The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 966 Aldric's Restlessness

"Hehehe..."

Clarise smiled awkwardly as she walked toward her, but Seira stopped her before she could get any closer.

"Don't climb the throne stairs, or I'll punish you."

Her cold words made Clarise's smile freeze.

"S-Seira, you..."

She gritted her teeth in frustration and was about to say something, but Seira's next words hit her like a hammer.

"I am the emperor's temporary replacement. My words and decisions are final."

Clarise gasped. She hadn't expected Seira to be so bold as to speak to her that way.

"S-Sis, how can you be so rude to Mother?"

Adalen hurriedly hugged Clarise and gave Seira a helpless smile.

"How could you change so much? She's your mother, you know?"

Seeing through his pretense, Seira rolled her eyes. She was too lazy to argue with her annoying brother.

"If you two don't state your purpose right now, I'll kick you out."

Adalen's smile froze before slowly fading away.

Seira was truly cruel and merciless.

Clarise couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward.

"Fine, I'll state my purpose!"

She looked up and stared intently at Seira, who was seated on the throne.

"Seira, I want you to hand over the throne to Adalen!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the throne room fell silent.

Seira's expression remained as flat as ever, as if she had already expected Clarise to say that.

"Hand over the throne to him?" she asked indifferently.

"That's right."

Clarise nodded enthusiastically.

"You're His Majesty's replacement now, but it's simply not right for a woman to hold so much power, you know? So, I think it would be better to hand the throne over to Adalen rather than keep it for yourself."

A proud smile spread across her face.

Seira gave a faint smile and slowly shook her head.

"Concubine Clarise, you really are... stupid."

Her mockery made Clarise flinch.

"What do you mean!?" she snapped angrily.

Seira wasn't afraid. She stared at her coldly, without a shred of respect.

"I'll say it again. You're incredibly stupid!"

Even Adalen was stunned to hear those words.

Seira had always obeyed Clarise's orders, no matter what they were. She had also been deeply afraid of her.

That was why she had always remained silent whenever Clarise spoke to her so insolently.

But now, she had changed. Adalen could clearly see the disgust in her eyes.

"Seira, you—"

"You're the fool, Concubine Clarise," Seira cut in coldly. "Now I understand why the Singularity of Light released you and allowed you to marry Father. You're so stupid and so easy to control."

Seira's increasingly insolent words made Clarise's face flush red.

"Seira!" she screamed as she tried to rush forward and slap her, but the soldiers immediately stepped in and held her back.

"Let me go!" she protested.

"Her Majesty Seira has ordered you to stay where you are, Concubine Clarise. We cannot allow you to approach her," one of the soldiers replied coldly.

"Y-You..."

"Enough, Concubine Clarise."

Seira stood up and turned around.

"I'm the temporary emperor now. I could make you suffer like you're in hell, especially after everything you did to me in the past. Do you really think I've forgotten?"

Clarise's body tensed at those words. Her beautiful face went pale, as if all the blood had drained from it.

"And don't forget—you're the prime suspect in Father's illness. Keep that in mind."

Without saying another word, Seira walked away through the back door, leaving Adalen and Clarise standing there, completely frozen.

…

A few days passed quickly. Since Seira's announcement in the throne room, a remarkable shift had taken place among the candidates for the throne.

The sudden compression of several months into a much shorter period had become a major problem, forcing them to accelerate their plans to attack one another.

The peace on the surface could no longer be maintained, and it was only a matter of time before turmoil erupted throughout the empire.

"What should I do?"

In his room, Aldric sat on the sofa with a thoughtful expression.

Among all the candidates for the throne, he felt like the most passive one.

Elina and Cedric had already confronted one another, while Adalen continued to play it safe and observe from the sidelines.

Even so, Aldric knew that was only what Adalen showed on the surface. Adalen had repeatedly returned to the Holy Empire of Valtanir.

He must have been preparing something that no one else knew about.

"Hah..."

Aldric let out a long sigh and leaned back against the sofa.

For the first time, the man who was always so proud felt truly frustrated.

Clack!

The door slowly opened, and Vanessa walked in.

When she saw her son looking pale, Vanessa immediately realized something was wrong.

"Are you afraid?"

Aldric moved his arm away from his face and turned toward his mother with a wry smile.

"No, I'm not afraid."

"You're lying..."

Vanessa sat down beside him and gently stroked his face.

"Just tell me what's on your mind."

Aldric remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking honestly.

"Mother, I don't feel like I stand out much in this battle for the throne."

"You don't stand out?"

Vanessa raised an eyebrow slightly.

Aldric nodded weakly.

"I mean, among all the candidates for the throne, I'm the most passive. I feel like I'm already a few steps behind them."

His expression darkened with frustration.

Vanessa looked at her son gently.

"You're not wrong to feel that way. You know what? Your father used to feel the same way."

"Huh? Father was like me too?"

Aldric was taken aback.

"Not exactly. But there was a time when he felt stuck, especially when circumstances forced him to face his eldest brother, who was widely considered the surefire winner at the time."

A flash of nostalgia appeared in Vanessa's eyes.

"We were pretty close back then, though not to the point of falling in love. I always supported him from behind, and sometimes I saw him daydreaming just like you do. When I asked him what he was thinking about, he told me that he lacked confidence."

She chuckled softly before continuing.

"However, I encouraged him and told him that he could do it. In the end, he won the battle for the throne and became emperor. So…"

She gently stroked her son's head.

"Don't give up before you've given it your all. Your uncle and I will support you no matter what."

The anxiety in Aldric's heart slowly faded, replaced by a renewed sense of determination.

"Thank you, Mother. And I'm sorry for doubting myself earlier."

"It's okay. Everyone feels discouraged sometimes. You're no different."

Once the atmosphere had lightened, the two continued their conversation, mostly discussing the coalition of nobles in the southern region.

Suddenly, Aldric asked a question that caught Vanessa off guard.

"Mother, Father didn't fall ill because of you, did he?"