The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne - Chapter 417

417: Victor Valcrest 417: Victor Valcrest Guest after guest streamed into the imperial palace.

With most of the noble families having arrived earlier, the new arrivals were mostly visitors from distant regions.

The palace hall quickly grew crowded, alive with the chatter of the assembled guests.

“Tsk!

What’s wrong with you, Allen?

Why do you look so upset?” A man asked playfully.

He was tall, with light blue hair and a strikingly handsome face.

He wore a white robe crafted from the finest silk.

He was one of the empire’s most renowned figures in the western region: Victor Valcrest, son of the Duke of Valcrest.

In terms of status, he was Allen’s equal-perhaps even slightly above.

He was, in comparison, on the same level as Rafine.

Although Allen was the heir, he had never been entrusted with any family affairs.

He was an heir in name only, without a solid position or real influence.

“Are you mocking me, Victor?” Allen asked coldly, narrowing his eyes.

“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.” He and Allen weren’t particularly close, but they knew each other.

To Victor, Allen was a proud man constantly seeking validation.

It wasn’t mockery-just the truth.

He was very different from him and Rafine, both known for their skill in governing their regions.

So it was unusual to see Allen alone, without a single companion by his side.

“It’s none of your business,” Allen snorted, taking a sip of his wine.

“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.” In truth, he didn’t care about Allen.

But curiosity stirred when he saw him so isolated.

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.

Victor followed his gaze and instantly understood the reason behind Allen’s unusual behavior.

“Is it because of your sister?” he asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Allen flinched slightly but quickly regained his composure.

“You’re wrong.

It has nothing to do with her,” he replied coldly.

“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.” He patted Allen on the shoulder in mock concern.

Allen, however, was far from grateful.

He knew Victor hadn’t come to sympathize-only to tease.

He shrugged off Victor’s hand and glared at him.

“I won’t be fooled by your hypocritical act.

Step away from me.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his already foul mood deepening.

Victor merely smiled, showing no hint of anger.

“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.

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.

Eventually, the maid was expelled from the family and vanished without a trace.

Yet, several years ago, Margaretta appeared, claiming to be his daughter.

Since then, the Ashvale family had slowly begun to change.

“But…” Victor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Why did Margaretta only appear after twenty years of absence?

There must be a reason behind it.” His intuition told him something was amiss.

Perhaps someone was manipulating her from behind the scenes.

“Well, whatever the case, it’s none of my concern,” Victor said with a laugh, shrugging.

“Now…” He turned, his gaze settling on Elina, Rafine, and the other heads of noble families in the distance.

“Elina Lorian, huh?

Time to pay her a visit,” he muttered, striding toward her.

*** “By the way, what are you doing on your day off, Masha?” “I’m not doing much.

Just sleeping.

Since my sister no longer lives in the mansion, I feel lonely.

How about you, Alicia?” “Me?

Same as you.

I get really bored without friends.” Alicia and Masha chatted casually while nibbling on the pieces of cake in their hands.

Their attention soon shifted to Eliza, and Masha asked, “What about you, Eliza?” “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.” “Working?” Both Masha and Alicia looked stunned.

In their minds, only adults worked.

How could Eliza, who was barely older than them, be working?

“Eliza, you’re not lying, are you?” Alicia asked, her expression serious.

“Lying is bad, you know.” 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.

“M-mm!

Lying is bad, Eliza!

Don’t lie, okay?” Masha added, nodding slightly to emphasize Alicia’s point.

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?” 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.” She took a circular gold stone, pressed one end, and instantly a light appeared, forming a rectangle about twenty centimeters on each side.

A few seconds later, a recording played.

It showed Eliza sitting in a chair, with various dishes laid out on the table before her.

“What is this?” Alicia asked.

“That’s a recording of me working,” Eliza said proudly.

Alicia and Masha were stunned.

They exchanged glances, watching the recording all the way through, and couldn’t help but admire her.

“Wow!

You actually work!” Masha exclaimed in amazement.

“But… why all the food?

From what I see, it just looks like you’re eating.” “My job is actually quite simple,” Eliza replied, then began to explain it to them.

As they listened, their admiration for her grew even stronger.

“Eliza, you’re amazing!” Alicia praised, clapping her hands.

Masha nodded earnestly, echoing her admiration.

For them, what Eliza was doing was new-something other children, including themselves, couldn’t even imagine achieving.

Hearing their praise, Eliza felt proud, puffing out her chest as if to assert her accomplishment.

Suddenly… “Work?

Eliza, who asked you to work?”