Next afternoon the next day, the princess’s forehead was beaded with sweat as she pushed herself far this time. A shocking result occurred, the princess had set the entire body of a strawman ablaze with a single firebolt, turning it into ash in a short time. However, what lacked was impact, but setting it afire whole was impressive enough.

Being exhausted as she was, Mera guessed that it was not only because of the depletion of mana. Though she doubted that the princess depleted her mana considering that she had a vast amount within her.

The princess stopped her training and returned back to the palace.

The princess had often mentioned that her body felt painful, then it could only mean she truly pushed herself far to the point of straining her mystic medium. That must also be the reason why she was so tired.

The princess decided to have a bath and so Mera came to assist her as expected of a maid. When they arrived inside, Mera helped the princess undress.

However, the princess she served seemed to be shaken even more than before.

“P-Princess…?”

“Ah! No, it’s nothing. Let’s be quick, I want to retire to my room.”

“V-Very well.”

The princess almost sounded panicking. Mera couldn’t help but feel worried. The maid nervously stepped away from her lady and folded her clothes. While placing down the used clothes on the corner, she watched the princess go into the water.

The princess’s eyes were damp by the corners.

Was she hurt that much… or…?

“Princess, pardon me. I’ll go get your change of clothes.”

Her lady nodded meekly and Mera went outside. There she encountered Vernon watching her closely. Mera became more restless than before, and it finally urged her to ask.

“Sir Vernon, the princess is acting strange…”

“Strange, how strange?”

“She is trembling in my presence.”

“Ah… I wonder.”

“W-Will you not answer why that is?” Mera asked with a frightened tone.

“Mera, I cannot understand the princess, her thoughts or her ways. Therefore, I cannot answer as to why.”

“......Understood. Please excuse me.”

Mera went on her way as she tightly gripped her own hand and hid them as they trembled. With pursed lips, she went on to proceed fulfilling her duty. That said, her chest felt heavy.

When she returned to the bath, the princess had already started to wipe herself. Mera rushed to her side never expecting that the princess would finish this fast.

“M-Milady, let me help you dress.”

Her lady flinched with terrified eyes.

“O-Of course.”

Mera slowly helped the princess dress up, which was harder than usual because the princess was moving stiffly. When Mera tried to make eye contact, the princess instantly averted her eyes away.

Once finish dressing up, she saw her lady trembling.

“Milady, your hair…”

Mera was about to reach out for her hand to lead her to a chair after seeing her stiffly standing there, however, the princess pulled back her hand and stepped away. Mera’s eyes went wide at this and instantly looked at the princess’s eyes.

“I c-can’t do this a-anymore…” the princess said weakly as her eyes faltered.

Tears seemed to threaten to fall down her eyes.

“M-Mila—”

“Stop pretending already!”

The princess abruptly shouted which froze Mera in place.

“I can’t take this anymore. Stop lying already Mera, I know what you truly are!”

What?

Mera couldn’t understand. The princess’s eyes were full of terror and her actions as she clutched her chest told of heartbreak. It gave off the impression that the princess felt betrayed.

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“You cannot fool me anymore, I’m tired of pretending that n-nothing is wrong.”

“Milady what ar—”

Mera stepped forward to try and approach her lady then tried to reach out for her. However, the princess backed away frantically.

“Stay away! Don’t touch me!”

Mera felt cold feet at those words. Such words which carried fear for her. Mera’s mind was in disarray trying to understand the situation. But she couldn’t think of anything but only how the princess was seeing her now.

“Please don’t kill me…”

The meek princess said quietly as she pressed both her hands on her chest and her eyes lowered to the ground. Her cheeks were brimming with tears while her lips trembled. The princess was shaken to the core.

And those last words of hers were stuck inside Mera’s mind.

Kill…?

Mera couldn’t understand anything. Why did the princess she was serving say that to her?

“I don’t want to see you anymore, this is too much. I know you’re a traitor, Mera!”

Mera could only stand there frozen as those words came through her ears.

What… me? No… Princess…

“Milady! I am no traitor!”

“Lies! Lies! I’m tired of it. I can’t take it anymore, I’m tired of lies. Stay away from me! S-Stay away...”

The princess was terrified. How could she look at Mera that way? Mera felt a painful sting in her heart — no, it was like a dagger carving through it.

Mera’s face broke down as tears slowly welled up her eyes.

“Mera, leave me alone. If you’re away, I can be safe. Stay away from me, and out of my home.”

What…?

That was the only question that came to her mind. How could someone think she was a traitor? How could someone think she would kill her lady? But it wasn’t those that were breaking her heart.

It was the way her princess was looking at her, and ultimately, the way she drove her away. Mera only wanted to get close with the princess, but things were going opposite of that.

Why?

She couldn’t bear the pain, and the gaze the princess was giving her, they were too painful to receive. Mera wanted those warm, friendly and joyful gaze back. She wanted to receive them once more, not these eyes she was receiving now.

But why was it that, in Mera’s eyes, amidst the terror, the princess seemed to disdain her as she drove her away? Mera didn’t want to be feared nor hated.

Mostly hated, that was the thing she didn’t want most to receive from the princess.

“M-Milady I swear! I’m not a traitor!”

Mera tried to defend herself, to tell the princess she so admired the truth. All kinds of emotions stormed within her heart, but all worked for a single goal to tell the princess what she wanted to say. However, her words fell on deaf ears as the princess called out for help.

“Vernon!”

In that instant, the door opened and a gust of wind went by Mera. She froze and the next moment, Vernon was now between her and her mistress, like a tall and sturdy wall blocking her way to the goal she wanted to reach.

“Mera…” Vernon glared daggers towards Mera.

They were powerful gaze that seemed to push her away. Mera trembled in fear.

“S-Sir, there’s a mistake—”

“The princess had failed to endure, huh.”

The princess hid behind Vernon.

Endure?

She couldn’t understand, she couldn’t think clearly anymore. She just wanted to speak with the princess. Her heart throbbed wildly as she looked towards the princess, cowering in fear of her. This carved painfully into her heart like several blades.

“Mera, there is no mistake. We know. You don’t have to hide anymore. If you try to harm the princess, you will have to get through me. You have no more chances.”

“W-What? No I —!”

“You will be expelled from this palace, or be executed on the spot.”

Mera felt colder at those threatening words. She couldn’t bring herself to speak anymore. Everything was too overwhelming for her to cope.

“Or choose to follow the wishes of her highness.”

“I—”

She glanced at the princess, who was trembling behind Vernon, who wasn’t even looking at her. Why?

She stepped back with shaking and faltering legs. Her chest tightened in apprehension, confusion, and breaking heart.

Mera’s tears fell down onto the floor. She shook her head sending her hair waving in the air and began to run, following the wishes of her lady. She ran away from the room, away from her lady.

The sobbing maid rubbed her tears with her wrists but they never stopped and kept flowing out of her eyes. She ran heading towards her quarters for she did not know where else she would go. That was the only place she could think of.

It felt like the world was crashing all around her.

Meanwhile, two maids were casually walking down the hall, one nonchalantly while the other reservedly.

“Sparkly clean. Nice job as always!”

“Indeed.”

“But sure is tiring.”

They were the two maids Ellie and Macey.

It was then that they noticed Mera running down the hall.

“Is that, Mera?” Ellie asked.

“Running in the halls is… Mera!”

Macey tried to call for her, however, she did not seem to hear and only kept running. Upon closer look, they realized that something was wrong.

“Woah, is she crying? Let’s go check her up.”

“Right.”

They chased after Mera in a rush until they saw her enter the maids’ quarters. Upon arrival, Ellie opened the door with no hesitation and there she saw Mera kneeling down on the floor by the foot of her bed frame.

The two maids could hear her sobbing as she hid her face in her arms.

“Hey hey, Mera. What’s wrong?” Ellie asked gently as she approached.

“Mera, speak to us.”

Mera slowly raised her head and looked up at them, her eyes were sore red and wet with tears. She hesitated to speak, but in the end, no longer able to bear it, she uttered the reason for her tears.

“I… they say I’m a traitor,” her tears only intensified as she forced those words out. “T-The p-princess hates me.”

“Traitor…?” Macey echoed as her eyes went wide looking at Mera.

“Traitor?! That’s ridiculous! Bullshit.”

“B-But if royalty s-said it, what if…” Macey was frightened. She seemed like she believed it, or she just didn’t want to get involved.

“As I said, it’s ridicu… lous…” For some reason, Ellie’s words trailed off. She stared quietly at Mera as though in deep thought. “It can’t be… No… no way.”

“I’m not a traitor! I’m not. I’m not.”

I’m not I’m not I’m not I’m not I’m not.

Mera kept repeating those words.

“See Macey, don’t you believe her?”

“I… I don’t know…”

They stared worriedly and with confusion at Mera as she lowered her head.

“... I’m not a traitor…” she whispered to herself, and to anyone who could hear.

That sentence reverberated all throughout her mind, and that was what all remained as her chest grew heavy and painful. Despair had begun to engulf her. Thoughts of her life falling apart filled her mind, and the visage of the princess sweetly looking at her slowly faded away as though she would never see her again.

And there the maid wept.