Little Pink Starfish

The square, filled with nobles, commoners, and beastmen alike, was packed with people. Some stared at the criminals standing on the platform with terrifyingly cold eyes, while others pointed at them, jeering and mocking.

Those who couldn’t fit on the platform knelt on the ground at the front, their hands cuffed behind their backs. However, even that wasn’t enough to contain them all—some were locked up in nearby cages. Soldiers stood between the spectators and the criminals, their swords trained and ready to strike at the first sign of trouble.

During a public trial, the royal family sat under a tent slightly removed from the platform, seated in luxurious chairs as they listened to the criminals’ pleas before passing judgment.
However, in public trials, the verdict had never been anything but execution.

The one drawing the most attention was a man in tattered rags standing at the center of the platform. His chestnut-colored hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in bruises that had turned a deep blue-purple. His arms, shackled behind him, were twisted into unnatural angles.

Other humans stood on the platform as well, but none bore the marks of torture as severely as the man in the center. However, there was another figure that drew attention—a massive bear beastman, fitted with an iron muzzle, whose presence filled the spectators with fear.

All the captured beastmen criminals wore iron muzzles. The beastmen living in Dias, including the beast soldiers standing guard, watched the sight of so many of their kind imprisoned with dark expressions.

A brass instrument blared through the air.

King Augustin appeared, followed by the concubine Geoffrey. After them, the adult princes—First Prince Samuel and Second Prince Hugo—emerged. However, the absence of Third Prince Asher was immediately noticed. Queen Angela was also nowhere to be seen, causing murmurs to spread among the crowd.

“Queen Angela and Prince Asher are unwell and will be absent from the trial.”

The official overseeing the trial declared loudly. The murmurs grew louder.

“What in the world…?”
“Could something have happened to Queen Angela and Prince Asher?”
“I heard they captured beast bandits… is it related to this incident…?”

The nobles aligned with the queen turned pale and exchanged uneasy glances amongst themselves.

As the unrest continued, the official once again raised his voice and began reading out the charges.

“We now begin the trial of Rashad Yuan Clarke, the mastermind behind the illegal intrusion into the castle, the abduction of the Third Prince, and the attempted murder of the Third Prince! Furthermore, these criminals are also suspected of involvement in the attack on Concubine Geoffrey’s carriage!”

A wave of shock rippled through the square.

“Murder…? Is Prince Asher safe!?”
“That man… that’s Marquis Clarke!?”
“A beastman trying to kill a royal!?”
“Of all things… against the royal family of Dias!!”

No one knew who threw it first.

A single stone struck the head of the massive bear beastman on the platform with a dull thud.
Just one small rock.

But that was enough.

One after another, the crowd began pelting stones at the criminals.

“Hey! Stop that! Stop it now!”
“Step back—!!”
“We beastmen can live peacefully thanks to this country, and yet you…!!”
“Don’t throw stones!”
“Kill them! Kill them!”

The ones throwing stones weren’t just humans. The beastmen of Dias, enraged, hurled insults at the criminals as well. However, among them, some looked at their captured kin with pity.

Amid the chaos, Samuel rose from his chair and shouted.

“Silence!!”

The furious command from the First Prince silenced the crowd instantly.

“…Everyone, remain quiet.”

As Samuel flashed a smile at the people, no one dared to defy him. Even the queen’s faction of nobles fell silent, their gazes locked on him.

In the hushed stillness, the sharp sound of heels echoed against the stone ground.

A figure appeared, golden hair fluttering, long lashes casting shadows over blue eyes as they glanced around.

“…Asher?”

Samuel’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and all at once, the crowd turned their gazes toward Asher.

“…M-my apologies for the delay.”

With Asher’s appearance, the tension among the beastmen—and even among those who harbored ill will toward him—eased into visible relief.

“Why are you here…? I told you to rest.”

Concerned, Samuel placed a hand on Asher’s shoulder and pulled him close.

“Thank you. But… for the victim to be absent from the trial…”
“I told you before, didn’t I? They’ll all be executed. You have nothing to worry about.”

…So I didn’t mishear after all.

Asher’s expression darkened slightly as he bit his lip.
He had hoped that Samuel’s words earlier had been a mistake.

“Executing all of them…?”
“They tried to kill a royal. It’s only natural.”

Though Samuel smiled, his golden eyes were chillingly cold, sending a shiver down Asher’s spine.

Looking at Marquis Clarke and the captured beast bandits on the platform, Asher felt his breath hitch.
The memories of his own capture resurfaced vividly.

“…Asher, you look pale. You should return to your room after all.”
“…………No, I’m fine. Samuel-niiue… those beastman criminals, their mouths are sealed shut… They won’t be able to speak like that, will they?”
“…………”

Samuel let out a troubled chuckle before stroking Asher’s cheek.

“In any case… if you insist on attending, don’t push yourself. You can leave partway through if needed.”

Gently supporting Asher’s waist, Samuel guided him to sit in one of the royal chairs.

Hugo, seated beside him, furrowed his brows the moment he saw Asher.

“Asher.”

His name was called in a low voice. Asher immediately turned toward the speaker.

“Are you feeling better?”

Asher hadn’t expected Hugo to speak to him. He froze, staring at the side of King Augustin’s face.

“…Ah, y-yes… I apologize for worrying you.”
“I see.”

Breaking his gaze from Marquis Clarke, King Augustin looked into Asher’s eyes for just a brief moment.
Since the royal family’s meal after Asher’s fall from his horse, this was the first time he had met the king again.

The golden eyes, identical to Samuel’s, quietly examined Asher before returning to the criminal before him.

“Continue.”

At the king’s order, the official flinched and hurriedly scanned his documents.

“Bring Rashad Yuan Clarke forward!”

A soldier kicked the ragged man’s back, sending him sprawling forward. He coughed violently, but Asher, clenching his fists, didn’t look away.

“Stand up, now!”

With his broken arms unusable, Marquis Clarke struggled to rise. All eyes in the square focused on him as he slowly lifted his face, staring directly at King Augustin with a smile.

“…Where is the queen?”

The moment he spoke, a soldier moved to strike him, but the king raised his hand, stopping him.

“Why do you ask?”

For two days, Marquis Clarke had been subjected to relentless torture without uttering a single word.
His unseen wounds were likely far worse than the visible bruises.

“I was simply hoping to express my gratitude… for revealing the hidden passage leading to Asher-sama’s chambers.”

Gasps rippled through the square, but Clarke continued.

“Thanks to Queen Angela’s assistance, I was able to successfully abduct Asher-sama…”
“Why would my queen aid someone who sought to kill her own son?”
“Who knows? But perhaps she wanted Asher-sama dead.”

Unlike the stunned crowd, King Augustin remained entirely unshaken.

Asher, however, was overwhelmed by shock at the claim that his mother had aided Clarke.
Yet the king firmly dismissed it.

“Ridiculous. Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?”

Marquis Clarke’s smile faltered. His expression twisted as he spat out his next words.

“King… You see nothing. That’s why you lost her!”
“You claim I lost something?”

Tension filled the air as the king leaned forward, his golden eyes piercing through Clarke like a blade.

And then Clarke shouted.

“King! You failed to see Queen Angela’s wickedness—because of that, you lost Queen Fred! Angela murdered Fred!!”

A heavy silence fell upon the crowd.

At the shocking accusation, not only the citizens but also the nobles and even the members of the royal family widened their eyes in astonishment.

“The death of Queen Fred… was at the hands of Queen Angela, who disguised herself as a maid and—”

“……Hah.”

Clarke’s words were cut short.

He had been ready to loudly proclaim the truth, to denounce the foolish king—
Yet, the very king he sought to ridicule was now laughing.

“Ahaha…! Angela killed Fred? Of all the things you could have said… how utterly foolish.”

“Wha…!? The fool here is you! I saw it with my own eyes! That woman was near Queen Fred right after she gave birth to Prince Samuel—”

“And what of it?”

“…What…?”

“Fred was frail and knew she wouldn’t survive childbirth. There was no need for anyone to kill her when she was bound to die on her own.”

“What are you saying…!?”

“I never imagined your reasoning would be so ridiculous… To think my son was manipulated by a man like you… How utterly distasteful. A waste of time—execute them all.”

At the king’s command, the soldiers simultaneously drew their swords and stepped forward.

Samuel, who had been standing beside Asher, swiftly unsheathed his sword and advanced toward the platform.
Before Clarke, who continued to shout incomprehensible words at the king, Samuel smiled.

The beast bandits struggled to escape, but their chains prevented them from moving.
Tears welled up in their eyes as they desperately tried to open their iron-muzzled mouths, attempting to plead—
But their voices could not reach anyone.

“──Prepare to strike.”

The soldiers gave a ruthless command.

Some spectators watched with excitement, eager for the execution to begin.
Others turned pale and looked away.

And just as the final order was about to be given—

“Wait!!”

One person stood up and shouted.

Their voice trembled, sweat trickling down their face.

“Father… Your Majesty, please! Wait!”

Asher’s mind had gone completely blank.

But before he knew it, his body had moved on its own, and he had shouted with all his might.

He fixed his gaze on King Augustin’s profile, his voice filled with desperation as he pleaded once more.

“Your Majesty, I beg you.”

Slowly, the golden eyes turned toward him.

Those fearsome, commanding eyes—just meeting them made Asher want to run away.

Yet he suppressed the urge to flee, forcing himself to stare straight back at King Augustin.