Luckily, after giving Lona the necklace she was no longer angry. She was mad that I somehow managed to get sweets without approval. I had to lie and say I raided the kitchen, which she luckily believed. But she wouldn't let me eat sweets for an entire week.
First, no coffee? Now no cake? Have mercy on this weary traveler.
It had been several weeks since the Duke's visit and I forgot what I even promised him. I did start wearing my lucky necklace in my stockings. I needed all the luck I could get and Lona wouldn't let me wear it, so I had to sneak it.
I had just finished class, so I went outside with the two boys. I was surprised to see my family's carriage there. Lona stood by it and walked over to me.
"Dr. Singh is going to visit today. We will not be going to Prince William's estate."
"What? Today? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
She stared at me, "We did. Several times."
"Oh. I forgot then."
She sighed, "This is why you'll be sent away to an asylum."
I frowned, "I will not."
William patted my back, "Good luck. You're going to need it."
"Oh stop it already. When you see me tomorrow, I will have passed with flying colors."
Dante smiled at me, "Whatever you need to tell yourself."
I muttered, "Brats."
I climbed into the carriage and we quickly returned to the house. I followed Lona inside.
"He's here now in the foyer. I will bring you to him."
I could hear the nervousness in her voice. "It's okay Lona."
"I'm not so sure."
I grabbed her hand and stopped her. She looked into my eyes. "Really. It's okay. Even worse case scenario is not that bad."
She breathed in deeply, "I just don't understand where you get this confidence from."
Well, to be honest my confidence in this matter comes from a previous life. I had studied this subject in college and was one of the best. I could read anyone like a book. It was simple. You just had to be observant.
Everyone expected me to be the leading Doctor in criminal psychology since I could easily figure out anyone. Unfortunately for them, I decided to use what I learned to be a car salesperson. I was really good at it too. I worked at the most expensive car dealership and was the top salesperson. Ah, I miss that life.
I must admit I haven't really been using those skills in this world as much. That's just because I'm too lazy. I really only use it when it benefits me.
We walked into the foyer and saw my father and mother sitting across from a younger handsome man.
I scrutinized him quickly. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes. He had slight bags under his eyes and a demeanor that said he took his work seriously. He chose to wear an inexpensive suit and unfashionable glasses meaning he doesn't care about what's in style, but that he values simplicity. Even though he's the top doctor in the kingdom regarding this profession, he isn't arrogant or proud of it.
He has a wedding ring around his finger with a greenish tint on his skin under it. The green tint means he never takes off his ring, not even to bathe. A bit gross but I suppose to some that's romantic. He also twirls the ring occasionally. So he's happily married and it is a source of comfort for him.
Since he chose to work with children, he must like them. After all, anyone who hates kids would never willingly work with them. He doesn't have an aura of a father, but his micro expression when I walked in revealed that he wants kids. Since it's a happy marriage one can only assume that they must have troubles conceiving. Therefore, he chose this career field because of that.
In essence, he is a very honorable and a good man.
I can use all of this to my advantage.
My father looked tense and my mother looked too afraid to talk. I bet that he had been interviewing them prior. I'm sure they tried to chose their words carefully, but a man like this would easily figure out that my father is too lenient while my mother is too strict. This is already a strike against me.
My father smiled, "Ah, Seri. Welcome home. Come greet Dr. Singh. He's here to talk to you today."
I walked over to him and curtsied. I looked up at him and back down timidly. Today I will be playing a timid child. You see, outgoing children are more likely to be impulsive and have authority issues. Timid children, on the other hand, are more gentle but also more likely to develop social anxieties. This could be bad too, however, females usually get the pass when they are timid because this is thought of as a female trait. Sexist, I know. But I didn't decide this.
"Seri greets Dr. Singh. It's an honor to meet you."
He chuckled and bent down to my level. Ugh. This is so textbook. Doctors do this with children to put them at ease.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Seri. I would like to talk to you. Is that okay?"
I glanced at my father and he nodded his head. I looked back to the doctor and responded in a small voice. "Yes."
He looked to the others, "Is it okay if I can have the room?"
They all nodded and hesitantly walked out. Lona gave me a look of encouragement before closing the door. I don't know why everyone's so nervous. I prepared for this quite well.
I made sure to read the textbooks doctors use here in this world for diagnosing individuals. It's something only doctors can get a hold of, but luckily I have connections in the red light district. It was plenty of sleepless nights but I read them all. It's actually pretty close to what I learned in college, just a little outdated.
He motioned over to a doll house with dolls in front of it, "I brought some toys for you to play with."
I smiled and twirled my dress, "Thank you."
Ugh. This is so textbook it hurts. Make a child play with toys so they feel comfortable and are distracted enough to tell the truth. I hate it, but I will play along.
I grabbed the dolls and started making them walk around. He kneeled next to me, "Are you okay with me asking questions while you play?"
I nodded. He continued, "Do you like dolls?"
"I guess. It's not my favorite but I do like to play with them occasionally."
"What do you prefer to play in your free time?"
I focused on the dolls making him think that I was interested in them. "I really like playing tag or hide and go seek with Lona."
He pulled out a notepad and started scribbling, "Lona? Who is that?"
"She is the maid who takes care of me."
"I see. And do your parents do much with you?"
"Well, we all eat together. Daddy and I like to go for walks. Sometimes we even go into town and eat at some dessert places."
"Well that's good. Do they help you with homework?"
"No. They don't need to. School work is easy for me."
He chuckled, "So I've heard from your parents. They are really proud of you."
I pretended to grow embarrassed by this, "It's nothing really."
He chuckled, "There's no need to be modest."
I have to be careful. I assume he already asked similar questions to my parents. If I say something wrong then he will know I'm lying.
He continued, "If you get in trouble, what do they do?"
"Well Daddy doesn't do much. Mother might ground me. However, Lona is the one who usually disciplines me."
"How does she do that?"
"For example, I snuck into the kitchen late at night and ate some sweets. She found out and didn't let me eat any sweets for an entire week."
Punishments are very important in children's lives. You wouldn't think so, but aggressive punishments are bad for a children's psyche. On the other end, no punishments make children entitled and more likely to display selfish behavior. However, punishment that involves no dessert or taking away a desired object, is very good. The child is less likely to do the action again.
Heh. But I'm not a child.
"Do your parents fight often?"
I shrugged, "Kind of."
"What do they fight about?"
"Well, mother always wants father to be home more but he can't because he works a lot."
"And how does that make you feel?"
"I'm also a bit sad. I also want daddy home more."
"I see. What else makes you sad?"
"Well, I'm sad when it rains because I can't play outside. But it's good for the flowers."
He chuckled, "It is."
He continued to ask me questions and I answered them accordingly. I can't believe he is asking the questions straight from the book. He is too textbook. But, most doctors are. It gives it a standardized process for figuring out diagnoses. If you know the questions you can figure out the correct answers and escape being diagnosed. Heh. This is almost too easy. (Don't try this at home kids)
He finished, "Well that's all I need to ask you. Do you have anything to ask me?" I pretended to hesitate as if I wanted to ask something but was too scared. He smiled reassuringly, "It's alright. You can ask."
"Well... I was in town with Daddy the other day, when I saw some coins in an alley. I went in to grab them and some men entered so I hid."
"Why did you hide and not just leave?"
"Strangers are scary. And these guys were huge and dressed in cloaks."
"I see. I would hide too."
"I was confused because one said he was Duke Bayne. The other said his name was... Commander Elliott, I think."
He raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
I nodded, "Yes they said something about kidnapping a doctor's wife since a bribe didn't work. It sounded serious."
His eyes widened, "Did they say anything else?"
"Only that they would keep her at Pfienners farm. But why do they want her there? Maybe they need her help with the cows."
His expression grew serious, "Have you told your parents this?"
I shook my head, "No. I don't want them to get mad at me for sneaking away again."
He sighed, "I see. Thank you for telling me."
"Dr. Singh, what does kidnapping and bribe mean?
"You don't know? I thought you were the top of your grade."
"I am, but if I never learned a word before there's no way I could know what it means. No one's that smart."
He smiled, "Well. Don't worry about it. Those are bad things one must never do. Okay?"
I nodded, "Okay."
He rustled my hair and stood up, "Well I am all done with my questions. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go speak with your parents."
I smiled at him and waved. I pretended to keep playing with the dolls. Once I heard him shut the door, I tiptoed over it and put my ear to it.
He spoke to my parents outside, "I don't know why Duke Bayne was so convinced she was a sick child. I didn't see anything today that would concern me. She's perfectly normal. She's a bit advanced for her age, but that's to be expected in nobility."
My mother spoke, "We tried telling the Duke that, but he was insistent."
"Don't worry. My report will reflect that. The only thing I recommend is that you two become more involved in her life. She took a while to warm up to me. I worry that she may be very shy in the future which may hurt her social life."
My father spoke, "R-really? She was shy?"
"Yes."
"Oh. I see. We will definitely do that then."
"That's good to hear. Now if you don't mind I will be taking my leave."
My mother spoke, "Are you sure doctor? It's getting late. Wouldn't you like some dinner first?"
"No, that's alright. I need to check on something at home."
I rushed back over to the dollhouse and they came back into the room. The doctor collected his things and we walked him outside to say our farewells.
I waved at him, "Goodbye Dr. Singh! It was nice to be able to talk with you. Maybe one day, I can become a smart doctor like you."
He smiled at me, "The pleasure was all mine. Keep up the good work in school. I think you could easily become a great doctor."
I gave a big grin, "I could never be as good as you!"
He left in his carriage leaving us behind. Later that night when Lona was getting me ready for bed, she kept staring at me critically like she wanted to say something.
"What is it Lona?"
"You... You are a manipulative child."
I smiled, "Now now. I'm not that bad."
"I know you played with the doctor. How could you trick him?! He's well known for not being able to trick!!!"
"Well, the trick to lying is to only tell half truths. That way, your face doesn't reveal a lie and it's not like you're being dishonest. It's just not the complete truth."
She sighed, "That's good to know. Looks like I have to watch out for you more."
"Oh, come on. I'm not that bad of person."
She smiled, "No, but you certainly aren't a good one."
She pinched my cheeks and I giggled. Like I said, it was a piece of cake.