Little Pink Starfish

“…Who is it?”

“Asher…”

“Who are you trying to catch!?”

“I get how you feel. But Sam said it, didn’t he? Stay out of this.”

“Why!? It’s true I no longer have the right of succession, but I’m still a prince of this country…”

Outraged, Asher shouted. There was no way he could stay silent after seeing Theodore dragged into this without a single word of explanation.

“Tell me, Brother Hugo! Who in the House of Lords—”

He was suddenly wrapped from behind, cutting off his words. Gently, Theodore embraced Asher and spoke to Hugo.

“…Prince Hugo, aren’t you in a hurry as well?”

“Hey, Theodore, what are you—”

“…I went on and blabbed, but if Sam finds out I told you, he’ll kill me…”

“I have a right to know…!”

“Yeah, you do. That’s why I told you. You have the right to know, and it’s only natural you’re angry… but you don’t need to do anything about it. On that point, I agree with Sam.”

Hugo stood abruptly and began walking out of the infirmary. But just before opening the door, he turned back to Asher with a scowl.

“…Anyway, you just wait here without worrying about anything.”

Muttering that, Hugo left the room.

Now alone with Theodore in the quiet room, even though they were embracing, the air between them wasn’t sweet.

“……”

“…Asher.”

Whirling around, Asher glared up at Theodore.

“What did you talk about before I got here!? Do you know what’s going on!?”

“…Just as Prince Samuel said, I also don’t agree with having you attend the assembly.”

“So even you won’t tell me anything!?”

Asher, shocked that even Theodore would side with Samuel, wore a deeply hurt expression.

Theodore gently cupped his face and pressed their foreheads together.

Asher’s blue, watery eyes glared up at him in protest. Theodore slowly closed his eyes and reached a hand around Asher’s back.

“…That resolve you showed back then—I’ve burned it into my eyes, and engraved your words into my heart…”

“N-now’s not the time to bring that u—mmph.”

His lips were sealed.

Asher tried to push against Theodore’s chest, but he didn’t budge.

“Ngh… nn…”

His mouth was thoroughly invaded, robbing him of words. Gradually, Asher’s strength faded, and despite his will, he gave in and leaned against Theodore.

Pressed down onto the infirmary bed, he wrapped his arms around Theodore’s neck. Then, with a soft chu, his lips were gently sucked one last time. Asher opened his eyes to find Theodore smiling sheepishly.

“…It’s true that Prince Samuel’s methods have problems, but… I understand his motive.”

“…Huh?”

“It’ll be over soon. So, wait here.”

“Wait here…?”

Before Asher could finish, Theodore sprang from the bed and, leaving Asher behind, dashed out of the infirmary with a crack—something breaking in his wake.

Asher heard the door close—and then a click as it was locked. He quickly got up and ran to the door.

He tried to open it, but it had been broken—he rattled the doorknob desperately.

“Theodore? What is this… What’s going on? Why are you locking me in?”

Theodore’s voice came through the door but gave no answer to Asher’s question.

“Vex, stand guard here and watch His Highness. I’m heading to the House of Lords. I’ll be back soon.”

“Understood.”

“Theodore!”

“No matter what His Highness says, don’t let him out of that room.”

“Of course.”

Confused, Asher banged on the door and shouted Theodore’s name.

“Wait! Where are you going? Theodore, don’t tell me… is the meeting with the nobles today!?”

“Your Highness, please don’t worry.”

“You’re being ridiculous! Why are you doing this?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just let me out!”

Don! Asher hit the door with his fist, but there was no sign it would open.

He could hear Theodore talking to Vex again through the door, but the voice was too low to make out.

“Then, Your Highness. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Wait‼︎”

Asher shouted as Theodore’s footsteps moved away from the door—but they grew more and more distant until they vanished altogether.

Standing frozen in front of the door in the now silent room, Asher was dumbfounded.

“…There’s no way they could gather the nobles that quickly between yesterday and today…”

But then it hit him.

Normally, it would take days to summon nobles from their distant territories. But the nobles were already at the castle.

That’s right—under the pretext of the exhibition match with the temple knights, they had already been gathered. Hugo had said it was to lure someone into a trap.

“…They proposed an event to draw the nobles to the castle? So they could hold a meeting at any moment… A national crisis, they said… Just who… is Brother Samuel after…?”

──── There’s someone in the House of Lords they want to catch.

Asher had no idea who that could be.

He tried to picture the faces of all the nobles he could think of—but what could he really know, after being manipulated for so many years?

Baron Elperm…? No, Count Kasadia… or…

One man briefly crossed his mind.

Chestnut hair, charming face, a distinct laugh—a noble who had been closest to him. But that man was no longer alive.

“……”

A painful tightening in his solar plexus.

Just remembering made his chest feel unsettled. The more he tried to calm himself, the more unpleasant memories flickered in his mind.

Shaking them off, Asher slumped onto the bed.

“…I guess nobles are all liars.”

They smile with pasted-on faces and lie without a second thought.

‘Even if you don’t become king, you are still Prince Asher… I will serve you all the same.’

He couldn’t tell what was truth and what was a lie anymore. Even Count Dazmond, who had come to greet him yesterday, was the same.

His face wore a smile, but his eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.

‘But… it is a little disappointing. I truly believed Prince Asher would be king.’

Me, becoming king? What an obvious flattery… And those words weren’t even for the current me—but the me from before… …The former me?

Wasn’t Count Dazmond saying he had wanted that Asher—the one who despised beastmen—to become king?

Asher remembered how the nobles reacted at the arena yesterday.

Not all, but most showed clear disgust.

Their gazes treated Theodore like filth.

And now Theodore was walking into a den surrounded by those people—while Asher was left here doing nothing.

Samuel and Theodore—weren’t they being selfish?

He didn’t know their reasons. But still, to lock him up like this and not even ask for his thoughts—

A slow anger began to rise inside Asher.

──── Asher doesn’t need to do anything.
──── You don’t have to worry about anything anymore.
──── It’ll be over soon. Just wait here.

Riiip! With a sharp sound, Asher tore the bedsheet with force, then wordlessly continued tearing more and more.

“…In that movie, I think they tied a few knots along the way…”

Muttering to himself, Asher tied the strips together, fashioning a rope from the sheets.

Once he finished, he tied it to the bedpost and threw it out the window.

The wind tousled his hair. Thankfully, this was the third floor. Not too high.

…I saw a scene like this in a movie. Never thought the day would come when I did it. I mean, who even knows if these past-life memories are real—or just delusions from whatever drugged me out before…

With a self-deprecating smile, Asher looked down. Even from the third floor, it took courage to descend.

But without hesitation, he tossed the makeshift rope down and climbed over the window frame.

“…Better to fall and get hurt than sit around doing nothing.”

Besides… doing nothing was unbearable.

Taking a deep breath, Asher gripped the sheets tightly and slowly placed his foot against the castle wall.