The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 655 The One Who Controls Everything

"So this is the First Prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron? How entertaining. He's really attempting to assault his own fiancée. If the entire capital witnessed this, what do you suppose would occur? It'd create quite the show, wouldn't it?"

Aldrian's eyes bulged at those words. He whipped around and spotted a tall man with dark hair sauntering inside casually, gripping a stone no bigger than a thumb.

"Nolan?" Aldrian stiffened and stuttered. "How did you get here?"

Nolan tucked the stone into his pocket and shut the door behind him.

"Why am I here, you say? Pfft! That's irrelevant, Aldrian. The key point is… what were you intending to do to my sister? Planning to rape her?"

His tone sharpened as his voice grew louder. A subtle pressure emanated from his form, causing Aldrian to shudder.

Aldrian's breathing hitched, and he instinctively retreated several steps.

"D-Don't misunderstand! How could I ever do such a thing?" he stuttered rigidly. "I was merely… helping Seira relax. She seemed worn out after our dinner."

"Oh? Really?" Nolan feigned acceptance. "Then why remove your shirt?"

He gestured toward Aldrian's bare chest.

Aldrian gave an uneasy grin. He started to justify, but Nolan abruptly materialized before him. Clenching his fist, he smashed it directly into Aldrian's face.

Taken aback, Aldrian flew backward, crashing violently against the bedroom wall.

The impact was immense, cracking the sturdy wall and almost collapsing it.

Aldrian moaned in agony. His spine ached as if broken, and intense pain pulsed at the base of his neck.

"Argh… argh… it hurts…" he whimpered, tears flowing down his cheeks.

He tried suppressing his cries, but failed. His throat constricted, leading to a sudden cough of blood.

Dizziness overwhelmed him, and his breaths grew shallow. Struggling, he raised his head and fixed a venomous glare filled with fury at Nolan.

"How dare you… how dare you strike me!? You're begging for death, Nolan Lorian!"

That shout exhausted his remaining energy. He panted heavily while cold sweat soaked his back and neck.

He hadn't anticipated Nolan's sudden assault.

As the First Prince—the Crown Prince, no less—how could Nolan possibly strike him?

It amounted to suicide. All he needed was for aid to arrive, then he'd inform his father of Nolan's crime.

"Why fear anything?" Nolan scoffed, advancing nearer. "You crossed boundaries first, Aldrian. You laid hands on what wasn't yours."

He halted before him, then delivered a kick to the right side of Aldrian's face.

Aldrian tumbled sideways, the existing torment surging even fiercer.

Gripping his face, he snarled, "You're done for… Finished! Regardless of your identity, I'll tell my father and ensure your execution!"

He'd despised Nolan from the outset. That guy garnered Seira's care and warmth, while he got nothing.

Aldrian recognized Nolan as Seira's brother, yet it meant nothing to him.

Seira was his alone; no one else could claim her fondness—not even Nolan.

Now, the perfect opportunity to eliminate Nolan had arisen, and he refused to waste it.

"Still issuing threats? That's your limit? No surprise your siblings loathe you. What a spineless waste."

Nolan struck with another kick, rendering Aldrian utterly defenseless.

Next, he fished out a recording device from his pocket.

"Keep this in mind—I captured it all, even you drugging my sister's drink at the inn. Think you've triumphed, Aldrian? You lost right from the start."

He activated the recording. It depicted Aldrian slyly adding potion to Seira's beverage, following through her collapse and him hauling her off.

The video was crystal clear and impeccably captured, as though an unseen observer lurked within the room.

Aldrian's puffy face drained of color as he viewed it.

"You… you set this up!?" he shrieked in alarm.

"Who but me?" Nolan laughed lightly. "I can't fathom how anyone could be so dim-witted."

He knelt down before Aldrian and smacked his left cheek.

"Consider this—you wounded my sister, but she didn't flee the palace immediately. Nor did she alert your parents. Do you truly believe she'd be that naive?"

Aldrian's breath stalled, eyes flaring wide with terror. Reflecting now, he'd ignored those glaring clues Nolan highlighted.

Driven by that eerie voice, he'd almost slain Seira. Reasonably, she ought to resent him—or notify Gulvar and Melody.

Yet nothing occurred. Seira took no action whatsoever.

Actually, she never hinted at going back to the Great Velmora Empire, which had thrilled Aldrian back then.

That joy had clouded his judgment, erasing the memory of his brutal act against Seira.

Just today, she'd agreed to dine with him without a second thought.

The chain of events seemed flawlessly orchestrated, too seamless without hidden manipulation.

Horror filled Aldrian's gaze as he stared at Nolan, then demanded with loathing, "So it was all… your doing?"

"Bingo!" Nolan clapped, then slapped Aldrian's face once more. "Indeed, I arranged it. You're not entirely brainless after all. Your smarts at least surpass a monkey's."

Those taunts boiled Aldrian's blood. His chest heaved, yet he refrained from striking back.

Beyond his helplessness, Nolan's masterful scheming from the shadows filled him with dread.

The prince he'd dismissed as feeble and useless proved to be the mastermind orchestrating his downfall.

"Truthfully, Aldrian, your bootlicking skills are remarkable. You're like a dog—should you not know, it's a creature that adores licking its master's feet."

Nolan grinned slyly and tapped Aldrian's right cheek.

"That's precisely you. No wonder you crumbled so swiftly. Had you thought even slightly, this wouldn't have happened so quick."

Aldrian held immense prestige. Born into privileges unattainable for most in this realm.

With a touch more ruthlessness, favoring ambition over romance, he could rise to greatness.

Plus, the Void Reaver Disc dwelled within him. Ruling the Southern Continent as a mighty king wasn't out of reach.

Regrettably, love deluded him. He sacrificed his drive for so-called "childhood love."

Honestly, Nolan pitied him somewhat. Absent Seira's animosity, he might've welcomed Aldrian as family.

Yet this world allowed no "what ifs." Thus, enmity defined him and Aldrian.

"Very well…" Nolan rose, gazing down coolly. "Now, it's time for your death. Any last words?"