The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Chapter 298 : The next ruler (3)

As Joseph fisted Alex’s collar and dragged him closer, Alex simply stared at him, blue eyes calm and unreadable.

The atmosphere in the throne room turned suffocatingly quiet.

It was so silent that if a pin had dropped, everyone was sure they would have heard it.

Charlotte’s gaze locked onto Alex the moment she saw him. A bright, disbelieving smile bloomed across her face. The murderous pressure that had been leaking from her body vanished in an instant, like a storm blown away by sunlight.

Inside her head, the sinister voice that had been whispering to her for months... went completely quiet.

At the same time, Alden, Alicia, and Serena entered the throne room through the side doors. They took in the scene at a glance—Joseph grabbing Alex, soldiers tense, nobles pale.

All three of them smacked their foreheads with their left hands at once.

’Here we go...’ Alden thought.

Then, in the next heartbeat, Alex moved.

His hand shot up and clamped around Joseph’s throat, lifting him clean off the ground like he weighed nothing. Joseph’s fingers slipped from Alex’s collar, legs dangling as he clawed at Alex’s wrist, eyes bulging.

Serena leaned toward Alicia, voice dry. "You should stop that boyfriend of yours before that joke he made in the car becomes reality."

Alicia’s eye twitched, but she nodded and rushed forward.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s vision was already starting to blur. Struggling for breath, he managed to choke out in a panicked, muffled voice, "S-Soldiers...! What are you doing...?! Kill this bastard! He dared lay hands on royalty!"

He screamed hoarsely, "Kill him! Kill him!"

The word "kill" snapped the guards out of their stunned daze.

They all knew who Alex was—knew they couldn’t truly stop him—but duty was duty. And if the prince died, the queen would never spare them anyway.

Swords were drawn as the soldiers surrounded Alex in a tight circle.

One of them swallowed hard and said, "Mr. Dragonheart, this is your final warning. Please... release the First Prince."

Before things could escalate, Alicia’s voice cut through sharply. "Stand down. I’ll handle this."

Seeing her step forward, the soldiers let out a tiny breath of relief, as if they had just spotted a savior.

Joseph’s face was turning purple now, every breath a struggle. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Alex looked him in the eye and said coldly, "You should learn to pick opponents your own size... Mr. Heir to the Throne."

Alicia came to a stop beside them, arms crossed. "Alright, that’s enough."

Alex glanced at her, almost offended. "What? But he started it first."

"And I’m ending it now," Alicia replied flatly.

Clicking his tongue, Alex released his grip.

Joseph dropped to the marble floor in a heap, coughing violently as he clutched at his throat.

"H-How... how dare...!" he rasped between coughs. "How dare you do this to your... future king... I-I’ll... I’ll have you beheaded...!"

Alex laughed out loud.

He turned his head toward Charlotte, a playful glint in his eye. "Char, look at this joker of a brother of yours. Watches too many movies."

Charlotte let out a small, watery laugh. "Indeed... he does."

Then, unable to hold back any longer, she ran toward Alex.

She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, shoulders shaking. "I’m so glad you’re safe... and sound," she said, her voice trembling. "And I’m... really sorry about what happened to Miss Selena..."

Alex’s expression softened. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently. "I’m also sorry," he said quietly. "For what happened to King Edward. I feel like I couldn’t save anything... not Miss Selena, not even your father."

"It wasn’t your fault," Charlotte said through her tears. "None of it..."

"I know, I know," Alex replied. "I’ve been trying to tell myself the same thing. So you don’t have to blame yourself either."

At that, Charlotte’s composure broke even more, and she cried harder as Alex slowly stroked her back, letting her grief spill out.

A few seconds passed like that.

Then loud, exaggerated coughing came from nearby.

Alex glanced over and saw Alicia glaring at him, eyes narrowed in a way that made her intentions very clear.

He let out a small cough of his own and gently loosened his hold. "Alright, alright. Let’s get the work done now, shall we?"

Charlotte sniffled but managed a small smile and nodded.

"What the hell is happening here?"

A sharp, commanding voice cut across the throne room.

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