepped forward and took a fighting stance.

"Hehehe..." she chuckled. "Since you’re the one who suggested it, don’t regret it later, okay?"

As it happened, she had been wanting to make Nolan do something for a while. Now that he had offered a chance himself, there was no way she would let it slip away.

Seeing her confidence, Nolan merely smiled and said nothing.

After all, it was still unclear who would win.

At the edge of the training grounds, Eira watched the two of them with a hesitant expression.

"Big Sister Evalyn wants to fight Master? But... isn’t that kind of reckless?" she whispered, scratching her head.

Nolan and Evalyn stood about five meters apart, their eyes locked for several seconds.

Suddenly, Evalyn bent her knees and dashed toward Nolan.

Her speed was so fast that an ordinary person could barely follow her movements.

When she was only a meter away, she leaped into the air and swung her wooden sword downward in a vertical strike.

Tok!

The wooden sword that was about to strike Nolan was blocked effortlessly.

"What!?" Evalyn’s eyes widened in shock.

But Nolan didn’t give her a moment to recover. He clenched his fist and drove it into her stomach.

Evalyn was sent flying backward, but she managed to regain her footing before falling.

She clutched her aching stomach, her face tightening.

"What? Is that all you’ve got?" Nolan’s voice came out cold and mocking.

Evalyn furrowed her brow and steadied her stance.

"Don’t get cocky. I haven’t even gotten serious yet!"

Whoosh!

Her figure vanished, then reappeared right beside Nolan. She swung her sword, aiming straight for his neck.

Tok!

Once again, Nolan parried the strike with ease.

Evalyn didn’t hesitate. She planted her feet firmly, used her body as a pivot, and spun her leg backward in a powerful kick.

Her heel flashed toward Nolan’s face at breakneck speed.

But Nolan raised his right arm and blocked it again.

Taking advantage of Evalyn’s momentary opening, Nolan grabbed her ankle and flung her forward.

Evalyn’s body flew nearly four meters before crashing to the ground and rolling several times.

"Ugh..." A groan escaped her lips as pain surged through her body.

"What’s wrong with you, Evalyn? You’re not usually this weak, are you?" Nolan asked, frowning slightly.

There was no doubt Nolan had excellent reflexes. He sometimes trained at night, without anyone in the imperial palace knowing.

But that didn’t mean Evalyn should be losing so easily. At the very least, Nolan had expected her to put up a decent fight.

Yet no—Evalyn was being overwhelmed. It made no sense.

While Nolan was baffled by how poorly Evalyn was performing, Evalyn herself was even more confused.

She pushed herself up and brushed the dirt off her clothes.

"Since when did you learn swordsmanship and martial arts?" she asked, lifting her head and staring into Nolan’s eyes.

Every one of Nolan’s movements was smooth and natural, as if he could read through all of her attacks.

Evalyn had to admit it—she had underestimated him at first, which was why her initial strikes had been so easily blocked.

But after that, she started taking things seriously. Her attacks now carried at least eighty percent of her physical strength.

And yet, Nolan still blocked everything with ease, even launching sharp counterattacks in return.

It was completely absurd.

"That doesn’t matter, does it?" Nolan replied playfully as he swung his wooden sword. "What you should be thinking about now is how to defeat me."

Evalyn grew even more irritated by his taunts. In the past, Nolan would always surrender the moment she defeated him.

Who would’ve thought that gaining a little strength would turn him into such a pain in the neck?

Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grip on her sword hilt and charged forward.

Nolan didn’t hesitate and immediately counterattacked. The two clashed in a fierce exchange.

At first glance, it seemed like Evalyn had the upper hand.

However, anyone with a sharp eye could tell that Nolan was deliberately holding back.

Tok!

Tok!

The sound of wooden swords colliding rang out again and again. Every one of Evalyn’s strikes was effortlessly parried.

At first, Evalyn thought Nolan was simply getting lucky. But the longer the fight dragged on, the more shocked she became.

’How is it possible for this man to have such terrifying reflexes?’ she thought in disbelief.

"What’s wrong? Getting tired already?" Nolan asked with a playful grin.

Evalyn’s irritation only grew, and her attacks became even fiercer. Unfortunately, in Nolan’s eyes, her movements were painfully slow—like watching a video played at quarter speed.

"Boring," Nolan muttered.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Evalyn’s wrist.

Evalyn’s eyes widened in shock.

Before she could react, Nolan yanked her forward, slammed her onto the ground, and pinned her beneath him.

Then he raised his wooden sword and pointed it directly at her neck.

"You lost." Nolan smiled faintly.