Thou Shalt Not Touch the Untouchable

As the huge, hideous caterpillar crawled across the room, Maruscha let out a sound no dignified noblewoman would ever make.

"N-No! G-G-Get away!

‘I know she hates bugs, but to think she'll be this terrified…’

“Someone, help! Anyone!”

Aya felt her chest constrict.

Seeing the person she once trusted and admired have a breakdown was difficult to process. Part of her remained too attached to revel in her torment, to just keep watching. But then, she remembered she had an illusion to control. Feeling the mana stir in her suppressed the urge to spare the woman the consequences she had brought upon herself.

‘Lady Maruscha… Please look at my magic that you praise so much…’

Maruscha glowered at Drevazio, rage contorting her beautiful features. “You bastard! I shouldn't have let you step a single foot on this place! I knew it! I knew you were up to something! You continue being a nuisance even after all that happened!”

‘She still thinks this is his doing?’

“Language, please. Does a proper lady speak so crudely?”

‘He’s provoking her?!’

“Damn you! Stop this instant, or I’ll make you pay!”

“Princess! Please step back! It's dangerous!” Romina rushed towards her. Despite looking alarmed herself, she stood in front of her to shield her, unaware it was an illusion. Aya found her strong sense of duty quite familiar.

‘Lord Drevazio and Lady Romina really are father and daughter.’

Had she learned sooner that they’re related, she could’ve met Drevazio long ago. Instead, Calixtus had to play the role of a messenger for them to be able to exchange letters. After discovering what Maruscha did to her, he refused to leave the issue unresolved and offered to help. They’d spent the night together planning and organizing the tea party with the former royal knight commander.

“It seems easier to just tell the king, but that is not how it's done in high society,” Calixtus had said. “Aya, keep in mind. You’re not only removing an adversary, but also the possibility of it reoccuring. It's not that dismissing the head maid will completely prevent the same thing from happening in the future. However, this will set an example, and trust me, nobles are fond of examples~”

“...You sound like a villain right now.”

“Maybe I'm not much of a hero after all.”

From the moment they met, Aya knew Calixtus was no ordinary boy. But she hadn’t imagined such a cunning side of him existed. What she’s only beginning to realize, he’d already understood. If it weren’t for him, she would’ve never figured out what she’s up against, much less found the resolve to act.

Maruscha screamed, hysterical at this point. “Who do you think I am?! You have no right to do this to me! I am from House Sorovia! My family name is not-”

“Some ornament embroidered upon a handkerchief. It is a legacy, a reputation accumulated over generations. You shall not be the stain upon it,” Aya continued, drawing everyone’s attention.

“...Are you…mocking me…?”

“You repeated it so many times I memorized it.”

“What is wrong with teaching a peasant how to behave among highborns?!”

“So, that is why,” Drevazio chimed in, “you called the princess ‘Young Miss.’”

‘...He noticed that? I didn’t consider it to be a big deal, but… I could be wrong.’

The woman bristled, anger flaring anew. “Silence! You and House Gayatri are no better than wretched plebeians like that girl!”

‘If she could still think rationally, she’d eventually see through my illusion, but she’s too caught up in her vendetta. Is this why Calix said Lord Drevazio must be present?’

Hatred stripped away the poise and calm the head maid always wore.

From the start, her kindness hadn’t been unconditional. Every service was a debt, every favor an investment. For some time, she’d behaved as if there’s no bargain. Yet Aya kept falling short of expectations, so she began collecting what she believed she’s owed through humiliation, neglect, and ultimately, pain.

But she’s wrong to think she could hurt her without truly losing her.

“No, this… This can’t be real… This isn’t possible…” Maruscha realized at last, noticing the lack of movement from the caterpillar. “A-An illusion! This must be an illusion!”

“What…?” Romina stared at it, then at Aya. “Princess, did you…? But I didn't hear you chant... No, could it be...? Did you use mental-casting?”

Suddenly, the caterpillar split into two, three, four—eight.

Beetles crept from beneath the furniture. Spiders slithered from the ceiling. Moths flitted from curtains.

Then came the ants—a colony of thousands.

“Ahhhhh!!!”

The head maid ran for the door.

Despite realizing it’s an illusion, she’s still frightened, her face deathly pale with sheer terror. Aya watched, emotionless.

The swarm of insects surged forward.

"NOOOOO!!!!!”

Maruscha fainted.

Moments later, Aya found herself wondering whether she’d ever cared about her at all, and that hurt more than anything because, if the answer was no, then all those loving words and gestures were not memories of being cherished. 

They were memories of being lied to.

---

Drevazio’s laughter echoed around the room once teeming with illusory insects.

Aya settled back down to her seat, taking a while to recover. It ended up being more chaotic than she’d braced herself for. Romina, though full of questions, focused on giving out orders in her stead. Knights hurried inside to take the unconscious head maid while servants prepared freshly brewed tea and a new set of pastries.

“The proud Lady Sorovia! So scared of bugs she passed out!”

“Father, please don’t make light of the matter.” With a disapproving look, Romina took her position behind Aya. “What, pray tell, is happening? I'd appreciate an explanation.”

“You see, Romina, Her Highness here sent me a letter…”

Drevazio narrated the events that had transpired beforehand, as though regaling an audience with the kingdom’s origin story. Like Calixtus, it turned out he’d also tried contacting Aya, but Maruscha blocked each attempt. The woman was determined to make herself the center of her world, her one and only refuge. The countless restrictions placed upon her were not due to the king's order, but for her selfish gains.

Drevazio turned to Aya, a solemn look now on his face. “I am truly glad to have finally met you under less dire circumstances, though I must also apologize. You may have gotten entangled with a web of political machinations. House Sorovia has been subject to discreet scrutiny since House Gayatri’s inexplicable displacement.”

Therefore, Maruscha was under surveillance the entire time. The king had been duly informed of her oppressive conduct in the governance of the palace. However, he had elected not to interfere, provided that Aya stayed neither harmed nor endangered.

“In due course, I was summoned to lend assistance, with the purpose of hastening the investigation.” His gaze fell on her gloved hands. “Regretfully, harm has already been done.”

“I am also to blame. I beg for your forgiveness, Princess.” Romina bowed to Aya, deep remorse on her expression. “I didn't do enough. No, I did nothing at all.”

“T-That’s not true! You always tried to get in between us, and, uh, not even I could do anything all those times, so...”

“Are you aware that the country's Divine Vessels are worth far more than all ancient magical artifacts in existence?” Drevazio asked, much to Aya's confusion. “No one can touch ancient magical artifacts, not because they're fragile, but because they're sacred. So, what does that say for Divine Vessels?”

“...I-If Divine Vessels are u-u-untouchable, then should I have been punished more for punching one of them?”

Both adults went silent for a moment, then Drevazio burst out laughing again while Romina heaved a sigh. It was a serious question, though. No matter how childish Drystan had acted, Aya should have exercised more restraint. She shouldn't have stooped to his level.

“Enough with the punishments, Princess. You’ve been through much already,” Romina said, though she sounded more exasperated than consoling.

“Well, who can put royalty in their place but fellow royalty?”

“I advise you to refrain from making such remarks, Father. As we've seen earlier, she can be quite…extreme.” At that, Aya grimaced.

“Indeed! She's certainly put that woman in her place! Hahahaha!”

“I’m referring to her illusion. It’s so realistic that I failed to think logically. I feared the palace was under attack. After the recent incident in the royal capital, I have this belief that wild beasts can appear anywhere, though that remains a speculation.”

“It is most incredible, Princess. Even I thought it was real despite being warned in advance,” Drevazio praised almost reverently. “I heard you're the one behind the mirage during the wild beast subjugation, so I had faith you could make it work when you told me the plan. Still, I was surprised, and you even used mental-casting!”

Aya blushed and squirmed bashfully in her seat. ‘Did you hear that, Professor Favian?! My magecraft training is paying off! Even the cool grandpa complimented me!’

“So, they met that day. Father kept acting as if he knew the princess and how misunderstood she was,” Romina murmured to herself.

“The rumors about her are never true, Romina. Someone who saved the kingdom can only be kind and brave. That said, Your Highness, I thank you for the tea that afternoon as well.”

“Huh?! You knew the maid was an illusion?!”

“...The maid was an illusion, too? My goodness!”

Seeing father and daughter exchange stunned looks, Aya froze. “O-Oh… You meant the tea itself...”

Needless to say, it was a tea party filled with discoveries and revelations.