Little Pink Starfish

Nyne quietly steadied his breathing. Every time he hoped for human affection from the other, he felt something like a scratch forming deep in his chest. The suspicion crept up—was he not the most precious consort, but closer to a pretty pet…?

“Such a desire is too much.”

Amon cherished and adored him this much—why could he not be satisfied with that alone? In all of Trastasa, no one lived as luxuriously or was served as reverently as Nyne. Thanks to Amon, he had countless servants willing to die for him, dined on delicacies daily, and had storerooms overflowing with gold and jewels.

Scattering the irreverent thoughts, Nyne offered Amon words of thanks for his love and favor.

Not long after returning from Amon’s sanctuary, Nyne was informed of a hunting schedule. It was an unexpected announcement, leaving him puzzled.

“A beast hunt, you say?”

“No, Sha. It is only to hunt animals. The hunt will take place in the forest near the Great Temple.”

A priest from Amon’s sanctuary bowed deeply as he answered. Nyne waved him away and sank into thought. Unlike the priests obsessed with hunting to present precious offerings, Nyne never enjoyed hunting much. Still, he thought, killing animals was preferable to the sacrificial rites involving humans.

“A hunt! How exciting already. Then I must have new clothes made for the occasion, mustn’t I?”

Lu said in an excited voice. When Nyne turned to Iu—who used to enjoy bird hunting in his youth—his expression, surprisingly, wasn’t pleased. Nyne asked curiously,

“Iu, you don’t seem pleased about the hunt?”

“I apologize, Sha. Rather than displeased, I was merely concerned. The forest is less predictable than the sanctuary or the Great Temple. I worry for your safety.”

Now that he looked, Seinca Hoan didn’t look thrilled either. True, compared to the temple grounds, the outside forest did pose more danger. But Nyne knew very well how superhuman the battle priests’ abilities were. Iu soon corrected his expression and said brightly,

“As all battle priests do, I too enjoy hunting, Sha. If I may be so bold, no one surpasses me in beast hunting.”

As Iu spoke with confidence, Lu shot him a glare. But being an ordinary person compared to a battle priest, Lu couldn’t very well claim to hunt better. So he took it out on the attending priest instead.

“What are you doing just standing there? Go prepare to tailor the Sha’s hunting attire.”

With that, the priests hurried into motion. Artisans were summoned, and boxes filled with every kind of fabric, leather, and gemstone were brought in by slaves. First to step forward was the tailor who handled Nyne’s clothing, carefully laying out the fabrics on bended knee.

“This is a breathable material. Worn like a gown over a loincloth, it will block the sun and keep you cool. How about gold embroidery on the sleeves, Sha?”

“This is a belt made of deer leather. If we have a goldsmith trim the edges with gold and attach decorative tassels, it will look splendid.”

“You’ll be moving a lot during the hunt, so tight-fitting accessories might be suitable. Perhaps engraved with deer or bird motifs and inlaid with ruby to contrast with the forest…”

There was no need to measure Nyne’s body. For years, his physique had remained unchanged, with no variation in size or shape. All he had to do was lean lazily on his chair, nodding occasionally—quite convenient for Nyne. In fact, Popo and Lu were fussier than Nyne, sternly directing the artisans.

The hunt would take at least three or four days. Nyne would need separate outfits for sleeping, eating, hunting, and resting, with backup sets as well—so dozens of outfits and accessories were prepared. Footwear, bows, arrows, and other hunting tools required additional artisans. Several dozen craftsmen were summoned to the sanctuary.

Watching silently, Nyne made only one request—not to include any designs shaped like cows. Everyone bowed and agreed to follow the order. Nyne leaned back in his chair, feeling the familiar wave of gloom and helplessness return since his visit to Amon’s sanctuary.

Those around Nyne were also used to their master’s occasional melancholy. A priest lit a censer so that a gentle fragrance filled the room, and Lu diligently fanned him. Before long, sweet drinks and rare confections were spread before him. Still, Nyne sipped a few drops of palm wine and lost all interest in the treats.

Dozing amid the chatter of priests and artisans, Nyne opened his eyes when he felt a gaze. Iu was watching him with concern. Their eyes met, and Iu gave a sheepish smile. After a pause, he spoke.

“I once dressed as a woman… and since then, I haven’t seen so many clothes and ornaments in one place.”

Nyne’s drowsiness faded. He looked Iu over anew—slim at first glance but packed with muscle. A little sly, perhaps, but more striking than unattractive.

Still, he certainly didn’t look delicate or the type to suit women’s clothing. Nyne became intrigued.

“How did that come about?”

“It was before I became a battle priest, Sha. One day, we were ordered to flush out a group of bandits. They were elusive and appeared randomly, so we needed bait…”

The tale of how he and his peers had to cross-dress as bait for bandits, only for everything to go hilariously wrong, greatly amused Nyne. Pleased, he ordered a leatherworker to make a bracer for Iu as a reward. Seeing this, Lu scowled in jealousy. So Nyne gave him a gift too—leather shoes, in recognition of his dutiful fanning. Lu immediately smiled and thanked him, but he still occasionally chewed his lips and glared at Iu, who didn’t seem to care.

Even though he did nothing but listen and observe, Nyne grew weary after hours of talk about clothes and ornaments. After the crowd of artisans and slaves receded like the tide, he barely touched dinner. He picked at fruit and bread, not touching the meat, which darkened Popo’s expression with concern—but Nyne ignored it.

“I’ll sleep early tonight.”

Nyne, who felt like he had seen everyone he could possibly see in a single day, dismissed all the priests. Left alone in the vast sleeping quarters, he finally felt he could breathe. He thumbed through a book, strummed a bit on an instrument, then sprawled lazily on a chaise lounge, staring at the ceiling. Gold leaf and gems shaped into constellations glittered faintly overhead.

Sleep wouldn’t come, so he let time pass idly. Then suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound—clearly from a large insect. Startled, Nyne stood up and looked around.

Priests spared no effort in maintaining the sanctity of the Sha’s sleep. Magic wards kept out all insects, and cool air flowed constantly. Soundproofing spells blocked external noise. The gem-powered constellations on the ceiling glimmered softly like real stars.

And yet a bug got in? Nyne moved to ring the bell—but stopped.

Something pink was buzzing and fluttering on the terrace. Even in the dark, he could tell it was pink. No way… He cautiously approached.

Then it spoke.

“Lord Nyne!”

What… is this? A bug? What he’d taken for buzzing wings was, in fact, an umbrella-like contraption. Dangling from it, something was flying toward him. Wide-eyed, Nyne watched as something the size of his palm gently landed on a table. The buzzing umbrella stilled—it looked like four long leaves joined together.

Astonishingly, what landed on the table was a palm-sized little figure—one that looked like Lan Gwen. Wondering if he was dreaming, Nyne blinked. The tiny figure was wearing a neat miniature kalarisiris and spoke cheerfully.

“Good evening, Sha Nyne. It’s your first time seeing me in the Tinkerbell version, yes?”

“…Tinkerbell?”

Nyne murmured, slowly approaching the table. Up close, he realized it wasn’t a living being but an intricately crafted doll. It was neither stone, nor wood, nor metal—he couldn’t guess what it was made of.

“Ah, Tinkerbell is… the name of a small fairy.”

He glanced at the bell beside his bed. Instead of ringing for a battle priest, he sat down and examined the figure closely. Though its body was artificial, its face was oddly expressive—an automaton, yet capable of emoting. After a while, Nyne turned his attention to the flying device made of four leaves.

“Is this made from bamboo leaves?”

“Well… some elements were inspired by that. It’s like a miniature helicopter…”

Hearing nonsense only Lan Gwen would say, Nyne frowned and leaned back into his chair.