Little Pink Starfish

“I am truly delighted that, like every year, I am being celebrated by the people of this nation. Today, I, Asher, the third prince of the Kingdom of Diaas, have come of age.”

Asher spoke his first words with a smile. He continued to deliver the customary words of gratitude for the annual festival, but he was deeply shaken by the overwhelming silence around him. Though he made sure not to let it show on his face, the lack of reaction was unsettling. Aside from the fact that he had come of age, nothing he said was particularly different from last year. Normally, there would be applause, people excited by the presence of royalty, or even hushed whispers among the crowd. Yet, the masses before him simply stared at him in silence.

A creeping sense of unease washed over Asher. Had he made a mistake? If so, what exactly had he done wrong? He couldn’t understand, and it unnerved him. In truth, the crowd was utterly transfixed, not even twitching as they gazed at Asher. Most of them were ordinary humans, but there were also beastfolk among them. The beastfolk, in particular, weren’t even blinking. One of them, upon making eye contact with Asher, suddenly stiffened and raised their tail straight up.

Everyone was simply captivated by Asher’s smile, frozen in place. They had never seen such a gentle expression from him before. Every year, Asher had spoken without so much as a hint of a smile, his words curt, his speech swiftly concluded. Even though the crowd had cheered for him in the past, most of it had been shallow, perfunctory. Perhaps a few had genuinely admired his beauty, but they were the minority.

“…────And now that I have come of age, I will do my utmost to contribute to this nation more than ever before. Thank you truly. ………May this day be a good one for both me and all of you.”

Despite his lingering confusion, Asher maintained his smile as he finished his words of gratitude. He had hesitated on whether to say the last part, but in the end, he decided to go through with it. After all, it was how he truly felt. Perhaps because his past life held few memories of being celebrated on his birthday, being congratulated by people who weren’t even his family felt a little embarrassing—but undeniably, it also made him happy.

Well, my real birthday was actually yesterday… But since so many people have worked hard to prepare for this festival, I just hope today turns out to be a joyful day for everyone…

After bowing once more, he lifted his gaze to the crowd. Normally, this was the moment when applause would break out—but the silence remained unbroken. Asher’s smile began to falter, uncertainty clouding his expression.

────Then, suddenly, a thunderous cheer erupted.

“Asher-samaaa!!”
“Congratulations, Prince Asher!”
“Your Highness!!”

The crowd, now bursting with enthusiasm unlike anything before, made Asher flinch in surprise. Embarrassed but pleased, he waved back, acknowledging their cheers. His simple gesture only caused the excitement to swell even further.

“Asher-sama, thank you for your wonderful words. Now, in honour of your coming of age, the children will present you with flowers.”

With those words from the town representative, a line of children—each holding a single flower—began to form. In Diaas, it was customary to present flowers to those who had come of age. For members of the royal family, the flowers were traditionally given by the children of the kingdom.

The children, some fidgeting nervously, looked up at Asher with wide eyes. When Asher smiled at them, they immediately beamed back at him. It was a heartwarming moment—until the atmosphere in the crowd suddenly changed. A hushed murmuring spread through them.

“…There are beastfolk children in the lineup… Is this alright?”

One of the beastfolk murmured uneasily upon noticing that some of the children presenting flowers were also beastfolk. Others who realized the same wore similarly anxious expressions.

“Prince Asher despises beastfolk.”

It was a rumour that everyone knew. It was common knowledge in the kingdom—Asher’s supposed hatred for beastfolk. No one could pinpoint when exactly the rumours had started, but they had been spread by the castle guards who had served under him. Their accounts had seemed credible, so many had believed them. Some beastfolk had even personally experienced discrimination from Asher, and human soldiers had spoken about it as well.

Because royals were rarely seen outside of ceremonies or public duties, the common people had no way of knowing what Asher was truly like. This made the stories from castle staff all the more persuasive. And bad rumours had a way of spreading quickly.

The people watched anxiously as each child stepped forward, handed Asher their flower, and received a handshake in return. They observed his every move, holding their breath. Then, a particularly small beastfolk child—a tiny one with mouse-like features—timidly approached Asher and hesitantly offered their flower. The entire crowd tensed, waiting for Asher’s reaction.

“Wow! That’s such a big flower!”

Taking the flower gently, Asher smiled as he shook the child’s hand.

“Such tiny hands… And yet, you carried such a big flower all this way! That’s amazing! Thank you.”

His radiant smile made the child’s eyes sparkle with joy, their face breaking into a delighted grin.

As more beastfolk children followed, Asher treated them all with the same warmth, expressing his gratitude with a genuine smile. There wasn’t a trace of disgust or hesitation in his actions. The people, who had initially watched with wary expressions, gradually relaxed. A warm applause spread through the crowd.

“…Who started that rumour about Prince Asher hating beastfolk?”
“Was he always this kind…?”
“Well… Even if he did hate them, there’s no way he’d show it in public, right?”
“He’s practically an angel…”
“Or maybe… he’s just a good actor. I heard that…”

After receiving flowers from every child, Asher bowed deeply to the crowd before stepping down from the stage. At last, the festival was about to begin. Small fireworks popped in the sky, and the people erupted into cheerful applause.

“Asher-niisama*, that was wonderful!” _{*[T/N: Respectfully, big brother.]}

The first to rush to him after he descended was Noah, his golden eyes shining brightly with admiration.

“Thank you, Noah.”
“Asher-sama, shall I carry the flowers for you?”

Turning towards the voice, Asher saw Ward smiling as he extended a hand.

“……”
“Oh? Why that look?”
“…I was just thinking… You left me behind earlier.”
“Haha, well… There were prying eyes in the darkness over there.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. I was here as Prince Hugo’s escort, after all. My apologies.”

Just as Ward finished speaking, Prince Hugo approached with a deep frown.

“Hey, what are you doing after this?”
“After this…?”

Up until last year, Asher had always accompanied Queen Angela. They would dine at her favourite restaurant before returning. This year, however, he had managed to persuade her not to come, allowing him to attend alone. He had been so focused on that, he hadn’t planned anything beyond the ceremony.

“Usually, I’d eat with Mother before heading back…”
“Asher-niisama, every year, when it was my birthday or Hugo-nii’s, we always—”
“Noah!”

Hugo interrupted sharply, making Noah flinch and fall silent. When Noah nervously glanced at him, Hugo sighed before offering a smile.

“…Fine. Let’s all eat together. But this guy rarely ever comes to town, so we’re not taking him around the stalls.”
“Really?! We can all eat together, Asher-niisama too?!”
“Yeah. That okay with you?”

Though surprised by Hugo’s unexpected suggestion, Asher nodded. Noah happily hugged Hugo, who smiled and caught him in return.

“You’re fine with my choice of restaurant?”
“Ah, yes… I always just followed Mother, so I don’t really know many places.”
“………And what’s with that weird way of speaking?”
“Huh? My way of speaking?”

Hugo’s brow furrowed for a moment before he turned away. Asher tilted his head in confusion, about to ask again—until Ward whispered in his ear.

“I’d stay quiet if I were you. Prince Hugo has a short temper.”

With that, Ward trailed after Hugo and Noah.

Hugo-niisama… is always angry in my memories.

And more importantly…

Why is he inviting me now, when we’ve always been at odds?

Though he found it strange, Asher quickly followed before he was left behind.

“…Your Highness, please wait.”

Turning, he found Theodore standing much closer than expected. Asher instinctively tensed.

“You won’t be able to carry all the flowers while walking.”

Gently, Theodore took the flowers from him and handed them to a nearby soldier to load onto a carriage.

“Hey! Hurry up!”

Hugo’s voice rang out, making Asher snap out of his thoughts and hurry after them.

But as he did, his heartbeat pounded unnaturally fast.

He could still feel the lingering heat from where Theodore’s fingers had brushed against his own.

He didn’t know why.

All he knew was that the warmth in his chest wouldn’t fade.

It must be because of what happened last night! That’s all…!

────Theodore was terrifying.

Even the faintest trace of his presence behind him sent every nerve in Asher’s body on high alert.

It’s just because of what happened yesterday… Asher told himself.

Yet, his racing heartbeat showed no signs of slowing down.

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Pinky says: Welcome all, we got a(n ex-)racist getting bent by an unnaturally hairy man, set in a (metaphorical) prison (of social etiquette). Enjoy.