The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 398: The Arrival of Winter (3)

"Oh? It’s starting to snow. Looks like winter has arrived," Sharon said with a smile.

She raised her hands slightly, enjoying the touch of the cold snow.

Nolan, who was sipping his hot chocolate, was also drawn to the snowfall.

Snow, huh? That ans I’ll be nineteen next year, he muttered softly.

He couldn’t believe he had been in this world for so long. He missed his fiancée, Seira, from his previous world.

But returning there was impossible and would probably never happen.

"Why are you so quiet?" Sharon suddenly appeared beside him, poking his cheek with her index finger. "Don’t you like winter?"

Nolan snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled softly. "It’s not that. I’m just feeling nostalgic. Oh, right, I forgot to ask you sothing."

He looked at Sharon curiously. "When does your vacation end?"

If he counted from the beginning, they had been away from the palace for more than fifteen days.

As far as he knew, his sister only had a two-month vacation allowance.

He didn’t know if that was enough with the issues in the Kingdom of Kaldorian unresolved.

Sharon smiled slightly and took a sip of Nolan’s hot chocolate.

"You don’t need to worry about that. I took a longer vacation than the other students—four months. Technically, it’s not allowed. But I reached the Great Mage stage earlier than anyone else, so the academy let ."

She puffed out her big chest proudly. As a genius student, she received privileges no one else had.

Of course, if soone wanted special treatnt like hers, they would need to have the sa level of talent.

Unfortunately, that was impossible. At the academy, she was the most brilliant. Only Jisha from the Tower of Silence could be compared to her.

"So that’s how it is..." Nolan gave a small nod. "I’m glad to hear it. By the way, how much longer until we arrive?"

He was already extrely bored of being on the ship. There was no entertainnt at all, and it was giving him a headache.

If he wasn’t afraid of exposing his identity, he would’ve opened a portal and gone straight to the Kingdom of Kaldorian.

"It shouldn’t be long now." Sharon gazed at the calm sea in front of her. "If I’m not mistaken, it should be three or four more days. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely get there."

Three to four more days, huh? Nolan muttered as he stared at the cloudy night sky. That ans it’ll be the Empire’s anniversary.

The Empire’s anniversary was a national event everyone looked forward to—except him.

As a lazy prince, he didn’t like interacting with nobles, let alone guests from outside the empire.

This year, however, he couldn’t participate, which made him both happy and relieved.

Even so, his younger sister had to attend as one of the candidates for the throne.

The event would be a competition where the candidates displayed their strengths to determine who would erge as the provisional winner.

Hah... Nolan sighed deeply with a faint smile. Be strong, my dear sister. Your qualities and strengths will be seen there. I can only pray for your success.

...

Standing in the town hall, Elina looked ahead, where people were lining up to receive the prepared food.

Poverty in the town of Virella was severe, and it was impossible to solve it in just a few days.

Because of that, food aid like this had to be provided every day.

Fortunately, since she started cooperating with Leonard, the food supply in the warehouse had beco incredibly abundant.

The people of Virella would have plenty to eat, not just this winter but even in the next season.

"But this is only temporary. I need to address the root of their poverty," she muttered softly.

The lack of proper job opportunities and the town’s unattractiveness to traders were the main causes of their hardship.

Elina had to create many jobs, and that was no easy task.

Still, she had already prepared a proposal to build a wood factory near the Calvron Forest.

By doing so, many workers would be employed, and the town’s economy would grow rapidly.

"Look, it’s snowing! Winter is here!"

Suddenly, a cheerful shout rose from the crowd.

The others quickly looked up, and sure enough, snow was falling from the sky.

"Winter has co earlier than expected. Luckily, we have plenty of food stockpiled, so we don’t have to worry about going hungry," one of them said.

The others nodded in agreent, smiling. Winter was always harsh—especially for those with no inco.

But now, they had no reason to fear. They had a new leader who truly cared for them: Princess Elina.

They naturally turned to her and bowed in gratitude.

Elina felt a flush of embarrassnt; her usually cold expression softened slightly.

"Hahaha! It seems the people love you more and more, Your Highness. Thank you for all you’ve done. If it weren’t for you, I’m not sure we could have made it through this winter," ca the relieved voice of an old man behind her.

Elina turned to see Orwin.

"You’re welco, Old Man Orwin," she said with a smile. "After all, this is my duty as a leader."

Orwin was even more impressed by her humility and sense of responsibility.

If it had been anyone else, there would have been no guarantee they would have put in as much effort, thought, and resources as Elina had.

He was truly grateful that God had sent her to their town.

"Oh, right, I’m curious about one thing, Your Highness," Orwin said. "When will you be leaving for the capital?"

Elina paused for a mont, then replied, "In two days, I’ll go there."

Her father had actually asked her to co yesterday, but she still had a lot of work to finish.

She wanted to return without being burdened by unfinished tasks.

At the very least, she needed to reduce her workload first.

"I understand. Don’t worry. While you’re gone, I’ll keep an eye on the community. You can go to the capital with peace of mind," Orwin assured her.

"Great. Thank you, Old Man Orwin." Elina felt relieved.

The problem had been weighing on her mind. Usually, when a town leader leaves, their subordinates take over.

But she didn’t have any subordinates reliable enough to handle that responsibility.

Fortunately, Orwin offered to help, freeing her from that worry.

"You’re welco, Your Highness," Orwin chuckled softly.

The two exchanged a few more words before Elina finally decided to return to her mansion.

"Huff... it’s so cold," she muttered, rubbing her hands together.

The distance between the town hall and her mansion wasn’t far—about three hundred ters—but it was enough to drain her energy.

Just as she walked leisurely, a cold breeze suddenly swept past from behind.

Her eyes widened as she spun to the side.

Clang!

A knife shot through the air and embedded itself in the ground in front of her.

"A sneak attack!?"