The place the Count and Countess of Soltanir had prepared to aid the estate’s people exceeded my expectations.

They had temporarily converted the monastery adjacent to the mansion, filling the main hall with beds and transforming the annex into a clinic. The dining hall remained as it was, with the mansion’s chef sent over, and a break room was provided for the employees.

Additionally, they assigned about thirty people to assist me, which made it quite challenging to remember all their names.

They had informed the entire estate in advance of my arrival, so the area in front of the monastery was bustling like a marketplace. Occasionally, there were loud voices claiming they had arrived first, but thanks to the active mediation of Soltanir’s knights, the commotion quickly subsided.

Feeling the urgency to begin consultations and see as many people as possible, I politely declined the offer for tea time and headed to the annex.

“Healer! Wait a moment! Healer!”

Just as I was about to open the door to the annex, someone called out to me cheerfully and ran over. Stefan momentarily restrained the man, but seeing no immediate threat, I stopped him.

The man, panting, came to a halt in front of me. I slowly examined his face, which seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him, so I greeted him with an apologetic expression.

“Hello. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember who you are. Where have we met?”

The man was dressed no differently than the other estate people. He waved his hand dismissively and said,

“Oh, please don’t use honorifics! I’m someone who was brought back from the brink of death thanks to you. In the Duchy of Rumatera!”

He slightly raised his head and pointed to his neck. It was then that the face of the soldier with the most severe injuries in the duchy overlapped with his. Though it was called an injury, most of the blood vessels in his neck had been severed, and it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had died at any moment.

Fortunately, his comrades had brought him in just in time, allowing me to pour all my magical power into saving him. He briefly regained consciousness afterward, but needing to conserve his strength for recovery, he soon fell asleep again. I remembered leaving the barracks only after confirming he was fully healed.

“So you’re that person! I remember now. Are you feeling well these days?”

“Of course! I can’t tell you how much I regretted not being able to properly thank you back then. But when the lord mentioned you were coming, I came just in case…! It’s late, but thank you so much, healer.”

The man bowed so deeply it seemed he might touch the ground. Even though a simple greeting would have sufficed, hearing such heartfelt gratitude always left me touched yet embarrassed.

“No need to thank me. I was just doing my job. But I see you’re no longer serving as a soldier.”

I intentionally asked a question to make the conversation more comfortable, and he straightened up, answering happily.

“Yes. My wife is pregnant, and someone needed to be there to take care of her.”

“Oh, congratulations! How is your wife’s health? Is she sleeping well? Eating without any issues?”

I inquired about the health of his pregnant wife as if it were the most natural thing, but then I felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if I was being too nosy with someone I didn’t really know. Fortunately, the man laughed heartily and replied,

“She’s very healthy. The only problem is she craves too many things.”

With that, he handed me the basket he had been holding. A cloth covered the top, hiding its contents.

“We don’t have much to offer, but fortunately, my wife and I are good with our hands. Please accept this.”

It was an unexpected gift. Following my mentor’s teaching that if a gift didn’t seem too extravagant or burdensome, I should accept it with joy for the gratitude it represented, I carefully took the basket and asked,

“May I open it?”

“Of course!”

As I slowly removed the white cloth, I found two shiny red apples, two handkerchiefs, and a fan inside.

“The apples are the finest picked from the Soltanir orchard. My wife embroidered the handkerchiefs herself, and I crafted the fan by weaving together bark and attaching the embroidered fabric.”

Listening to his explanation, I took each item out to examine them. The apples emitted a rich, sweet fragrance. The handkerchiefs had embroidery along the edges in the shape of tree branches, and, somehow, the name Hazel Lawrence was clearly stitched onto them. One end of the fan was adorned with colorful flowers, and the other end also bore my name.

“My name is engraved on these.”

Murmuring in wonder, he replied sheepishly,

“I didn’t want to forget the name of my benefactor, so I took the liberty of asking Duke Lawrence.”

“I see…”

I fiddled with the handkerchief, feeling my heart race at the unexpected mention of Leopold’s name. Given the situation with the Soltanir estate, I realized it would likely be unavoidable to hear his name while I was here, so I prepared myself for it.

The man continued his enthusiastic explanation.

“You lost your handkerchief back then, didn’t you? So, this time, we prepared two extra ones, and I made the fan thinking it would be useful in the hot southern region. Look at these flowers. My wife did the embroidery; isn’t she amazing?”

“Indeed, I would believe it was the work of a master craftsman.”

Smiling, I acknowledged his pride and then inquired about one of his earlier comments.

“But how do you know I lost a handkerchief? Did Leopold tell you that too?”

The man looked at me with wide eyes.

“Well… You lost the handkerchief, and it was used as a clue when we were searching for you, healer.”

“You were searching for me?”

He tilted his head, puzzled by my question. I couldn’t hide my surprise at hearing this story for the first time.

“Could you explain in more detail?”

The man, though a bit flustered, began to recall his memory.

“Well… You lost the handkerchief on the way to the duchy, didn’t you? I heard there was blood on it. Right after the Duke found the handkerchief, he requested reinforcements from our lord, and part of our standing army, including me, was deployed to search for you, healer.”

The details were too specific to be fabricated, and I was momentarily at a loss for words. Until now, I had thought he brought the army to the duchy purely out of strategic necessity.

I had assumed Leopold followed me to Fojetta because it was approved by His Majesty, and in the case of the duchy, Aaron Rumatera wasn’t much help to the empire’s future. But was everything I concluded on my own just a misunderstanding?

“Is it all… true? Really?”

“Yes! You can ask the count, too. It shouldn’t be much different from what I know.”

There was no hesitation in his response. It seemed wise to confirm this again with Count Soltanir.

“I see… I understand. Thank you. I’ll make good use of the gift. Take good care of your wife.”

I hugged the basket close and sent him on his way. I needed to work, but my mind was in a fog. If it was a blood-stained handkerchief, it must have been Raphael’s blood. How shocked must Leopold have been to see that? He already felt guilty towards me, and I worried he might have pushed himself even harder. I sighed.

If he had told me earlier, I could have at least apologized for making him worry. How many times had I unknowingly troubled Leopold like this…? My heart was troubled.

“Excuse me.”

A sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. When I looked up from the basket, I saw the Soltanir lady with her hands on her hips, glaring at me with annoyance.

“Aren’t you going to see the patients?”

“Oh… I will. I just had a brief chat with an unexpected visitor.”

Realizing the conversation had gone on a bit long, I hurried into the annex. I wanted to avoid running into the Soltanir lady, but there she was, right in front of me. Nevertheless, she followed me into the annex and spoke in an accusatory tone.

“Do you think this place is for laughing and chatting? There are people lining up outside.”

“Don’t worry. I will see to everyone properly. But why do you always speak as if you’re picking a fight? You could speak nicely.”

I tried to calm her down, but it was a complete failure. The more we talked, the angrier I became. It’s not like I wanted to marry Leopold!

“Do you think I can speak nicely right now? There are people—”

But the Soltanir lady crossed her arms and raised her voice even more. Her rudeness was annoying, and I didn’t want to listen anymore, so I cut her off.

“The people of the estate are just an excuse. You’re just upset because your crush was taken by me. It’s unbecoming, so stop it.”

“Ha.”

She let out a breath as if she couldn’t believe it. She seemed at a loss for words, just standing there with her mouth open, so I spoke gently again.

“Oh, are you here to help? If so, please guide one person at a time into the annex, Lady Soltanir.”

Then I deliberately gave her my brightest smile. She stared at me incredulously before turning abruptly and leaving.