Little Pink Starfish

King Augustin entered the room, followed closely by Queen Angela, who wore a sombre expression.
Everyone present bowed their heads before moving to their respective seats, but Asher hesitated.

Where should I sit…?

The seating arrangement dictated that those of higher status sat closer to the king. However, now that Asher had lost his right to the throne, he was unsure of his placement.
As he hesitated, Samuel spoke to him.

“Asher, sit here. Since Queen Angela is present, you should sit beside her.”
“Eh… but that seat is…”

That was the Crown Prince’s seat.
However, neither King Augustin nor anyone else objected.
Samuel pulled out the chair for him, and after a brief hesitation, Asher quietly took his seat. Samuel then sat beside him.
This meant that Hugo sat directly across from Asher, making him freeze once again.

Mother to my right, Samuel-niiue to my left… and directly in front of me is Hugo-niiue… I don’t know where to look…

As Asher struggled with his awkward predicament, knights positioned themselves around the table, swords at their sides, standing at attention.
Among them was Theodore, but this was not a situation where he could rely on him for help.

Shrinking into his seat, Asher cast his gaze downward. Then, a small voice came from his right.

“…I made you worry, Asher.”

Lifting his head, he turned to Queen Angela.
However, she refused to meet his eyes, her gaze fixed downward.

King Augustin cleared his throat, raising a glass in one hand.
Hurriedly, Asher picked up his own glass, watching as the king held his high.

“For the prosperity of the kingdom.”

The other royals followed suit, repeating the words and taking a sip from their glasses.
The meal was then brought to the table.

Only the sound of cutlery clinking against plates echoed through the silent room.

…This is so awkward.

No one spoke. The atmosphere was suffocating.
Asher wanted to talk more with Queen Angela, but the tension in the air made it impossible to start a conversation.

Meanwhile, Noah sat there, happily enjoying his meal.
Watching him, Asher felt a twinge of envy.

“…It has been a long time since the royal family has dined together.”

The unexpected voice that broke the silence belonged to Geoffrey.

“Queen Angela, I am relieved to see that your health has improved.”

The air grew even more strained, even among the knights.
It was well known that Angela and Geoffrey did not get along.
Rather, it was more accurate to say that Queen Angela outright despised Geoffrey.
Because of that, Geoffrey had always avoided unnecessary conversation with her.

“If you consider what happened to Prince Asher, it’s only natural that his mother, Queen Angela, would have fallen ill.”
“What are you trying to say? Do you intend to disgrace me in front of His Majesty?”
“…No. But since we are all gathered here for a meal, is it not acceptable to express genuine concern?”
“Concern? You, for me?”

Angela scoffed, placing her fork down.

Asher, watching nervously, glanced at King Augustin, but the king continued his meal as if nothing was happening.

“How absurd… You must have been delighted when Asher lost his claim to the throne. But let me make one thing clear—your son, a mere commoner by blood, will never be granted the right to the throne—”
“Enough! Let’s just be honest with each other already!”

Bang!

Geoffrey slammed his glass onto the table, making Angela—along with Asher, the knights, and everyone else in the room—flinch.

“W-What an outrageous display… This is disgraceful in front of His Majesty.”
“You keep going on and on about commoners, so I thought I’d speak in the ‘rough and crude’ manner you seem to expect from us.”
“Y-You…! Your Majesty, are you going to allow this?!”

Seeking help, Angela turned to King Augustin.
The king let out a sigh before looking at Geoffrey.

“Geoffrey.”
“If we had spoken openly from the start, maybe none of this would have happened. Do you not feel sorry for Prince Asher?”

Asher remained frozen, staring at Geoffrey in disbelief.

Is this really the same calm and reserved Geoffrey I’ve always known…?

“Besides… royal succession? Hugo as king? Don’t be ridiculous! Who would let that happen? There’s no way a muscle-headed fool like him could ever be king.”
“Hey! That’s my son you’re talking about!”
“And Noah! He’s adorable and precious! I want him to grow up freely, to one day find a wonderful wife or husband and live happily! If he becomes king, he’ll turn out like that idiot over there!”

Geoffrey jabbed a finger directly at King Augustin, shouting:

“We’ve never wanted the right to the throne in the first place!!”

Silence fell over the room.
Breathing heavily, Geoffrey finally lowered his hand.

“…No, I mean… not an idiot exactly… More like… His Majesty…”
“Did you just… call His Majesty an idiot?”

Angela stood in stunned silence, while Asher remained frozen.

King Augustin finally intervened.

“Geoffrey.”
“…Sorry. That was too harsh. But I was genuinely worried. If something like what happened to Prince Asher were to happen to Hugo or Noah… I don’t even want to imagine it. As a fellow parent… I was simply concerned.”
“…Did you hear that, Angela?”

King Augustin turned to Queen Angela.
She hesitated for a moment before looking at Geoffrey.

Then, slowly, she spoke.

“It’s true… When Asher was kidnapped… I felt like I was dying inside… If something had happened to him… I would have taken my own life…”
“…Mother!?”

For the first time, Queen Angela looked directly at Asher.

“…I’m truly relieved that you’re safe, Asher.”
“…!”

Seeing his mother’s teary eyes, Asher found himself at a loss for words.

However, her gaze quickly turned sharp once more as she looked back at Geoffrey.

“But I do not need concern from a commoner! And insulting His Majesty in a public setting—know your place!”
“…Angela.”
“Hah?! You grow arrogant when shown a little kindness… But a fool is still a fool.”
“Geoffrey! Enough! Both of you, be silent!”
“Let me speak! If people don’t talk openly, they end up suspicious like that foolish marquis!”

Just as the tension reached its peak, someone abruptly stood up.

“…Uwaaaah!!”

Noah suddenly threw himself into Hugo’s arms and burst into tears.

“…Noah, it’s alright. Calm down.”
“I’m scared…!”

Clinging tightly to Hugo, Noah sobbed loudly.

Both Geoffrey and Angela fell silent, looking awkward.

“Noah… It’s okay.”

Asher spoke gently.
Noah lifted his tear-streaked face, then crawled under the table and clung to Asher’s legs.

“Uuuh… Asher-niisama…”
“There, there… Um, Geoffrey-sama, Mother… You’re not really angry, right?”
“But…”
“Uh… right?”

Faced with Noah’s pleading, teary eyes, Asher desperately sought confirmation from the two adults.

Looking guilty, Geoffrey nodded.
Angela, though avoiding his gaze, did not deny it.

“…I’m sorry, Noah. I shouldn’t have raised my voice. Come back here.”
“…”

Still sniffling, Noah climbed onto Asher’s lap and clung tightly to him.

“Noah, you’re troubling Prince Ash…”
“Uuuh! Uuuuh!”
“Ah, it’s fine. It’s really okay.”

As Noah buried his face in Asher’s chest, the atmosphere around the table shifted.

Geoffrey and Angela were silent, Samuel remained uninterested, Hugo looked exasperated, and King Augustin—who had just been called an “idiot”—sat in the middle of it all.

…This is chaos… absolute chaos.

As Asher sat there feeling overwhelmed, a sudden sound broke the silence.

Someone was laughing.

Everyone turned to look.
A figure shook with suppressed laughter, shoulders trembling as they covered their mouth.

Then, in a loud burst, the person laughed freely.

It was none other than King Augustin.
Everyone in the room stared at him in shock.