“The free hospital…?”

The free hospital? Could it possibly be the same hospital where her mother was hospitalized? There couldn’t be two such hospitals in the world, so Deborah asked anxiously.

Luna, who hadn’t expected such a passionate response, hesitated for a moment before confirming. Deborah’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She thought it would take a long time to see her mother, but the opportunity came so suddenly.

Deborah, eager to check on her mother’s condition as soon as possible, was about to suggest heading to the hospital, but Beth quickly declined Luna’s offer.

“No, it’s not necessary. The young lady has her primary doctor. We’ll show her condition to him when we return.”

“Oh… Really?”

Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing she could do.

It was more of an excuse for barging into the room without notice, so Deborah wasn’t too upset about the refusal.

It was a bit awkward, but things seemed to have smoothed over. As she tried to feel relieved, Deborah noticed a change in Luna’s expression.

‘What’s with that look? It seems like she has a lot to say.’

If she wanted to say something, she should just say it, but Luna seemed hesitant.

Strangely, Luna seemed to be looking at the servant, as if the real master was the servant, not herself.

Luna, finding this odd, frowned. Beth, sensing the mood, embraced Deborah and whispered:

“It might be best for you to go back now. You look tired.”

But in reality, Beth looked more exhausted. She couldn’t hide her pale face as she tightly gripped Deborah’s shoulder with enough force to snap her out of her trance.

Yet, when Deborah didn’t immediately respond, Beth whispered quietly into her ear.

“I know what you’re curious about. I’ll explain everything on our way back. For now, let’s leave.”

The message also subtly hinted at not giving up the crown for immediate curiosity. Realizing her situation, Deborah nodded, stood up, and put on her coat.

“…I suppose we should. Thank you very much for today.”

“Oh, yes…”

Luna replied with an awkward expression. The response was a bit off compared to the mood, but she couldn’t say much when the decision had been made.

“I’ll await your next visit.”

As she said her farewell, Deborah’s expression momentarily wavered.

Why? This brought up another question for Luna, but Beth, still holding onto Deborah, quickly led her out.

“Ah, it seems you’re leaving already.”

Then, as if he had just come up from downstairs, Antes feigned recognition.

Luna felt uncomfortable again seeing his somewhat disappointed expression.

As if not noticing Luna’s discomfort, Antes approached Deborah with a soft smile.

“Or, do you feel like taking a tour now?”

“No, we’re heading back to the mansion!”

For some reason, the response came from an unexpected place. Luna, rushing out of the room, answered on Deborah’s behalf.

The pointed look, questioning why he was standing so unnecessarily close to Deborah, was just an added bonus. Indeed, Antes was standing too close to Deborah.

Even if he hadn’t intended to, Luna was getting jealous over the smallest things. Antes shifted his attention to Luna.

Taking advantage of this, Deborah bowed her head in realization.

He was a man who, despite his tone, gave no room for errors. It seemed intentional.

“…Thank you both for today. I’ll take my leave now.”

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Antes didn’t pursue Deborah any further. Instead, he gave Luna a strange look.

“…!”

Only then did Luna gasp, remembering her last conversation with him. Her face was of pure shock.

Thinking she might run away without a word, Antes tried to shift the topic.

“You’ve been away from your seat for quite some time, haven’t you? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

“Oh! Yes! That’s right!”

Thankfully finding an exit, Luna dashed downstairs. Antes wanted to warn her about possibly tripping due to her rush, but she was already gone in a flash.

‘…Maybe I should offer her a drink.’

At this rate, she might not even greet him properly. Although revealing one’s feelings after a drink wasn’t the best choice, he needed to find a way to have a normal conversation.

‘Fortunately, there’s a good chance for that.’

Of course, before that, he wasn’t sure how many times he’d be hit.

No, it’s definitely correct. It’s only natural since he did such a thing. Thinking so, he followed Luna, who left no trace, down the stairs-

“Hmm?”

He met Luna, who was coming back up the stairs, head-on. Her wide-eyed and agape expression indicated that something was seriously wrong.

“Th, th, th… th, th… the diamond…!”

She seemed to want to scream, but there were too many people around to do so. Antes, knowing why she was reacting like that, gave her the most beautiful smile he could manage.

“Don’t worry. That diamond that was set up as a decoration, I stole it.”

“…What?!”

What did he just say? Who stole what?

When Luna, seemingly unable to understand, blinked and asked, he again confessed his guilt as he slowly approached her on the stairs.

“That big diamond, I said I stole it.”

“What are you…”

What nonsense are you talking about! You brat! Return it if you took it! Why steal someone else’s?!

Luna’s eyes blazed in anger.

“Then give it back! What are you doing?”

“No.”

“…What?”

“I said no.”

“…What?”

She hadn’t spoken informally before, but the news that he had stolen the jewel naturally made her do so. Unable to bear his games any longer, Luna grabbed Antes by the collar and violently shook him, yelling.

“Hey! Where is it?! Where’s the diamond?! Stop playing and bring it back now!”

It seemed as though she might kill him if he didn’t tell her, but for some reason, Antes only smiled. Being held by the collar and threatened in such an informal manner felt surprisingly enjoyable.

So, for a moment, Antes yielded to Luna’s rough handling before realizing the seriousness of her grip on his throat and came clean.

“I’ll explain everything from beginning to end. So, please spare some time this evening. For now, let me tell you that you can get it back.”

* * *

In the carriage heading back to the Duke’s mansion, Deborah heard a detailed explanation from Beth.

It was indeed her mother in Luna’s free hospital, and it wasn’t as serious a disease as she thought.

“So don’t worry. We’ve also arranged for someone to care for her.”

“So she can recover just with medication, without surgery?!”

“Yes. That’s what I’ve been told. She’s been recovering well because she’s in a clean environment and getting sufficient nutrition.”

Oh my god, how did this happen? She knew that the medicine was prohibitively expensive, but it wasn’t a disease requiring surgery. Moreover, it was a curable disease.

Realizing she had been deceived for years and had been doing dirty work because of it, Deborah felt dizzy. Her heart felt like it would burst.

She wanted to jump out of the carriage and run to the hospital where her mother was admitted.

Beth, noticing Deborah’s state, quickly reassured her.

“I wanted to inform you as soon as I found out, but you were already in the Duke’s hands. He’s persistent and fearsome; he won’t let you go.”

Although the subject was omitted, the intention was clear. The Duke wouldn’t let Deborah and her mother go.

Even if Fersen was drugged, it was after he mistook Deborah for Luna. Deborah was very valuable now.

“Moreover, if he were to leave things as they are now, the damage will also affect Lady Luna Peils.”

Since you’ve already pretended to be Luna. If you disappeared now, Fersen would once again mistake Luna and blame her.

She couldn’t harm the kind person who was treating her mother without expecting anything in return.

Persuaded by Beth’s plausible arguments, Deborah sighed and nodded in agreement.

Only then did Beth realize that Deborah was still wearing her coat.

“It’s still a bit further; you might be uncomfortable. Why not take off your coat?”

“Ah… Okay.”

Just as Deborah was about to remove her coat, feeling uncomfortable,

“…Huh?”

She felt something strange in the pocket. What was it? There was nothing when she first wore it at the mansion.

Curious, Deborah put her hand into the pocket without much thought. When she took it out, she was holding a dazzlingly beautiful and large diamond.