CHAPTER 28 #3
When Da Vinci had discovered this short-distance communication method, he had even tried to chat with Hedy across four floors—though it was Niccolo who had been chatting with her, teasing the teacher a few times before leaving.
The grand banquet began as scheduled the next day.
The elites from Florence and Milan had all been invited, and Madam Clarice's expression had improved significantly, her smile calm and gentle as she was surrounded by her children.
At that moment, Ludovico Sforza entered with another strong young man, his voice once again filled with warmth and enthusiasm. "Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce another member of the Sforza family—he is a rising star in Milan, impeccable in both knowledge and conversation."
With a smile, Hedy extended her hand, and the young duke bent down to shake it.
The next moment, Nino, the guard standing by Hedy's side, suddenly kicked the man to the ground. Within seconds, he was straddling the man’s chest, raising his hand to pull out a sharp object from the sleeve: "Why are you carrying this?! What do you intend to do to the queen?"
As the struggle ensued, the crowd around them gasped and retreated in shock.
Hedy's eyes reddened as she took two steps back, her voice trembling with the sting of betrayal: "Sforza—this is how you treat me? Introducing an assassin at a time like this?!"
Before the duke could resist, two more guards dashed over with lightning speed, one pinning his side while the other stuffed a cloth tightly into his mouth.
"Don’t move—there’s an assassin in the palace!" Niccolo shouted harshly. "Take Mr. Sforza away! Anyone who approaches the queen is to be treated as a rebel!"
Dechio took two quick steps to position himself in front of Hedy, speaking clearly: "Lock the gates of the Doge’s Palace now, and no one is to leave until the investigation is complete."
Clarice let out a sigh of relief and took the children back to her bedroom to rest.
She was already weary of the tangled web of lies and truths around her, and she didn’t want her children involved in such matters anymore. If Lorenzo had still been alive, perhaps she would have had ambitions and hopes to cling to.
But in the current environment, all she could do was minimize the risks and stay by her children’s side, watching them grow up safely.
The guests were all quite surprised, but none of them wanted to admit they were from Sforza’s camp. Even many of the distant visitors from Milan were trying to clarify their positions, expressing their admiration and loyalty to the queen.
— The son of a mercenary leader had only risen to power a few years ago, and he was in no way worthy of being compared to these old nobles.
Even though over the years this lord had done much to ingratiate himself with them, those efforts were like jokes in the eyes of the nobility. They felt far more aligned with Hedy’s identity and background.
The Medici may not have a long history, but at least it spanned several centuries.
And so, with so many fence-sitters in the palace, it seemed only right to imprison the entire Sforza group.
Sforza, bound hand and foot, finally realized he had been tricked by that woman.
This couldn’t be happening—how did she pull this off?!
Was Orlando her accomplice? No, that was impossible. But how did she know about this?
When Orlando had bowed just moments ago, he had deliberately angled his body to block her view, yet the guards seemed to be ready for it, as if they knew exactly what would happen!
He was bound tightly to a chair, even having his teeth checked for hidden poison, locked away like a donkey waiting for castration in a corner.
Several quiet hours passed before the queen slowly approached, accompanied by her attendants.
"My lord," her tone still carried a faint smile. "It seems a bit cold here. Tonight, I'll have some hot soup prepared for you."
"You..." Sforza's expression turned cold, and he showed no sign of yielding. "You’ve bound the lord of Milan here—have you considered the consequences?"
"Consequences?" Hedy sat down in a chair pushed toward her by a servant, casually stroking Leonardo’s arm beside her. As she lowered her gaze, her smile deepened. "The nobles are already inquiring about working with me. I wonder how much I should lower the interest rates?"
So she hadn’t been avoiding his cooperation because of any principle—she had already planned to recruit and win over those fools!
Sforza’s voice grew icy, his words nearly biting as he spat them out. "You are declaring war on Milan."
"You declared war on me first," Hedy said, reclining against the velvet cushions. Her gaze lingered on the disheveled old man, his figure looking absurd and pitiful. Her eyes remained gentle and calm. "Otherwise, how do you explain the actions of that young duke?"
"He must be mad; he has nothing to do with me!" Sforza spat out coldly. "Release me!"
"Since you refuse to admit it, there’s no need for pleasantries anymore." Hedy raised her chin, and Niccolo immediately presented the document in front of the man’s nose. "Sign it, and you can return to your warm bedroom and rest well."
As the candlelight was raised, the terms on the document were clearly visible.
Agree to represent the Duchy of Milan in swearing allegiance to the Italian Empire and return all governing rights in full.
Surrender all of Sforza’s armies, and…
Sforza curled his lips into a mocking smile. “It seems you're the one who’s lost your mind. You actually want me to sign this?”
“You’re still tied up like a pig,” Niccolo said slowly, his tone laced with sarcasm. “What exactly are you so cocky about?”
“My personal guard will—”
“Your personal guard consists of forty-two men inside the castle and two thousand outside,” Niccolo interrupted, his voice flat.
“The poison has been dealt with long ago. Did you really think only your family knew how to poison people? There’s no one left to even send a message to Milan. Do you understand?”
Sforza’s face, which had been twisted in a snarl just moments ago, froze. He moved his lips as if to argue, but after a long pause, no words came out.
“As I said,” Niccolo glanced at the people behind him, “this is quite an awkward situation.”
“I won’t sign it,” Sforza began shaking his head wildly. “My grandfather spent so much effort to win this position—there’s no way I’m giving Milan to you!”
“And I already told you before I left,” Sforza suddenly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot with anger. “If I don’t return within two months, they’ll march an army straight in!”
“That’s not a threat,” Hedy said slowly, her tone calm and unhurried. “Whether your people can even break down our outer walls is a real question—let alone the fact that we have ways of making them stop, willingly hand over their army, and surrender their country.”
“You—!”
“You should stay here a while longer,” she said, standing slowly, her voice filled with pity. “It’ll give your mind time to clear.”
Before the old man could roar anything else, she turned and walked out with her attendants, not lingering for even a minute longer.
——
Ferdinand I arrived a bit late.
He had always been somewhat hesitant and instinctively sensed that this woman would be troublesome.
Because of this, he chose to delay his journey, hoping that Sforza would first run into enough problems before he arrived, allowing him to gradually wear down her temper.
... For a woman like this, who could be dealt with by simply using a whip, why make things so complicated? Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed annoying.
Although he arrived late, the welcome he received was no less grand than the previous guest.
Many of Milan's nobles came out to greet him, and the evening banquet and ball were quite extravagant.
Ferdinand watched the dancers' backsides, occasionally hearing a few lines of conversation between the diplomats and officials.
"Where is Mr. Sforza?" he forced a smile, trying to seem friendly, though awkwardly using formal speech. "In such a wonderful gathering, it would seem disrespectful for a guest to be absent."
"Sforza?" The person next to him chuckled, waving his hand as if they were sharing a secret.
"Where did he go?" Ferdinand asked with a playful look. "What do you know?"
"Your Grace, we had agreed that this would not be shared," Niccolò said slyly, glancing at the queen who was sitting upright, and lowered his voice. "A couple of days ago, Sforza went to a brothel and slept with five women in one night!"
"... He deserves to be stuck in bed then," Ferdinand scoffed. "A mercenary leader is far braver than men like us."
Laughter erupted around the table, and everyone began chatting and drinking happily, enjoying the night together.
Ferdinand had spent three days eating, playing, and sightseeing in Florence before finally deciding to focus on the business at hand.
He felt like he had thoroughly figured out this outwardly strong yet internally fragile place.
It seemed like the queen was the one holding all the power, but in reality, she was just a figurehead. All the important matters, inside and outside the palace, had to go through the ministers—some of whom even dared to show her disdain right to her face!
A little bribery and a few more rounds of drinks, and nothing was off the table!
Over the past three days, he had drunk several barrels of fine wine and indulged with a few beautiful women—no wonder Sforza, that old rogue, nearly died in bed!
When he woke up from his hangover, Ferdinand bathed and changed, then headed to the meeting hall, intending to get the business sorted before he leisurely spent a few more days here.
But as he walked into the meeting hall, he sensed something was wrong.
The atmosphere had changed.
From the moment he arrived until those three days, the palace had been in a state of revelry, with people dancing and celebrating even under the full moon.