The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 963 The Secret Behind Ragan's Illness

"Her Highness Elina has arrived!" a guard announced.

A white horse-drawn carriage passed through the palace gates.

Once it stopped, the door opened, and Elina stepped out in a simple, casual gown.

Rafine and Evalyn followed after her.

The soldiers quickly bowed their heads.

"Welcome, Your Highness."

Elina merely nodded and walked past them without slowing down.

The three of them made their way through the palace halls as the servants greeted them along the way.

Elina barely paid them any attention and simply kept walking.

The servants were surprised by her reaction, but none of them dared to say anything. They understood how she was feeling.

When they reached Ragan's room, they found several guards standing outside, keeping a close watch over him.

"Your Highness," they greeted her.

Elina took a deep breath before asking, "How is my father?"

The guards exchanged grim looks and shook their heads.

"Not well. His Majesty still hasn't regained consciousness," the guard on the right replied.

Elina frowned.

"I want to go in and see him."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but no one is allowed inside for now," the guard on the left said seriously.

"What? I'm his daughter! Isn't it only natural that I should be allowed to see him?"

"I'm sorry, but that's Prime Minister Seira's order."

The guard gave her an awkward smile.

"We're just following orders."

Rafine and Evalyn exchanged puzzled glances.

Ragan's condition was far worse than they had expected.

Elina fell silent. Ever since Ragan had fallen ill, power had naturally fallen into Seira's hands.

"Elina."

A soft voice came from ahead.

When Elina, Rafine, and Evalyn looked up, they saw Seira walking toward them.

Elina sighed in relief and quickly walked over to her, looking worried.

"Sister," she said. "How is Father? I want to go in and see him."

Seira gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Come with me. This isn't the place to talk."

Seeing the serious look on Seira's face, Elina froze for a moment. She realized there was probably something important she didn't know about.

Putting her selfishness aside, she gave a slight nod.

"Let's go."

***

Private Living Room…

Elina, Rafine, and Evalyn sat side by side, facing Seira across from them.

A servant arrived with a tray holding four cups of tea.

After carefully placing the cups on the table, she walked out, and the room fell silent again.

Elina picked up her cup and took a sip.

"So, what really happened, Sister? Why did Father fall into a coma?"

Her expression was much calmer now.

Seira let out a long sigh before answering, "Father was most likely poisoned."

"Poisoned?"

All three of them widened their eyes in shock.

"P-Prime Minister, are you sure?" Rafine asked nervously. "Who would be bold enough to poison His Majesty?"

Seira gave her a wry smile.

"It's highly likely, but I still haven't found the culprit. That's why I didn't let you or the others go inside. It was just a precaution, so you wouldn't end up becoming suspects."

Elina lowered her head in shame. She realized that she had been a little too impulsive and stubborn earlier.

"I'm sorry, Sister," she said quietly.

Seira waved her hand.

"It's okay. Just relax."

Elina bit her lower lip before asking, "Does everyone know that Father was poisoned?"

"Not everyone. Only Mother Isabella and I know. Then there are the three of you. But I'm sure Queen Vanessa and Concubine Cassandra have figured it out as well. After all, they're among the suspects I'm keeping an eye on."

Seira's beautiful face turned cold.

Elina, Rafine, and Evalyn fell silent and exchanged glances.

"I understand."

Elina took a deep breath.

"But, Sister, aren't you going to do anything? I mean, if we keep being this passive, the culprit won't come forward, will they?"

If she were the culprit, Elina would simply continue to hide and never show her face again.

It would be a huge problem if the culprit turned out to be someone close to the Emperor, such as Vanessa, Cassandra, or Clarisse.

They were Ragan's wives, and accusing them would escalate the situation into something much bigger.

"Don't worry. I've already thought of a plan. That's why I called you and the other throne candidates."

"What do you mean, Prime Minister?" Evalyn furrowed her brow in confusion. "Will summoning the throne candidates give the palace a chance to find the culprit?"

"In theory, yes." Seira sipped her tea, closed her eyes, and savored its warmth. "I'm eighty percent sure the culprit is either Vanessa, Cassandra, or my mother, Clarisse. After all, they're Father's wives. And Father lost consciousness right after spending the night with my mother, which makes her the most likely suspect. So…"

She opened her eyes and looked at Elina, Rafine, and Evalyn with an indifferent expression.

"If my hunch is correct, then one of them will be the most aggressive in manipulating their children in this battle for the throne."

The three of them fell silent, each lost in thought. Seira's way of handling things was certainly unique—and pretty bold.

"By the way, Cedric isn't allowed to enter the capital, right? How are you going to deal with that?" Elina asked.

"I've already given him special permission. Since I'm temporarily acting in the Emperor's place, I have the authority to do so," Seira replied casually.

Elina let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her.

"Sister, I'm really grateful."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Seira blinked in confusion.

Still smiling, Elina said sincerely, "When Rafine and I decided to put Cedric in prison and take our chances in court, I'll be honest—I was a little scared. Prime Minister Roswell has been in power for years, and challenging him is practically tantamount to suicide. But…"

She chuckled softly as she took another sip of tea.

"That choice turned out to be the best one. Now Father is unconscious, and you're the one taking his place. Just imagine if Prime Minister Roswell were in your position. Wouldn't I be finished by now?"

"The Emperor must not interfere in the battle for the throne…"

Everyone understood those words all too well.

In reality, the Emperor could still take things into his own hands behind the scenes, such as threatening noble families or using certain regulations to undermine a candidate for the throne.

Fortunately, Ragan wasn't like that. He was genuinely neutral.

But things would have been very different if Roswell were the one taking Father's place in a situation like this.

Cedric would clearly have a huge advantage, while she and the other throne candidates would surely be put under intense pressure, even if it were done covertly.

Rafine and Evalyn considered the possibility and found it quite plausible.

Seira laughed softly and was about to say something when a servant's voice came from the door.

"Prime Minister Seira, the princes have arrived. Please give your orders."