"How amusing, Miss Aecilia," Avendial said, hearing Aecilia's seamless words as she mentioned needing payment for the information about the doctor. He couldn't help but shake his head, causing her to glance in his direction without turning her head.
With a smile forming and giving her a sidelong glance, he asked, "I also want payment from the Sertsul family for using my name in the Free Cities all this time."
"Th-that's... you knew?" Aecilia blinked in surprise at how Avendial was aware of the Sertsul family using his name so freely in the cities.
Given that he was mostly a single nobleman who had never interacted with or even entered the Free City, nor had he shown any repercussions for his name being used, she had assumed he wouldn't know.
"And why do you think I wouldn't know this?" Avendial raised an eyebrow as he inquired, his expression clearly indicating that even in his past life, there had been several instances when the royal family had sent him inquiry letters about the Sertsul family using his name to get their work done within the government, seeking to verify if it was true.
Naturally, it was evident at that time that there was dissatisfaction within the royal family regarding the Sertsuls.
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However, it hadn't reached the point of action; they were still strict in their rules and on the lookout for loopholes in the Sertsul family's dealings.
Not wanting to jeopardize the businesses he had invested in, Avendial simply agreed that it was him who had given his permission.
In the end, he was just a businessman who weighed the pros and cons before deciding on profitability, indifferent to what the royal family or others might think of him.
"Apologies, Marquess. Exactly that's..." Aecilia was about to explain the reason they used his name, given that there were times when they felt pressure and hurdles from the government due to the Sertsul family's favoring of weaker individuals; those from lower backgrounds were beginning to irritate some higher officials who did not want their votes to turn against them by becoming educated.
"The royal family used to send confirmations to me," Avendial remembered this detail and realized it could strengthen his bargaining position, making the Sertsul family feel grateful for his assistance.
There was no reason for him to act like a kind man and conceal how he had supported them by lying to the royal family.
"...Is that so?" Aecilia's eyes widened slightly in surprise, given that she hadn't tasked her spies to keep an eye on the Marquess's actions.
She was unaware of his interactions with the royal family and never thought he might know about them using his name, especially since the royal family was indeed seeking confirmation, which indicated they were trying to find loopholes to blame the Sertsuls for using his name without his permission.
"So, now tell me, Miss Aecilia, am I deserving of a favor from the Sertsuls?" Avendial, feeling the weight of his bargain increasing, inquired again in a calm yet assertive tone.
Aecilia looked at him before looking straight ahead, her hand sliding into her pocket to retrieve her phone, dialing a number.
"Hello, find out about Lin Diego and Doctor Etrinia from the city hospital. Do it within a few hours; it's the Marquess's request," Aecilia instructed during the call, ensuring she mentioned the Marquess's name, which would play a crucial role in obtaining the information swiftly.
Avendial, upon hearing Aecilia casually mention his name, could tell it was not her first time doing this. However, he had little time to address it, knowing that the value of his name would diminish once this world lost its significance.
"O-oh Sir, here you are; the patient's condition is serious, and you need to pay 1,500 Imperial Crowns now," a nurse came sprinting down the hallway, looking toward Avendial and Aecilia. She approached them to inform them of the initial charge required to start the surgery.
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"What are you trying to do, Doctor Wen?" one of the doctors nearby noticed how, unlike any other staff members, this doctor was attempting to inject a drug into a man lying in a bloodied state.
Although the cotton had cleared most of the blood, the remnants of open wounds signaled that urgent surgery was needed. However, the urgency seemed absent among the other doctors, except for one.
"Can't you see his condition? He will die at this rate," Doctor Wen said firmly as he injected the medication into Leon's right hand. Leon, half-asleep, could hear everything but was unable to move or open his eyes.
"So? You just gave him a 90 Imperial Crown injection. Do you think the hospital gets funding from the government?" Doctor Fredi, another staff member, with arms folded, gave a disapproving look to Dr. Wen, who was using valuable medications without any guarantee of payment for a person brought in from an accident, with no information available about his family.
Given the state of the man's clothes and the dirt covering his body, it was likely he was a construction worker; everything seemed like a total loss.
"Doctor Fredi, you should know well that money can be earned back, but not life," Doctor Wen shot back, giving a stern gaze to the bespectacled doctor, who apparently held more authority in the hospital than he did.
"Huh? Treat him and you'll be fired from the hospital," Doctor Fredi threatened, taking Dr. Wen's words personally, confident in his position as the director's son, knowing that getting a doctor fired was no problem for him.
"Fire me? It was your father who requested that I join this hospital," Dr. Wen replied without backing down, clarifying a few things for the young man who seemed unaware of how the world truly works.
While those in power may appear to have complete control, they still need capable individuals to do the actual work.
An influential person remains influential only as long as they can exert influence over someone capable beneath them.
If someone decides not to accept their money and stands their ground, all that influence becomes meaningless.
Dr. Wen, who had received numerous rewards and Nobel Prizes from the central government, was being looked down upon by a management team doctor who didn't understand that he was here to save lives, not to earn money.
He had even received an offer to work at hospitals under one of the heirs of the Royal Kingdom—a position that most doctors only dream of obtaining.
"You..." said the doctor, getting on his nerves. The graffiti was about to speak up, but suddenly the door of the operating room swung open as a nurse came in.
She glanced towards Dr. Fredi and added, "S-sir, those who brought the patient have just called the director."