Twelve Years Earlier

When they were trying to cook the diner, asher just asked to use Luci's knife.

Luci nodded, a little hesitant.

“Ah, uh… sure!”

Asher grabbed the fish with one hand and then wrapped his tail around the handle of the knife, lifting it with surprising dexterity.

Luci’s eyes widened.

“You can use your tail to grab things?!”

Asher puffed out his chest proudly, arms crossed.

“Of course! And for lots of other things too! Papa used to say: ‘You may not be the best with your hands, but at least you’ve got an incredibly agile tail!’”

He grinned, the blade held straight by his tail.

Luci raised an eyebrow.

…Not sure that’s something to be proud of.

Asher returned to his task, focused.

“Okay, you can’t just chop the fish randomly. First, you cut the head like this… then the skin peels off easily like that… then slide the blade here to remove the bones… and now you can slice. Got it?”

Luci watched intently. Asher kept going.

“Wow… your knife cuts super well.”

Luci took a deep breath and grabbed another fish.

“Alright… Master Asher, got it!”

Asher raised an eyebrow.

“Master Asher? …Hmm… That actually sounds cool. Master Asher and his apprentice Luci!”

Luci tried to mimic what he’d seen. The result was… approximate.

“Tadaaa!”

He proudly showed his work—or rather, his mess. But hey, at least it kind of looked like fish in pieces.

Asher eyed it skeptically.

“…Yeah. That’ll work.”

…I might not be that good a teacher after all.

Once the fish was prepared, Asher grilled it on a flat stone, once again demonstrating his unusual ability to heat things with his hands.

Luci watched, impressed.

“Wait… You can really get that hot?!”

Asher looked away, slightly flustered.

Luci smiled.

“That’s so cool! You can do so much with just your hands and your tail!”

Asher blushed even more.

They finally mixed the grilled fish into the soup, filling up rustic wooden bowls.

Asher set a bowl in front of Luci.

“Tonight’s menu: grilled fish with mushroom sauce, by Master Chef Asher… and his apprentice Luci!”

Luci eyed his meal with mild confusion.

He’d spent his life eating from porcelain plates with silver cutlery. Here… everything was rough, rustic. The presentation wasn’t exactly elegant.

But he was hungry. He took a bite. His eyes widened instantly.

“Mmh! But… this is really good!”

He looked down at his bowl, surprised.

“It looks terrible, but it tastes amazing!”

Asher raised an eyebrow.

“Terrible? Eh… who cares, right?”

Luci thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“…Yeah, you’re right. WHO CARES?!”

He resumed eating with gusto. It was simple, but it had a real taste. Maybe it was the first time he enjoyed a meal without worrying about appearances.

Soon, his bowl was empty. He tapped it with his spoon, frustrated.

“…I want more.”

Asher noticed his expression.

“…You want seconds?”

Luci hesitated.

“Uh… Can I? Adults always say one plate is enough for someone my age…”

Asher shrugged.

“Well… they’re not here, are they?”

A mischievous smile spread on Luci’s face.

“…Yeah… MORE!”

Asher crossed his arms.

“And the magic word?”

Luci rolled his eyes.

“…Uh… Please?”

Asher laughed and nodded.

“Alright! How much?”

“All of it.”

Asher blinked.

“All?!”

Luci happily devoured the extra portion, then tackled the fruit Asher had offered for dessert. No restraint whatsoever.

When even the fireflies began to fall asleep, they too started to feel drowsy.

Asher yawned. Luci instinctively yawned right after.

After crawling toward the bed, the demon stretched out and plopped into a small nest of feathers and straw, covered with worn fabrics.

“Luci? You coming to sleep?”

Luci hesitated.

His own bed back at the palace was enormous, stuffed with silk and soft cushions. This pile of feathers and cloth looked so tiny, so primitive… but he didn’t really have another option.

He laid his cape over it to make it a bit more comfortable, then lay down stiffly. He was way too close to Asher, their shoulders almost touched. It was… strange. He had never slept beside anyone before.

Silence settled.

Lying there in the dark, Luci couldn’t sleep. His eyes followed the little fireflies blinking out one by one, plunging the shelter into deeper shadows. The day already felt unreal, like a strange waking dream he couldn’t quite grasp.

So… life could be like this too?

Maybe nothing really forced him to be king…
If he gave up his responsibilities, he could be… free?
After all, who actually cared about Luci, as a person?
Ironically, the only one who ever called him by his name… was a demon.
With Asher, he could just be Luci.
A prince isn’t allowed to be weak.
A prince isn’t allowed to be lost.
But here, tucked into a tree shelter… he could just be a child.

He turned his head toward Asher. The demon slept peacefully, wings folded against him, his breath slow and steady. A small smile touched Luci’s lips, before doubt crept in again.

Why should I fight for a people who don’t even care who I really am? A kid has no place on a throne… I couldn’t even cook before tonight. How could I possibly be ready to make decisions for an entire kingdom?

He clenched his fists. He didn’t want this responsibility. He wasn’t ready.

His father had always expected the perfect heir, but…

If I’m being honest… I was probably a disappointment to him.

It had been his mother, not the king, who taught him magic. His father had never taught him anything himself, not hunting, not combat. Always a tutor, never a shared moment. Every time Luci tried to show him something, a gemstone borrowed from his mother, a dance he had learned by watching her, he only received a disappointed stare and a list of things a future king should or shouldn’t do.

Dad never taught me anything.
Not like Asher’s dad…
And now that he’s gone, I’ll never be able to change that…

His throat tightened. He swallowed back a sob.

His parents were gone. Even Lucio couldn’t share the burden or the secret with him. He was alone now…

He wasn’t ready to take their place.
To become king would be to let go of them forever.
To kill them a second time.
He wasn’t ready for that.
He wasn’t ready to be king.
He never would be.

Someone else would make a better king than me… right?
Maybe I should just stay here forever, even after Asher is healed.
That war with the demons, the kingdom’s safety… why should it be on me? Just because the king was my father?

The grown-ups can handle it without me.
It’d be better for the kingdom.
And for me too… wouldn’t it?

Tick… tock… drip… drip… drip…

A shiver ran through him. The air had grown cooler with the rain. A droplet slipped through the branches and landed on his cheek. He curled up, hugging his knees. Instinctively, he edged closer to Asher, surprised by the heat radiating from him.

Asher doesn’t fear the cold of rain.
Nor the cold of being alone.
He’s strong…
If he weren’t a demon, he’d probably make a better king than me.

That thought stung. A silent tear slid down his cheek.

Asher stirred slightly, his eyes still closed, his sleepy voice breaking the silence.

“…Luci’s not alone.”

Luci stopped moving. He must have woken him up…

“We promised to help each other, didn’t we?”

“…This isn’t something you can help with” Luci whispered, his voice tight.

Asher cracked open one eye, still drowsy. Then gently, he unfolded one wing toward Luci in invitation.

“I can see you’re cold… but if you stay close to me, I can help with that, can’t I?”

Luci blinked, caught off guard.

“Oh…”

He realized Asher meant the cold. He hesitated.

He’s a demon.
But…
It’s easier to face the cold together.
…I don’t want to face it alone.

…I don’t want to be alone.

“…I guess.”

He finally slid beneath the offered wing, curling up beside Asher. A brief moment of comfort in the chaos of his life, nestled in the arms of a demon.

Asher was incredibly warm. Like a living campfire.

Luci slowly closed his eyes. His heart beat fast. He had never been this close to anyone, not even his mother, who had been taken away from him so young, replaced with nannies and servants.

“…And maybe it’ll make you a little less sad too,” Asher added softly.

It was as if he’d read his thoughts. As if he’d quietly understood his sadness.

Luci blushed, startled.

He didn’t answer right away. He simply buried his face against Asher’s shoulder, holding onto him, soaking in that comforting warmth.

“…A little. Thank you.”

There was no logic to any of this. And yet…
That little demon didn’t just warm his body.
He soothed, even just a bit, the lonely heart of a prince.

Luci eventually fell asleep, lulled by Asher’s steady breathing and the gentle warmth of his scales.