That morning Ivan had decided to indulge Aurora and talk to that mysterious man who had spoken to him on the monorail, it had been several weeks since his arrival in Alessia and since his growing friendship with the librarian, Aurora's insistence that he contact the man, who had offered to teach him to read the ancient languages, had increased.
Almost all of her sister's dinner conversation was about what Hilda had taught her, and how the lady in the library read in one of the ancient languages, but didn't understand all of them. And that she wanted them to take up the offer of that man in the funny hat, who had promised to teach her.
The idea that a stranger, no matter how kind he was, had approached his sister, while he was asleep, to talk to her and make promises, did not seem to him to be the most correct thing on the part of that person, he did not say that he was some kind of delinquent, but, at the very least, his way of acting was suspicious.
She searched through the things in her bag, hoping she hadn't lost the card that the man had given Aurora, she rummaged around until she found a small bundle of papers fastened with a rubber band and almost at the top of the package was the card, which she read with distrust.
It was a business card with Alessia's university logo in watermark, and it said only one name "Dr. Luciano Morelli", accompanied by a contact number, which Ivan guessed, was a university terminal. When he took his lunch break, he would take the opportunity to call and talk to the individual.
In the afternoon, as he had proposed, after taking his lunch, he went to a communications booth and asked the automatic operator to connect him to Alessia's university central, and when he was asked for the number of the terminal he wanted to connect, he indicated the one on the card. After a few seconds a rough and cracked voice could be heard speaking to him with the accent of someone not originally from Alessia.
-Hello, tell me, to whom am I speaking, -said the voice on the other end of the connection.
-Hello, my name is Ivan Roberti, are you Dr. Luciano Morelli, - he asked.
-Yes, how can I help you, Mr. Roberti?
-You were talking to my sister during a monorail ride, about six weeks ago, I hope you remember, -Ivan explained.
-Of course, the girl Aurora, I do remember her and my offer still stands, - answered Luciano.
-Well, I would like to talk to you about it.
-Of course, where can I find you, Mr. Roberti, tell me place and time, -said the man, clearly anxious.
-How about today in the gallery in the center, in front of the library, at 1,700 hours, - said Ivan, intrigued by the man's interest -. I'll wait for him at the west entrance.
-I'll be glad to meet you there.
The afternoon passed, and Ivan continued to be intrigued by the great interest that the man seemed to have in talking to him. Although his first impression made him think of the individual as someone very formal and pleasant, he was still concerned about how anxious he seemed to be to meet him.
At the appointed time, Ivan was standing by the automatic door at the west entrance of the gallery and saw an individual in an elegant gray suit, topped with a blue suede hat with a golden tassel, approaching him from the pedestrian walkway.
-Good evening, Mr. Ivan Roberti, I presume, -said the individual, extending his hand to him, at the same time removing the strange hat, in a gesture that Ivan recognized as an unusual greeting in the region.
Ivan stretched out his hand and strangely felt the man squeeze it cordially, and then put his hat back on his head.
He was a very thin man, with pale skin, black, slightly graying hair and a bony face, adorned by a thick moustache, completely white.
-I am Dr. Luciano Morelli, - he said, bowing his head slightly -. It was I who was conversing with your sister on the train, and first of all I beg your pardon for my audacity in questioning the girl while you were asleep.
-She told me that you had offered to teach her ancient languages, I don't understand why you made such an offer, - said Ivan -. Forgive my mistrust, but you don't know us, and it seems strange to me that you would wait until I was not attentive to talk to my sister.
-I understand your mistrust, but I entered the carriage shortly after you fell asleep, and I was waiting almost all the way to talk to you, but you didn't wake up, so I took the liberty of talking directly to the girl, -said Luciano.
-All right, but why your interest?
-To tell you the truth, my real interest was focused on an ancient tome that I saw your sister carrying, I am a professor of literary archaeology at the University of Alessia, and I could not resist the temptation to browse through that copy, - explained Luciano -. However, while talking to your sister, I found out something that made me make you the offer you are referring to.
-What was it that you found out? -Ivan asked, intrigued.
-The girl Aurora told me that you were Julia Roberti's nephews and that the copy was an inheritance from her, -he explained.
-That's right, did you know my aunt Julia, -Ivan asked.
-That's right Mr. Roberti, I was an apprentice of your aunt, during some years of my studies, that was just before she left the university.
-I understand, and that's why you offered to teach my sister.
-Not exactly, what I'm actually offering her is a scholarship to get her into Alessia University. I'm in charge of assigning study places in the archaeology faculty, - said Luciano -. I always felt a great affection for your aunt, and I was very affected when she left, you could say that I was that young apprentice, infatuated with his tutor. And don't get me wrong, I was very saddened by her departure and years later, devastated to learn of her passing, that's why I wish I could help your sister get into Alessia University and carry on your aunt's legacy.
-And how do you know my sister wants to be like my aunt? -Ivan asked.
-I could see it in her face, in the zeal with which she kept that old tome, which by the way I would still like to read carefully, and in her look, when I told her about learning ancient languages, -he explained.
-But she is only twelve years old and has only studied at the village school, she has never been to an academy.
-That's all she needs, there is no big difference between what she could study in a school, to what she can learn in the academy. Besides, I could see in his eyes more eagerness to learn than I have ever seen in any of the young people applying to the university, and don't worry about his age, it wouldn't be the first time someone under fourteen has been admitted.