CHAPTER 15 #2
The boy buried his head in Leonardo's cloak, trembling helplessly and fearfully, refusing to speak.
Hedy frowned and said, "Leonardo, let him go."
Leonardo hesitated for a moment. "He's so young, and he’s been beaten so badly. I’m worried..."
"We’re all here. No one will hurt him." Hedy repeated, "Let him stand over here for now."
The shoemaker muttered a curse, but eventually, the boy shyly stood by Hedy’s side.
Hedy noticed something different.
He had a new pair of shoes, but they were clearly not bought today. The side still had some duck feathers on them. In the last few days, she had neglected to pay attention to him, not realizing these changes.
Not only that, but his socks and shirt were also brand new, and the fabric was quite good.
The only person who could afford these expenses was one person.
Leonardo.
"Child," Hedy remained calm and collected. "Where did you spend the money?"
The little boy tried to avoid the question with more tears, struggling to escape back into Leonardo's arms. Leonardo looked at him with a pained expression, but he didn't stop Hedy.
She tightened her grip on the boy’s hand and repeated, "This was your choice. No one forced you."
"Fennel candy," the boy said softly, "and food."
The shoemaker rolled his eyes, as if he was about to start swearing again.
Hedy immediately took out four gold coins and handed them to him. "This was our failure in supervision, please calm down."
She quickly and efficiently resolved the matter, then took Sarai and Leonardo back from the market.
Sarai was locked in a room, with instructions to "calm down and think about what you’ve done."
Hedy closed the door and turned to look at Leonardo.
"Are the things he's wearing, did you buy those?" she asked.
Leonardo hesitated for a moment but nodded.
"He was too pitiful before," he said softly. "I just wanted... to be good to him. Dechio has a fur-lined cloak, doesn't he?"
Hedy rubbed her forehead, realizing where the problem lay. The disagreement between them wasn’t about educational philosophy; it was that Leonardo instinctively wanted to compensate for his past self.
From the condition of the socks and shirt, it was clear these were things Sarai, coming from an apprentice's background, shouldn’t have been able to afford. In the days she had neglected these details, it was obvious the boy had used his charm and pitiful demeanor to earn quite a few benefits.
Children were like wild animals, possessing a more primal and direct sense of smell. Even if they couldn't speak, they could sense who was kind and who had ill intentions.
And when faced with a motherly figure full of patience and love, they would sometimes bite or scratch—because they instinctively knew that the person wouldn't leave and would continue to silently endure.
Hedy couldn’t blame him any further. She sighed and explained, "We can't keep him anymore."
Leonardo looked up in shock, instinctively wanting to defend Sarai. "Sarai is just too young and mischievous. He's kind at heart—when I’m tired, he even tiptoes to help massage my shoulders. He’s a good boy, Hedy."
Hedy frowned and shook her head. "We’ve already had an open conversation about this."
"Stealing once can be a lesson, but the second time, we should send him away."
Leonardo, perhaps due to the association with the word "abandon," pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling conflicted and disheartened.
"Hedy, give him one more chance."
"We've never denied him food or clothing. He does these things just out of playfulness."
"Isn't that even more dangerous?" Hedy countered. "Do you really think he’ll repent?"
She opened the door, allowing the child to step out.
Sarai once again appeared with that angelic, innocent, and pitiful expression, still sobbing softly. He was clearly frightened, first glancing at Hedy in panic before running back into Leonardo's arms.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Leonardo's tone was a mix of reproach and concern. "There can't be a next time, do you understand?"
But after the next time, would there be another?
"No." Hedy could sense his desire to smooth things over, and her tone was calm yet cold. "He needs to go."
Her words could not lose their effectiveness. If she gave in today, there would be no deterrent in the future, and it would be like the words were just drifting in the wind.
Moreover, this boy had never even apologized once, not after being caught, not after seeing her pay the gold coins. She owed him nothing.
"I’ll have Dechio send him away tonight."
She couldn’t allow such an unstable factor to remain in her environment—especially since this child was never really in the position of being someone she had to care for or nurture.
"Hedy—can we talk about this tomorrow?" Leonardo shielded him, trying to be as gentle as possible with her emotions. "We don’t have to rush. Let’s take it easy tonight. You’re tired, aren’t you?"
Hedy suddenly laughed.
She had actually been thinking about telling him where she came from, even attempting to approach him as if she were like a modern person, trying to connect and understand him.
"Alright." She spoke softly. "You both rest well tonight."
In that moment, Hedy suddenly realized that perhaps it was because she had been too lenient with him in the past that he had become like that child.
He dragged her to dissect corpses, complained about the church in front of her, refused to paint when he was feeling lazy, all while yearning for her approval and acceptance.
He was a little selfish, and he liked to act spoiled.
— He was protecting that shameless child because he knew she would let him have his way.
But she didn’t like playing that role anymore, and she had no intention of continuing it.
For the first time, when she returned to her bedroom, she locked the door and drew all the curtains shut.
Lying on the soft bed, Hedy closed her eyes and tried to calm her emotions, letting out a long sigh.
She knew why she was angry.
From her birthday until now, she had always thought he had feelings for her.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, she had been moved by him and even considered getting closer to him.
But reality told her they didn’t share the kind of tacit understanding and warmth she had imagined.
A lot of things were probably just foolish fantasies born from her youthful idealism.
Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door.
Hedy sat up, instinctively adjusting her dress and hair.
"Madam," Dechio’s voice sounded anxious. "A letter has come from Florence. They say the grapevine disease is worsening, and it’s behaving like some kind of strange illness."
It was Dechio.
"Cosimo asks if you have any solution to this. They’re still praying to the gods and sprinkling exorcism potions."
Hedy paused for a moment, then got up. "How serious is it?"
"Three estates have already been struck by this strange illness, and the grapes are completely inedible—yet there are no visible insects," Dechio muttered. "It’s definitely the work of demons."
Hedy walked wearily to the door, opened it, and took the letter. She stared at it for a long while.
— As she had expected, Lorenzo had indeed returned to his cold, distant state after waking up from his drunken stupor, like an emotionless machine. Even in such a situation, he chose to handle things on his own and did not seek her help again.
"Dechio," she sighed, "What is Mr. Da Vinci doing?"
"Sarai's cheek is already swollen, and he's still crying," Dechio seemed to know something and used the term "little devil" with a certain amount of familiarity. "Do you need me to call him to come back with you?"
"No need," she said calmly. "Pack up and bring the bottles of medicine I prepared earlier."
"Yes, madam."
Da Vinci had finally managed to calm the poor boy to sleep when he suddenly heard the distant sound of a carriage.
Who could be coming at this hour?
He put on his outer robe instinctively and went to the courtyard, only to see her being helped into a new carriage, her luggage already prepared.
"Hedy—" Da Vinci’s heart suddenly panicked, and his voice rose a little higher. "Where are you going?"
"There’s an urgent request from a lord in Florence," she looked at him with a calm gaze, her tone devoid of any other emotion. "I’m going back for a while."
"I’ll accompany you. Maybe I can help you," Da Vinci instinctively moved toward her carriage, trying to approach. "What happened in the south?"
"No need, you stay here," she said coolly. "I can solve these problems on my own."
Before he could plead once more, the carriage disappeared into the night, leaving him standing alone in the empty house.
Da Vinci stood there for a long time, feeling lost and uneasy.
Something had changed, as if the distance between them had suddenly grown vast.
He had never felt this way even in front of his harsh and unpredictable employer, Sforza.
But when she left, it felt as though a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him.
He had grown accustomed to exposing his softer side to her, but he never expected it to come to this point.
Would you rather travel alone overnight... than bring me along?
He had kept Sarai only out of kindness, unable to bear the sight of the boy’s pathetic, pitiful state.
But he hadn’t expected her to really do this, and to leave without any hesitation.
Hedy arrived in Florence on the night of the ninth day.
It was now March of 1485. The night wind was brisk and cool, the sound of bells from the carriage chiming softly in the air.
She had been away from Florence for two years.
Yet, as she returned, it felt as though everything had happened just yesterday.
The old city hadn't changed at all. Even the ivy that wound its way up the stone walls looked exactly as it had when she first arrived.
The carriage stopped in front of the Doge’s Palace, where Botticelli and the Medici family were already waiting.