[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce":3,"chapter-the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-chapter-417":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},396753,661,"Chapter 417: Victor Valcrest","the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-chapter-417",417,"\u003Cp>Guest after guest streamed into the imperial palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With most of the noble families having arrived earlier, the new arrivals were mostly visitors from distant regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palace hall quickly grew crowded, alive with the chatter of the assembled guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk! What’s wrong with you, Allen? Why do you look so upset?\" A man asked playfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tall, with light blue hair and a strikingly handsome face. He wore a white robe crafted from the finest silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was one of the empire’s most renowned figures in the western region: Victor Valcrest, son of the Duke of Valcrest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of status, he was Allen’s equal—perhaps even slightly above. He was, in comparison, on the same level as Rafine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Allen was the heir, he had never been entrusted with any family affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was an heir in name only, without a solid position or real influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you mocking me, Victor?\" Allen asked coldly, narrowing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mocking you?\" Victor smiled as he took a sip of wine. \"Why would I? It would be pointless. I’m just curious why you’re here alone. This isn’t like you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Allen weren’t particularly close, but they knew each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Victor, Allen was a proud man constantly seeking validation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t mockery—just the truth. He was very different from him and Rafine, both known for their skill in governing their regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was unusual to see Allen alone, without a single companion by his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s none of your business,\" Allen snorted, taking a sip of his wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pfft!\" Victor chuckled instead of taking offense and stepped closer. \"Don’t be like that. We may not be close, but there’s no harm in building a connection, right? Tell me—maybe I can help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he didn’t care about Allen. But curiosity stirred when he saw him so isolated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen didn’t respond right away. His eyes wandered across the hall to where his sister, Margaretta, was surrounded by young nobles—both men and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor followed his gaze and instantly understood the reason behind Allen’s unusual behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it because of your sister?\" he asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen flinched slightly but quickly regained his composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re wrong. It has nothing to do with her,\" he replied coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk! You can’t lie to me, Allen. Your face gives you away,\" Victor said with a playful grin. \"But honestly, I get it. Having someone around who could threaten your position as heir is irritating. I haven’t been through it myself, but I can sympathize.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He patted Allen on the shoulder in mock concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen, however, was far from grateful. He knew Victor hadn’t come to sympathize—only to tease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shrugged off Victor’s hand and glared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t be fooled by your hypocritical act. Step away from me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his already foul mood deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor merely smiled, showing no hint of anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What an unfortunate man. I’m sure Duke Ashvale would jump at the chance to replace Allen as heir with his illegitimate daughter,\" he muttered, his tone tinged with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He already knew the story behind the Ashvale family. Rumor had it that Duke Ashvale had fallen in love with a maid, and the two had deliberately entered a secret relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, the maid was expelled from the family and vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, several years ago, Margaretta appeared, claiming to be his daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, the Ashvale family had slowly begun to change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But...\" Victor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. \"Why did Margaretta only appear after twenty years of absence? There must be a reason behind it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His intuition told him something was amiss. Perhaps someone was manipulating her from behind the scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, whatever the case, it’s none of my concern,\" Victor said with a laugh, shrugging. \"Now...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, his gaze settling on Elina, Rafine, and the other heads of noble families in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elina Lorian, huh? Time to pay her a visit,\" he muttered, striding toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, what are you doing on your day off, Masha?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not doing much. Just sleeping. Since my sister no longer lives in the mansion, I feel lonely. How about you, Alicia?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me? Same as you. I get really bored without friends.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia and Masha chatted casually while nibbling on the pieces of cake in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their attention soon shifted to Eliza, and Masha asked, \"What about you, Eliza?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mmm... mmm...\" Eliza chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. \"I’ve been really busy. I spent five days studying with Mother Isabella and the other two working with Sister Shion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Working?\" Both Masha and Alicia looked stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their minds, only adults worked. How could Eliza, who was barely older than them, be working?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eliza, you’re not lying, are you?\" Alicia asked, her expression serious. \"Lying is bad, you know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She placed her left hand on her hip while raising her right index finger, like a teacher scolding a student. Her chubby cheeks made the gesture even more adorable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"M-mm! Lying is bad, Eliza! Don’t lie, okay?\" Masha added, nodding slightly to emphasize Alicia’s point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Rafine had seen the little girl speaking like this, she would have definitely pinched her cheek and teased,\"Lying is bad? Then why do you lie to me all the time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Eliza stood her ground. She shook her head firmly and said, \"I’m not lying. I really am working. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a circular gold stone, pressed one end, and instantly a light appeared, forming a rectangle about twenty centimeters on each side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, a recording played. It showed Eliza sitting in a chair, with various dishes laid out on the table before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is this?\" Alicia asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s a recording of me working,\" Eliza said proudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia and Masha were stunned. They exchanged glances, watching the recording all the way through, and couldn’t help but admire her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow! You actually work!\" Masha exclaimed in amazement. \"But... why all the food? From what I see, it just looks like you’re eating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My job is actually quite simple,\" Eliza replied, then began to explain it to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they listened, their admiration for her grew even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eliza, you’re amazing!\" Alicia praised, clapping her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Masha nodded earnestly, echoing her admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For them, what Eliza was doing was new—something other children, including themselves, couldn’t even imagine achieving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing their praise, Eliza felt proud, puffing out her chest as if to assert her accomplishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Work? Eliza, who asked you to work?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1101,"2026-05-30T06:57:16.339Z","2026-06-01T04:30:35.482Z",1,"novelbin.me","be5d5313b96d783fd7d00c47a5ba166d5ea0cc70c04a130c0c8d1c1d1d9cf975","the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-chapter-418","the-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-chapter-416",748,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-hidden-extra-the-lazy-prince-refuses-to-asce-cover.jpg"]