CHAPTER 24
When Dechio reported that Hedy had disappeared from her bedroom, Leonardo thought she was just joking.
However, as people searched the entire room and castle, their expressions shifted from calm to anxious and tense, and his mind went blank for a long time.
— Where could she have gone?
— What could have happened to her?
It was already nightfall when Hedy disappeared, and by the time Leonardo took his mercenaries to seal the harbor and gates, it was close to midnight.
He instructed Niccolo and his other trusted men to interrogate everyone related to the case and immediately begin searching the streets and neighborhoods.
— His bride had vanished, as if she had evaporated into thin air, disappearing without a trace.
The brown-eyed general had never flinched even when facing tens of thousands of cavalry, but now, gripping his sword, his fingers trembled.
Countless possibilities started to form in his mind, and he uncontrollably began to prepare for the worst.
No—if something really happened to her, he would rather die in this night.
By the time dawn approached, they had searched every house, cellar, and alleyway in the whole of Genoa, yet there was no sign of her.
Leonardo had never ridden so fast.
He went back and forth between the castle and the city, constantly asking if she had returned.
No—there wasn’t even the faintest trace.
A drunken beggar claimed to have seen a beauty being taken away, but tracing that led only to a prostitute offering a smile for sale.
His heart sank deeper with each passing moment, and even every breath felt like it was tearing him apart.
Hedy...
He had never believed in God, but now he desperately prayed.
Please, don’t let anything happen to her. I will find you.
When the first rays of sunlight rose from the horizon, the people, exhausted, finally began to return.
The wedding decorations that filled the castle now looked pale and ironic. The chefs, who had been busy preparing meals, awkwardly stopped and took a rest.
Machiavelli even led men to open every chest and ventilation shaft in the castle. At that moment, he pressed his forehead and remained silent for a long while.
Atalante's face was ashen as he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.
“She was definitely kidnapped—who did this? The Medici? The Sforza? The Borgia?”
Leonardo had already packed his things and, with his sword in hand, walked out.
“Atalante, you’re in charge of all the finances, trade, and taxes in the territory.”
“Niccolo, you’ll temporarily handle all of her political duties. Luris, you’re in charge of the army.”
“You’re going to find her?” Niccolo suddenly looked up. “Where will you search? Are you going to run around the world in circles?”
“The Medici and the Sforza men couldn’t have done this.” Leonardo walked swiftly, allowing them to follow behind him. “I’m taking a gunpowder unit and going to Rome right now.”
“Rome?” Luris took a deep breath and called out to him. “You need a good horse.”
She blew a whistle, and soon, a light brown steed came galloping from the stables.
“This is the fastest horse in our legion, and it’s half a warrior,” she said, handing him the reins and then unbuckling her sword. “This is the best sword. I spent a whole bag of gold coins to get it from the black market. If it gets dull, you’ll have to replace it.”
Niccolo, with an expression of concern, watched as Leonardo mounted the horse. He suddenly spoke up, “Do you really know she’s in Rome?”
He was worried that Leonardo was acting out of desperation.
The person who took her had hidden their tracks well. There were no footprints outside the window or on the ground, as if the place had been haunted.
If things were even worse, the lord might have already been assassinated, and now the body was likely sunk into the Tyrrhenian Sea.
With no traces to follow, relying only on instinct to find her...
“I know,” Leonardo said, throwing his old sword to Luris, his voice cold. “Until I return, no one is to speak of this matter—just say the lord is ill and needs rest.”
While they were searching, they only mentioned the general’s missing private belongings, without uttering a word about her.
“We’ll be here,” Atalante sighed deeply. “Don’t worry.”
For more than twenty days, Leonardo led his troops south, crossing swamps and rivers, his heart tormented as if being burned by fierce flames.
Almost every night, he couldn’t sleep, and every time he managed to doze off, he would dream of her.
Leonardo had never been apart from her for such a long time.
Even that one time when she had hurried back to Florence overnight, they were only separated for half a month.
Just half a month, and he had been anxious and restless, as if half of his soul was lost.
But the distance between Genoa and Rome was so great, and the journey, with day and night turning into one, tortured his nerves with every passing second.
Who would take her in the dead of night?
Were they trying to kill her, or was something even more malicious at play?
Was she still alive? Was her body okay?
His chaotic thoughts rose like bubbles, one after another. Even the soldiers who usually joked and chatted with him dared not utter a word.
On the way back from Genoa to the north of Pisa, just as they were about to enter the city gates, Leonardo suddenly saw a few men gathered around something. Some even threw their pants aside.
No—this couldn’t be—
The horses neighed loudly, and he drew his sword, scaring the ruffians into running away, their belts in hand.
A small boy was crouched on the ground, half his clothes torn off, but he was clutching something tightly in his hand, unwilling to let go.
“Don’t be afraid…” Leonardo dismounted, gesturing for his attendant to throw him a robe, then crouched down to comfort the child. “We won’t hurt you… Child, are you alright?”
The boy suddenly began to cry, clearly terrified, trembling all over.
If it hadn’t been for the officers’ arrival, he might have died right there.
When the boy cried, Leonardo noticed that something was pressed under his tongue, and he almost choked on it as he sobbed.
“What happened to you...” Leonardo originally didn’t have the energy to deal with such trivial matters, but this child had so many fresh and old wounds, all intertwined in a way that seemed strange. “Child, what’s your name?”
“Sodomy... They all call me Sodomy...” The little boy sobbed, wearing his clothes, and even though his speech was unclear, he insisted on keeping something in his mouth, as if afraid someone would take it from him.
“No... That shouldn’t be your name,” Leonardo felt the name was too harsh. He took a deep breath, gently stroked the boy’s hair, and reassured him again, “What’s your name?”
The boy paused, as if he had found redemption once more. His eyes quickly filled with tears.
“Bazzi,” he mumbled. “I should be called Bazzi.”
He hesitantly opened his mouth and took out the ring that had scraped the inside of his mouth numerous times.
“Sir... Sir... Can you take me to Genoa?” the boy pleaded. “I need to give this ring to a general, please.”
When Leonardo saw the ring, it felt as if lightning had struck his body.
The silver ring was adorned with jewels forming a white rose, and the engraved initials inside were ones he had personally carved.
Hedwig... His lover...
“Where did you get this from?!” He spoke, feeling his blood boiling, his heart uncontrollably racing. “—Did you see her?”
The boy was stunned for a few seconds.
“I am the one you’re looking for. Leonardo di Piero da Vinci,” the man almost gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back tears. “Where is she? Is she alright?”
The boy slowly assessed him and asked, “Are you really him?”
Leonardo gripped his shoulders tightly and looked into his eyes. “You saw her, didn’t you? Black hair, blue eyes, and very beautiful, right?”
“Yes, I saw her,” the boy answered hesitantly. “She’s dying. She told me to find you.”
Those words made the officers behind them gasp collectively.
Leonardo’s eyes grew hollow and desperate, and he fought to control his emotions. “Where is she?”
“She’s on a ship, a sturgeon salvage boat. That ship has already left,” the boy lowered his head and took out the bracelet he had been holding in his palm to show him. “It should be heading to Rome.”
This was a gift from the lady to the boy, but he thought the gentleman needed it more at this moment.
"Is she... sick?" Leonardo mumbled.
"Yes, there are doctors on board, and many others," the boy clumsily explained. "She can't get out of bed, they had to lift her onto the deck to get some fresh air. Her voice is so soft now."
Tears suddenly streamed down Leonardo's face.
Even when he had been abandoned by his parents as a child, he had never wept or begged anyone for help.
But even imagining that scene, even realizing that she might never return to him, his heart twisted in unbearable pain. He felt as though he were suffocating, drowning in his own anguish.
He took a deep breath and wiped his face, and when he turned to look at his soldiers, his expression had returned to its usual resolute and composed state.
"We’ll find her, we’ll continue to Rome."
Even if it was only her body, he would bring her back.
Everyone involved in this would pay the price.
If the Roman Church truly killed her, he would destroy every church in sight, then sink her body into the deepest part of the sea.
They quickened their pace, as though racing against death itself.
Leonardo ordered several subordinates to go to Florence to retrieve penicillin and other medicines, while he and the rest of the group arrived in Rome ahead of schedule.
Disguised as Persian merchants, they bribed the city gate guards generously, who grinned and happily revealed the destinations of the recent convoys.
The Pope’s courtyard resembled a warren of wild rabbits, and questioning each person took quite some time.