CHAPTER 3 #3
"Do you have anything else to say in your defense?" He seemed already convinced, his tone unexpectedly calm. "Cosimo, take her to the Inquisition."
"Wait." The girl suddenly spoke up.
She didn’t know what this man’s true intentions were, but at that moment, she had to save herself.
If this were the modern world, she could accuse this bastard of searching her personal belongings without permission. She almost missed her lawyer.
"I’m not a witch."
She turned her gaze to the tray with the items on it, calming herself as she began to call on all her acting skills.
Hedy lifted her head, meeting the lord's eyes with no fear in her own. In fact, she even smiled.
"My name is Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler."
"I am an alchemist from the Holy Roman Empire."
Hedy was just a nickname.
This name, this surname, and her fluency in German were enough to prove many things.
"Say that again?"
"I am an alchemist," Hedy said in a deep voice, "not the witch you speak of."
In her past life, she was a Hollywood star, the lead actress in The Empress of the Demon King, a film that had taken the world by storm. She knew exactly how to deliver such lines—what tone and posture were necessary.
When lying, one must deceive even oneself.
Da Vinci stumbled slightly, as if he suddenly understood something. His expression was complex, yet there was a sense of relief, and his body relaxed considerably.
"An alchemist," Lorenzo said calmly. "How do you prove that?"
"Witches are considered evil because they are said to bring plagues and harm babies," Hedy met his gaze. "But I make potions, cure diseases, and even save lives."
Alchemy had always been a delicate subject.
On one hand, people acknowledged their greed, desiring to turn base metals into gold and acquire endless wealth. On the other, they feared that others might waste the limited resources and wealth for the same reasons.
Because of this, alchemy had been officially forbidden by the Roman Church centuries ago, yet it remained popular across Europe. By the 20th century, many scientists were deeply fascinated by it to the point of obsession.
"If I were a witch, many things could only be done by me," Hedy said, remarkably calm in this moment, even her posture more natural than before.
She had completely embraced the role now.
"But if I were to explain the principles of making potions and the recipes, anyone could replicate the process."
Lorenzo smiled faintly and suddenly spoke, "Alejo."
The side door to the office opened, and the owner of the apothecary shop was shoved inside by the servants, stumbling and almost falling.
He looked at Hedy with some surprise, then turned to Lorenzo. "My lord, how could she possibly be a witch?"
"Are you speaking on her behalf?" Lorenzo spoke slowly, his voice carrying a velvety tone. "Indeed, having a beautiful face does make life easier."
Another familiar offense.
"Take out that mineral of yours."
Alejo, visibly uneasy, checked once more to make sure Hedy wasn’t injured, then pulled a white mineral from his pocket.
Its edges shimmered with a faint blue hue, clearly not yet fully dried.
"Take some of Mr. Da Vinci’s pigment."
A servant carefully scooped out a spoonful of the powdered pigment with a silver spoon. The color on the spoon seemed lively and full, almost like a witch's poison.
"Alchemy doesn't have the concept of creating something from nothing," Lorenzo said calmly. "Miss Kiesler, how do you explain the color?"
Da Vinci’s face turned pale. He tried to stand in front of Hedy to protect her, but a servant pressed him down.
"Water... and fire," Hedy whispered.
Alchemy in this era originated from ancient Egypt, and many derivative techniques had been passed down from faraway Arabia.
That was the birthplace of chemistry and the source of many ancient texts.
In ancient Greece, philosophers such as Socrates and Plato philosophically discussed this secret art, creating the widely known "Four Elements Theory" that still influences thinking today.
Everything in the world is made of four elements.
—Air, water, earth, and fire.
"Alejo," Hedy spoke, "grind that white stone into powder, and put some of it in the spoon."
Lorenzo slightly lifted his chin, and the servants immediately released the shopkeeper.
Alejo, though still fearful of witches, complied immediately.
He took the small knife handed to him by a servant and scraped half a teaspoon of the pale white stone powder.
"Add five drops of clean water to the spoon, then place it over the candle flame to heat."
A servant brought over the candle. Alejo took a deep breath, holding the spoon and placing it over the flame, using the outer flame to heat the bottom of the porcelain spoon.
If… if she truly was a witch, not only could Da Vinci be whipped, but he himself might suffer too.
It absolutely had to turn blue.
A miraculous thing happened.
Before their eyes, the solution in the spoon began to bubble as it heated, and the water turned a bright blue, appearing out of nowhere.
The spoon was becoming too hot to hold, and the temperature of the solution continued to rise.
"Take it away—" Hedy instinctively shouted. "If you heat it further, it will turn back!"
Alejo, his skin reddened from the heat, could no longer hold the spoon. He glanced toward Lorenzo with a pleading look, seeking help.
"Take it away."
But it was too late.
The over-heating caused the blue color to fade quickly, and much of it returned to white.
"As you can see," Hedy turned to him and said, "I didn’t deceive you."
"Even if you throw me into the dungeon and make me do it again, the result will be the same."
"Why water?" Lorenzo frowned. "Why does it turn back?"
This question was difficult to answer.
Hedy’s nerves were on edge at this moment, and her back was slick with cold sweat from the intense pressure.
She couldn’t explain the exact molecular changes of water to him, nor could she explain the difference between anhydrous copper sulfate and copper sulfate pentahydrate.
The beautiful young woman took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“When a person loses blood, their face turns pale."
“The same is true for stones."
Lorenzo stroked his chin, suddenly recalling many rumors he'd heard in the palace.
The emperors of England and France had kept many alchemists, some even granted the title of duke.
"What else can you do?"
In truth, Lorenzo had already made up his mind but still wore a deep, unreadable expression, enjoying the hidden fear in the girl’s eyes.
"Give me a reason to keep you."
Hedy thought he still wanted to kill her or send her to the Inquisition to be tortured to death. Her face instantly paled.
She controlled her breathing and tone as best as she could, trying to appear calm.
"I can offer you many things you need."
"Oh?" Lorenzo smiled. "When has the Medici family ever lacked anything?"
That did sound somewhat presumptuous.
"The tools you took from me are my experimental equipment for synthesizing medicines," Hedy emphasized. "If successful, they could cure countless incurable diseases, such as diphtheria and anthrax. During wartime, they could even prevent wound infections and abscesses."
Lorenzo slightly narrowed his eyes.
He could vaguely sense that she wasn’t lying.
"As for entertainment, I can create many new inventions, even a piano that plays music on its own."
Hedy turned to her two concerned friends and lowered her voice. "Even if you don’t trust me, please don’t punish them."
"They are not really acquainted with me."
"Can you turn base metal into gold?" Lorenzo asked.
… Should she lie to him?
Hedy's mind seemed to suddenly stand at a crossroads, like standing on the edge of a cliff.
If she said no, she would likely have no value to him and be sent straight to death.
But if she said yes… She knew she could never turn base metal into gold.
"No."
"That is the ultimate secret. Before I could learn it, my teacher passed away."
The atmosphere fell into an uneasy silence.
"You can stay."
Lorenzo slowly stood up.
"From today on, the Medici family hires you as the court alchemist. You will receive fifty florins per year."
"You will have a private room and plenty of attendants."
Da Vinci visibly sighed with relief and immediately sat down beside them. He had witnessed many poor women subjected to drowning and pricking, and sincerely hoped that Florence wouldn't add another tragic story to its history.
I... I haven't agreed yet.
Wait, fifty florins—does that mean fifty gold coins? How much is that worth?!
Hedy snapped back to reality, hurriedly and awkwardly performing a curtsy.
"Thank you, my lord."
Lorenzo, clearly uninterested in talking further with the three of them, turned and left the room.
Alejo let out a cheer, and Da Vinci came over to pat her shoulder.
Meanwhile, the girl, having narrowly escaped death, was still counting money on her fingers.
One gold coin is worth 120 soldi. I earn 65 soldi a month. That means… how much exactly?
——
So, they were really going to move into the palace together.
Both Da Vinci and she now had personal servants, and she no longer had to worry about making sure the artist drank enough orange juice while he worked on his drafts.
When she thought about it… there was a slight feeling of loss.
Since they had started out living together in the same place, naturally, they had to divide things up.
The freshly dried pasta had to be packed away, and the unsuccessful wine had to be thrown out.
Da Vinci also gave her two books, both on literature and art theory.
Hedy really didn't have much to her name, so she only packed up the bottles, jars, and the half-made gloves and masks she had been working on.
The afternoon before leaving, she secretly checked those small packages once more. Each one was still intact, with no signs of having been tampered with.
… It was a relief that Medici hadn’t discovered them, or she would have certainly been accused of witchcraft and burned alive.