──────・・・・・・
The tournament was not just for the nobility—arrangements had been made so that commoners could spectate as well. It was to be held in the arena, and the news that knights would be competing had set the city abuzz.
It was the first large event since Asher’s birthday festival, and the people were filled with excitement.
Moreover, since the elusive Fana’ara Temple Knights were also participating, some were particularly eager to catch a glimpse of them. While some knights remained concealed by their helmets, most of those who had revealed their faces were strikingly handsome.
However, the biggest topic of conversation was neither the temple knights nor the black knights—it was Theodore, the hero, and Prince Samuel’s participation in the tournament.
“Did you hear? Lord Theodore is competing!”
“The hero, Theodore?”
“I’ve always wanted to see his swordsmanship in action.”
“Theodore is surprising, but Prince Samuel is competing as well.”
People murmured excitedly, eagerly anticipating the tournament.
And among those looking forward to it—was Asher.
As he worked on documents, he turned to Theodore, who was waiting quietly in the room.
“I heard from Ward that a lot of participants withdrew once they found out you were joining the tournament.”
Asher recalled how Ward had scoffed at the idea, saying that those knights simply didn’t want to embarrass themselves by losing in front of the public.
He had also asked Ward if he would be participating.
“Well, I haven’t been training as much lately, and the winner does get a reward, so…”
“So, are you joining?”
“Nah, I think I’ll sit this one out. I’ve got some work lined up.”
“Work?”
“Yeah. A new department is about to be established, so I’ve got some preparations to do… Well, that’s the official excuse, anyway.”
With a mischievous grin, Ward admitted that he had secretly made plans to meet with one of the temple knights he had gotten close to during the welcoming banquet.
Even after all that chaos, how does he manage to pull something like that off…?
“Well, I am confident in my skills,” Theodore said.
“Of course you are. They call you a hero, after all.”
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
“We’re alone right now, you know.”
Asher looked up at him expectantly, but Theodore only smiled wryly.
“Right now, I am here as your knight, Your Highness… Besides, we must be cautious after what happened in the garden.”
“…”
Hearing that, Asher recalled his own thoughts from before.
I just told myself to be careful…
And yet, every time Theodore spoke to him so formally, it left an odd feeling in his chest.
Seeing the hint of disappointment on Asher’s face, Theodore gazed at him intently.
“…That’s why, at night, when I touch you… please allow me that one moment of disrespect.”
Asher blinked at him in confusion, but as soon as he understood the meaning behind those words, his face turned bright red.
“…Y-yes.”
For some reason, Theodore’s eyes seemed unusually heated as they lingered on him.
He doesn’t seem that different from usual… but somehow… somehow…
Feeling embarrassed, Asher quickly averted his gaze.
Desperate to change the subject, he searched for something else to talk about.
“Why did you decide to participate in the tournament?”
Theodore didn’t answer immediately. Asher, still avoiding his gaze, sneaked a glance at him.
“…The champion will be granted a reward from His Majesty.”
“Is there something you want?”
“…Can you not guess what it is?”
Theodore’s piercing gaze locked onto Asher’s.
A realization struck him—one that made his heart pound.
“…Wait… y-you can’t mean… me…?”
“You’re not wrong,” Theodore chuckled, “but I couldn’t very well say that outright.”
Asher’s heart nearly stopped.
“Previously, I looked into historical records about commoners marrying royalty,” Theodore continued. “There has never been a case of it happening, not even once. However… there have been a handful of instances where a commoner was granted a noble title by the king.”
If commoners and royalty could not marry—then a noble and royalty could.
“I will request a title from His Majesty,” Theodore said.
His unwavering gaze sent a shiver down Asher’s spine.
“I want the status that will allow me to formally propose to you… and when I win and that wish is granted—”
Theodore lowered his eyes, a soft smile curving his lips.
“I will ask for your hand in marriage.”
Asher’s face burned, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
It was as if Theodore had already proposed to him.
The sheer joy of it was overwhelming.
“…Whether you accept or not is entirely up to you.”
“I’ll marry you, Theodore!”
Asher shot up from his chair, declaring it at full volume.
“…Ah.”
Realizing what he had just blurted out, he clamped his mouth shut. He had spoken as if Theodore had already won, as if the proposal had already been made. His face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Theodore, watching him fondly, smiled.
“I will win, without fail. So… please wish for my victory.”
“…I will.”
Theodore was going to fight—and win—just to be with him.
It’s like something out of a romance tale… I never thought something like this would happen to me.
His heart pounded, his body felt warm.
Theodore is just too cool… I feel like my chest is going to explode.
The joy, the embarrassment—he didn’t know how to put this feeling into words.
Until the day of the tournament, Asher’s heart was filled with excitement.
He pictured a future where he and Theodore stood together, smiling, blessed by those around them.
He had no doubt.
Theodore would win.
──────・・・・・・
With a series of loud bursts, fireworks lit up the sky, trailing white smoke.
The streets bustled with people heading toward the tournament grounds.
Nobles had traveled from far and wide, some coming in carriages from distant lands, just to witness this event. The arena overflowed with spectators.
After all, it wasn’t every day that they had the chance to see a battle between the black knights of Dias and the temple knights of Fana’ara.
This wasn’t just an event for the commoners—nobles from neighboring countries, including royalty, had also come to watch.
Asher only realized how huge this tournament had become when he saw foreign royals being led to the viewing balcony where King Augustin sat.
“Your Majesty, King of Dias.”
“…You are from Maharanome, are you not?”
“Yes, I am Bernard, the second prince of Maharanome.”
“Your Majesty, I am the fourth prince of Dornisua…”
One by one, foreign royalty paid their respects to King Augustin.
Among them, several princes who had already greeted the king were now staring at Asher.
The intensity of their gazes made Asher shrink back, trying to make himself less noticeable.
But the foreign princes were captivated—seeing Asher up close for the first time, they were mesmerized by his golden hair, his porcelain skin, and his jewel-like blue eyes that shimmered like precious gems.
One of them, his face slightly flushed, spoke up.
“This is our first meeting… Are you Prince Asher, the third prince of Dias?”
A tall man with deep violet hair smiled as he addressed him.
Asher, who had been desperately praying that no one would talk to him, forced a strained smile and nodded.
“Yes… It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“As expected, the rumors were true… No, you are even more beautiful than I had heard. I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”
“N-not at all… um… thank you.”
Asher bowed slightly, flustered.
In that moment, the gathered princes all fell even deeper under his spell.
“I actually came to this tournament under the pretense of diplomacy… but in truth, I really came to meet you, Prince Asher.”
“Huh?”
“I am Bernard of Maharanome. You responded to my letter, and I do agree—it would be too soon to discuss marriage when we barely know each other. That is why, moving forward, I hope we can become friends first.”
“If that’s the case, then I must say the same! Prince Asher, I am Rayban, first prince of Lakatza! Before anything else, I would like to form a friendship with you!”
“Prince Asher! I, too—”
One after another, foreign princes gathered around him, overwhelming Asher.
“A-ah…”
Normally, Theodore would step in and save him in situations like this, but he wasn’t present—he was preparing for the tournament.
And since his conversation partners were all royalty, he couldn’t simply turn them away.
Just as he was beginning to panic, someone took his hand.
“Asher, come sit next to me.”
The sudden interference made the surrounding princes furrow their brows.
“And you are…?”
“My little brother doesn’t like being surrounded like this. Besides, today is a tournament for knights, not a royal gathering.”
“Hugo… aniue?”
The moment Asher uttered his name, the gathered princes widened their eyes in shock.
Hugo wasn’t dressed like a prince at all—his hood was pulled deep over his face, but beneath it, his red hair and golden eyes, the same as King Augustin’s, were visible.
“You must be… Prince Hugo, the second prince of Dias.”
“I had never seen you in person before, as unlike Prince Samuel, you rarely attend diplomatic gatherings.”
This time, their gazes toward Hugo turned cold.
Asher was startled—there was a clear difference in how they treated him versus Hugo.
Then, in a hushed voice, someone muttered:
“…The prince born of a commoner woman dares to act high and mighty.”
The sheer audacity of those words made Asher open his mouth to protest, but before he could, Hugo tightened his grip on his hand and pulled him away.
“Come on, Asher.”
“Wait, Prince Asher and I haven’t finished our conversation.”
The foreign princes still attempted to stop him, but Asher turned back and smiled sweetly.
“I believe we’ve talked enough! My beloved Hugo has come to fetch me, so if you’ll excuse me!”
He wrapped his arms around Hugo’s and even leaned his cheek against his shoulder.
The princes froze, stunned by the sudden display.
It wasn’t just them—Hugo himself stiffened in shock.
“Alright, let’s go, Hugo!”
Still scowling from the earlier insult, Asher pulled Hugo along forcefully. Once they had gained enough distance, he finally let go of his hand.
“Hugo, you saved me. Thank you. But… why are you dressed like that?”
“…”
“Hugo?”
When Asher looked up, Hugo had a strangely complicated expression on his face.
“Uh, well…”
“…?”
“I was trying to help, but it looks like I made you feel like you had to put on a show instead. My bad for making you lie.”
“…Lie?”
“…Never mind.”
Asher tilted his head, confused, as Hugo let out a small, awkward laugh—the most flustered he had ever looked.
“Forget it.”
The royal viewing area was divided into several private sections, functioning like individual rooms.
After settling into one of them, Asher and Hugo were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a certain energetic person.
“Asher niiiiisama!!”
“Hm? Noah?”
“Whoa!?”
Noah came barreling in, throwing himself at Asher. In the process, Hugo, who had been sitting casually, was knocked off balance and fell to the floor.
Meanwhile, Noah swiftly took the now-empty seat next to Asher and clung to his arm, beaming.
“I want to sit next to Asher niisama!”
“Uh… Hugo, are you okay?”
“You little—Noah!”
“Hugo niisama, you can sit on the other side. I want to sit next to Asher niisama.”
“Fine, whatever, but did you really have to shove me!?”
“That’s punishment for leaving me behind.”
“W-well… anyway, how did you even find us, Noah?”
“It’s easy! Hugo niisama has been wearing weird clothes lately, so it was obvious where he was.”
“You’ve been dressing like this often?”
“It’s none of your business what I wear!”
Hugo huffed and turned away. Seeing that, Asher decided it was best not to press further.
Just then, the sound of wind instruments filled the air.
A man stood in the center of the arena, raising his voice to make an announcement.
The tournament had begun.
Pinky says: Funny story, Noah is actually a descendant of an ancient bloodline of bloodhound, specifically a type that was used to find outfits. This type of hound was kept in a palace in ancient times and used when the concubines of the king would hide from their servants when they were asked to take their daily fish (At the time, concubines were required to swallow a goldfish whole everyday as it was thought to decrease their tendency to scheme.) the dogs could smell their “wacky outfits” and would lead the goldfish bringer to them.
Little Pink Starfish 
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