Little Pink Starfish

The rumor gradually took root in the beastmen’s minds, leaving behind a deep sense of unease. As the rumors grew more and more extreme, they became impossible to ignore.

Beastmen began to claim they had personally suffered harm, making the rumors feel increasingly real. The more they investigated, the clearer it became—despite being royalty, the third prince had been engaging in discrimination against beastmen, something that was supposed to be forbidden.

And yet, that very same third prince had been granted a position in the line of succession, ahead of even the second prince, Hugo, second only to Samuel.

For now, with Crown Prince Samuel still present, he was the one next in line for the throne. However, it was well known that there was a power struggle between the Crown Prince’s faction and the Queen’s faction.

──And furthermore.

“I heard Prince Asher often says it, as if it were his catchphrase… That if he becomes king, he’ll change this country, which forbids discrimination against us beastmen… So that’s why… we…”

Speaking with his eyes closed, Art had no way of knowing what kind of expression Asher was making.

He couldn’t see how pale Asher had become, how he was biting his lip as if trying to endure something.

Hearing Art speak of the reality faced by the entire beastman race, Asher didn’t know what to say. His face grew paler and paler.

He understood now—the reason things had reached this point was because of his own past actions.

Asher fought against the dizziness threatening to consume him. Even if he had been manipulated by Clark, it was still Asher himself who had ordered countless cruel acts against the beastmen.

“Beastmen are such disgusting creatures. If I had been born as one, I’d kill myself! Haha! Hey, you!! Don’t come near me with that flea-ridden body!! You filthy monster!!”

“Prince Asher, the Kingdom of Dias forbids discrimination against beastmen… And those over there are soldiers of the Beast Army—”

“Shut up!! When I become king, I’ll get rid of that nonsense!”

The memory resurfaced—his own voice, shouting for all the Beast Army soldiers around him to hear.

Asher clenched his fists tightly.

But how had his words reached beastmen outside the country?

How had even the factional struggles between the Crown Prince and the Queen become known?

His grip tightened so much that his nails dug into his palm.

Noticing, Theodore immediately grasped Asher’s hand.

“…Your Highness!”
“Ah…”

Only then did Asher realize that blood was beginning to seep from his palm.

At the same moment, Marquis Clark entered his field of vision.

If anyone could have easily spread information about Asher and the situation within the castle, it would have been Marquis Clark.

Their gazes met, and Clark narrowed his eyes slightly.

A question formed in Asher’s mind.

──Why had Marquis Clark wanted Asher to hate beastmen?

Like a curse, Clark had continuously instilled hatred for beastmen in Asher.

But why?

“…It wasn’t that you wanted me to hate beastmen, was it?”

Asher murmured the question, but Clark’s expression remained unchanged.

“You… You made them hate me instead.”

It had gone exactly as Clark had planned.

The beastmen had come to despise Asher.

And when the time was right, Clark had likely reached out to them, offering them a chance to act.

Asher shifted his gaze away from Clark and looked at the captured beastmen.

The beastmen, trembling in fear of death before him, were just like Asher.

Clark had made fools of them, used them, and now they had been reduced to pitiful criminals waiting to die.

This is wrong…
──This is completely wrong!!

“Your Majesty…!”

Turning around, Asher met King Augustin’s gaze head-on. The king’s expression was unchanged as he looked back at him.

“Are you satisfied? Then the execution will proceed.”
“Please, wait! They—”
“No matter the reason, they still attempted to kill a royal.”
“That’s…”

The king’s cold gaze turned away from Asher and toward Samuel.

Realizing what was about to happen, Asher grabbed onto Samuel’s sword arm.

“Asher… stop this. You know the truth as well.”
“Samuel, please! Please wait!!”

Asher’s desperate resistance on the platform caused confusion among the onlookers.

Though Art’s story had earned some sympathy, the fact remained that the beastmen had attempted to kill a member of the royal family. Their deaths were unavoidable.

More than that, many struggled to understand why Asher—the very person they had tried to kill—was defending them.

Even the captured beastmen themselves were bewildered.

“If they are to be punished, then shouldn’t I also atone for my crimes?!”
“What are you saying, Asher?!”
“Samuel, you heard it all just now! You know what I did to them! If I hadn’t treated them so horribly, none of this would have happened! …Everyone here knows it!! Taking their lives is wrong!!”

Asher’s shouts sent ripples through the crowd, but King Augustin remained unmoved. With a sigh, he stood up.

The moment he did, all eyes turned toward him.

“Third Prince Asher. It is true that, despite being royalty, you once conducted yourself in a manner unbefitting of your status, treating beastmen with cruelty. However—our investigation has determined that these actions were the result of manipulation by Rashad Yuan Clark.”

A loud stir spread through the crowd.

People exchanged confused glances, waiting for the king’s next words.

Asher, just like the others, was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“From your early childhood, using his position as your tutor, Clark administered a mysterious drug to you. The records show that from the age of five, he was giving you this drug… in order to control you as he pleased.”

How… does Father know about this…?

“What is the meaning of this…?”
“What is His Majesty saying…?”
“Prince Asher… was being controlled…?”

The murmurs of the people grew louder.

As Asher stood frozen in shock, the king continued.

“…If there is any blame to be placed upon you, it is all the fault of that fool standing there. To use an unknown drug on a royal child and strip them of their will—such an act is utterly disgraceful.”

Though the people remained confused, their eyes gradually turned toward Clark.

King Augustin, stroking his beard, slowly walked forward toward the platform.

Samuel, watching his approach, frowned.

“…Your Majesty…?”
“Samuel. Give me your sword.”
“But—”
“I said, give it to me.”

Taking the sword from Samuel, the king removed the cloth gagging Marquis Clark and looked down at him coldly.

“…Toying with a young child as if he were a mere plaything. You must have enjoyed yourself greatly.”
“…A child born of that woman was nothing but a betrayal to Lord Fred! My only regret is that I failed to kill Prince Asher… I have no fear of death. At last, I will be reunited with Lord Fred!”

Clark let out a loud laugh.

King Augustin reached into his chest and pulled out a chain from around his neck.

Clark furrowed his brows suspiciously.

But the moment he saw what was hanging from the chain, he stiffened in shock.

A faint clicking sound was heard.

Clark’s eyes widened, his body trembling violently.

The onlookers, unable to understand what had just happened, tilted their heads in confusion.

Asher, too, watched in bewilderment.

Leaning in close to Clark’s ear, King Augustin whispered something.

Whatever it was, it made Clark’s face contort in agony.

“No… No!! That’s a lie!!”

Clark began to struggle violently, but the soldiers held him down.

Raising the sword high, the king declared:

“Rashad Yuan Clark. You are guilty of treason against the royal family. I, King of Dias, sentence you to death by my own hand.”

And just like that, Clark’s life was ended.

The raised sword came down with a heavy thud, severing Marquis Clark’s head from his body.

A spray of red blood filled the air.

Asher froze at the sight of a human life being extinguished before him.

His body stiffened, then soon began to tremble.

Just as he staggered, Theodore stepped in to support him.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Ah…”

Asher’s gaze drifted down to the pool of blood spreading at his feet.

A wave of dizziness washed over him as his blood ran cold.

“…Do not waste any more time dragging this out.”

King Augustin’s voice cut through Asher’s trembling state, filled with contempt.

He flicked Clark’s blood off the sword and turned toward the gathered crowd.

“What do you think public executions are for? It is to serve as a warning—to show what happens to those who dare oppose the royal family. It is to ensure no more fools like this appear in the future.”

His golden eyes gleamed with terrifying sharpness as they bore into Asher.

“Even now, do you still claim that I am wrong?”

Asher opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

His voice caught in his throat.

Because in reality, the king was not wrong.

No matter the reason, the beast bandits had committed treason.

By law, their execution was justified.

It had been foolish of Asher to believe he could overturn his father’s decision.

In the end, he had achieved nothing.

All he had done was ascend the platform, give false hope to the beastmen trembling in fear of death, and ultimately let them down.

──In the end, no matter what I do, everything turns out for the worse.

──I wanted to change myself, to stop being so passive.

──But no matter what I do, nothing has meaning.

──Why is it always me who suffers?

──What could I have done as a child?

The thoughts spun endlessly in his mind.

There was no strength left in him to defy his father.

And yet, the words that left Asher’s mouth next were ones even he hadn’t expected.

“Yes, you are wrong.”

A loud, resounding slap echoed through the hall.

King Augustin had struck Asher across the face.

“Your Highness!”
“Your Majesty, please stop!! The people are watching…!”

Theodore shouted, shielding Asher, while Samuel grabbed the king’s arm.

“If you insist on saying that much, then you shall bear responsibility as well.”

King Augustin’s voice was cold as ice as he continued.

“The beast bandits’ sentence will be reduced from death to permanent exile. Should they ever set foot in Dias again, they will be executed on sight.

“And the third prince, Asher, will be stripped of his right to the throne—permanently!”

With that, King Augustin turned on his heel and strode away, violently shaking off Samuel’s grasp.

“Your Majesty! Please wait! Your Majesty—!”

His aides hurriedly followed after him, while the remaining soldiers, citizens, and prisoners alike erupted into chaos.

The nobles in the Queen’s faction turned deathly pale, utterly shocked by what had just happened.

Asher pressed a hand to his burning cheek as he watched his father’s retreating figure.

“Your Highness… are you alright?”

Theodore’s voice was filled with concern, but Asher did not respond.

And he was not the only one staring at the king in disbelief.

Samuel, Queen Geoffrey, and Hugo all looked on in shock, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

“…Father overturned a verdict he had already passed…”

Samuel murmured to himself, letting out a bitter smile before quickly regaining composure and issuing orders to the soldiers.

“Take the prisoners to the dungeon.”

For the first time in Dias’ history, a public execution had ended with a sentence other than death.