Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“What do you mean by that? Explain quickly,” Kallen, who seemed more excited than I was, urged Dr. Sibel. I’ve never seen His Grace this enthusiastic about something before.

“You see, Your Grace...” Dr. Sibel frantically pushed up his glasses and spread the papers across his desk. “Lady Leticia’s language skills are remarkable. Her expressive abilities are strong, and despite her limited educational background, her deductive reasoning and situational awareness are exceptional. She is quick-witted, has above-average memorization skills and, though never having studied mathematics, has an excellent command of numbers. In other words…”

I gulped.

“…she possesses a very rare talent. It appears that you will need to study diligently, my lady. And congratulations to you, Your Grace.”

My mouth stubbornly remained open as I listened to the doctor.

Oh, I see. I suppose that thanks to my memories of the past, a chipped diamond is still a diamond.

The corners of Kallen’s mouth twitched slightly. “I knew it. My daughter is a genius.”

“Dr. Sibel said I was gifted, not a genius.”

“A gifted child is a variety of genius, and your lovely charm only adds to that. You are incredible, Leticia.”

So a semi-genius, one that’s been rounded to the nearest whole number. What kind of miraculous calculation method is that?

“Earlier, Your Grace claimed it didn’t matter if I was a fool,” I said, willing down the corner of my mouth that threatened to curl up. To be honest, I was pleased with the results. Being called gifted was a compliment I’d never expected to receive in my life.

“It’s okay to be a fool, but being both intelligent and wealthy will make life much more enjoyable,” Kallen whispered. He knew how to melt his words to honey—the skill of a sly demon. He was also prone to abrupt shifts in attitude. “Shall we indulge in some chocolate cake now?”

“Yes, please!”

“You must finish your writing lessons as soon as possible. There’s much more to be learned.” Kallen smiled proudly, but that smile faded as Dr. Sibel quickly stopped our departure.

“I-I understand you are extremely busy, Your Grace, but Lady Leticia still needs to complete her consultation.”

The duke narrowed his eyes. “I believe you’ve already spoken with my daughter for long enough.”

“It seems that Dr. Sibel has more to say, Your Grace,” I chimed in.

The doctor smiled and nodded as if to thank me. “The consultation regarding the test results will take place in the back room.”

“Can you not merely speak of it here?” Kallen asked, his voice cutting.

Sibel flinched. “I apologize, Your Grace, but in order to converse honestly with the consultee, the guardian must be absent.”

“That’s all right,” I said. “I’ll go.”

We’ll be just a wall away from Kallen, who will be keeping a close eye and ear on things. Who would dare to harm me in such a situation? I tugged on Kallen’s sleeve to remind him to set me down. He sighed and reluctantly lowered me to the ground.

“This way, my lady,” Sibel said, opening the door to the back room.

When I walked in, I was met with piles of documents, anatomical models, and mysterious machines.

“What is all this?” I asked.

“This is my personal laboratory, where I have many experiments.” Sibel offered me a chair and sat down in front of me. “There is actually an education course designed for gifted children such as yourself,” he said, then glanced sidelong at the door. “But because His Grace adores you, I doubt he will let you join the course. It takes place in a specialty education facility that is quite far from here.”

I raised my eyebrows before my gaze returned to the room around us. Something felt off.

What is this feeling? It’s almost… disharmonious.

“Have you realized?” Dr. Sibel asked with a bright smile. “This room is the final test.”

The final test? Oh! I nodded vigorously.

“Would you like to try solving the last riddle for fun, my lady?” the doctor asked kindly. “If you’ve discovered the hidden problem in this room, that is. The problem with its structure.”

The hidden problem in this room? I climbed down from my chair and circled the room, taking in everything I could.

There are too many details to observe. I was eying all the odds and ends when I noticed something unusual about the wall. Aha!

“This room is structurally identical to the one we were just in. However.…”

If you cleared away all the documents and machinery, the room would most likely look identical to the other—a brown study desk, a small guest chair, a bookshelf, and a painting on the opposite wall. Even the exhaust vent on the ceiling and the wall-mounted lamp bracket were the same.

Which means we’re playing “spot the difference!” Let’s see… What stands out? The painting? A framed picture hung across from the bookshelf. There had also been a picture in the other room. I could examine the bookshelf further, but something about the picture stands out to me… The picture in the other room was a landscape painting. This one also depicts a landscape, but…

Oh! I gasped inwardly.

“I remember the unusual painting outside. It was a landscape that showed a crossroads in the middle of a forest. We can see that forest here as well, but there are no crossroads—just a bunch of flowers in a circle.”

The flowers were growing on a circular fence. If the first room had a cross below, then there is a perfectly round circle above it. A cross and a circle, a cross and a circle...

“Is there a book on this shelf with the words ‘cross’ and ‘circle’ in the title?” I asked, slightly embarrassed.

“I can’t read all the letters yet. I’m still learning, you see.”

Sibel smiled and said, “As expected of a gifted child. You can’t read or write, yet you approach these puzzles with amazing skill.” He stood behind me and reached for a book on the shelf. As he leaned forward, our bodies almost touched.

Wow, he’s taller than he looks. He might be as tall as Kallen.

“The title of this book is ‘The Cross’s Circle,’” he said, handing it to me.

Wait, is this the end? He definitely said “puzzles,” implying there must be more to it. I stared at the empty spot where the book had been.

“This book may be the final answer, but I don’t think it is… The bookshelf has a mark where this book was.”

A circular mark that appears to have been drawn on purpose. Two circles and one cross. What if the cross is a plus sign? Does this mean I should add or combine the two circles?

“I found two circles, correct? Drawing two circles of the same size side by side creates an infinity sign—or so I’ve heard. I may not be able to read, but I’ve picked up on such things here and there.”

The shape that resembles a snake biting its own tail. The symbol of infinity. All of this I learned from mystery novels in my past life.

“Is there another book titled ‘Infinity?’ Or anything similar, perhaps,” I asked.

Dr. Sibel beamed, and his eyes lit up. He turned back to the bookshelf and removed a book with a shiny white cover.

“This one is called ‘Infinity’s Lover,’” he murmured.

I grabbed the book and opened it. The pages were blank, but inside was a sparkling card with the word “success” on it.

“Wow, it’s pretty! Thank you! I guess I solved the riddle.” I couldn’t help smiling. Perhaps it was the endless compliments from Kallen and Sibel, but I felt smarter than I was.

“You could have stopped at the answer ‘The Cross’s Circle,’ but to think you made it this far! There are a few more riddles that follow, but I fear His Grace’s patience is wearing thin, so we will stop here for today.”

I nodded cheerfully. The test had been quite entertaining.

“You’re extremely bright, my lady. You surpassed my expectations.”

I wondered if it was okay to be praised this easily, but I felt proud nonetheless.

“If you flip over the card, you will find the address for my laboratory.”

I turned the card over and squinted.

Is this his business card? It was the first business card I had ever received. I smiled, carefully sliding the card into my pocket.

“As intelligent children like yourself grow older, your feelings and knowledge will gradually diverge from those of others your age. That was my experience as well, you see.”

I nodded. “You must have been a genius, Dr. Sibel.”

“Yes, which is how I obtained several doctorates before the age of twenty. I’m a teacher who guides children like you. If you’re ever feeling lost, don’t hesitate to find me. This laboratory will always welcome you with open arms.”

“Thank you…” I responded politely, just as my governess had taught me.

Sibel then leaned forward, cupping his hand to his mouth to whisper. “By the way, His Grace doesn’t have grand expectations of you. He’s simply proud of your talent.”

My chest tightened as I took a breath. Dr. Sibel isn’t any ordinary doctor, is he? How did he know exactly what I was thinking?

I felt my face flush. Oh, is that why Kallen was so thrilled? Because he’s proud of me?

There was a sudden knock on the door. Sibel scrambled to straighten up and leave the room. I trailed behind him.

“That was quite a lengthy conversation. It’s a little suspicious,” Kallen said, narrowing his eyes at Sibel once more.

The doctor’s wise appearance vanished into thin air as his hands shook in terror. “I-I was simply advising Lady Leticia on today’s exam. And my business card— Oops!” He tripped and stubbed his toe on the desk.

At this rate, he’ll wear out both of his feet.

“Dr. Sibel gave me his business card!” I shouted, waving at the duke.

His Grace then snickered and said, “Looking at him now, I’d say he’s more of a comedian than a doctor.”

“Dr. Sibel told me that you’re proud of me, Your Grace,” I said, albeit hesitantly. I took a step closer to him and added in a timid whisper, “I’m also proud of Your Grace… and I hope that never changes.”

“I understand, my dear,” Kallen replied, smiling. He appeared to be in high spirits now. “However, I would appreciate it if you would replace ‘Your Grace’ with ‘Daddy.’ There is no rush, of course.”

“I’ll try.” My cheeks felt hot again.

It’s still too embarrassing for me to address him like that.

“We’re leaving now,” Kallen said to Dr. Sibel. “My butler will send you the payment later.”

“A-all right. Thank you, Your Grace.”

The scatterbrained doctor nodded eagerly.

I curtsied. “It was nice to meet you, doctor.” I shrugged on my coat as Kallen slipped on his gloves.

“Please come again, my lady.” Sibel continued to wave with a cheerful smile until the door had closed.

I smiled back and, filled with anticipation, skipped down the stairs. It’s time to go to the cafe!

* * *

Sibel’s smile faded the moment they were gone. He adjusted his glasses and slipped his hands into his lab coat pockets.

“She’s just as intriguing as I’d heard,” he muttered. “Only a little further, and she would have discovered the real answer.”

He grinned and strolled back into the room where the petite, lovely young girl had solved his puzzles. He removed the books “The Cross’s Circle” and “Infinity’s Lover” and reached into the empty space they left on the bookshelf. There was a box.

“The real answer wasn’t the business card, but this,” he said, slowly opening it. It was full of fresh and fragrant red morning glories, with gold lines radiating from the center.

“Oh, and we can’t forget about this.”

Sibel smirked as he shoved the bookshelf aside to reveal another hidden room. A large cloning tank stood in the middle, and inside the tank was the body of an unconscious man. He was curled up, submerged in chemicals.

“And the next riddle was… Where’s the real Dr. Sibel?” He tapped the tank’s glass. “She untangled all the answers except this one, which means her imagination must be flawed,” he muttered.

“But I’m confident that the more horrors she experiences, the more her imagination will develop. She will mature into the perfect specimen.” He stared at the floating body. “Sweet dreams, Dr. Sibel. I promise to make good use of your identity in the meantime. It’s been extremely useful thus far.”

Then he grinned. The handsome man’s previous eccentric expression was gone, replaced by an eerie, rictus grin.

“Leticia… I’m confident she will blossom into an incredible woman. I look forward to it with much anticipation.” He muttered to the floating corpse.

The real Dr. Sibel, who was long dead, did not respond.