CHAPTER 14 #7
Hedy hadn’t expected Daoreno to have stolen her pen—such a small child not only knew how to sneak into a bedroom and rummage through things, but it seemed he had sold it off the same day.
How could such a thing happen?
She carefully put the pen away and explained to Leonardo, "When we get back, don’t punish him right away."
Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We’ll explain it to him properly, and he should understand his mistake."
Hedy nodded in agreement.
As they entered the house, a sudden noise from the bedroom caught their attention—something had been knocked over.
Hedy instinctively hurried inside and found the boy standing by the bedpost, panicked, with something clearly bulging out from his clothes.
Hedy furrowed her brow and spoke, "Daoreno, we know what you're doing."
The little boy began to tremble, as if recalling the times he had been harshly punished, and he whispered, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Leonardo looked at him with concern and sighed. "Take it out, little devil."
For some reason, the way Leonardo referred to him as "little devil" sounded a bit indulgent and helpless in Hedy's ears.
Did Leonardo truly just think the boy was mischievous?
The boy carefully pulled out a small pocket watch he had hidden in his clothes and placed it carefully on the table.
Before Hedy could speak, the boy began to sob quietly, tears flowing down his face.
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to show it to my father..."
"Little devil, you know this is wrong, right?" Leonardo crouched down and gently patted his head, his tone warm yet serious. "You can't take things that aren't yours, and you definitely can't hide them."
Hedy gestured for him to come over to her and asked another question, "Daoreno, have you taken anything else?"
The boy's crying intensified, and he trembled as he sniffled. "No... No."
Hedy frowned and took the pen from her pocket. "Then what is this?"
The boy's expression turned to one of panic, and he stepped back as if he expected to be punished. "I don't know, madam, please don’t punish me..."
Hedy took a deep breath. "Daoreno, crying won’t solve anything."
"I know what you’ve done, but no matter the reason, you can't do bad things."
The boy cried even harder, frantically wiping his tears. "I haven't seen it, I don't know what you're talking about, I'm really sorry..."
He looked so pitiful and helpless, like an angel tormented by a demon, his pretty face covered in tears.
Leonardo looked at her with some reluctance, but before he could speak and try to smooth things over, she stopped him.
"I'll give you another chance," Hedy said seriously. "You need to take responsibility for your actions."
"Tonight, you will sleep in the woodshed and will not have any orange juice."
"If I see anything like this again, we’ll send you back to your father, do you understand?"
The boy sniffled and nodded, still trying to protest, "I really haven't seen this, please believe me..."
The child's innocence and foolishness always seemed to go hand in hand.
Hedy sighed inwardly and gestured for him to go wash his face.
She turned to see Leonardo standing nearby, his expression complicated, and suddenly realized something.
Perhaps this situation made him think of his own helplessness as a child.
Did he have bad memories from his childhood?
Was he afraid he might end up punishing the boy too harshly?
"Leonardo?"
Leonardo snapped back to attention and looked at her. "This boy... he really is a bit troublesome."
Hedy reached out and gently touched his forehead, her tone softening. "We can't indulge him, but there’s no need for extreme measures either."
In her past life, she had raised three children, always being a kind and rational mother.
She knew exactly how to handle such a child.
"Maybe he really wanted to bring some money home to his family," Leonardo instinctively explained. "We can’t think of him as entirely bad."
Hedy gazed at him for a long while before looking away.
His actions and words were, in fact, contradictory.
Though he called the boy a little devil and scolded him for not being obedient, his behavior was unconsciously protecting and mitigating the situation.
Deep down, he didn’t really want to see the boy feeling so wronged.
This sense of compensation… it likely had something to do with his cold childhood.
The next few days passed in relative calm.
Neither the pen nor the trinkets went missing again.
The boy, it seemed, had learned his lesson. Though he became more timid when he saw her, he gradually became more efficient in his work.
To reward his progress, Hedy gave him a few small toys, and the boy smiled for the first time in a long while.
News from Florence arrived again. It seemed the lord's illness was still fluctuating, but there was no urgency for her to return.
It was also reported that some of the grapevines in the area had fallen ill, though the situation wasn’t severe for the time being.
Aside from that, several other letters arrived, including greetings from the Duchy of Ferrara and letters from old friends in Florence.
Several noble families warmly invited her to attend upcoming celebrations or banquets, and Botticelli had sent distant greetings from Rome.
When Hedy returned from a visit to the farm, she was in a slightly downcast mood.
The persistent rain had made the hay damp, and many of the cows seemed sluggish, though it was uncertain whether they were sick.
November’s weather in Milan was damp and rainy, and the square in front of the church looked like a giant mirror, with the reflections of passing pedestrians clearly visible.
As she held her umbrella and made her way back, she noticed Leonardo standing at the door, waiting for her.
Hedy suddenly realized something.
It seemed that... for the past year, he had been waiting for her return each time.
She couldn’t recall when it had started, but he no longer spent his afternoons and nights in the church as he used to. Instead, he spent more time in his studio, painting, though he never let her see his sketches.
He also frequently brought her small snacks—nothing particularly refined, but always something she liked.
Some quiet, unnoticed things… had gradually become habits.
Because of the misty rain, the man hadn’t seen her yet and suddenly sneezed while holding the umbrella.
Thirty-year-old Leonardo, tall and gentle, occasionally had a childlike side to him.
But in the face of war and politics, he was more mature than anyone else.
Hedy couldn’t help but smile and walked slowly toward him.
Leonardo finally saw her and quickly walked over to shield her from the rain at her side.
"Your clothes are all wet..." he instinctively said. "Hurry, let's get inside and warm up by the fire. I’ve prepared some hot wine."
"Is it from the batch we made last year?" She allowed him to take the things from her hands and let out a long sigh. "I’m really a bit chilled; the temperature dropped suddenly today, and the wind outside is so strong."
As she walked into the house, she suddenly caught the scent of something sweet.
"Leonardo—" Hedy suddenly became expectant. "What delicious thing did you bring back this time?"
The young man gave a somewhat shy smile and showed her the egg custard almond cakes he had baked himself.
"Today is your birthday," he said softly. "Happy birthday, Hedwig."
Birthdays had once been banned by the Christian Church because they were considered a pagan tradition from ancient Greece.
Luckily, from the lord to them, almost no one truly adhered to such dogmatic rules.
Hedy paused for a moment, then gave him a big hug. "I completely forgot—today is November 9th?!"
"Actually, I’ve prepared another gift for you," Leonardo said as he handed her a cup of warm wine and then carried over the painting beside him.
"I didn’t want to show it to you before because some details weren’t finished yet." His voice was a little awkward, tinged with a boyish nervousness. "I… I painted a portrait of you."
With his long, pale fingers, he pulled back the cloth covering the painting, revealing the figure of the beautiful woman glowing in the candlelight.
She was wearing a luxurious purple robe, with Eastern-inspired black hair flowing over her shoulders.
Her light blue eyes held a gentle smile, and her fair skin was so smooth, almost translucent, with a natural, radiant glow.
Hedy stood there, suddenly feeling as though something inside her had been touched.
She hadn’t expected that after acquiring purple, the first painting he would create would be one of her.
And she had never seen such a beautiful portrait before.
From the gloss of the lips to the jeweled accents in her hair, the delicate lines seemed infused with emotion and soul, making it hard to look away.
Hedy had once admired Simonetta, but not because she had been loved and pursued by so many people.
Botticelli had deeply loved her and had painted a detailed, exquisite portrait of her.
That painting, she later saw at the Uffizi Gallery, and from the delicate depiction of her hair to the eyes, it was as beautiful as a love poem.
But Hedy had never imagined she would one day own a portrait like that.
Looking at herself in the painting, Hedy couldn’t even find the words to praise it.
The serene and poised stance, the gentle, soulful eyes...
"Leonardo..." she murmured. "This is the most thoughtful and beautiful gift I’ve ever received."
This painting crossed over five centuries, as beautiful as a star in the knots of time.
She had never imagined she would come to the birthplace of the Renaissance, nor had she ever thought she would meet Leonardo and come to Milan with him.
But all of this felt like a dream, like a precious gift.
Leonardo felt somewhat relieved, but he still cautiously asked, "What do you think...?"
"It’s beautiful," she said, her eyes a little wet, her voice soft like a whisper. "So beautiful."
When Hedy turned to look at him, she noticed his expression was sincere yet filled with uncertainty.
She suddenly had a vague and absurd thought.
Could Leonardo... feel something for her...?
No... how could that be? He was Leonardo da Vinci, that legendary figure from history...
Hedy felt as though she might be a little disoriented from her birthday celebration, but she still walked toward him.
As she got closer, she could hear his once steady, calm breath becoming a bit more hurried.
Could it be...?
"Thank you," she leaned down and kissed his cheek, still holding a polite and reserved smile. "You are the best artist in my heart."
At that moment, as she tested the waters, the man momentarily lost his composure.
Leonardo finally understood the sensation of his heart skipping a beat.
He even thought about reaching out to hold her, wanting to keep her forever in his embrace.
The faint scent of hyacinths clouded Hedy’s mind, and the desire for more intimate thoughts began to sprout like vines, growing quickly and spreading.
"May you live a long life," Leonardo whispered softly, "and may you always be happy."
After dinner, Atalante came as usual, carrying the account books and reports to hand over the work.
He had now become a small boss, having trained several capable subordinates.
He not only kept everything organized, but he also remembered to give her a porcelain bottle from the East as a birthday gift.
"By the way," he suddenly remembered something, "Leonardo was in a really bad mood today—he received a letter from his father."
Hedy froze for a moment, having no recollection of anything in that regard.
From the moment he arrived until they parted, he had been smiling and even telling jokes to make her laugh.
Had he... been sad?
"What happened?"
"I asked him about it," the boy said with a click of his tongue, shaking his head. "Piero wrote to him again—he's had another half-brother, and Piero made sure to tell him about it."
It was clear that Piero treated Leonardo as a mature, independent person, never considering how Leonardo might feel as his son.
Hedy instinctively gripped her handkerchief, unable to speak for a moment.
"He... was really upset today?"
"Yeah," Atalante sighed. "He sat by the window, looking down for a long time. I didn’t know how to comfort him."
"The feeling of parents remarrying and having more children, it’s probably like being abandoned."
The people who should have been the closest and most familiar to him were not only unreachable but seemed to have no connection to him.
They had the energy to raise more children, but never considered how their own son might feel.
Hedy sat there in silence for a long while, before suddenly standing up in a rush.
"I need to talk to him."
The boy, understanding, stood up and waved his hand to bid her farewell.
Leonardo had received such a terrible letter today, yet he still remembered to celebrate her birthday and cheer her up.
What kind of emotions had he been hiding behind that smile?
When Hedy rushed into the bedroom, she found Leonardo still reading the letter.
She didn’t bother with explanations, instead pulling him into a warm and strong embrace.
"Leonardo, don't think about those things anymore..." Hedy murmured. "At least I’m here with you."
The young man paused, trying to pretend he wasn’t affected. "I'm fine, you don’t have to worry about me."
She sighed and held him tightly, speaking softly. "Some things can’t be undone. We can only watch as they fall into the abyss."
"But you are worthy of love. That has nothing to do with them."
"You’re exceptional, considerate, kind, and talented. Your existence is not a mistake."
"You are not the one who was abandoned."
Leonardo remained silent for a long time, then reached out to hold her back.
"Thank you..." he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I do feel really sad."