Little Pink Starfish

──────・・・・・・

His real mother had died the moment he was born.

Because of that, Samuel, who had never known his mother and had been raised from an early age as the Crown Prince, regarded Lady Geoffrey, the mother of his younger brother Hugo, as his mother.

Generally, memories from early childhood become vague and fade with time, but Samuel clearly remembered even events from when he was just two years old. One day, a red-haired man with a large belly appeared out of nowhere and repeatedly told young Samuel to get along with his soon-to-be-born little brother. He often held the young Samuel in his arms despite his large belly, troubling the maids, laughing a lot, and spending time together.

But that man was not Samuel’s real mother.

When his brother was safely born, Samuel, though still a child, began to sense a strange difference in how people treated them. Naturally, he came to understand his position compared to Hugo and Lady Geoffrey. Later, he learned of Queen Angela, who could also have been considered his mother, but she showed no interest in him and wouldn’t even acknowledge his presence. In fact, whenever her eyes met Samuel’s, it looked as though her face twisted in pain.

He never understood the clear reason why, but to say he didn’t feel a vague loneliness would be a lie.

Perhaps to distract himself from that loneliness, by the time he was three, Samuel would often shut himself inside a particular room. A maid once told him that this room had been cherished by his real mother, Fred, and that it displayed her favourite paintings. When he spent time staring at the artwork there, strangely enough, he didn’t feel lonely.

Golden hair, clear blue eyes—the person in the painting wore a gentle smile and gazed kindly back at the lonely Samuel.

The angel in the painting, presumably loved by his real mother, became Samuel’s emotional support.

Time passed. When Samuel was four, he was playing with young Hugo when he saw Queen Angela in the distance walking through the garden, carrying something.

Curious about what she was holding, he squinted his eyes and stared at the thing in her arms. And then—Samuel couldn’t take his eyes off the figure sleeping there.

────The angel from the painting is there.

Along with great surprise came excitement. He tried to approach the angel, but people blocked his way.

Several adults surrounding them all said the same thing: that he must not approach.

“You mustn’t get close.”
“Why not?”
“Her Majesty the Queen does not permit it.”
“But… I want to see him up close.”
“Please consider your position.”
“…What does that mean?”
“You mustn’t approach recklessly.”

His own attendants echoed these same phrases repeatedly.

They told him that the angel—the Queen’s son—was different from Hugo, his other younger brother, and was a threat to his own position.

His mother was dead. And the nobles who should have supported him mostly sided with the Queen.

His father, King Augustine, was preoccupied with the war against Murofsa, losing loyal vassals and soldiers every day. He had no time to pay attention to Samuel.

Even as a child, Samuel was made to understand.

That he was surrounded by enemies.
That he had no means to protect himself.
And that despite being the Crown Prince, his position was dangerously unstable.

He wasn’t allowed to approach. Over and over again, he could only gaze from afar at that angel.

Unlike him, the angel was treated like a precious treasure—special. Every time he saw Asher, a twinge of sadness filled Samuel’s heart.

Years passed. One day, while spending time with Hugo, he saw young Asher walking towards them. Asher’s unsteady steps made everyone around him smile. But the moment those around saw Samuel and Hugo ahead, the air changed.

As though Samuel might harm Asher, they surrounded him like a wall and whisked him away.

“…Sanyu, emu-nii-sama… who’s that?”
“It’s Samuel, Hugo. You still can’t say my name properly, huh?”
“Hehe, Samuemu-nii-sama!”
“…Just Sam is fine. That child is our younger brother.”
“Brother?”
“You’ll be his brother too, Hugo.”
“I have a little brother too?”
“That’s right… He’s our brother.”

────Brother.

Yes, a brother. A true, blood-related younger brother.

A brother who still knew nothing.

Their positions were delicate—no one could predict what would happen if they made a wrong move.

The people around them seemed to expect them to hate each other.

More time passed, and Samuel began to notice Asher glancing toward them more often. Eyes filled with yearning stared at them, but Samuel pretended not to notice.

────Do not approach.
────Do not speak.

The words he’d heard again and again bound Samuel like a curse.

He really had wanted to dote on him like he did with Hugo. To lift him up and see the delighted face of that adorable angel.

────Asher is my brother too.

Questions and frustrations built up within him until they finally burst out when he turned ten.

Why did others decide what his relationship with his brother should be?
Why did they have to hate each other?

Samuel simply could not bring himself to hate Asher. In fact, he was constantly drawn to him. He wondered if the adults around Asher were also forcing him to hate Samuel.

Besides, Samuel had never wished to become king. Though he was raised as the Crown Prince from birth, he had never once desired to rule Dias.

────What if Asher became king?

The thought arose suddenly.

Samuel didn’t want the throne anyway. There was no reason to hate. He could hand the throne to Asher and serve as his support. They could work together as brothers to govern the country.

He believed it was a brilliant idea.

The next time he saw Asher, he would talk to him. No matter what anyone said.

What kind of expression would Asher make? Would those sparkling eyes shine even brighter and smile at him?

That smile would surely be more beautiful than the angel in the painting.

…Next time we meet.

But after that, Samuel never saw Asher again. Though Asher had always watched them from afar in the garden, he stopped appearing.

A few days later, while Samuel was worrying over not seeing Asher, he happened to spot Queen Angela walking down a corridor—with Asher.

And he froze.

The once bright, glittering eyes were gone. In their place were sharp, cold eyes glaring at Samuel.

──────・・・・・・

“…You intended to make Asher king?”

Hugo asked in a slightly bewildered voice.

“Of course, that’s no longer the case. The path to the throne has been closed to him, and besides, Asher is too kind to be king.”

“Obviously! Personality aside, you’re the only one fit to be king, Sam‼︎”

“…Personality aside?”

“My bad. It’s true, but still a poor choice of words.”

“In any case. After that, Asher never tried to come near us again, and his behaviour only grew more concerning… I suppose that’s when the effects of the drug began.”

Samuel went quiet as he gently brushed Asher’s fringe to the side.

“…I was confused back then.”

That was around ten years ago, when Landalim began to be used on Asher. Even when Asher tried to recall those times now, most of the memories were foggy. What he remembered clearly instead were the terrifying nightmares of being attacked by beasts.

“…Still, why do you say you abandoned him?”

Asher, surprised by Samuel’s confession, felt ashamed for having doubted him until now. Like Hugo, he also wondered—what did he mean by “abandoned”?

“…Even now, I still wonder why I didn’t run to Asher then.”

“That’s because…”

“I made excuses for not doing anything when I saw Asher’s once kind eyes turn cold. If I had called out to him then, maybe I would have noticed something was wrong. Maybe I could have saved him before it came to this. I think about that over and over… But in the end, I’d probably repeat the same mistake. Back then… I was scared. Scared that Asher would reject me.”

Samuel’s voice, heard from so close, trembled slightly.

────Did nothing.

Those words made Asher’s heart jolt.

…How many times have I regretted the same thing myself.

He was sure Samuel had been bewildered by the changes in him day by day. And Samuel, too, had still been just a child then. It was natural he couldn’t do anything. Yet Samuel blamed himself.

“As he grew, and his coldness turned to clear hatred… because I had once loved him, I was filled with despair and anger. I didn’t know the truth, and it was like I abandoned him.”

That’s not true.

Asher tried desperately to move his mouth to tell him, but his body wouldn’t even twitch.

There were so many things he wanted to say, things they wouldn’t know unless he spoke.

When his voice couldn’t reach anyone, he gave up, closed his heart.

No one loved Asher. No one knew the real him.

Without realising it, he had shut his ears to them too.

We must talk… even if it’s little by little…

The words King Augustine had once said echoed in his heart.

Just as the others hadn’t heard Asher’s real voice, Asher hadn’t heard theirs either.

Next time I wake… surely… I’ll hear… everyone’s real voices.

He didn’t know who had said those words, but they rose naturally in his mind and gripped his chest tightly.

Slowly, he felt a warm hand on his cheek. It gently stroked him, then pulled away.

“Older brothers are supposed to protect their younger ones, aren’t they? It may be too late, but… I don’t want Asher to suffer even for a second more. …He’s my precious little brother.”

He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. But Asher’s eyes grew hot.

“…Of course, that goes for Hugo and Noah too.”

“Gross. I don’t know if you’re just obsessed with your brothers or what, but normal siblings don’t go around saying ‘I love you’ like that at our age.”

“No need to be shy. Or is it jealousy? You’re a bit harsh with Asher, after all. Don’t bully him.”

“I’m not shy, and I’m not jealous! Who’s bullying who? I wouldn’t hurt Asher anymore… he’s… our little brother.”

Though the last part was said quietly, the words were clear, and Samuel let out a faint, amused breath. Hugo, embarrassed, clicked his tongue in irritation.

“When Asher wakes up… we’ll have to apologise together.”

“More importantly, why not approve of him and Theodore? That’d make him the happiest—hey, what’s with that face? Don’t look like a kid who just had his toy taken away.”

“I don’t want to approve. I hate it.”

“…Are you a child?”

“Shut up, or I’ll throw you to Reachalf.”

“So it’s fine if Asher’s taken by another guy, but not me⁉︎”

“Jealous, after all…”

“Daaaaaahhhh‼︎”

There was a thud and the bedding shook slightly. Noah, who had been sleeping snuggled up to Asher, stirred.

“…Mmm? …Nn~”

“Stop yelling.”

“…Forget it. Let’s just go to sleep too.”

“…Looks like my friend won’t be getting anywhere anytime soon…”

Samuel’s words were met with silence, and the sound of the chair creaking was heard. The surroundings grew quiet.

Asher’s body still wouldn’t move, and with his eyes shut, everything was dark.

But he could feel the warmth of people nearby. That warmth gave him peace.

Only moments ago, he had been overwhelmed with fear about when he might be able to move again—but now, strangely, the fear had vanished.

After hearing his brothers’ conversation, Asher’s heart was filled with joy, a touch of embarrassment, and above all, love.