CHAPTER 23 #6
"It seems this gentleman doesn’t care about your fate, even if you were sent off to be a military prostitute," Caesar toyed with his dagger, looking up at her with a mocking smile. "I couldn't bear to see that happen."
He straightened his posture, suddenly assuming the role of a passionate young lover. "I’ve been searching for you this long—how could I let you go now?"
Hedy remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly speaking, "This is your only chance to gain your father's attention, isn’t it?"
Caesar froze for a moment, his grip tightening around the dagger.
"Without your father's attention, you can't protect Lucrezia."
"In a few years, she'll be used as a political marriage pawn, just like your countless sisters, married off to various duchies, right?"
"You’d better learn to stay silent," he coldly responded. "This has nothing to do with you."
"Then why am I here?" she retorted.
Caesar's face darkened, and the previous fake affection he had shown her shattered completely.
"You have no idea what it's like for our family."
That so-called Pope, the man at the peak of power, had dozens of mistresses and countless illegitimate children of questionable origin.
And he and his sister had no choice in the matter whatsoever.
In the past, just to get a meal or be treated kindly by the servants for a day, they often had to pay a humiliating price.
He sacrificed his own marriage, even going so far as to court a woman fourteen years older than him, only to be used as a pawn by the one he called "father."
"Caesar Borgia," Hedy said, sitting by the window, her voice calm and distant. "Your father sees through all your little schemes."
His face suddenly turned pale.
"You think, in this ongoing farce, that you're the one calculating against him, when it's really him who's been calculating you?"
"No—"
"By offering up his son, he can continue extorting from Rome and Genoa, gaining all these benefits with no cost to him."
"And you," she raised an ironic smile, her tone cold and steady, "you delude yourself into thinking you can gain even a fraction of favor from him."
Caesar’s face twisted with anger. He leaped to his feet and took two steps forward, raising his voice. "What right do you have to speak like this?!"
"Youth," Hedy said, staring directly at the dagger he raised high without an ounce of fear. "If you lay a hand on me now, you’ll only lose more."
Caesar clenched his teeth, gripping the dagger but still hesitating to strike.
"I have no interest in your relationship with your sister," she continued, her voice softening with pity. "But remember this: in the face of power, people have no feelings."
No matter whether he was the Pope's legitimate son, or what future he and his sister would have—if Alexander VI was greedy enough, they were both destined to become sacrifices.
The sound of a dagger hitting the floor echoed through the room.
Caesar staggered back a few steps, a desperate smile crossing his face. "What do you want me to do? Kill my father with one blow? Then let you go?"
He had believed that by cooperating with his father in this matter, he would earn his favor and slowly gain power, giving him a chance to protect Lucrezia.
Whether it was kidnapping her with the help of insiders or pressuring Florence for military aid, it was all meant to prove his loyalty to the papacy.
But this Medici... she was telling him that it was all a scheme of his father's from the beginning.
He was nothing from start to finish.
"I’m telling you this because I want you to wake up," Hedy glanced at the dagger on the floor and said slowly, "—And this wedding can be stopped."
"Stop it, and then what?" Caesar's voice was still filled with anger. "You’re still a captive, and I’m still the ridiculous bastard. Nothing will change."
Hedy suddenly laughed.
"No, you’re wrong again."
She spoke softly.
"You can escape from all of this."
"Escape? Escape from my father? Or from the Borgia name?" He gave a sarcastic smile.
"Escape from your fate." Her pale blue eyes glinted in the sunlight, calm and perceptive as always. "You can take your sister and leave this entire family behind."
Hedy didn’t elaborate further.
She knew that if she said anything more, she could push this uncertain young man into an even more confused state.
Caesar cursed loudly and slammed the door, leaving the room in total silence.
During their conversation, Hedy had carefully maintained her perspective, subtly guiding and controlling him without overtly directing his thoughts.
—This was one of the most common tactics in modern society, something people at companies like MGM were especially skilled at.
Warnings, shaking, questioning, sowing discord.
Whether from film companies or during a journalist’s interrogation.
Her past professional experiences had taught her enough techniques—
Don’t answer his questions, draw him into the context you’ve set, and use your own narrative to influence his expectations.
Hedy had no idea whether Alexander VI was truly aware of what was happening or whether he was completely ignorant of his plans for the young boy.
But in this moment, she knew that to survive, to ensure she could live to see Leonardo again, and to get the news out, she had to take these dangerous yet powerful actions—
She had to directly shake the very beliefs the boy held most dear, sowing fear and doubt about everything in his mind.
Journalists were indeed a bothersome breed.
They were skilled at setting verbal traps, and once someone stepped wrong, a new scandal could be spun from it.
Hedy knew that if she missed this opportunity, the next time she saw him, it would likely be at the wedding. So she used all her conversational techniques to implant the deepest message in his subconscious—
Your father cannot be trusted.
You and your sister are being used.
The only way for you to escape this predicament is to delay the wedding.
Rumors in history spoke of an unbelievable incestuous affair between him and Lucrezia, with her marrying two or three times under her father's orders, becoming a pawn in the game of power and political transactions.
But Hedy wasn’t interested in the truth behind those rumors.
Children raised in a chaotic family where orgies weren’t considered unusual saw and experienced things that rivaled the darkness witnessed by any politician.
What Hedy cared more about now was how to subtly pry open this young man’s mind and, once she had gathered enough necessary information, figure out a way to escape.
The only information she knew for certain was that the wedding would take place in four days, and the Pope had already returned to Rome.
—She had no desire to meet that old pervert, not even once.
Despite her silver tongue earlier, Caesar had remained wary, not revealing much to her.
What was Genoa like now? Had it fallen into chaos?
How had the relationships between Rome and the three surrounding countries developed?
Was Lorenzo still alive? Had he discovered the traitor?
The sun rose and slowly set outside the window, while the exquisite food on the dining table remained untouched by her.
For two days straight, Hedy sat by the window, completely devoid of appetite.
Caesar had come by, standing behind her, seemingly on the verge of saying something, but ultimately, he turned around and left.
Whispers began circulating in the palace, saying that the groom had fallen ill with a high fever, causing the wedding date to be postponed.
As nightfall approached, another maid came over to her side.
"Please eat something," the maid said roughly.
"No," Hedy replied coldly.
The next moment, a maid's uniform was thrown into her lap.
"Better hurry up," Leonardo winked at her, using his large skirt to shield her from view. "Don't speak, just follow me and keep your head down."
Hedy abruptly looked up, clutching the clothing so tightly she could barely speak.
Leonardo—?!
He had shaved off all his stubble, and his curly hair now flowed on either side of his face like a Roman's, with some makeup seemingly left on his face.
"Change your clothes," he instructed.
Hedy quickly glanced back and noticed that the door had been closed. It was the time for the shift change, and he had used the excuse of helping her bathe and change to send the other maid off to fetch hot water.
Without hesitation, she turned her back to him and began removing her elaborate gown.
Her butterfly-like back was revealed as the clothing fell away, exposing a perfect waistline and curves as though blessed by the gods.
Leonardo, who had initially forced himself to look away to maintain his gentlemanly manners, couldn’t help but glance at her.
The shallow curve of her waist made one want to kiss and caress it, and her long legs were provocatively beautiful.
He took a deep breath and hid her discarded clothes under the bed.
Who was the idiot who claimed they had no interest in women?!
“How do we leave here?” Hedy lowered her voice, turning around and pointing to the window. “This place has six floors.”
“Through here.” Da Vinci pointed to the double-row cart he had brought in, which was used for carrying food and clean clothes. “Make sure to hold on tight.”
…Good thing she had been dieting for so many days.
Hedy curled up and squeezed into the small space where clothes were supposed to go. She was almost compressed like a can.
The clean linen cloth fell in two layers, completely covering her figure.
Da Vinci adjusted the skirt and then pushed the cart out.
Just as he reached the door, a guard called out to him.
“Hey—” The man chuckled as he approached. “That killjoy Laval’s old hag finally left. Where did this beautiful girl come from?”
The real beauty, curled up like a crab under the table, said nothing.
In the light, the brunette beauty had fair skin and a slight frown in her eyes, exuding a mature aura.
Tall and slender, she looked like an easy catch.
Seeing that Da Vinci didn't answer, the guard assumed he was shy and reached out to pinch his backside.
“Remember to meet me at the barn at midnight, little beauty.”
The other guard nearby pretended to be oblivious, acting as if nothing had happened.
Once the cart reached a safe spot, Leonardo pulled her out.
They moved through the night without exchanging a word, both walking hurriedly with their heads lowered like well-trained maids.
Hedy had been confined to her room for the past few days and hadn’t been seen by any of the guards, so no one really knew what she looked like.
As they moved along, occasional guards passed by, even greeting Leonardo.
And he actually remembered their names, acting naturally and friendly.
Hedy also smiled and nodded in return, making sure her face stayed hidden in the shadows.
…She must have been groped more than once.
It wasn’t until they exited through a side gate in the courtyard, avoiding patrolling soldiers and night watchmen on the streets, that they finally turned the corner and jumped into the waiting carriage.
Hedy stayed completely silent throughout, gripping his hand so tightly that she almost held her breath.
The carriage weaved through a secluded alley and stopped next to a hole in the ancient city wall.
The earth smelled freshly dug, mixed with the scent of grass.
Ignoring the mud that clung to her body, Hedy quickly crawled out from the webs and dirt, and Leonardo followed right behind her.
They ran through the dark forest, soon jumping onto another carriage that began heading north.
It wasn't until they were sure there were no pursuers behind them that Hedy finally spoke.
"What has happened outside these past two months?"
"It's hard to explain," Leonardo tightened his grip on her hand and, leaning over, gave her a long, warm kiss. "I came to bring you home."
Before his words had fully faded, a deep rumbling sound suddenly came from behind them.
The sound came again, shaking the very earth beneath them.
It was like the thunderous roar of a spring storm had suddenly arrived.
It seemed that someone was screaming and wailing, and the ground trembled slightly. But because of the increasing distance, the sounds were unclear.
There was also a muffled crash, as heavy objects fell to the ground with a thunderous noise, and bricks and stones rained down like a sudden storm.
Hedy turned her head sharply and saw that Rome was engulfed in flames.
She was stunned, unable to say a word, her eyes frozen as she stared at the distant scene.
Explosions continued to happen — the sky seemed to be struggling like a giant dragon, with flames leaping and dancing across the horizon.
"Leonardo, you..."
The man didn't turn around. He spoke again, his voice calm and detached.
"I blew up the Roman Catholic Church."