The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 1072 The Mastermind Takes Action

Eastern Region, Virella Town…

Virella was bustling with activity as people from outside the town came to trade or just look around.

Since coming under Elina's control, the town had made remarkable progress. Its area had even doubled in size.

To give the town a more orderly layout, houses that had once been built haphazardly were demolished and relocated to the southern part of the city.

Meanwhile, the downtown area was designated for shops and lodgings to accommodate merchants coming to do business.

Although construction was still going on, everything was running smoothly. The people of Virella followed the rules set by Elina and Rafine without complaint.

After all, their lives had gotten much better thanks to the two of them.

Boom!

Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder that echoed across the area.

Before long, heavy rain began pouring down, soaking the entire town.

People who had been trading or shopping were caught off guard and hurriedly scattered in search of shelter.

Meanwhile, inside the mayor's mansion, Rafine sat at her desk, working through the stack of documents piled up before her.

Boom!

Another clap of thunder startled her.

She stopped working and turned toward the window.

"Rain?" she muttered.

She hadn't even noticed it.

Rafine set her quill down on the desk, stood up, and walked over to the window.

The window in her office was quite large, giving her a clear view of the heavy rain pouring outside.

"I wonder how Elina is doing on the battlefield," she murmured softly, resting her right palm against the window.

The glass felt cold.

It had been more than half a month since Elina left, and Rafine missed her quite a bit.

She was also worried that Elina might get hurt, though she trusted her friend to take care of herself.

She was also worried that Elina might get hurt, though she trusted her friend to take care of herself.

Rafine watched the rain for a few minutes before turning around and heading to the other side of the room.

She lit a small stove powered by a magic stone, filled a teapot with water, and placed it on the stove.

A few minutes later, the water began to boil, and steam rose from the teapot's spout.

Rafine added some tea and sugar to her cup, adjusting the amounts to her taste. Then she poured in the hot water and gave it a stir.

While waiting for the tea to cool down a bit, she took a few dry biscuits from a jar and placed them on a small plate.

Once everything was ready, she returned to her desk, placed the cup and plate down, and settled into her chair.

The room was a little chilly, but not too cold. The lights were off, leaving the room dimly lit by the light coming through the window.

She took a sip of tea before biting into one of the biscuits.

The combination of the two created a unique flavor that was hard to describe.

'Since when did I start drinking tea and eating dry biscuits together?'

The question suddenly popped into her mind.

She fell silent, reflecting on her recent habits.

The way she spoke to others, the way she ate, and even the way she relaxed all seemed different from how she had been two years ago.

She stared blankly at the dry biscuit in her left hand and the teacup in her right.

"Who changed me?"

She searched her memories for an answer, but strangely, nothing came to mind clearly.

The only thing she could recall was the vague silhouette of a man dressed in black. He had no face, no name, and no clear identity.

She couldn't remember when they had met, let alone why she had changed her habits to match his.

Rafine finished the remaining biscuits and her tea within a few minutes.

As it turned out, she was quite hungry, though she didn't feel like eating a full meal.

"Let's get back to work," she whispered.

Winter was approaching, and she had to make sure Virella had enough food to last through the season.

She had already secured ten suppliers who were set to arrive the next day. With their supplies, the town should have enough food to last until the end of next winter.

Just as she was about to get back to work, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

Boom!

A dimensional rift appeared beside the door.

A powerful gust of wind burst out, sweeping through the room and sending everything flying—including the chairs, the table, and Rafine herself.

"Argh!" Rafine cried out as she was violently hurled against the window.

She rubbed her aching back and looked up.

"What's going on?"

While she was still trying to make sense of what had happened, a man suddenly stepped out of the dimensional rift.

He was tall and wore a black cloak that concealed his entire body.

Rafine's eyes widened.

"Y-You…"

Before she could finish, the man raised his hand and pointed his palm at her.

Whoosh!

Rafine was lifted off the ground and hurled toward him. In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed her by the throat.

"Ugh!"

Rafine groaned in pain as she struggled to break free from his grip, but all her efforts were in vain.

"You're the perfect specimen for my plan. I'm sure that man, Nolan Lorian, will be shocked and panic when he finds out. How interesting, don't you think?"

Rafine froze at his words. The next moment, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over her, and her consciousness slowly began to fade.

The man tossed Rafine into the dimensional rift before stepping inside himself.

A moment later, the rift closed, leaving the room in complete silence.

Knock! Knock!

"Young Lady Rafine, I've brought you some food. May I come in?"

Velissa's voice came from behind the door.

But there was no response.

She knocked several more times but still heard nothing.

Worried, she pushed the door open, only to be startled by the chaotic state of the study.

"Oh my god…"

The tray in her hands slipped, and she stumbled backward in fear.

"What happened here…?!"

...

Clang!

Elina parried Aldric's attack, but the impact sent her flying backward.

Before she could regain her balance, Aldric was already attacking again.

Clang! Clang!

Elina managed to block all his attacks, but she was completely overwhelmed.

Aldric's sword style was all about keeping his opponent on the defensive. On top of that, Elina was no match for him in terms of strength or physical ability.

Clang!

Elina was sent flying backward once more. Aldric appeared in front of her in an instant and swung his sword.

Clang!

The sword flew out of Elina's hand. She was sent tumbling across the ground.

"Argh…"

Her wrist throbbed with pain.

"You're pretty impressive. I didn't expect you to improve this much. I underestimated you," Aldric said calmly as he walked toward her.

Elina gritted her teeth in frustration. But there was nothing she could do. She was simply too weak to beat him.

Aldric stopped right in front of her and gave her a cold stare.

"Goodbye, Elina."

He raised his sword high before bringing it down toward her.

Realizing she had no way to fight back, Elina closed her eyes and braced herself for the end.

Srck!

The sound sent a chill down her spine. Strangely, though, she didn't feel any pain.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and froze at the sight before her.

Aldric had stabbed himself in the stomach.

"A-Aldric…!?"