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

Chapter 829: The Elenvair Imperial Family’s Hidden Plan

"Hmmm?" Adalen raised an eyebrow. He glanced out the window but saw no one except a line of commoners standing along the right side of the street.

"That’s strange," he muttered, frowning. "A moment ago, I sensed my sibling’s presence. Could it have just been my imagination?"

Meanwhile, hidden behind a tree along the roadside, Elina watched as the line of horse-drawn carriages slowly disappeared into the distance.

Suspicion and caution filled her eyes.

"Why is Adalen in Halveran? Does he plan to meet the Singularity of Light and the Valtanir Imperial Family?"

Elina searched for an answer but couldn’t think of any.

In the end, she pushed the thought aside and returned to her inn.

Since Adalen was already in Halveran, she had to speed up her plans and return to the empire as soon as possible.

...

The procession of horse-drawn carriages finally arrived at the imperial palace.

Adalen stepped out with his usual elegant demeanor.

"Welcome, Your Highness," a butler greeted him respectfully. "His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for you."

Adalen gave a slight nod. Accompanied by the butler, he made his way into the palace.

When he entered the parlor, he found Dariel sitting calmly. Erald was seated to his right, while Rebecca sat to his left.

They were Dariel’s son and daughter—and also Adalen’s cousins.

"Hahaha! Welcome, my dear nephew."

Dariel rose to his feet with a laugh.

Rebecca and Erald also stood to greet Adalen.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Uncle, Erald, and Rebecca."

Adalen smiled and took the seat across from them.

A servant stepped forward and served each of them a cup of tea.

"How have you been, my nephew? Is the succession going smoothly?" Dariel asked casually before taking a sip of his tea.

Adalen’s expression darkened for a brief moment, but he quickly hid it and replied calmly, "Everything’s fine, Uncle."

Dariel raised an eyebrow slightly. He could tell from Adalen’s tone that something was bothering him.

However, Dariel had no intention of prying. He would let Adalen tell him when he was ready.

The two chatted casually while Erald and Rebecca listened in silence.

However, they weren’t there merely to listen. Their role was to gather information from Adalen and share their opinions afterward.

"So," Dariel said with a faint smirk, "have you managed to convince Duke Malvain?"

Adalen took a sip of his tea and let out a quiet sigh. "I have, but he’s still very wary of me. I’m not sure he’ll truly betray the empire for his own ambitions."

Two months ago, he had visited the Malvain family to meet Jason Malvain, the head of the family.

He had only one goal—to convince Jason to form an alliance with the Holy Empire of Valtanir.

The Malvain family had been one of his father’s strongest supporters. With their backing, his father had successfully seized the throne and become emperor.

However, very few people knew there had once been a conflict between Jason and his father. It stemmed from the death of the woman Jason loved.

It was a complicated story. In short, one of Ragan’s decisions had cost Jason the woman he loved. Ever since then, he had never married.

As a duke, countless women wanted to marry him. But Jason turned them all down.

After that, everyone involved kept the incident a closely guarded secret. Only a handful of people knew the truth, and Adalen was one of them.

"But, Uncle," Adalen said, setting down his teacup, "is what you told me true?"

"What do you mean?"

Adalen rolled his eyes at Dariel’s feigned ignorance.

"Of course, I’m talking about the resurrection spell. Is it really possible to bring back the woman Jason loved? If not, I’m sure he’ll reveal your proposal to my father."

Regardless of the conflict between Jason and Ragan, the two maintained a cordial relationship on the surface.

It was even less likely that Jason would betray Ragan. The fate of the Malvain family was at stake, and he wasn’t foolish enough to risk everything for something so uncertain.

Dariel chuckled softly. Crossing his legs, he said, "Don’t worry. I do have a way. No... not me."

He shook his head. "Your grandfather does."

"Grandfather?" Adalen asked in surprise. "How?"

Dariel merely smiled. "You don’t need to worry about that. In short, he has his own way of doing things. All you need to do is keep convincing Jason. Once he agrees, I’ll let you know."

Adalen leaned back against the sofa.

"Alright, I understand. Leave it to me."

Honestly, he didn’t care about any of that. As long as he could claim the throne, he was willing to use any underhanded means necessary.

"By the way, I need a favor," Dariel said with a meaningful smile. "There’s a night prayer service at the Church of the Goddess of Light later tonight. I want you to meet the Saint and..."

He then explained his plan, and Adalen listened carefully.

"Do you understand?"

Adalen nodded. "I do. But I can’t go alone. How about coming with me, Erald?"

Erald smiled. "Of course, my cousin. Let’s go together."

...

Nighttime...

Elina came to the church as usual. By now, she was used to the routine and no longer felt as awkward as she had on her first day.

After the prayer ended, Saint Lumiel gave a short sermon. As always, it was about peace and justice.

In the past, Elina wouldn’t have cared about sermons like this. But things were different now, especially when they came from Saint Lumiel.

She had grown to like Saint Lumiel and found her views on peace quite interesting.

Once the sermon was over, the church handed out the usual bread and milk to everyone.

"Mm! So good! I never get tired of coming to church like this," Jasmine said, wriggling with delight.

Elina took a bite of her bread before sipping her milk.

Hearing that, she smiled and teased, "Do you come here just to eat?"

"Of course not!" Jasmine replied firmly. Breadcrumbs clung to the corner of her mouth.

As she wiped them away with a tissue, she said confidently, "I come here because I want to worship the Goddess of Light. My life feels much more peaceful whenever I worship Her. Besides..."

She looked at Saint Lumiel ahead with admiration.

"The Saint’s presence makes me feel comfortable and at peace. For some reason, she inspires me to become stronger than ever before."

Her words were filled with sincerity.

Elina followed Jasmine’s gaze and smiled.

The night prayer session soon came to an end, and everyone began to leave.

"Eria, let’s go," Jasmine said.

Elina shook her head. "You go ahead. I have something I need to take care of."

Jasmine looked slightly confused, but she didn’t ask any questions and simply walked out.

Once the church was empty, Elina approached Saint Lumiel, who was about to leave.

"Wait, Saint. May I speak with you?"

Saint Lumiel paused in surprise. She turned around and looked at Elina with curiosity.

"You..."

Before she could finish, Elina removed her headscarf, revealing her beautiful silver hair and bright purple eyes beneath the moonlight.

"I am Elina Lorian, one of the candidates for the throne of the Great Velmora Empire. It’s a pleasure to meet you."