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

Chapter 895: No Defense

"Present your defense."

As soon as those words left Ragan’s mouth, all eyes turned to Cedric.

Cedric took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

He could feel the piercing stares from everyone around him.

But he wasn’t afraid. His expression remained calm and indifferent, as if no one else in the courtroom existed except him and Ragan.

He looked straight into Ragan’s eyes before slowly shaking his head.

"I have no defense."

His answer instantly threw the courtroom into silence. No one had expected Cedric to respond like that.

Ragan frowned and spoke in a stern voice.

"I’ll give you one more chance, Cedric Lorian. Present your defense."

Cedric let out a faint, mocking smile.

"There’s no point. The evidence presented by the Phantom Guard is crystal clear. If I keep denying it, wouldn’t I just make a fool of myself in front of everyone?"

Several people drew sharp breaths at the same time, including Aldric and Adalen.

Neither of them thought Cedric would dare speak to Ragan like that.

In a trial, strong evidence was indeed difficult to refute. Even so, the defendant would usually present a defense, and the judges would hear it out.

Regardless of the final verdict, it was the defendant’s only chance to plead for a lighter sentence.

Yet Cedric, with his calm and indifferent attitude, simply declared that he had no defense.

"What’s going on? Why is Cedric acting so foolishly?"

Elina frowned. She had expected Cedric to present a convincing defense.

After all, he was highly intelligent. Twisting his words and dodging difficult questions had always been one of his strengths.

But she had been wrong. Cedric didn’t even try.

Seira, sitting beside her, narrowed her eyes. A meaningful smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but she remained silent.

"Interesting..."

Marquis Caltheron couldn’t help but smile.

Marquis Valmire turned to him in confusion.

"What’s so interesting? Isn’t Prince Cedric’s attitude practically suicide?"

Orlan glanced at him and smiled faintly.

"Answer me this first. What do you think of Prince Cedric?"

Marquis Valmire paused for a moment before answering, "He’s the most intelligent, cunning, and calculating of all the princes."

Orlan nodded.

"Then do you really think someone like him would give up so easily?"

Marquis Valmire’s eyes widened.

"You mean..."

Before he could finish, Orlan let out a soft chuckle and cut him off.

"That’s right. Prince Cedric’s refusal to defend himself is deliberate. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I believe this is his way of trying to avoid His Majesty’s punishment. As for how it’ll end..."

His gaze shifted to Prime Minister Roswell.

"We’ll just have to wait and see."

Marquis Valmire said nothing more.

Although Orlan’s words were vague, he understood what he meant.

"So, you’re admitting it?"

Ragan let out a quiet sigh. He lightly tapped the judge’s bench with his finger before speaking again.

"So, you’re ready to accept your punishment?"

Cedric said nothing. Ragan went on.

"The maximum sentence for illegal business is twenty years in prison. But slave trading is a far more serious crime. Anyone involved in it—imperial family, noble, or commoner alike—will face a much harsher punishment."

Ragan leaned back in his chair.

"For commoners, the punishment is death. For nobles, their titles will be stripped, their family names erased from Imperial history, and their families exiled. As for the perpetrators, they will be publicly beheaded."

A chill ran down the spines of the noble family heads as they heard those words.

What they feared most was losing their status and everything they had.

Rising from poverty to wealth was a rare stroke of fortune. But falling from wealth into poverty was nothing short of a nightmare.

What’s more, they had all been born with silver spoons in their mouths. Hunger and poverty were things they had never experienced.

If such a fate were to befall their families, it would be like being cast out of heaven and into hell.

"As for members of the imperial family," Ragan continued in a cold, emotionless voice, "the punishment is death, or at the very least, exile to a distant land, never to return or reclaim their former status."

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. It felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped around everyone’s throat, making it hard to breathe.

Cedric, who had remained composed until now, finally showed a hint of fear.

His breathing quickened, and the color gradually drained from his face.

If the nobles feared death and the loss of status, the princes feared exile even more.

To them, it was a fate worse than death.

At least if they died as princes, their names would still be remembered in the Empire’s history.

Exile was different. Their names would be erased from history, and their very existence would be remembered as a disgrace.

Places of exile were located in the remote regions of the Western Continent—or worse, the Northern Continent.

There, all that stretched before them was a frozen wasteland as far as the eye could see.

With barely any human settlements, exile to the Northern Continent was considered the cruelest punishment of all.

"Tch... Cedric is truly finished this time. No one can save him."

Adalen shook his head.

He couldn’t understand why Cedric hadn’t taken the opportunity Ragan had given him to defend himself.

However, it was already too late. Ragan had made his decision, and Cedric’s chances of escaping punishment were almost nonexistent.

Aldric nodded and let out a long sigh.

Even though they were rivals and enemies, seeing Cedric fall so easily still left a bitter feeling in his heart.

At the very least, Aldric had wanted to be the one to bring Cedric down. But fate had other plans.

"N-No! Your Majesty, please spare my son!"

Cassandra suddenly jumped to her feet and cried out.

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted to her.

Ragan frowned.

"Have you forgotten the rules of this trial?"

Cassandra’s face turned pale as countless mocking gazes fell on her.

But for her son’s sake, she was willing to endure it all.

"I know, Your Majesty. B-But—"

"No ’buts’," Ragan cut her off coldly. "Guards, remove Concubine Cassandra from the courtroom."

The guards immediately stepped forward and escorted Cassandra out of the courtroom.

"N-No! Your Majesty! Please, have mercy! Don’t punish my son so harshly!"

Cassandra cried out as tears streamed down her face. But Ragan’s expression didn’t change.

Seeing his mother in such a pitiful state, Cedric felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if a knife had been driven through his heart.

Once Cassandra had been taken away, silence fell over the courtroom once more.

Everyone turned their attention back to Cedric, as though nothing had happened.

Resting the side of his face against his right palm, Ragan looked at Cedric calmly.

"Tell me, Cedric. What punishment do you deserve, you traitor?"