“Thank you for letting me know. Thanks to you, I won’t be caught off guard.”

She wasn’t sure if they could time it right if someone has already been sent, but knowing and not knowing who did it is a world of difference.

“Then… again…”

The words ‘Should I change my clothes?’ lingered on her tongue. After all, her mother was receiving treatment in the hospital, so it wasn’t necessary to meet her right away. Luna’s matters came first.

However-

“Fortunately, even though it’s a bathroom, there’s a simple writing tool. I’m sorry, but could you deliver my note before going to the hospital? Just tell the cafe staff to deliver it to the young lady, who rented the cafe.”

Luna had no intention of stealing Deborah’s opportunity.

She couldn’t do such a thing, especially after changing clothes and just before going to see her mother.

Moreover, since she didn’t have to go to the mine herself, just asking to deliver the note would be enough. Antes would surely give proper instructions.

Of course, while Deborah was at the hospital, Luna wanted to talk to Beth a bit more to understand the situation better.

“There is someone who would dislike me behaving like this, so please leave the cafe as quickly as possible. You must leave right away. Otherwise, someone might follow you. Please do this favor for me.”

Luna, leaving those words behind, walked out of the restroom with a reassuring smile. Acting quickly without explaining much was faster.

“You took quite a while.”

As Luna emerged from the bathroom, Beth seemed to have been waiting and approached her. Then, with a frown, noticing Luna’s messy hair, she asked:

“Why is your hair like that? Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s not that, I just sweated because I exerted too much… so I tied it and then let it loose.”

To imitate Deborah, Luna replied in a slightly frail tone. Lowering her voice a bit to avoid any suspicion was an added measure.

Although it seemed plausible enough to avoid suspicion, concern inevitably followed.

“You don’t seem well, should I call a doctor?”

“No? No, I’m fine. If I sit and rest, I’ll be okay.”

Luckily, Beth didn’t suggest going back since Deborah had expressed earlier that she didn’t want to return.

Although reluctant, Beth decided to let her rest for a bit. With that decision, Beth, feeling something was off about Luna, disappeared into a room.

In the meantime, Deborah, who had been watching the situation through the bathroom door gap, hurriedly came out, adhering to Luna’s request.

Without hesitation, considering Luna’s warning that someone might follow, she quickly handed her note to a staff member near the cafe entrance.

“Please deliver this to the young lady, who rented the cafe today.”

“Sure? You’re not delivering it yourself?”

“Oh… it’s just… I have urgent business. So please do this favor for me.”

Despite the staff’s puzzled expression, Deborah hastily left the cafe.

Her destination was Luna’s hospital. As Luna had been buying time for her, Deborah rushed to the hospital with all her might.

Fortunately, the distance from the cafe to the hospital wasn’t far. Stopping for a brief moment to admire the large and clean-looking building, she quickly entered, asking the front desk staff urgently,

“Where is the room of a patient named Sandy? She’s a woman in her early 40s. I heard she’s admitted here!”

“Sandy? Just a moment.”

The staff began looking through the paperwork. Due to the number of patients, it took some time.

Growing impatient, a familiar voice called out to Deborah.

“Deborah?”

“…Auntie?”

It was a woman from next door. Seeing Deborah, she dropped the towel she was holding and hurried over.

“My goodness! Where have you been?! Do you know how worried we were?! And what’s with that outfit? It looks like a maid’s uniform. Did you get a job? Is that why you weren’t around?”

It was evident she was genuinely concerned, as her eyes were reddened. Unsure of how to reply, Deborah mumbled:

“Oh, there were just some things going on…”

“Ah, I see. Anyway, I’m just glad you’re okay. Really. Your mother’s condition is improving too. By the way, did you come after hearing that your mother is admitted to this hospital?”

Upon the woman’s question, Deborah’s eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly nodded.

The woman, who had offered to guide her, laughed heartily, saying there are truly kind nobles in the world, and then started various stories.

“Even if you think it’s a ridiculous story, you can’t just pass it by, can you? So when I asked, turns out they even personally took your mother to the hospital by carriage.”

And then she said he even got her a job as a caretaker at the hospital.

“Thanks to Lady Peils, your mother has improved a lot. She’s said to be discharged soon after a little more treatment. You’ll be so surprised when you see her. I wonder if there’s anyone else in the world as kind.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Deborah involuntarily covered her mouth with her hand. She pondered how much Luna had actually helped her.

The more she knew, the heavier her heart became with gratitude.

Deborah, who vowed to repay this insurmountable kindness if given a chance, responded to the woman.

“…Indeed. She’s truly one of a kind.”

* * *

“Excuse me suddenly. A servant of the Lady sent a note.”

“A servant… For me?”

Laura, on the other hand, looked puzzled as she received the note from Luna.

A note from Luna? Suddenly? Why? Why not just come and say it?

“…Why did she send a note instead of coming in person?”

Antes wondered the same. He motioned for Laura to read quickly, so she hurriedly checked the contents.

“…What?!”

She exclaimed in surprise and stared at Antes with a startled face.

He then hurriedly grabbed the note to read its contents.

[I heard the Duke is sending people to the mines for an operation.

I suddenly have something to take care of and need to go somewhere, so I hope you can handle it. I’m safe, so don’t worry and please deal with it first.

See you later.]

“Operation on the mine?”

While it seemed baffling, if Antes knew the Duke, so it made sense.

But if what was written in the note was true, then there was no more urgent matter. Yet, why Luna went somewhere else was a mystery.

However, doubting the note wasn’t an option since the handwriting was unmistakably Luna’s. This left the usually composed Antes perplexed.

“What should we do…?!”

Laura asked with a voice thick with worry. After a brief hesitation, Antes stood up and looked at her.

“…Could you check the restroom for me?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll do that!”

Laura headed straight to the restroom with him. Unfortunately, there was no one inside.

Having rechecked Luna’s note, Antes let out a deep sigh of resignation.

“Laura, stay here for a while. If Luna comes back before me, make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.”

“Ah, yes…! I’ll do that! Please hurry back! I’m sure the Lady will be back soon. It’s not surprising for her to just leave a note and disappear.”

The worried tone in Laura’s voice hinted at her desire to find Luna more than the mine, so she tried to reassure him with a smile. It was true that Luna was always unpredictable.

Thanks to this, a slightly relieved Antes quickly left the cafe. His destination was his guild.

Upon arrival, he immediately sent people to Luna’s mine, ordering them to strengthen the defenses and thoroughly check for any suspicious individuals. After that, he returned to the cafe.

Driven by urgency, he wrapped things up quickly and it didn’t take him long.

Considering Luna might have returned in his absence, he rushed back to the cafe, only to find a frantic Laura at the entrance, accompanied by an unexpected individual.

“Lord Antes! Lord Antes! There’s been a big problem!”