The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne-Chapter 13: An Adorable and Stubborn Little Girl

"Hoam..."

In the palace hallway, Nolan strolled leisurely with his left hand tucked into his pocket, while his right hand covered his yawning mouth.

A few tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he gave his head a light shake.

"Damn... it's all because of that stupid succession," he muttered sulkily. "If it weren't for that, I'd be relaxing right now."

Before his father brought up the succession, he should've been enjoying a carefree tour of the Imperial Capital, Solvaria.

But now, his freedom was gone. He had to start preparing to help Elina face off against those annoying princes in the battle for the throne.

To make things worse, his monthly allowance had also been cut by the old man. By next month, he'd barely have any money left.

Thankfully, he had saved up quite a bit—and he still had income from the business he'd been secretly running ever since he reincarnated into this world.

So, even with his allowance slashed by fifty percent, he could still live a relaxed, comfortable life.

Some might have wondered why he looked so desperate in the throne room earlier.

Well, that was just an act. If he hadn't put on a show, the old man might have gotten suspicious and given him an even harsher punishment.

Just as Nolan was lost in thought, the sound of faint sobbing reached his ears.

"Hmm? Is someone crying?" He murmured, raising an eyebrow.

He narrowed his eyes, realizing the sound was coming from the palace garden—about a hundred meters away from where he stood.

Without hesitation, he headed toward it. When he arrived, he saw a little girl crying bitterly.

She had long, silver-white hair, with a pink ribbon tied sweetly behind her head.

Her petite figure and chubby, bun-like cheeks made her look adorably fragile.

Tears streamed continuously from her red eyes, soaking her round cheeks.

"Eliza?" Nolan froze for a moment, then slowly frowned.

The girl in front of him was Eliza—his younger sister from the seventh concubine.

After her mother died of illness, Eliza had been left in the care of Cedric's mother, Cassandra Kleith.

Nolan hadn't expected to find her in such a state.

"Did someone upset her? But who would dare?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes and scanning the area.

There was no one around—not even a servant or a guard in sight.

"Could it be Cedric?" The thought crossed his mind, and it immediately made sense.

Only that damn four-eyed bastard could've done something like this.

From the beginning, Cedric had clearly despised Eliza—the child the old man had entrusted to his mother.

It didn't help that the Kleith family, the powerful household of the prime minister, had always favored sons over daughters.

That ancient tradition should've been long obsolete—even in this world. But for some reason, the Kleith family still clung to it.

Fortunately, Cassandra—Cedric's mother—had managed to marry the Emperor, which dramatically elevated her status within the Kleith family.

No wonder Eliza was disliked by Cedric—and perhaps even by the entire Kleith household.

Besides the traditions they upheld, Eliza wasn't even Cassandra's biological daughter, so in their eyes, her status must have been incredibly low.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Nolan looked at Eliza with a gaze full of pity.

Even if they didn't share the same mother, Eliza was still his sister—and he couldn't bring himself to just walk away.

With a long sigh, he stepped forward and stopped behind her.

"Eliza, what are you doing?"

The sound of his voice startled the little girl. She quickly stood up, wiped her eyes, and turned to face him.

When she saw who it was, she forced a smile and said, "It's okay, Brother Nolan. I was just playing by myself."

Nolan glanced at the tear tracks still visible on her flushed cheeks, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Playing, huh?" He said as he crouched down and gently wiped her tears. "Then what are these? Why is your face wet?"

Eliza's expression froze. She realized she'd been caught.

Her lips pressed together as she lowered her head and gave a small shake.

"It's okay, Brother Nolan. You don't have to worry. It's nothing."

Her stubbornness left Nolan speechless.

At her age, she should've been playing freely, enjoying a carefree childhood. But being born into the Imperial family—that was never an option.

Moreover, with her mother gone, there was no one Eliza could truly rely on.

An idea crossed Nolan's mind, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Do you have anything important to do today?" He asked casually.

Eliza looked puzzled for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing, Brother."

"Great!" Nolan nodded in satisfaction before lifting her into his arms. "I'm heading to the capital for a bit of fun. Want to come with me?"

At the mention of the capital, Eliza's round face stiffened.

"The capital?" she echoed, swallowing nervously. A flicker of excitement lit up her eyes—only to quickly fade as she remembered her strict stepmother. She shook her head weakly.

"I don't want to go, Brother," she said softly.

Nolan could sense the unspoken longing behind her answer and smiled gently.

"Afraid of Mother Cassandra?" he asked playfully.

Eliza: ( ˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵ )

"How did you know?" Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

But as soon as she realized what she'd just admitted, she quickly shut her mouth tight.

Her reaction was so cute that Nolan couldn't resist pinching her soft, round cheeks.

"I'm your brother. Of course I know what you're thinking," he said with a mischievous grin.

Eliza's cheeks flushed, and she turned away shyly.

"So, what do you say?" Nolan asked again. "Want to come to the capital with me?"

This time, Eliza didn't answer right away. She hesitated, clearly caught between temptation and fear.

Seeing her uncertainty, Nolan quickly added, "Relax. If Mother Cassandra gets angry, I'll take the blame. I mean, I even dared to argue with Father—dealing with a concubine like her is nothing."

His words worked like magic, casting a spell over Eliza.

Almost without realizing it, she slowly nodded and whispered, "Then... I'm in."

"Hahaha! That's more like it!" Nolan laughed heartily and planted a quick kiss on her chubby cheek. "Let's go! And if there's anything you want, just say the word—I'll buy you everything!"

And so, the prince—infamous across the Empire for his many bad nicknames—set off for the capital city of Solvaria, carrying the sweet, adorable little girl in his arms.

Unbeknownst to him, from a distance, a woman stood watching with a sullen expression and eyes full of irritation.

"You stinky little brother... Leaving without inviting me? Just wait—I'll make you pay for this! Hmph!"