The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 967: Gaining Orlan’s Recognition (1)

"What do you mean?"

Vanessa was caught off guard by the sudden question.

Aldric realized he might have sounded a little too harsh.

He quickly clarified, "I mean, are you the one who did it? Don’t get me wrong—I just want to know. I’m not accusing you."

Vanessa frowned, but she wasn’t angry.

"I understand your concern, but rest assured, I’m not that cruel."

She shook her head slightly.

"Ragan is my husband. There’s no way I would do something like that."

Aldric breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared that his mother was the one who did it.

After all, poisoning the emperor was a crime punishable by death. The Malvain family would certainly be affected as well.

"Then do you know who did it?"

"Not yet."

Vanessa let out a long sigh.

"The last person to enter His Majesty’s chamber was Clarise. But I’m skeptical that she did it. It’s possible someone else took advantage of that moment and framed her."

Aldric nodded in agreement.

"But do you suspect anyone in particular?"

Vanessa remained silent for a few seconds before saying coldly, "Isabella."

"Concubine Isabella?" Aldric was stunned.

Vanessa nodded slightly.

"Among the other concubines, she has no background whatsoever. Coincidentally, her daughter has solidified her position as the strongest candidate for the throne. Don’t you think it makes sense that she would poison His Majesty?"

Aldric didn’t say anything. As far as he knew, Isabella wasn’t that kind of person. She was always kind, even to him, despite not being his biological mother.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Vanessa. He was worried it might hurt her feelings.

Taking a deep breath, Aldric patted his mother on the shoulder.

"We need to look into this more. If it really was Concubine Isabella who did it..."

A smirk appeared on his face.

"We can use this to bring Elina down."

...

"Brother Nolan, you’re so amazing! How did you know the answer to such a difficult question?"

Alicia looked at Nolan, who was sitting beside her, with sparkling eyes.

Nolan smiled and patted her head.

"I know because I studied it in the past."

Alicia blinked in confusion.

"But aren’t you just an ordinary person? Isn’t this subject only taught to noble children?"

Nolan chuckled as he pinched her chubby cheek.

"I love learning. A long time ago, I lived with a noble and had the chance to study."

"Then why didn’t you stay with that noble?"

Nolan’s expression turned nostalgic as he replied, "I just didn’t feel like I fit in with noble life."

"I see..."

Although she didn’t fully understand what he meant, Alicia nodded as if she did.

"All right, enough chatting. Hurry up and finish your homework."

"Mhmm!"

Alicia returned to her homework.

Nolan occasionally corrected her mistakes.

A knock sounded at the door. Shortly afterward, it opened, and a beautiful woman with long blue hair walked in.

"Nolan, I brought you some snacks. Try them."

The woman, none other than Syra, smiled gently as she placed a plate of cookies and two glasses of cold chocolate milk on the desk.

"Thank you, Lady Caltheron."

"Didn’t I tell you to just call me Auntie?"

Syra laughed softly.

"By the way, how’s Alicia’s homework coming along?"

Before Nolan could answer, Alicia quickly showed Syra her book.

"I got all the answers right!"

"Oh?"

Syra’s curiosity was piqued, so she picked up the book. When she saw that all the answers were correct, she couldn’t help but admire Nolan.

"Tsk! You’re really amazing, Nolan," she praised as she placed the book back on the desk. "I’ve hired so many tutors, but they all gave up halfway through."

Nolan was surprised.

"Did they fail to teach Alicia?"

"Saying they failed might be a bit harsh, but that’s pretty much it."

Syra sighed helplessly.

"Because of something that happened in the past, Alicia has a weakness. How should I put it...? She has a hard time understanding lessons. Those tutors couldn’t teach her and eventually gave up."

Nolan muttered.

Inevitably, his thoughts went back to what had happened to Alicia back then, which was related to the curse of those evil witches.

"Luckily, you’re here now, so I don’t have to worry anymore. Orlan is truly amazing at finding extraordinary people like you," Syra said admiringly.

"You’re flattering me too much," Nolan replied humbly.

"No, no. I’m serious!" Syra’s expression turned serious.

Nolan felt a little awkward but accepted her compliment.

After exchanging a few more words, Syra left the room.

"Brother Nolan, after we finish our homework, what are we going to play?" Alicia asked excitedly.

Nolan was about to answer when a knock sounded at the door.

"Mr. Nolan, the Marquis of Caltheron is asking for you. Please come to his office."

Nolan glanced at Alicia, whose face had turned sullen.

"Father is so annoying!" she complained, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Nolan smiled and wiped away her tears.

"We’ll play later. Wait for me, okay?"

Feeling his touch, Alicia smiled again and nodded enthusiastically.

"Mhmm!"

...

"Did you call for me, Marquis Caltheron?"

Nolan stepped inside and saw Orlan reading a document with a serious look on his face.

Hearing his voice, Orlan looked up, revealing a weary look on his face.

"Sorry to bother you, Nolan."

Nolan could tell that something was wrong, but he chose to remain silent and sat down across from him.

"Do you need something?"

Orlan was silent for a moment before smiling.

"How are you finding it here? Are you comfortable?"

Nolan nodded casually.

"Very comfortable. You’ve been so kind to me that I almost feel guilty."

He wasn’t just saying that to please Orlan. The man really had been kind to him.

The man had given him a luxurious room, a personal servant, and even a generous allowance.

Nolan naturally understood the reason behind his kindness.

Alicia had become a source of concern for Orlan.

Of course, didn’t mean anything negative. Rather, it was because Orlan worried about her.

After spending time with the little girl, Nolan realized just how lonely Alicia’s life was.

She had no friends to play with and was always alone. So, Orlan must have been very grateful to him for being willing to play with her and help her with her studies.

Unfortunately, bringing them together was nearly impossible. Masha was in the eastern region, while Eliza was in the capital.

Not to mention, Eliza had now become a Blue Moon brand ambassador and didn’t have much time to play with Alicia.

"That’s good to hear. If you have any problems, please tell me."

Nolan gave a slight nod.

Orlan took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning serious.

"Nolan, I want to talk to you about something."