Little Pink Starfish

In Trastasa, everyone wears undergarments made by tying a narrow triangular piece of cloth with strings on both sides of the hips. Even the attendant priests only wore such garments when assisting Nyne during his baths. But what Gwen wore looked quite different. It looked more like clothing than underwear.

Nyne finally realized that what Gwen wore resembled the so-called “pants” commonly worn by so-called barbarians. Though the length was much shorter, the awkward, unfamiliar shape was unmistakable. Surprised, Nyne asked,

“Don’t tell me—that’s underwear?”

“Hmm… The undergarments here… are a little uncomfortable for me. I’m not used to them.”

To wear pants under other pants… clearly, people from elsewhere really did love pants. Gwen scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, hooked a finger into the waistband, and hesitated with a strangely conflicted look in his pink eyes.

“There’s no one here to see me naked anyway…”

He likely meant there was no one to properly attend him. But for some reason, those words sounded oddly pleasant to Nyne’s ears. After hesitating only briefly, Gwen bent down and stripped off his underwear without shame. Nyne had been watching idly—until his eyes widened. It wasn’t just Gwen’s face that contrasted with his body.

Though surprised, Nyne didn’t show it. Gwen, as if sensing the reaction, carefully seated himself at a slight distance. The water rippled with his movement. Scooping water with a small bowl, he poured it over his head, then swept back his wet hair and let out a refreshing laugh.

“Ah… it really was hot. It feels great to soak in cool water.”

Nyne watched as droplets ran from Gwen’s forehead down his straight nose, then suddenly let out a faint scoff.

“You really think I called you here just to assist with bathing?”

“Of course… not.”

Though that was his answer, there was a subtle note of disappointment in Gwen’s voice. After gathering his wet hair to one side over his right shoulder, Nyne turned sharply to face him and pressed.

“Amon said he called you to his sanctuary because of that oil. What is it? That can’t possibly be ordinary perfume.”

Worried someone might overhear, Nyne lowered his voice. He deliberately splashed the water with his hands to mask their conversation.

“It’s not something unholy… is it?”

Gwen remained silent for a moment. If it truly was something sacrilegious, it should be destroyed before it came to the priests’ attention. The answer that finally came was startling.

“It’s not oil. It’s some people’s blood. That’s why it smells like blood.”

“Blood…? Why would you even have something like that…”

Nyne’s eyes wavered. Human blood? In a place like this, where the scent of blood was anything but rare, how could such a thing surprise Amon? Either Gwen or Amon—one of them was clearly lying to him.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I’ve never harmed or killed anyone. I didn’t take it by force either. I collected it with their consent.”

Gwen gently soothed Nyne, whose tone had sharpened.

“So please don’t worry. Lord Amon would never be interested in someone like me, Lord Nyne.”

Nyne wanted to say it wasn’t jealousy, but concern for Gwen’s safety—that he might be hurt or even killed. But he kept his mouth shut. What he had heard only raised more questions than it answered. After a long silence, Gwen asked him,

“What would you do… if I did have something that could harm Lord Amon?”

Shocked, Nyne rushed to cover Gwen’s mouth in alarm. The thought of Gwen possessing something capable of harming Amon felt absurd—but deep in his heart, suspicion stirred. Gwen was a skilled magician, and Amon had said such a thing might exist.

“How dare you say something like that…!”

Gwen looked quietly at Nyne, then gently pulled his hand down and asked,

“Are you angry because I said something blasphemous… or because you love Lord Amon?”

“That’s obvious. Sha Amon is my parent and my consort. If something could harm him, how could I not be angry?!”

“…So you do love him.”

Gwen murmured the words like a sigh. Nyne didn’t deny it. Even if Amon wounded him, even if he was terrifying—Nyne clearly revered and loved him. Without love, Amon’s cold words and actions would not have cut so deep. But Gwen looked at him with an odd expression. It was almost pity. Then he asked a cruel question with his graceful lips.

“But… is it possible for someone like Lord Amon to feel something like love… as you do?”

“What…”

Nyne had been about to say of course—of course Sha Amon loved him too—but stopped. The question pierced right through a doubt he had long harbored. No matter how it was dressed up as “divine love,” it was undeniably not human. Nyne started to get angry, then sighed.

“You’re still just as arrogant…”

But his voice lacked strength. If even someone like Gwen, newly arrived, could see it—then perhaps it was true. A familiar wave of melancholy rose. Nyne stared blankly at the rippling surface of the water, and Gwen bit his lip. For a moment, disappointment flitted across his handsome face, before he forced a gentle smile.

“But if someone as unfeeling as Lord Amon could love anyone… it would surely be you, Lord Nyne.”

“Hah! You must think I’m a complete fool. Otherwise, how could you say such things to my face?”

Instead of softening, Nyne’s temper flared at Gwen’s sweet words. Just earlier, Gwen had dared to make sharp remarks—and now he was buttering him up? Was he mocking him? Nyne glared, but Gwen’s smile never wavered.

“Without you, Lord Amon would not exist either.”

Thinking this was just more flattery, Nyne let out a bitter laugh. He couldn’t even imagine Amon shedding tears if he were to die.

“That’s not empty talk, Lord Nyne.”

“Enough! Just continue attending me. If you bring up something like this again, I will punish you harshly—like before.”

Realizing Nyne was truly angry, Gwen lowered his head. He placed the bowl of bath supplies at the edge of the tub. Nyne, scowling, closed his eyes and listened to the water, trying to calm down—until suddenly, he opened them again. A fragrance he had never smelled before was wafting toward him. When he looked over, Gwen’s hands were filled with foam.

“What’s… that?”

“It’s a foaming bath additive, Sha. Would you like to touch it?”

Nyne, suspicious, reached out. Gwen placed a round, hard object in his palm. It looked like a lightweight stone ball—and when it hit the water, it let out a fizzing sound, releasing blue dye in every direction. Bubbles formed and floated on the surface.

“…Was that part of the bathing supplies?”

Watching the water rapidly turn a clear blue, Nyne asked curiously. It clearly hadn’t come from the priests.

“I brought it myself, Sha.”

“How did you know I’d ask you to attend me? Are you saying you had this on you the entire feast?”

Gwen smiled, then lifted his wet hand and waved it in the air. The powder on his fingers shimmered subtly, like finely ground pearls. Then he held out a yellow bird-shaped object. Nyne’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a bird figure bigger than Gwen’s hand.

“It’s a duck toy, Sha.”

Gwen placed it into Nyne’s hand. It was smooth and soft—material unknown—and made a squeak sound when squeezed.

“And these are ducklings.”

He opened his fist, and seven smaller ducklings tumbled out. Where had those come from? Knowing Gwen had entered completely naked, Nyne couldn’t imagine where he had hidden them.

“There’s a thing called subspace magic. You store objects in it and retrieve them when needed.”

Gwen explained kindly, tracing a line through the air. Amazingly, the air split like fruit being peeled—revealing a glimpse of another space. Inside, it was even more chaotic than the study room in the Lotus Hall Gwen had shown him once before.