Chapter 2: Emperor’s Summon

At the sound of the voice, Nolan was slightly taken aback before finally replying, "Don't open the door yet. I'm changing." He quickly took off his clothes and put on a more formal-looking black robe. Once he was done, he smiled in satisfaction and turned toward the door. "Alright, you can open it. It's not locked." Moments later, the door swung open, revealing an incredibly beautiful young woman. She had a perfectly oval face and thin, elegant eyebrows. Her eyes were purple, much like Nolan's, and her long white hair cascaded down to her hips. A butterfly-shaped ribbon adorned her hair, adding to the graceful aura she exuded. Wearing a black dress, her lovely curves were almost impossible to hide, especially around her chest and hips, which had developed remarkably well. However, behind her beauty was a cold and indifferent expression that made anyone think twice about approaching her. The woman stepped into Nolan's room and gave a nod of satisfaction upon seeing him properly dressed. "Very good, brother. A week of training to get you up early was worth it," she said with a faint smile. Nolan rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Do you have any idea how miserable it is for me to wake up early? It's so annoying!" The young woman was Elina Lorian, his twin sister. Since he was born first, it was only natural that he was her older brother. However, for some reason, she always acted cool and mature around him, as if she were the older one. Although it was annoying, he couldn't deny how fond he was of his sister. Elina chuckled at his words. The cold, indifferent expression on her face slowly melted into something softer. "Don't blame me, brother. You've been lazy since childhood, and as a prince, that's not a habit you should have. Remember, you're a role model for the people," she said, folding her arms and pointing at Nolan like a mother scolding her child. Nolan felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. Considering his original age before reincarnation was twenty-eight, and now he is eighteen, his total age was forty-six. Yet here he was, being lectured by a woman who had just turned eighteen. He was left speechless, not knowing how to react. "Alright," Nolan let out a small sigh, gently pinched Elina's cheek, and asked playfully, "So, what brings you to my room? And what did the old man mean by summoning us to the throne room?" The old man in question was their father, Ragan Lorian, the 99th Emperor of the Great Empire of Velmora. His strict, authoritative, and stern demeanor had earned him the nickname the Lion of the East. To be honest, Nolan was not very close to his father. It wasn't because he didn't love him, but because he had no desire to get involved in government affairs. He was tired of living as the family heir in his previous life and wanted to enjoy his second life more leisurely. Elina frowned slightly at his impolite words. "Brother, don't call Father that way. If anyone hears you, it could get you into trouble." Their father, the Emperor, was very strict with his children. Elina worried that her brother might be punished for speaking so disrespectfully. But Nolan only smiled, clearly unfazed. In the past, he had often been punished by the old man for calling him "old man." So whether he would be punished again or not didn't really matter to him. Pushing those thoughts aside, Nolan gently said, "Alright, I'm sorry. So, can you tell me why he called us so early in the morning?" At the same time, he glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed eight in the morning. It was time for breakfast to begin, yet the old man had summoned them to the throne room instead. If it weren't for something very important, Nolan couldn't believe his father would call them at this hour. Elina furrowed her brows and answered hesitantly, "I'm not sure, brother. But I heard from some ministers that it might have something to do with the throne." "What did you just say? Related to the throne?" Nolan's relaxed expression stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat. The thing he hated and avoided the most was anything involving the throne. He was already tired of matters like succession and heirship. In fact, he suspected that his death in his previous life had most likely been caused by the Frey family's enemies. That was why, ever since reincarnating into this world, he had chosen to live lazily, earning himself countless unflattering nicknames from those around him. But did he care? Of course not! No matter how much ridicule he received, as long as he could relax and enjoy his life, that was more than enough. And now, his damn father was summoning all the princes and princesses to discuss the matter of the throne. Nolan had a bad feeling about this—it smelled like something big, something that could even threaten his peaceful life! Damn it... Will that day really come? But... I don't want anything to do with that grueling work!