CHAPTER 13 #5
The last shred of rationality within him cracked and crumbled, and his uncontrolled feelings burned in the darkness.
"Lorenzo," Hedy sighed. "You should drink some water. I must go now."
As she turned to leave, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Ignoring the surprise in her eyes, he leaned in to kiss her.
But when his lips touched her skin, it was the warmth of her palm he encountered.
Quickly, she raised her hand to block him.
Her soft lips brushed against her palm, and even the lines of her palm were sharply defined.
In that moment, Lorenzo suddenly felt sober.
They both stood in silence for a moment in the darkness, before he stepped back.
Hedy stared at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
After a deep breath, she suddenly spoke. "Have I not noticed this all along?"
Lorenzo, with a complicated expression, seemed to want to explain something, but in the end, he simply sighed deeply.
She hurriedly bowed before turning away, not even glancing at Cosimo by the door, as she quickly made her way down the hall. The moonlight had long been obscured by mist.
Hedy hadn’t expected him to feel that way about her—whether it was a moment of lost control or something that had been planned for a long time, it was completely beyond her expectations. The encounter left her feeling both alarmed and scared.
By the time she regained her composure, she found herself standing before Da Vinci’s door, where the light inside was still on. She paused for a moment, then reached up and knocked.
I can’t stay in Florence any longer.
She couldn’t become anyone’s mistress, and she certainly couldn’t live under the same roof as a griffon.
Today might have just been a misplaced kiss, but it could easily turn into something even more unbearable.
Leaving is the best option.
She had enough gold now, and trusted companions for the journey.
"Hedy?" Leonardo opened the door, momentarily stunned. "Why aren't you asleep?"
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, her panic evident, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. She couldn’t explain the kiss or her fears to him.
"I want to leave here," she said, her voice hoarse. "Anywhere, it doesn’t matter."
"When?" Leonardo asked, trying to calm her down. "This year?"
"Tomorrow," she whispered. "Are you willing?"
She still needed to take some of the penicillin with her, and there were other matters she needed to sort out. Leaving suddenly would only set off more chain reactions.
"How about Milan?" he suggested, his expression showing no hesitation. "I’ve received an invitation from Sforza. We could go there to work as court musicians or do something else—"
"Alright," Hedy breathed deeply. "We’ll leave tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, I’ll take you with me." Leonardo noticed that she was still trembling slightly and stepped aside to let her in. "You rest here. I’ll sleep on the haystack outside. Don’t be afraid, okay?"
She nodded, covering her mouth, still trying to hold back the tears, and they exchanged goodnight.
As she climbed into the bed, the warmth, infused with the faint scent of fig leaves, wrapped around her like a long, comforting embrace.
Hedy felt herself relax a little, and in the next moment, she slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.
She followed through with the plan they had discussed earlier, getting up early to take care of the apothecary and workshop matters. Afterward, she went to say her goodbyes to the lady of the house and the lord.
She explained that she wished to travel and learn, as well as collect rare materials.
The lady of the house, though somewhat surprised, still handed her a large bag of gold coins with a friendly smile.
The lord remained silent, but nodded in agreement, allowing her to leave with Da Vinci.
Letting her go was the best choice.
Lorenzo watched her turn and walk away, and suddenly, he spoke up.
"We'll wait for you to come back."
I’ll wait for you to come back.
Hedy paused mid-step, turning to look at him. Her voice carried a weight of unspoken meanings.
"What if I don’t?"
Da Vinci instinctively reached out and grasped her wrist, as though offering her strength and support.
He relaxed a bit and suddenly smiled at her.
"No, you will."
——
Hedy hadn’t expected to leave so soon, nor did she expect to leave behind so much.
Both she and Lorenzo were well aware of the impulsive actions from that night, and understood that many things were now beyond repair.
What was fortunate, however, was that Lorenzo had regained his composure in time, and had not done anything rash. Not only did he watch her leave, but he also allowed her to take a portion of her assets with her as she left Florence.
Hedy’s fear had nothing to do with intimacy.
Even on the journey to Milan, the thought of what had happened still made her uneasy, like stepping on the tail of a venomous snake without realizing it.
What she had come to realize was the extreme control that this man had over himself, and her own blind confidence in her own abilities.
For someone who prided themselves on being mature and calm, discovering these two things felt akin to waking up next to a cliff’s edge.
Humans were easily consumed by their own emotions, clumsy creatures who were often swept toward the irrational abyss by a crowd of praise and admiration.
Countless compliments, repeated successes, and material wealth had gradually dulled the caution and clarity that should always be maintained.
Over the past four years, Hedy had clearly been lulled by excessive praise and adulation.
She had successfully introduced new medicines and biological studies, and effortlessly promoted the use of new weapons.
Fantastical ideas and ambitions began to spread, and she even considered using Lorenzo’s power to shift the balance of power, perhaps uniting the entire Apennine Peninsula and toppling the pope’s reign to usher in a new era.
A modern person arriving in the ancient world could easily fall into a state of arrogance, intoxicated by their wealth of information, much like a university professor finding themselves in a rural village with no gas stoves.
But when she instinctively blocked the kiss, she suddenly woke up, realizing just how far she had let her guard down.
Hedy, having lived ninety years, believed she could easily read the attitudes of those around her—whether male or female—just as a predator would instinctively recognize its prey.
From her youth to old age, she had never lacked admirers, and as a skilled actress, she had honed the ability to understand subtle facial expressions and small gestures.
Yet, over the past three years, she had never once detected any sign of the lord's feelings toward her.
His actions were not driven by lust; rather, they seemed to reflect a deeper, more intense emotion. The way he leaned in to kiss her wasn’t a forceful act, but rather an invitation, a confirmation, not an assault.
Love and hate were the hardest emotions to conceal; no matter how hard one tried to control them, they would always slip through.
But this man, who had been by her side day in and day out, maintained his calm and distance, never once betraying his feelings, even in their regular meetings, where their eye contact was minimal.
Even during the dance, he never made any effort to close the distance between them, and his gaze was so indifferent that it left no room for suspicion.
Yet, in that moment when he leaned in to kiss her, she saw an unmistakable love in his eyes.
It was only in his drunken state that this love revealed itself.
"Have I really never noticed any of this?"
Hedy finally recognized how misguided her self-confidence had been.
As someone who had lived in modern society, she had thought that her wisdom would allow her to achieve most of her desires in this ancient time. But in truth, some people’s depth and calculation had nothing to do with the passage of history.
He wasn’t as easily controlled or influenced as she had imagined, and he hid his emotions deeply.
What seemed like sudden love could easily turn into long-hidden disdain in the future.
In the past year, she had begun to interfere in more and more political matters, believing she had a precise understanding of the lord’s likes and tendencies.
How laughable.
Leaving Milan didn’t just mean she and the lord could distance themselves and cool down; it would also help her broaden her perspective.
Florence had been adjusted into a well-oiled machine, with everything from economic development to military expansion running smoothly. Even if she left, the many plans she had submitted were enough for him to use as a guide for the next ten years.
But the real surprise was Da Vinci's decision to leave so resolutely.
Hedy had been startled when she went to him, without much thought in her proposal. Yet, this man had given up his prestigious position and handsome salary, packed a few belongings, and followed her without hesitation.
Her jewelry box remained locked in its secret compartment, untouched—no one would even notice if there was an earthquake.
It was something most people would never do for a friend—if he weren’t Da Vinci, she would have seriously questioned whether he had feelings for her as well.
They set off with Atalante, who was becoming increasingly proficient at playing the lyre, and her maid, Dechio.
Dechio was naturally from the Medici family, and in the future, she might continue to maintain contact with them. However, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
At least for now, she hadn’t officially broken ties with the Medici family; she was simply away on a visit.
The many workshops and penicillin production plants in Florence continued to run without interruption, and the loyal managers had promised to send her regular reports with updates.
Her wealth and assets remained intact, and so did her name. Thanks to her surname, whenever she encountered difficulties in Milan, she could immediately turn to the Medici Bank for protection.