Little Pink Starfish

After the forest dweller had left, Theodore carefully carried Asher to the bedding, then quietly gazed at his face.

“…Your Highness.”
“Are you mad…?”
“Of course not… But please, don’t ever do that again.”
“I will. As many times as it takes. If it means saving you.”
“…”

As Theodore lowered his brows in a troubled expression, Asher smiled slightly.

“So, even you make that kind of face.”
“…That kind of face?”
“You’re always either frowning or completely expressionless, so it’s hard to tell what you’re thinking.”

Asher let out a small chuckle. Feeling embarrassed, Theodore averted his gaze.

Seeing this, Asher gently took hold of Theodore’s hand.

“…I won’t let them kill you. No matter what.”

Theodore’s large hands were rough and calloused, the complete opposite of Asher’s soft, pale ones.

But touching them brought comfort.

Suddenly, Theodore squeezed Asher’s hand tightly.

Asher shuddered slightly at the unexpected pressure.

“…Your Highness’s safety is the priority. I am your knight, after all.”
“You’re my knight… and my mate, right?”
“…”
“…Theodore, I’ve been thinking about it. Why did I ever treat beastmen so cruelly?”

Since regaining his awareness, Asher had found his past self’s extreme aversion to beastmen strange.

Discrimination against beastmen was forbidden in Dias, yet Asher, a prince, had harbored such intense hatred.

He remembered the things he had done—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall the emotions behind them.

No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember.

“…I never hated beastmen. I wasn’t disgusted by them. I was being controlled. But… that doesn’t change the fact that I did terrible things.”
“Your Highness was a victim.”
“But… it was still me.”
“…What could you have done as a child?”

Theodore’s gentle voice comforted Asher as he softly stroked his hand.

────The child Asher had once been.

Fed drugs from an early age, his will suppressed.

What had he thought? What had he suffered? What had he grieved?

Was the young Asher from his dreams a fragment of those memories?

“…For now, Your Highness should rest until the forest dweller retrieves the key. I’m worried about your back.”
“Yeah…”

A cold draft brushed against his skin, making his wounds throb painfully.

But Theodore was here.

They didn’t know what would happen. There was no guarantee they could escape.

Fear and anxiety threatened to consume Asher, but Theodore’s warmth beside him kept him grounded.

Then, suddenly—

Asher felt something.

The air had changed.

Lifting his head, he wondered—

Had the forest dweller returned?

“Your Highness?”

Sensing Asher’s unease, Theodore leaned in to check on him.

But before he could, Asher stood up.

Perhaps it had been wishful thinking.

Because he so desperately wanted to get Theodore away from this danger, he had convinced himself that the forest dweller had come back.

He rushed to the iron bars—

And then, he realized something was wrong.

────A sweet scent.

Faint yet unmistakable.

A scent he had smelled before.

A scent he despised.

────This is…

“…Landa—ugh!!”

A sudden arm shot through the bars, seizing Asher by the throat.

“Your Highness!!”
“Don’t move!!!”

Emerging from the shadows was a wolf beastman—Baluf. _{[T/N: Bahaha remember his name was Barf. Silly AI.]}

Grinning wickedly, he peered in at them from outside the cell.

“Hah… So the rumors were true—when mates are too close, their senses dull. And in a sealed-off dungeon like this? No wonder you didn’t notice me sneaking in. Oh, and don’t move. With my strength, I could snap this little prince’s neck in an instant.”

“…Ggh!”

Asher struggled for breath as Baluf’s grip tightened.

Watching him struggle, Baluf sneered and turned his gaze to Theodore.

“Let him go…! What are you here for?”

How long had he been there?

The thought that the forest dweller might have been caught flashed through Theodore’s mind, but Baluf merely smirked.

“Well, you see, the ones upstairs are debating what to do with you. Kill the Black Knight? Or let him live? Pretty funny, isn’t it?”

Baluf shook his shoulders in laughter.

A terrible feeling crept into Theodore’s gut.

He had let his guard down, thinking Asher was safe in the same cell.

That mistake now gnawed at him.

“And I couldn’t have you dying before I had my fun.”

Baluf pulled out a key, dangling it tauntingly in front of Theodore.

Then, grinning, he unlocked the cell and stepped inside.

Dragging Asher out with him, he swung the door shut once more.

“Wait—! Where are you taking him?!”

“You see… I thought long and hard about how to make you suffer the most.”

Baluf released Asher’s throat.

Gasping for air, Asher coughed violently—only for Baluf to seize him in a tight hold.

“…Cough…! Theo…”

Thud.

Something pricked Asher’s neck.

He barely had time to register the sensation before he saw Theodore’s eyes widen in horror.

“…Huh?”

Asher slowly reached up to his neck.

Baluf was holding a syringe, an ugly grin spreading across his face.

“I wonder what kind of face you’ll make when your precious mate is defiled, broken, and seeded by me.”

A deafening crash echoed as Theodore slammed against the iron bars.

But they didn’t budge.

“You bastard!! Take your hands off him!! I’ll kill you!! I’ll tear you apart!!”

Baluf let out a cruel laugh, ignoring Theodore’s fury.

“Oh? Then try it. You’re a knight who can’t even protect his own mate. What kind of ‘Black Knight’ are you?!”

While the two argued, Asher’s body began to change.

The drug Baluf had injected him with—an aphrodisiac meant for beastmen.

Far too strong for a human.

Heat surged through his body.

His vision blurred.

“…Ah… What… is this…?”

“Oho… Looks like it’s working.”

Baluf bent down, lifting Asher onto his shoulder.

“Well then. Time to have some fun.”

“Wait!!”

Asher trembled, his body burning up.

Still, he weakly turned his head toward Theodore.

His pained expression twisted as tears welled up in his eyes.

“…Theo…d…”

His hand reached out—

But before he could grasp anything, the dungeon door slammed shut.

Asher was gone.

A monstrous roar erupted from the dungeon.

Theodore pounded the walls, his fists bleeding, but nothing gave way.

“Dammit…!! Let me out—someone—────!!”

His rage-filled screams shook the prison.

As Baluf carried Asher away, he smirked, glancing at his captive.

Muttering to himself in satisfaction—

“…I do whatever I want. No one tells me what to do…”