Little Pink Starfish

Asher couldn’t tell what was happening around him, but he sensed in an instant that the air from Samuel’s direction had grown tense and sharp. In that atmosphere, Lord Geoffrey continued.

“…Pardon me, but I have spent many years by Prince Samuel’s side since he was young, along with Hugo. I know… how much Prince Samuel cared for Prince Asher.”

…Brother Samuel… cared for me…?

In Asher’s memories of childhood, there had been almost no interaction with Samuel. He had only ever watched from afar as Samuel played with Hugo.

“Of course, it wasn’t just Prince Asher—when the illegitimate Hugo or Noah were treated poorly, the one who was most angered… was also Prince Samuel. …And that Prince Samuel, from a young age, was observing the actions of the adults around him.”

Everyone listened quietly to Lord Geoffrey’s story. Asher couldn’t hide his confusion at the idea that Samuel had been thinking of him since childhood.

“His Majesty was at war with Murofusa at the time and could not spare much attention for Prince Samuel. The palace was in turmoil, split between those who sided with Queen Angela and those who sided with the young Prince Samuel. In that environment, by approaching the rival Prince Asher, he could observe how those around him reacted… Even at a young age, he was intelligent and understood well the behaviour expected of a crown prince…”

Then, a faint chuckle escaped Lord Geoffrey.

“Prince Asher, who had just been born, looked truly like an angel even from afar… Yet, due to the selfishness of the adults around him, Prince Samuel was unable to properly interact with his adorable little brother. I used to watch with him from a distance… It was quite pitiful.”

“…Lord Geoffrey…”

Samuel’s voice, slightly uncertain, tried to stop him, but Lord Geoffrey only chuckled.

“Once all the tangled relationships and Marquis Clarke’s misunderstanding were resolved, he was finally able to adore Prince Asher, just like Hugo and Noah. He thought he could shower you with love… But then his adorable little brother got snatched away by the Black Knight Theodore… right?”

“Don’t throw that at me! Mother! And I don’t remember Sam ever doting on me!!”

“When you were little, you were always clinging to Big Brother Sam, calling him ‘Sam, Sam’ all the time. You were such a brother-lover that even I, your mother, got jealous.”

“Stop it!”

Lord Geoffrey spoke cheerfully while Hugo shouted in protest.

As Asher could not open his eyes, he had no idea what kind of expressions King Augustin, Queen Angela, or Samuel were making. The tense atmosphere from earlier now felt slightly more relaxed—until Queen Angela addressed Samuel.

“In other words… you simply rushed your plans so Theodore wouldn’t steal Asher away?”

Her voice held a hint of exasperation. Samuel replied immediately.

“Well, I won’t deny it. Is there a problem?”

“P—Problem? Are you telling me that your ridiculous jealousy ruined the plan, even dragging the High Priest of Fana’ara into this?”

Queen Angela’s voice, mixed with shock and disbelief, rose in volume, and Noah, who was still crying on Asher’s chest, flinched.

Even King Augustin seemed exasperated and let out a deep sigh next to Asher.

“…It’s true I summoned Reachalf to protect Asher…”

“What did you tell the High Priest of Fana’ara!? After asking for his cooperation, you ended up in this mess… What will he say?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem… After all, the reason Reachalf came here was—”

At that moment, a commotion arose outside the room, and the door slammed open with a loud bang. Footsteps rushed directly into the room.

“Wait—ugh‼︎”

“My beloved red-haired chaaaaaaaaaan‼︎”

“Stop! Stop stop stop! Don’t hug me‼︎”

…Huh? Eh? Th-That voice just now… red-haired?

Asher doubted his ears. Could he have misheard? But it didn’t seem like a mistake.

“Geez! I forced myself to come to Dias thinking I could be with my red-haired darling, but I couldn’t see you at all! What have you been doing without me!? Honestly, such a sinful man… I love you!”

“Stop calling me that, you pervert‼︎ …Hey! Don’t rub your cheek on me—get off! Where are you touching!?”

“My red-haired darling after so long… Oh my… You’ve gotten even more manly… Haa, I love you.”

“S-Stop…! S-Sam! Help me‼︎”

Hugo, sounding truly terrified, called out for help. And the one referring to him as ‘red-haired darling’ was none other than Reachalf, the High Priest of Fana’ara.

What on earth…? Brother Hugo and Lord Reachalf…?

Asher, who could only hear the sounds, didn’t know what was happening to Hugo. But there was definitely a frantic struggle.

“…That saved me the trouble of explaining. As you can see, Lord Reachalf came here purely for his beloved Hugo, and in fact, I provided him with a convenient excuse to escape from the Fana’ara Temple. He has no complaints.”

“Are you talking about me? Oh, Your Majesty, Your Highness…”

“You bastard! Get off, you pervert‼︎”

Thud—a noise sounded. It was likely that Hugo had shoved Reachalf away.

“…To show such an indecent display in front of the royal family of Dias, please forgive me.”

……

Asher thought that King Augustin and Queen Angela must have the same expression on their faces as he did. For some reason, even without seeing it, he could picture Reachalf’s perfect smile.

“…Prince Hugo…? Then those rumours about you and Prince Samuel…”

“With Lord Samuel… and me? Your Highness, what a jest. I have a fine and adorable partner—Prince Hugo.”

“Who the hell is your partner!?”

“No need to be so shy…”

“Listen to what I’m saying!”

“…Ah, that’s right, we haven’t received His Majesty’s blessing yet. But a marriage to tie Fana’ara and Dias together isn’t a bad thing… Rest assured. Nothing can stand in our way, Red—Prince Hugo.”

“Ugh… Sam! See!? I told you not to bring him‼︎”

Hugo’s voice was more despairing than Asher had ever heard. As everyone was overwhelmed by Reachalf, King Augustin calmly questioned him.

“Lord Reachalf, what brings you here?”

“My apologies. I didn’t expect Prince Hugo to be present when I opened the door, so I got a bit carried away. In truth, the Black Knight Theodore was attempting to enter the underground cell where the Duchess of Veil is held, so I had my knights stop him.”

“What?”

Theodore!?

Eh? What’s going on?

Asher had noticed Theodore wasn’t here, but he hadn’t imagined something like that.

The clinking of metal echoed, and the sound of several people entering the room followed.

“It took a bit of effort, but once we informed him that Lord Asher’s condition had stabilised, he calmed down… I thought he would remain even more composed by staying near his mate, so I brought him here.”

“You shouldn’t have. What if he tried something strange with the defenceless Asher?”

“Beastmen would never commit such folly against an unconscious fated mate, Lord Samuel. …Unlike you.”

Samuel immediately reacted to that quiet mutter.

“You think I’d do something to Asher? He’s my brother. …I think it’s time you left.”

There was clear irritation in Samuel’s voice. Though he was told to leave, Reachalf didn’t seem to move.

A loud clank echoed.

“…Even if you’re the Crown Prince, isn’t that way of speaking to a High Priest disrespectful?”

“That’s enough, Deeta.”

“But…”

Hearing the voice of Deeta, the head of the Temple Knights, Asher realised that the metal sounds earlier had been armour.

So the Temple Knights know about Lord Reachalf’s behaviour… Ugh, there’s so much I want to ask, but my body won’t move… And…

Reachalf said he brought Theodore, meaning he should be in this room. Yet, Theodore hasn’t said a word.

Right now, Asher couldn’t even open his eyes. Anything was fine—he just wanted to hear Theodore’s voice, even a little.

“Besides bringing the Black Knight Theodore, I also have a report for His Majesty and Queen Angela… I’m glad you’re both here.”

“A report…?”

“Yes, Your Majesty… Before Theodore arrived at the dungeon, I went to see the Duchess of Veil… However, she had taken her own life.”

“What did you say!?”

Everyone gasped at Reachalf’s words, but strangely, Asher wasn’t surprised. He didn’t know why, but he had somehow understood that the Duchess had gone elsewhere.

The bedding shifted slightly, and Asher sensed Queen Angela moving away from his side.

“What were the guards doing…!? How did she manage to commit suicide…?”

“She was a very thorough woman. From what I saw, she must have kept poison hidden in her mouth regularly. Most likely the same poison used on Lord Asher… It acts quickly, killing without giving time to suffer. If Theodore hadn’t sucked the poison from the wound immediately, Lord Asher wouldn’t have survived either…”

He sucked out the poison…?

Wait, what do you mean by that!?

Even though he was conscious, he couldn’t move or speak. He tried once again to open his eyes, but his eyelids remained shut.

“For someone who was so persistently pursued by the princes, her end was surprisingly abrupt… I found a letter nearby, addressed to Queen Angela. I assume it’s a farewell letter…”

After a brief silence, the sound of paper rustling was heard. Queen Angela was probably reading it.

“…Your Majesty… Please, allow me… a moment alone.”

“…Angela? Wait, Angela‼︎”

Asher didn’t know what was happening, but from the sound of footsteps, Queen Angela had left the room. Another set of footsteps followed, growing distant.

“Ah… Your… Majesty… Hey, wait‼︎ Gas‼︎ Don’t run in your condition! Hugo, Noah, take care of them!”

“Eh, wait, Mother!?”

As footsteps hurried away, a loud sigh was heard.

“…I really didn’t want to leave Asher’s side, but with those two like that… I suppose I have no choice… However, Theodore. I’m not leaving you behind. You’re coming with me.”

“Eh, wa—Sam. Wai—wait.”

“Have a good trip~”

“D-Don’t leave me alone with this guy‼︎ Sam‼︎”

“What’s wrong, Red-haired darling… Ah, wait!”

Hugo’s desperate voice chased after Samuel, followed by Reachalf’s. Their footsteps faded as they left the room.

Only Noah’s sniffles remained.

“…Prince Noah… Um, there are guards watching over Prince Asher, so…”

The timid voice that called out to Noah belonged to the maid, Ellie.

Noah stirred slightly and replied in a somewhat shaky voice.

“I can’t. If Brother Asher wakes up, he’ll be alone… And if I leave him alone again, he might disappear. I’ll stay and watch over him.”

“As you wish. Then… please call if you need anything.”

The door closed quietly, leaving just Noah and Asher in the room. Things had calmed down a bit, and Noah was no longer crying. Only the sound of sniffles could be heard.

He gripped Asher’s clothes with his small hand and nestled closely beside him.

…When will my body move again? Also…

I want to see Theodore…

Thoughts swirled in his head, but in his current state, there was nothing he could do. Asher tried to recall everything again. He felt like he had forgotten something very important.

But what was it?

He felt like he had a long, or maybe short, dream before waking up. He vaguely remembered speaking with someone in that dream. Something very important.

He felt like he almost remembered, but couldn’t.

Asher also wondered why he had done something so reckless. He couldn’t even remember why he had thought of jumping from the third floor. It was like there was a hole in his memory.

He felt like someone had told him he needed to forget something. But what?

He also felt like someone had asked him to save someone. But who?

The dream was hazy, and he couldn’t remember it well.

Before he knew it, Noah’s sniffles had turned into quiet breathing. Feeling the comforting warmth of the child’s body, Asher too drifted off into sleep.