The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 1038 Decoy Troops (2)

Clang!

The two swords collided.

Elina shoved Ledin back before kicking him in the stomach.

Caught off guard, Ledin was sent stumbling backward.

He gritted his teeth, then charged at Elina and brought his sword down in a powerful vertical slash.

"Die!" he shouted.

Elina stepped back to dodge the attack before swinging her sword horizontally.

Clang!

Ledin managed to block her strike, then shoved her backward.

Elina was no match for his strength and was forced to take a few steps back.

But Ledin wasn't about to let her escape so easily. He bent his knees and lunged straight at her.

The fierce battle between the two continued.

...

"Master, I have good news!"

Nolan had just stepped into Shion's office when her words caught him off guard.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

He closed the door and walked over to the sofa.

"Hehehe…" Shion gave him a mysterious smile as she approached. "Do you remember the task you gave me a while ago?"

"Task?"

Nolan raised an eyebrow.

"Which one?"

He'd given Shion so many tasks that he couldn't remember which one she meant.

Shion poured him a cup of coffee.

"The one about finding Leona from the Viscount Corvayne family."

Nolan froze with the cup halfway to his mouth.

"You found her?"

His expression immediately turned serious.

"Yep! I found her!" Shion replied proudly.

His expression immediately turned serious.

"Yep! I found her!" Shion replied proudly.

She sat down beside him, crossed her legs, and began telling him what she'd asked Ethan to do in the northern region.

Nolan listened quietly, taking occasional sips of his coffee.

Only after Shion finished her explanation did he finally understand what had happened.

"That's pretty much it, Master. What do you think?"

Shion looked at him expectantly, her eyes sparkling as if she were waiting for him to praise her.

Nolan didn't answer right away. He narrowed his eyes and thought back to everything that had happened with the Corvayne family.

In that parallel world, his younger sister, Alice, kept having strange, nonsensical dreams where she entered this world under a different identity—Leona Corvayne.

At first, Nolan didn't know anything about the Corvayne family, not even its name.

But after Alice kept having those dreams and Nolan eventually entered that dream world himself, he finally got the chance to uncover her identity within the family.

Previously, Nolan had ordered Shion to search for Leona Corvayne, though his hopes of finding her were as thin as tissue paper.

He wasn't sure whether Alice's dreams were connected to reality or merely a coincidence.

To his surprise, however, the Corvayne family actually existed. And so did Leona—the very person Alice had become in her dreams.

"Did you notice anything strange when you spoke with Leona Corvayne?" Nolan asked gravely.

Seeing that Nolan wasn't going to praise her, Shion pouted in annoyance.

"I didn't notice anything strange… Oh, wait, I did!"

Her eyes widened as several peculiar details about Leona suddenly came to mind.

"According to the information you provided, Leona Corvayne is Tristan Corvayne's illegitimate daughter. By common sense, you'd expect her to be shy, timid, and cowardly. But that doesn't seem to be the case."

She leaned back against the sofa and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"She was startled when she first saw me, but she quickly regained her composure. She's also very polite and courteous when she speaks. What's even stranger is how mature she seems."

"Mature?" Nolan furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I can't say for sure if it's just my impression, but she gives off an air of maturity that doesn't seem appropriate for her age. Do you understand what I mean?"

Nolan fell silent, his expression growing serious.

The likelihood that Leona was Alice had risen to eighty-five percent.

His breathing quickened as he pictured his little sister, who always called him "Big Brother" in her sweet, clingy voice.

Although Nolan still harbored some resentment toward their parents, Alice was innocent. She was his little sister, and he loved her dearly.

"I understand."

Nolan composed himself and took a sip of coffee.

"Let me know as soon as Leona arrives at this building. And remember, don't tell anyone about this. Take her to a secure room and make sure she's comfortable. Understood?"

Sensing the seriousness in his voice, Shion didn't dare argue. She nodded slightly.

"Understood."

"Good. Thank you."

Nolan smiled and gently patted her on the head.

Shion shivered with delight at his touch. Without thinking, she leaned her head against his chest, savoring his intoxicating masculine scent.

"By the way, any news from the imperial palace?"

Shion, who had been lost in the comfort of Nolan's touch, jolted in surprise.

She quickly sat up straight, her beautiful face turning somber.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something important."

"What is it?"

Shion hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Her Majesty Seira has fallen ill."

Nolan's eyes widened in shock.

"What… did you say!?"

…

Clang!

Elina parried Ledin's sideways slash, then spun around and kicked him in the leg.

Ledin lost his balance and nearly fell, but he quickly caught himself with his hands.

Elina didn't give him a chance to recover.

She swung her sword and slashed at his left arm.

"Argh!" Ledin cried out in pain.

Thud!

Elina kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying backward and crashing to the ground.

Before he could get back to his feet, she stepped on his stomach and pointed her sword at his nose.

"You've lost," she said coldly.

Ledin had been eager to continue fighting, but he finally gave up. Instead of showing anger or frustration, however, he burst into mocking laughter.

"Defeated, you say?" He looked up at Elina with a sneer. "Unfortunately, Your Highness, you're the one who's been defeated."

Elina furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

She pressed her foot harder against Ledin's chest, making him groan in pain.

Ledin clenched his teeth, but his maniacal grin never faded.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? My troops and I were nothing more than a decoy from the very beginning. The main force has already split off and gone another way! Hahaha!"

Elina was shocked by his words. She quickly looked up and saw that the imperial army was pushing the rebel soldiers back.

"Liar… You must be lying!"

"No, he's telling the truth, Elina. They were just a decoy force. The main force has already moved somewhere else."

A voice came from behind her.

Elina turned and saw Evalyn and Freya walking toward her.

"S-Sister, is that true?"

Freya nodded slightly.

"That's right."

Elina gritted her teeth, glaring coldly at Ledin.

"Tell me, where's the main force?"

Ledin grinned.

"Get off me first, and I'll tell you."

Elina was about to lift her foot when Freya suddenly drew her sword and slashed at Ledin's neck.

His head was cleanly severed and rolled to the side.

"S-Sister…"

"He won't tell us anything. From the very beginning, he and his men were nothing more than decoys, prepared to die for their cause," Freya said coldly as she flicked the blood from her sword.

Elina lowered her head and clenched both fists tightly.

"I'm sorry."

Evalyn gently patted her on the right shoulder.

"It's okay. This isn't your fault. Even Her Highness Freya and I didn't realize what was happening until we noticed how few enemy soldiers there were."

"Evalyn is right," Freya added, turning her gaze toward the rebel soldiers who were still fighting desperately, despite their hopeless situation.

"We'll come up with a new plan."

Elina could only nod in silence. But the frustration and burning anger on her face were impossible to hide.