Little Pink Starfish

“Huh? What’s going on? And why is Asher-niisama… what are you doing…?”

Noah’s voice suddenly echoed through the room, causing everyone—except Asher, who still had his head lowered—to turn around.

Noah, who was supposed to have been taken to the back room by Prince Hugo, tilted his head in confusion at the scene before him. Upon spotting Asher, he immediately ran toward him.

“Wait!! Don’t go over there, Noah!!”

Prince Hugo called out, trying to stop him, but he was too late.

Noah reached Asher, who was still bowing his head, and peered up at him with concern.

“Asher-niisama, what’s wron—”

The moment their eyes met, Noah saw Asher’s tear-filled gaze—on the verge of overflowing.

At that instant, a single droplet fell, landing with a soft plop.

Noah’s eyes widened in shock. Then, his gaze shifted to Lilian and Fold, standing in front of Asher.

“…What is going on?”

“Noah! Just go back! They were just—”

“Be quiet, Hugo-niisama!!”

Noah had never once defied Prince Hugo before.

That was why Hugo was utterly taken aback, stunned by Noah’s sharp tone.

“…Why is Asher-niisama crying? Who made him cry!?”

Noah’s furious voice startled Fold, causing him to take a step back as if shielding Lilian.

People often viewed the Fourth Prince, Noah, as a timid child—especially since he was always clinging to Hugo.

However, at this moment, his golden eyes burned with fierce intensity.

“…Noah… No, that’s not it,” Asher hastily wiped his tears and placed a reassuring hand on Noah’s shoulder, but Noah refused to take his eyes off Fold.

“Then why is Asher-niisama crying!? Ward! Theodore! You saw what happened, right!? Arrest whoever made him cry—”

“Noah!!”

Asher pulled Noah into an embrace from behind.

“…Thank you. But you’re wrong. These people didn’t do anything bad.”

“But—!”

Asher gently tried to calm him down, but Noah continued to glare at Fold.

Lilian suddenly let out a laugh.

“Aha… I see! As expected from a member of the royal family!! Go ahead, arrest us!! Have us executed or whatever you want!!”

“What!?”

“It’s easy, isn’t it!? For you royals, people like us—those who defy you, powerless beastmen—we’re nothing but trash, aren’t we!?”

Noah was about to respond again, but Asher gently covered his mouth with his hand.

Lilian’s glare remained locked onto Asher.

“That’s not true. Really, it’s not. I have no intention of arresting you. Besides, you haven’t done anything that would warrant arrest.”

“Oh? And yet, isn’t my attitude toward you, a prince, considered disrespectful?”

Noah pulled Asher’s hand away and shouted, “That’s right!! It’s a crime of disrespect!!”

At Noah’s declaration, the entire restaurant—both beastmen and humans—turned pale.

Even Fold, who had been composed until now, looked uneasy as he held Lilian back. He turned his gaze to Hugo.

However, Hugo ignored him, instead staring at Noah with a conflicted expression.

“It’s not a crime of disrespect, Noah. …Because the one who mistreated them first was me.”

“…Huh?”

“The reason I started crying wasn’t because of anything they did to me. It was because I realised how cruel I used to be… and that scared me. That’s why they aren’t in the wrong.”

“But…”

“And Noah… We’re royalty. We can’t just arrest people so easily.”

“I wasn’t saying it was easy… I just…”

“You were speaking up for me, weren’t you? …Thank you.”

Asher gently stroked Noah’s head and gave him a hesitant smile.

“But right now, the one who did wrong here is me… That’s why I was bowing my head and apologizing.”

“If Asher-niisama already apologized, then that should be enough! So why are these people still looking at him like that!? Why won’t they forgive him!?”

“Why, you ask!?”

“Lilian, that’s enough!!”

Lilian’s eyes burned with even more rage, and she tried to step forward, but Fold held her back with all his strength.

However, she ignored him and shouted,

“You make it sound like not forgiving him is a crime!! Are you saying my entire life—the life that he ruined—is worth nothing more than a single apology!?”

Her voice trembled with fury as she struggled in Fold’s grasp, half-mad with rage.

At that moment, Hugo, who had been silent, stepped in front of Noah and coldly muttered,

“The one you have business with isn’t Noah. Don’t get that wrong… Noah, come here.”

“Hugo-niisama…? But Asher-niisama—”

“Noah, you’re being deceived. There’s no way he’s actually crying. You heard them, didn’t you? He’s the one who was in the wrong. That’s why I brought these people together.”

Noah furrowed his brows.

“What do you mean…? Are you saying Hugo-niisama told them to harass Asher-niisama…?”

“No! That’s not it, Noah! What I meant was—”

“N-no way…”

Noah’s body trembled, and he turned his sharp glare toward Hugo.

Shaking off Asher’s arms, he suddenly screamed,

“I hate you, Hugo-niisama!!”

“Noah!?”

Without hesitation, Noah turned and bolted toward the door.

The large bear beastman blocking the exit didn’t react in time, allowing Noah to slip through his legs and dash outside.

“Damn it!! This wasn’t supposed to happen! Ward! Get outside with the soldiers and secure Noah!!”

“…Right away.”

Ward hesitated for a brief moment, glancing at Asher, but quickly leaped past the bear beastman and chased after Noah.

Hugo, clearly frustrated, kicked a chair in front of him.

“Damn you! Stop putting on this pathetic act!! What’s with this ‘I’m the one at fault’ bullshit!? What the hell are you trying to pull!?”

“Hugo-niisama…”

“Don’t call me ‘niisama’!!”

Hugo roared, his furious expression terrifying Asher into shrinking back in fear.

Without sparing him another glance, Hugo turned to Fold and clicked his tongue.

“Fold, didn’t you tell this woman to keep her mouth shut?”

“I… I apologize…”

Fold bowed his head in shame, while Hugo slowly approached Lilian.

“Don’t ever speak to Noah again.”

Lilian didn’t respond, but Hugo didn’t say anything more.

“…Why are you doing this, Prince Hugo?”

Suddenly, Theodore, who had been silent, questioned him.

Asher had wanted to ask the same thing, but after Hugo’s violent outburst, his body had frozen in fear.

“…Because too many people are being fooled by him. I wanted to rip off his mask.”

“Did it have to be done like this? Luring Prince Asher into a trap on his own birthday festival?”

“You’re siding with him too, huh?”

“…”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. You are his personal knight, after all!”

“The deal was that no harm would come to him. …It seems that promise wasn’t kept.”

Theodore shot a glance at Lilian before shifting his gaze toward the bear beastman at the door.

Sensing Theodore’s sharp eyes, the beastman shuddered and quietly stepped aside.

“Let’s go.”

Taking Asher’s hand, Theodore guided him toward the exit.

As they reached the doorway, Asher suddenly stopped and turned around, locking eyes with Lilian.

His expression was pained as he took in the surrounding crowd.

His figure looked so fragile that it seemed he might shatter with the slightest touch.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me… I know that would be selfish of me… But I did something terrible to you… to all of you… I’m truly sorry.”

With those final words, Asher bowed deeply before stepping through the door.

No one stopped him.

Even Lilian, for a fleeting moment, felt her heart ache at Asher’s expression—before quickly clenching her fists, pushing the feeling away.

As Asher stepped out of the restaurant, Theodore followed closely behind him, ensuring he remained protected.

The moment they exited, a cool breeze brushed against Asher’s face. The fresh air contrasted sharply with the suffocating tension inside the restaurant, yet the pressure weighing on his chest did not lighten.

His hands, which had been clenched tightly, trembled slightly.

He could still hear Lilian’s voice echoing in his head.

“Do you think apologizing will make things right!? …Don’t be ridiculous!!”

“Give me back my life!!”

Asher bit his lip.

She’s right… No matter how much I apologize, I can’t undo what I’ve done.

“Asher-sama.”

Theodore’s calm voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Looking up, Asher saw the knight watching him closely, his usual composed expression unreadable.

“…Let’s return to the castle,” Theodore said, his tone gentle but firm.

Asher hesitated for a moment but nodded. There was nothing more he could do here.

As they walked, Asher’s mind was in turmoil.

Everything that had happened today—the confrontation with those he had wronged, Hugo’s rage, Noah’s unexpected outburst—swirled inside him, leaving a deep scar in his heart.

He didn’t expect forgiveness.

But still, the weight of his past sins felt unbearable.

As he climbed into the carriage, Asher gazed out at the festival still in full swing, the sounds of celebration echoing in the distance.

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

“So this… is how my birthday ends.”

With that final thought, Asher closed his eyes, letting exhaustion take over as the carriage set off toward the castle.

---

Pinky says: Aw boo-fucking-hoo, just take him to look at a plant and he’ll feel better.