CHAPTER 16
When Da Vinci regained his senses, he found himself standing in the center of the dance floor.
The violin was playing a new piece known as the waltz, and the entire hall was dazzling with gold and splendor, filled with elegantly dressed people.
As he turned his head, he noticed Hedy smiling gently in front of him, extending her slender hand toward him.
Da Vinci paused for a moment, bowed, and kissed the lace-embroidered glove, carefully drawing her into his embrace.
The sound of the organ and flute blended together, and the bright trills and arpeggios made one think of flying white herons. Countless noblewomen's long gowns swirled around them, and she rested half in his arms, her expression relaxed and tender.
They were so close, as though they had always been destined to be near and rely on each other.
“Hedy…” He could no longer remember how many times he had softly called her name like this, lifting her gently into the air with the rhythm of the crowd.
She was light and slender, as if she were a sprite dancing on tiptoe over a spring.
Da Vinci watched her spinning and smiling, unable to resist reaching out to adjust the falling strands of her hair. As he held her tighter, he lowered his gaze and their foreheads touched.
If only time could freeze at this moment, and never move forward...
“Mr. Da Vinci?” A servant knocked on the door, “Are you still there? What would you like for breakfast today?”
The man, with his messy brown hair, woke up from his dream, annoyed, and buried his face in the pillow again.
He had never felt so... so averse to breakfast.
“I don’t want any!”
“But Miss Medici is waiting for you to dine together,” the servant said cautiously, “Should I refuse her?”
“Hedy?” He shot up in bed, instinctively clutching the pillow. “Is she looking for me?”
“She’s still freshening up. She should be ready in about fifteen minutes, and then she'll head to the side hall.”
“I’ll go immediately!” Da Vinci exclaimed loudly. “Breakfast should be the same as hers!”
Due to the need to visit multiple estates to study diseased plants, Hedy had heard many things unrelated to leaf blight in recent days.
The birth rate in this era was extremely high. Women, much like hens confined to their homes, would constantly get pregnant and give birth, only to helplessly watch their children die young.
There were many issues with child-rearing. Mothers were intentionally separated from their children by the church and patriarchy so that they could continue to conceive and bear more children, rather than spend most of their time caring for the ones they already had.
Babies, from the moment they were born, would have their bones wrapped with ropes and cloths, and when they couldn’t move, they would be suspended high above the bed or placed in precarious cradles.
As they grew older, almost anything could become a threat to their survival, from rabid dogs to malicious adults.
Moreover, with all the various plagues and natural disasters, those who survived and grew up healthy were already the lucky ones.
While observing these poor children, Hedy suddenly remembered something else important — cowpox.
The horror of cowpox might not have been as deeply felt by people in other countries, but it certainly left a dark mark in the history of America.
In the 15th century, European colonists arrived in the Americas and, along with the settlers, brought various viruses, including smallpox, through contaminated blankets.
In just about a century, the indigenous population of the Americas plummeted from tens of millions to a mere fraction, as if they had endured a catastrophe.
Hedy understood the mechanism and principles of cowpox well, but she had been busy with different fields of work over the past few years and had not been able to focus on everything at once.
She decided that during breakfast this morning, she would ask Da Vinci to help her conduct some related experiments.
When Da Vinci walked into the dining room and saw her, he was suddenly reminded of the dream.
In that dream, she was so soft and warm, and there was that feather-like kiss...
He coughed awkwardly and sat down beside her.
Breakfast had been prepared and brought to the table, and the aroma of bacon made him feel a bit hungry.
He lowered his head to cut the food, while listening to her explain some complex concepts. His gaze, however, unconsciously drifted to her fingertips.
Her long, slender fingers, with beautifully defined lines, even had the soft glow of the silver fork reflecting off her fingertips.
"Leonardo?"
Da Vinci snapped back to attention, quickly replying, "So, can we use small animals for the experiment?"
Hedy shook her head, explaining, "I'm afraid not, because this condition is meant to treat humans."
She seemed a bit concerned, but clearly didn't want to use the farmer's children for the experiment. Regardless of whether the children succeeded in the inoculation or not, she could be misunderstood as a cruel witch, attracting unnecessary trouble.
Da Vinci pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "What about I undergo the inoculation?"
"No," she replied instinctively, "After the inoculation, we need to expose the person to smallpox to confirm the success. I will go to the lord’s estate; maybe there are some prisoners on death row."
"Alright," he put down his knife and fork. "I'll accompany you to do this—vaccination?"
"Yes. I’ll be relying on you," she sighed with relief.
After breakfast, the servants cleared away the plates, and Hedy took a scroll from Dechio and spread it out in front of him.
"I also thought of a new facility," she said with some hesitation. "But since I’ve never designed a building before, I’ll need your help to look it over."
Da Vinci nodded, taking the blueprint and staring at it for a long time. "This is a... garden of sorts?"
"Kinder-garten," Hedy instinctively used the German word, then realized she needed to explain further. "Kinder means 'children,' and 'garten' means garden."
"What does that mean?" Da Vinci asked curiously. "Are you suggesting the children should work on growing flowers?"
"It’s about cultivating the children as though they were flowers," Hedy gestured to a swing she had drawn. Da Vinci seemed confused. "Is this trapezoid meant for them to rest in?"
"No—this is a swing!" she replied, slightly exasperated.
Hedy suddenly realized that this kind of all-ages entertainment equipment seemed to have spread all the way from the distant East.
The children of this era had never even seen a swing before.
She called Dechio to bring more paper and pens, setting the scroll aside.
Swings, seesaws, yo-yos…
She sketched out clear drafts, explaining their mechanisms to da Vinci.
Children needed toys to stimulate their intellect and improve hand-eye coordination, which could also ease the burden on their caregivers.
A more mature social structure could free up more labor—some women could earn genuine wages and respect by caring for children in kindergartens, while other mothers could confidently pursue work, striving for greater power and status.
Her vision in this regard was indeed practical and not particularly difficult to implement.
With the capital she had previously accumulated and the political backing of the Medici family, Hedy purchased a plot of land in a bustling district and began constructing a brand-new kindergarten.
In this endeavor, da Vinci proved to be a tremendous help.
Not only did he personally design spaces for the children to play and sleep, but he also implemented safety measures and a kitchen with efficient water and fire access.
The man responsible for designing Florence’s canal dredging and drainage systems approached these small tasks for her with the same rigor and dedication.
With his genius, he utilized waterwheels to automate waste disposal and installed fencing to separate the children’s area from the adults’, ensuring no mischievous child could run into the kitchen or well.
Children of this era generally had no concept of gender awareness, nor any understanding of molestation or sexual assault. From birth to maturity, there were no taboos around exposing or touching their genitals—even their parents would openly engage in intercourse in front of them.
Hedy had thought of a whole set of Biblical reasons not only to separate the boys' and girls' nap and restroom areas, but also wrote a new "Baby Care Guide" while Leonardo was helping with the architectural drawings of the area.
Any help that could be given to the children was a good thing.
The candlelight flickered, and the night fell heavy as they remained immersed in work in the library.
Hedy constantly jumped back and forth between modern and medieval ways of thinking, cross-checking the differences in life across eras. Tired, she rubbed her eyes and rested her head on the desk for a moment.
In her distraction, she glanced at Leonardo, who was not far away.
He was still absorbed in designing the staircases and partitions, sketching reference drawings for the craftsmen.
There was something quite alluring about the way he looked when he was focused.
The warm yellow light illuminated his outline, casting a faint glow on his thin lips and deep brows.
The summer night was still, and his collar was slightly open, showcasing the elegant lines of his collarbones and Adam's apple.
“He combines extraordinary beauty with endless grace,”
as Vasari, Michelangelo's student, once described him—
“He is strikingly handsome, with a demeanor that could soothe even the most sorrowful soul.”
Hedy stared at him absentmindedly, her mind drifting back to the past.
Leonardo had never turned down any of her requests, from designing city defenses to something as small as a swing—everything was done meticulously.
He had never refused her.