The Little Prince - 3: One Rose Among the Stars
Sales of The Little Prince character merchandise exploded. The policy of lifting purchase restrictions only for donations to welfare facilities like orphanages drew widespread attention and support. Fan letters poured into the publisher in numbers too vast to count. The imperial post office even ran an event upgrading mail to express delivery if you used The Little Prince stamps. No one actually used them, though.
The Little Prince had become a symbol of love across the empire.
And then.
"On behalf of all beastkin, I wish to express our gratitude. Homerus, you are the benefactor of every beastkin."
"Oh, come on, you're too kind. It was just business."
The suspiciously wealthy tycoons who sponsored the Little Prince character venture. Even the beastkin managed to improve their image a bit. Grey, the wolf beastkin with his rugged gray fur, bowed his head repeatedly in thanks. His politeness bordered on overwhelming.
"As you must know, Homerus, we've endured persecution for ages. Half-beast, half-man, unable to hide our animal instincts... That's the prejudice against us beastkin—and it's true, to some extent. Even I get seized by impulses when I smell blood. Our fangs and claws are too sharp to live alongside humans."
"You strike me as remarkably intellectual, sir."
"If impulses aren't held in check by reason, what good is intellect as bright as the moon? It's a warm heart that defines a person's true nature, not shining intelligence. But we beastkin lack that warmth..."
Grey let out a self-deprecating laugh. His canine vocal cords and muzzle weren't made for smiling, so it came out more like a growl.
"Most humans see even accepting our sponsorship as dishonorable. 'Taking devil's gold,' they say. Yet you, Homerus, showed us how to turn our money into blessed kindness. The wisdom to guide desire toward good deeds! How could we not see this as grace?"
"...You're praising me too highly. But you seem deeply devout."
Grey wore a rosary strung with beads around his thick neck. It looked more like a sturdy collar, digging into his fur so tightly I worried he could breathe.
"Is it strange for half-beasts like us to worship the human God?"
"Oh, no, that's not what I meant. Just... it stands out a bit."
"Even among those blessed by God, there are cold souls. It's no wonder that some excluded from that blessing burn with fervor."
"True enough."
In a world where God truly exists, what must life be like for the forsaken? I couldn't presume to imagine. Even trying would be rude.
"Have you read The Little Prince, sir Grey?"
"Of course."
But I knew literature's power to bridge even the hardest-to-understand hearts. Written with Saint-Exupéry's wisdom and thoughtfulness, The Little Prince casts a spell of honesty on its readers.
"Then I'd love to hear your thoughts on it."
No one can lie to themselves before The Little Prince. And they don't have to. That was the work's magic.
"If you feel you've received grace, repaying it with your impressions is enough."
"My thoughts? Hmm..."
Like a dog washing its face, Grey rubbed his furry, gel-like paws over his dry features, gathering his thoughts. Then he spoke slowly.
"The fox... she was adorable."
It was such an out-of-left-field yet heartfelt take that I burst out laughing before I could stop myself.
"Pfft—oh, sorry. I asked for your thoughts and then act rude like this..."
"No, no. I think every canine beastkin fell for that fox."
"Really?"
"A loyal dog always yearns for a companion willing to slip on a collar..."
Suspiciously suspicious impressions indeed.
Somewhere out there in that night sky, among countless stars, if there's a person who loves a single rose blooming alone...
That person would be happy just gazing up at the stars.
They could smile and say, "My rose must be out there somewhere among them."
But if a sheep eats that rose, it's as if every star suddenly loses its light for that person.
And you think that's not important?!
Every time I saw The Little Prince, it took me back to childhood.
I'd be able to smile because of it.
A dog once blindly devoted to humans now gazes at the fox in the picture, yearning to be tamed.
A girl who loves her rose prays to the stars.
"Your imperial servant greets Your Highness."
"Oh? I'm not a prince anymore, you know?"
"...Greetings, Your Highness the Princess."
Homerus—Ed—felt like the little prince standing before the snake.
"I'm not a princess anymore either."
"...Pardon?"
"Thanks to the potion you saved me with, I have a woman's body now, right?"
"Yes."
"His Majesty was a bit troubled by that."
"...I see."
Was that really something you could brush off as "a bit troubled"? Watching her grin cheekily as she said it, even that doubt evaporated.
Yeah. She'd handled it somehow.
"But announcing now that the prince was actually a princess would just cause confusion... So we went with the traditional fix!"
"The traditional method, you say?"
"I got adopted by Enoch!"
"Pardon?"
Enoch—the shadow who guarded the prince. And now the prince had been adopted by him?
"Enoch becomes Prince Idris, and I become his adopted daughter! It preserves the imperial bloodline while resolving the succession issue—the classic way, right?"
"Uh, that is... pardon? Sorry, I'm not quite following..."
"It means the name Idris and the title 'Your Highness' all belong to Enoch now!"
I was flabbergasted. The prince was no longer a prince.
"...So what does that make you, Your Highness?"
"Tsk, I told you, not Your Highness. That's lese-majeste, you know?"
She scolded me in a playful tone. Then, with a smile as pure as a child's and a voice brimming with confidence, she introduced herself.
"Call me Lady Is!"