* * *

After finishing the speech, Luna returned to her seat, and the surroundings began to buzz.

The idea of offering free medical treatment seemed far-fetched to many, as hospitals were different from other businesses such as libraries or small schools. It had incurred significant expenses over time, so it was difficult to believe.

Of course, the Crown Prince personally attending the opening ceremony and giving a speech was convincing, but there remained a suspicion that it might be more of a show than a genuine intention.

Explaining the purpose and benefits of the establishment again, Luna addressed the hospital’s affiliation with the Imperial Family.

With the statement that the hospital would truly be open to everyone, those who were initially casual began to listen with serious expressions.

“Wow, at this rate, all the citizens of the Empire will flock to Lady Luna’s hospital.”

In response to Rosemary’s unnecessary concern, the Crown Prince, with a sly smile, answered on behalf of Luna.

“Well, why not? Lady Luna already has a diamond mine; she might as well open a jewelry store, too. How about dedicating yourself for the Empire?”

“…How did you know about that?”

She didn’t have clear memories yet. Wondering if it was Rosemary, Luna stared at her, and Rosemary shook her hands and head, denying it outright.

Then, Calion enthusiastically added:

“There’s no way there’s something I don’t know .”

At that moment, Antes responded with a cold reply.

“So, you’ve seen that I’ve registered it as a business.”

“Haha, yeah, it’s not like it’s anything else; it’s all about diamonds, so I looked it up.”

Oh, my. So, it wasn’t just a stalker using his power to access personal information. But considering Callion’s noble lineage, it wasn’t surprising that he knew so much.

If only he had been born into such a position, he should have lived more elegantly. Why does he roam around like a stalker, sniffing around for others’ information?

While Luna gave Callion a minus hundred points, Rosemary, shocked by the fact that he was more interested in Luna than she had initially thought, fell into contemplation once again.

“Instead of looking for such things, why don’t you do your job? If you have so much free time, why not volunteer and pick up litter on the streets or something?”

“Oh, are you concerned about me?”

Although Antes expressed annoyance, it had no effect on Callion. Unable to tolerate the lack of attention, Callion, ignored by Antes, targeted Luna this time.

“Call me for the grand opening of the jewelry store. Gold is my favorite, but I’m also interested in diamonds. Oh, and my birthday is coming up, so it would be great if you could come.”

Callion smiled broadly, saying he would send an invitation.

“Why would I go to such a place?”

“Then, don’t come, just Luna.”

“Why would Luna go there?”

“We’re partners in the same business. It’s necessary to strengthen our ties.”

“You’re keen on ties. Who would want to strengthen ties with someone like you?”

“Such a person is right here. Lady Luna Peils.”

He didn’t back down in the face of Antes’s annoyance. With both men surrounding Luna, the situation became quite chaotic, so she intervened to mediate.

“Stop! Stop it right now. Don’t bring negativity to the hospital. It’s just a birthday party; you can attend it quietly. Why are you fighting like this? I understand. I’ll go.”

Perhaps she didn’t know that they would take her side, but for a moment, Rosemary, who seemed to be surprised that she was taking her side, intervened in the conversation with a sudden raised hand.

“I’ll attend too!”

“Why would you go there?”

Antes’s expression turned ominous at the sudden announcement of Rosemary’s intention to attend, and Callion, also wondering why she would go, stared at Rosemary intently.

“All right, then. Since the Marquis’s successor is attending, there’s no reason to refuse.”

Of course, it didn’t mean she wanted to attend. But Callion welcomed her attendance with a cheerful expression.

If Luna and Rosemary were both attending, Antes couldn’t avoid it either. If everyone attended, the party would be much more enjoyable.

“So I’ll send invitations to all three of you, so don’t forget to attend. I’m looking forward to it.”

Finally, Callion, who had achieved what he had hoped for, got up from his seat with a relaxed expression.

Since the ceremony had ended, there was no reason to quarrel and lose what they had achieved. In frustration, Antes swept his bangs aside and simmered in anger, and Luna, who seemed unable to endure the irritation, finally opened her mouth.

“If you have no friends to go with, you can join me and young lord. It’ll be a good opportunity to see what His Highness’s birthday party is like. We can eat lots of delicious food.”

Since they couldn’t enjoy a proper meal at the New Year’s party, Luna suggested that they have some fun at the imperial palace this time.

She couldn’t help but feel satisfaction at Luna’s tone of voice openly disparaging Callion. Those few words made her feel relieved, to the point where she wondered if she was such an easy person.

“…Alright. But instead, I’ll decide on the gift.”

It didn’t mean she was agreeing to attend nicely; she intended to prepare a gift that would make Callion regret the invitation.

“That works for me. I’ll be happy if you do. Okay.”

Not knowing what had happened, Luna happily agreed.

Rosemary couldn’t figure out what had caused this, but anyway, since the relationship between the two of them still seemed good, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shall we leave now? I feel relieved, and I’m hungry.”

Now that the ceremony was over, there was no reason to stay here any longer. The hospital was quite crowded with people trying to seek medical attention.

Therefore, Luna, who had expressed her gratitude to the visitors and was about to take her leave after exchanging greetings with the hospital staff, unfortunately found that most of the hospital staff were too busy dealing with the crowds.

“We can do greetings later, right?”

Luna agreed with Antes and was about to turn away, thinking that she should send some delicious food later. At that moment, a conversation between a rather shabby-looking woman and a hospital staff member caught Luna’s attention.

“Is it true that you send a doctor to someone who has difficulty moving?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Reflecting on this, the hospital staff added a word to her, saying:

“But right now, as you can see, door-to-door consultations are not possible… You may have to wait a little.”

It wasn’t that they were being lazy; there were really a lot of people lined up in front of the hospital. They planned to treat the patients who had already arrived first and then start door-to-door consultations in the meantime.

Although it was a bit of an imposition, Luna couldn’t ignore the woman’s desperate situation. She approached the woman, who seemed quite earnest, and asked:

“Is a patient in a lot of pain?”

The woman, who seemed to know Luna was a noble by her tone from a distance, was startled at first. Then, she stared at Luna’s face for a moment as if something was strange, and then mumbled the name with a puzzled expression.

“Deborah…?”

“Deborah?”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry!”

While her face bore some resemblance, Deborah was slightly different. If she had to compare, Deborah had a somewhat rough, unpolished feel, and the Luna in front of her had an air of refinement, almost sparkling in comparison.

“Could you tell me more about the condition if it’s very painful?”

From a distance, Luna’s soothing tone made the woman, who was surprised to know that she was a noble, jump.

“If it’s very painful, I’ll take them to the hospital. I have some free time today, so I can do it.”

Although it would have been appropriate to decline the offer of a noblewoman accompanying her to the slums, she was in such a dire state that even her neighbor might not have lasted much longer without medication.

She had been in this poor condition for quite a few years, relying on medication to barely survive.

Moreover, seeing Luna’s face, which resembled Deborah’s to some extent, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and thought it might be okay after all.

“Then, I’m sorry, but may I ask you to… She’s not my family, but she’s in so much pain…”

“Of course.”

Upon hearing that it was an urgent situation, Luna quickly took the lady’s hand

As the astonished woman opened her eyes wide, feeling the soft touch of a noblewoman’s hand for the first time, Antes, who was standing nearby, asked where the house was.

“I-It’s a small slum on the outskirts of the capital…”

Why is there such a handsome man here? Stumbling over her words due to the fresh shock, the woman vaguely explained the location, and Luna nodded, indicating she understood.

“Oh, that would take about an hour round trip. Can you tell me the detailed location on the way”

“Yes, yes!”

* * *

Arriving at the destination the lady had provided, Luna involuntarily glanced around. The shabby shanty houses were so dense that it seemed impossible for that to be a home.

Even though she considered herself close to poverty, it seemed nobility was nobility. Luna felt an unnecessary sense of guilt as she followed the lady to the rundown house.

“…Is this the person?”

Upon seeing a middle-aged woman lying on a dirty bed, struggling to breathe, Luna, who was feeling unwell, followed behind the lady into the dilapidated house.

“Yes. She’s been bedridden and unable to get up for a few years now…”

As the daughter who had been running around day and night to collect money for her mother’s medicine suddenly disappeared a few days ago, the lady expressed deep sadness.

Luna sighed deeply at the unexpected and overlapping misfortunes that seemed to plague poor families.

“For now, it’s better to move her to the hospital. In the meantime, leave a note in case her daughter returns.”

Before anyone could ask to help, Antes embraced the patient and took her to the carriage. It looked effortless, as if lifting a feather.

Leaving a note saying she would take care of the lady and promising to look after her instead of a daughter if she didn’t return for a long time, Luna once again tightly held the worried woman’s hand.

“She will be treated well. And if the daughter doesn’t return for too long, I’ll try to find her.”