The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 973: Gaining Shion and Claire’s Trust (1)

The birthday party was very lively, and the nobles seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Miss Shion, welcome," Elina greeted her politely. "Thank you for coming to my birthday party."

Shion looked absolutely stunning tonight.

She was wearing a deep red dress that accentuated her beautiful figure. Her burgundy hair was tied up in an elegant and alluring French twist.

She smiled at Elina.

"You’re welcome, Your Highness. It’s your birthday party. How could I not come?" she said jokingly.

Elina giggled at her words. The two chatted for a while, catching up and talking about this and that.

"By the way, the factory’s profits have been huge. I’ll give you the details later," Elina said.

Shion simply smiled.

"Take it easy. Let’s not talk about work tonight. Tonight is your time to shine."

Her words snapped Elina back to reality.

She smiled apologetically.

"You’re right."

After talking with Elina, Shion went to grab a glass of wine from the table nearby.

But then, she noticed a handsome man standing alone at the far end of the hall.

Curious, she picked up another glass and walked over to him.

"A handsome man like you can’t possibly be here all alone, right? Mind if I keep you company?"

Nolan, who had been lost in his thoughts, was startled.

When he saw who was approaching, a smile appeared on his face, but it quickly faded.

"Isn’t a woman as beautiful as Miss Shion embarrassed to be chatting with me?" he asked jokingly.

Shion was surprised that Nolan recognized her.

She handed him a glass of wine with her left hand and replied, "Of course not."

Nolan took the glass and took a sip.

"Why are you all alone?" Shion asked curiously. "Everyone else is having a great time, you know?"

She glanced at the nobles, who were chatting excitedly with one another.

Nolan shook his head.

"I don’t feel like I belong with them."

"Don’t belong?" Shion raised her eyebrows slightly. "What do you mean?"

Nolan didn’t explain. Instead, he asked, "Miss Shion—no, Shion Carlas. Do you remember who your master is?"

Shion’s expression tensed, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"You..."

Carlas was her last name. It wasn’t her real name; it had been given to her by her master.

Unfortunately, she had completely forgotten what her master looked like—both his face and his voice. It had left her feeling guilty and confused over the past few days.

"If you want to know who your master is, I’ll tell you. But this isn’t a good place to talk. Come with me."

Without saying another word, Nolan turned and headed toward the exit.

Shion hesitated for a moment. She didn’t know this man and probably shouldn’t have listened to him.

But strangely, she didn’t feel that way. Her gut told her that he was trustworthy.

After thinking it over, she gritted her teeth and decided to follow him.

In the distance, Claire, who was chatting casually with Elina, happened to catch a glimpse of Shion’s back as she walked out of the hall.

"Shion? Where is she going?" she wondered.

...

Nolan and Shion walked outside and stopped in the mansion’s backyard.

"So, tell me. Who is my master, really?" Shion asked seriously.

Nolan pointed at himself.

"I am your master."

Shion: "..."

Her beautiful face flushed as anger erupted inside her.

"You—"

"Shion Carlas, a young girl whose life has been filled with hardships," Nolan cut in indifferently, folding his arms across his chest. "She used to be a poor girl who was often bullied by the children in the capital’s slums."

Shion’s body trembled violently at his words.

But Nolan didn’t stop.

"Her daily routine consisted of scavenging for food in trash heaps, which caused her to suffer from severe malnutrition and stunted growth. Her bones were even clearly visible beneath her ragged clothes."

His voice carried a hint of melancholy.

Nolan still remembered the first time he met Shion. The young girl was so pitiful that he couldn’t bear to simply leave her behind.

His original intention in taking her in was simply to ease his conscience.

But who would have thought?

The girl turned out to be incredibly intelligent and eventually grew into the powerful woman standing before him now.

Shion stood frozen in place, her beautiful face dazed.

"That story... How did you find out about it?"

She had never told anyone about her past—not even Claire, Eliza, or the people she considered close to her.

It wasn’t that she felt ashamed of or disgusted by her past.

She simply believed there was no need to share it with anyone. She wanted to leave the past behind and focus on the future.

Only one person knew about her past.

That person was her master—the very man whose name and appearance she had long since forgotten.

Nolan smiled gently.

"Didn’t I already tell you? I am your master, Shion. My name is Nolan Lorian."

His words stirred something deep within her heart. Shion wanted to reject his claim, but deep down, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

She gazed at Nolan’s gentle face, and finally, the last trace of resistance in her heart disappeared.

"Woaaa! Master, you’re finally back! Forgive me... Forgive me for forgetting you!" she sobbed as she jumped up and hugged him tightly.

Nolan returned her embrace with a long sigh.

He had initially thought there might be some mysterious restriction placed on Shion by the gods that prevented her from recognizing him, but it turned out there wasn’t.

"Master... Master..." Shion called out, burying her face in his chest.

"I’m here."

Nolan gently patted her back.

A few minutes later, Shion’s sobbing subsided, but she still wouldn’t let go of him.

Nolan didn’t force her to.

Neither of them spoke. The only sound that could be heard was Shion’s heavy breathing.

A moment later, Shion finally pulled away from Nolan, but they remained standing close to each other.

"What really happened, Master? Why did I forget your name and your face?"

She couldn’t understand it at all. She knew she had a master, yet she couldn’t remember anything about him. It made no sense.

Nolan gently wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks.

"It’s a long story, but I’ll give you the short version."

He then told her everything that had happened.

Shion’s face, still flushed from crying, turned pale with shock.

"Y-You were punished by the gods for breaking the rules!?" she cried out in horror.

Nolan nodded slightly.

"Yes. And my true identity is the sixth prince of the empire. I’m also Elina Lorian’s twin brother."

"Twin brother?"

Shion was once again surprised. She studied Nolan’s face, which was indeed ninety-nine percent identical to Elina’s.

The only differences were their hair color and Nolan’s more masculine features.

"I see... Now it makes sense why I couldn’t remember what you looked like."

Shion let out a long sigh and rested her face against his chest.

"There’s no sixth prince in the empire. Elina Lorian is a princess who was born without a twin."

Nolan wasn’t surprised by her words.

Nolan Lorian’s identity had been erased from everyone’s memories.

Fortunately, that didn’t apply to their feelings, which gave Nolan a slight sense of relief.

"By the way—"

Shion was about to say something when a cold voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Shion, what are you doing?"