Fritz's huh birthday was already half a year ago. He celebrated with a big ball in the castle. The queen roud of him. The king looked at him with satisfa. His siblings sang him a birthday song in the m, each sounded more crooked thaher. Friedrich covered his ears ughing. His stepfather was a friendly wizard, but Fritz did not see him as a father. And he khat Friedrich didn't really sider the queen's three eldest to be his own children. It didn't matter. Fritz, Cleo, and Lea were grown-ups for a long time and they had a father. They didn't need a new one. Friedrich was a friend. That was enough.

  The carriage in which Fritz was sitting swayed on the uneven road. He was on his way to the hospital in the try, which he would personally take care of for a few months until suitable ma was found and the staff was trained. He didn't have to take care of it personally, but Fritz didn't let this be taken away from him. He ehe variety of the job. When the carriage reached the new building, he got out with a good feeling. The new building was rge and towered like a mo over the smaller houses of the city. It was raining lightly, so he hurried to the new, magnifit hospital.

  Smiling, he walked through the gss front door. The first new members of the staff awaited him there. They stood irance hall. There they had awaited the arrival of the prince. A group of about two hundred healers, as well as simple mortal employees, looked at him expetly. Not all positions were filled yet, but they were ready to start. His assistant had assured him of this.

  "Good m!", he greeted, as it was still very early. "Let's skip the formal part! I assume that everyone knows where their workpce is? There is a lot to do! Let's get to work!"

  With a quick bow, the staff hurried away. A young woman with dark skin caught his eye. She sat down at the reception desk and smiled shyly at him. She retty. Since she worked at the reception, he assumed she was a mortal. He hadn’t hired the staff personally. His assistant was responsible for this. Moritz von Krater had goo the academy with Fritz and had been w as his assistant for many years now. He made sure that the hospital was fully equipped and hired the staff. Moritz was a healer with weak talent. But he was very talented when it came tanization. He and Fritz have been friends for a long time and work together very routinely.

  Moritz waited for Fritz at the stairs that led to the other floors of the hospital. He grinned as he watched his friend, who was uo take his eyes off the woman at the reception desk.

  "Yhness? There is a lot to do!", he excimed.

  Fritz smiled tritely and averted his gaze from the unknowy.

  "I'm ing, sve driver!", he shouted to his assistant ao him.

  Moritz put his arm over his shoulder and pushed him to the stairs. "Did you fall in love with someone?" he teased. "Into a pretty girl?"

  "That does not you!", Fritz stuck out his to Moritz.

  "You hurt my feelings!" Moritz pulled Fritz even closer to him, which caused them to stumble oairs.

  "Careful!" Fritz ughed.

  "If my best friend finds the woman of his life, that's very much my business!" Moritz tried to ruffle Fritz's long hair, which he had tied into a strict ponytail, but Fritz dodged him and hurried up the stairs.

  "Leave my hair alone!"

  "e on, princess!" Moritz ran after him.

  "Princess? I'll give you a princess right away!"

  "Gdly. Which of your sisters will take me? I think Lea is very pretty. Cleo is way too muscur for me."

  "Fet it! Stay away from my sisters!"

  "You suggested it, Miss Prince!"

  "Screw you!"

  "No, thank you. But one of your sisters... Lea..."

  "Idiot!" Fritz had arrived at his temporary offid smmed the door in his friend's face.

  "Open the door, my dear prince!" Moritz was still trying to open the dhing. "Otherwise I'll tell the young dy at the reception what you did st week in that little pub!"

  "I don't know about anything!" Fritz held the door shut so Moritz couldn't get in. He could have locked it, but he didn't think of that.

  "Sure? I still remember exactly... You were standing on the bar, only in your..."

  "I didn't!"

  "And then you sang the anthem of the kingdom! Only in your underpants!"

  "That's not true!"

  "Oh yes. You had too much liquor, you boozer!"

  Fritz opehe door and looked at Moritz angrily. "I didn't!"

  Moritz pushed past him. "Yes. And luckily, no nized you. And even if... Most were too drunk to remember your performance... Otherwise, there would be a fancy sdal."

  Fritz groaned. "I'll never go to a pub with you agai's get to work. We need more staff." Down the hall, he heard someone giggle. Of course, they had been heard. Fritz groaned.

  "I'm going to have more interviews tomorrow. You should also do some. Then we would make faster progress."

  "I 't do the interviews myself. People would e for the wrong reasons and would most likely not tell the truth, or anything. we leave some of the interviews to our existing staff? Every department already has ma."

  "Oh, I've already taken care of that. But not everyone is trained enough to duct job interviews productively. Only those who were already involved in the initial pnning currently hold job interviews. So only a handful of people do some of them."

  "So we're anything but ready to go?" Fritz dropped into his office chair. "That sounded different in your letter."

  "We are ready to go. But it's going to be a bumpy start. Especially in the current situation. Every day more people fall ill. These are going to be stressful weeks. Have you found out where the disease es from?" Moritz sat down on a chair opposite him.

  "I work with that. And no. Not yet. Maybe we'll never find out. Perhaps a further development of an already existing disease? Or is magivolved? But who would be from it? And who would be powerful enough to manipute a disease?"

  "Magic? That sounds like an iing theory. After all, the only thing that seems to help against this is healing magic... ventional drugs do not help. A failed healing spell, perhaps?"

  "Which then spread quickly? In that case, it would be possible that we could not find the person responsible."

  "Because in this case, this person is probably sick with his own spell. There might be something to it, right?" Moritz rested his head on his arms. "We need more healers!"

  At the end of the day, Fritz hurried dowairs, hoping to find the young woman. He was lucky. She was still at the reception desk and looked at him in surprise. She looked like a goddess. Like a queen! Fritz's heart raced with excitement. How should he introduce himself to her? He wao impress this stunning person! Nothing like this had ever happeo him before...

  "Yhness?" She bowed quickly, while Fritz stood breathlessly in front of her.

  "Hello, my name is Fritz! That's a pretty ter", he heard himself say. Wonderful. You monkey. She already khat. ter? A pretty ter?

  The young woman gave him an amused smile. "I know who you are, Yhness, and thank you very much. I like the ter too. I help you?"

  Fritz stared at her embarrassed. She was so beautiful. What should he say to her? Could he just invite her to dinner? Or was that too hasty? And above all, he had to say something impressive... But his head was empty. "Have you been w here for a long time?", he asked instead. It's gettier aer. Fool!

  She blinked in surprise. "Yesterday was my first day? As with most?"

  "Awesome!"

  "I think so too. I do something for you?"

  "Food!" For heaven's sake... He acted like a fool. But he had never seen such a beautiful womaher. He turned red. How embarrassing.

  "What?" She ughed softly.

  "Do you want to go out for dinner with me?" His face was frozen.

  The young woman chewed on her lower lip so as not to ugh out loud. "We don't even know each other yet."

  "Um... Yes. That’s true? My name is Fritz!"

  Now she ughed. Quiet and enting. Fritz wao dig himself a hole, and at the same time stare at her forever. Why did his brai him down? Now! Where he so badly.

  "My name is Pau. And I would like to go out for dinner with you. Do you have time on Saturday? After work."

  He nodded.

  "Good." Pau wi him. "I'm delighted. I'll be waiting for you here. Yes?"

  He nodded again.