The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne - Chapter 298

298: Confrontation and Taking Claire Away 298: Confrontation and Taking Claire Away Nolan and Claire stepped outside and found about a hundred villagers already gathered in front of the house.

They included fifty men, forty women, and ten children.

Among them was the little girl who had earlier shown Nolan the way to Claire’s house.

When she saw Nolan, she lowered her gaze, her expression filled with fear and guilt.

Claire’s eyes shifted to a short, middle-aged man standing at the front.

She asked cautiously, “What’s wrong, Village Chief?

Why have you brought the entire village to my place?” Her relationship with the villagers had never been good.

They regarded her as a witch and treated her as an outcast.

Still, Claire held no grudges.

She sometimes gave them food, though it was often refused outright.

The village chief shot Claire a sharp look before turning to Nolan.

Jealousy and hatred flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it.

Unfortunately for him, he was facing Nolan.

Hiding his true feelings completely was impossible.

“I have an important question for you, Lady Claire,” the village chief said coldly.

“What do you mean by bringing your friend to our village?” He pointed at Nolan and added, “Do you intend to bring us greater disaster?

To make us suffer?” The moment he spoke, the other villagers immediately joined in, shouting back.

“What the village chief says is true!

Do you want to disrupt our peace?

Why are you so evil?” “Damn it!

We’ve tolerated your existence, and this is how you repay us?” “Just banish this dangerous woman!

We don’t want to live in danger with her around!” Their angry cries thickened the tension in the air.

Claire frowned, clearly displeased.

In the past, she might have ignored their scolding, but not this time.

It had been years since she’d been treated like this, and even she had her limits.

Moreover, they weren’t just attacking her-they were insulting her savior.

How could she possibly tolerate that?

“Village chief, I never fought back when you defamed me as a witch.

I never retaliated when you or the villagers slandered me.

But this time, you’ve crossed the line,” she said coldly.

“Whether I brought a friend or not is none of your concern.

And do not malign him-he is important to me.” With that, she pressed herself against Nolan’s right arm, hugging it tightly.

Her two ample breasts pressed softly against his arm, warm and comforting.

Though she was nearly forty, Claire looked no older than a twenty-year-old.

Time seemed to have spared her entirely.

Standing beside Nolan, the two of them looked like an ideal couple.

Scolded by her, the village chief and the other villagers were stunned.

They had often insulted Claire in the past, and she had never retaliated.

Accustomed to her silence, they hadn’t expected her to dare to fight back.

But in the next moment, anger flared among them.

“Damn it!

How dare you strike back at us?

Don’t you know how much suffering your existence has caused?” A woman shouted, pointing at her with blazing rage.

Nolan glanced at the woman and recognized her as the same middle-aged villager who had scolded him when asking for the location of Claire’s house.

After she spoke, the others quickly followed suit, and the tension in the air thickened once more.

Claire’s frown deepened.

Anger was rare for her-not even her father, who had long treated her as an outsider, had ever provoked it.

But this time, she truly felt it.

These people were shameless.

“All right, I understand,” she said coldly, forcing her anger down.

“I’ll be leaving after this.

So you can all leave now.” She no longer had reason to stay; with a new home and the man beside her, she didn’t need to linger here.

Hearing this, the villagers felt a wave of relief.

They had long hoped Claire would leave their village, but her reputation as a witch had kept them cautious.

That was why they had constantly harassed her, hoping she would feel uncomfortable enough to leave on her own.

Now, their wish had finally been granted-they could relax without fear.

There was one person, however, who was not willing to let it go-the village chief.

He pointed at Nolan and sneered, “So you’ve finally decided to leave just because you have a man?

Humph!

What a despicable woman!

You two must be adulterers!” His words startled Claire, Nolan, and the rest of the villagers.

Nolan narrowed his eyes, concealing the killing intent rising within him.

“Claire, can you tell me why they call you a witch?” he asked quietly.

Claire gave a small nod and began to explain.

After listening for a while, Nolan finally understood-and everything made sense.

“So that’s it,” he whispered with a faint smile.

It turned out the village chief had feelings for Claire.

He had confessed in the past, only to be flatly rejected.

Since then, he had held a grudge, spreading rumors that some of the village’s misfortunes were caused by her.

Nolan glanced at the village chief, whose face was ordinary, then at Claire, who was as beautiful as an angel.

The contrast between them was like night and day.

Sighing softly, Nolan looked back at the village chief and said, “Let’s not mince words, old man.

Whether she left because of me or not is none of your business.” As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around Claire’s waist, pulling her body even closer to his side.

Jealousy contorted the village chief’s face, his frown deepening.

Yet he knew he had to remain composed.

If he lost his temper, the villagers would see that his claims about Claire being a witch were nothing but lies.

“If you want to leave, pay us ten thousand Sharn!

If not, don’t even dream of leaving!” the village chief snorted coldly.

Ten thousand Sharn was an enormous sum-especially for the villagers, who earned only ten to fifteen Sharn a day.

The chief was certain that neither Claire nor the man beside her could possibly afford it.

“Ten thousand Sharn?” The nearby villagers were dumbfounded.

They had expected the witch to leave immediately, but they hadn’t anticipated such an outrageous demand.

In an instant, all eyes turned to the village chief, filled with anger and resentment.

He clearly felt their glares but pretended not to notice.

His eyes stayed fixed on Claire, the desire to control and possess her burning fiercely within him.

“Ten thousand Sharn?” Claire’s brows furrowed.

It was indeed a large sum.

She didn’t work, and her father usually sent only enough to cover her basic needs.

Then, unexpectedly…

“Ten thousand Sharn?

That’s far too little.

I’ll give you fifty thousand Sharn.” With that, Nolan reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch filled with hundreds of gold coins.

“These are gold coins-you can exchange them in the capital.

The total is fifty thousand Sharn.” He tossed the pouch to the ground.

The coins spilled across the dirt, and everyone stared in shock, their eyes glinting with greed.

But Nolan continued, “By the way, I should tell you all-this woman isn’t called a witch because she actually is one.

She’s been falsely accused by your village chief.” He pointed at the middle-aged man, whose body now trembled with fear.

“Back then, he…” Nolan briefly recounted the true events.

The villagers were stunned.

They wanted to argue, but the chief’s terrified expression spoke for itself.

“That’s all I have to say.

Whether you choose to believe it or not is your business.

It doesn’t concern me.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away with Claire, leaving the villagers speechless.