CHAPTER 33 #2
The Five-Nation Alliance took four months to move from its formation to signing the agreements.
Like guests sharing a pie, they divided the Americas into six sections and signed treaties regarding mutual defense and commercial cooperation.
Although no one directly said or mentioned it, they all knew what Spain and France, who had been excluded, would face.
Once the overseas cooperation was confirmed, numerous domestic European projects began to be negotiated and adjusted.
They all needed to open each other's markets and find more business opportunities.
Hedy maintained a humble and cautious attitude throughout the process, not fighting for attention or interfering too much, keeping her presence as minimal as possible.
She knew exactly what she wanted and where her boundaries lay.
After yet another meeting concluded, Dechio entered with a piece of paper.
"This is a telegram from Rome," he said softly. "The radio station has been set up."
The queen froze for a moment, and the face of her brown-haired lover immediately appeared in her mind.
She hummed, unfolding the telegram.
../.-../---/...-/./-.--/---/..-
Using the Da Vinci cipher, the message came from Rome.
But when translated into Morse code, it read...
"I love you."
Across thousands of miles and spanning five centuries.
——
"Your Highness—the afternoon tea is ready!"
"Wait a moment!"
Leonardo leaned against the radio transmitter, uncertainly tapping his fingers on the dashboard.
According to the plan, they were supposed to finish assembling this machine in five days, but he had completed it ahead of schedule, and at least from the indicator lights on the dial, the machine seemed to be running.
He waited silently for a while, then stood up to leave.
Just as he turned around, the machine suddenly started clicking, much like a hen about to lay an egg.
Had Hedy sent back a message?
He immediately sat back down, guiding the paper strip to slowly slide out.
Leonardo had originally intended to write something serious in the code, but for some reason, he ended up making a double entendre.
Only she could understand the other meaning behind that string of characters.
Ink spots began to fall evenly onto the paper, and he pulled it out bit by bit.
--.--....---.../-...------.---..
In the conventional code used at home, it meant the queen has been informed.
But in their secret language, the meaning of the code was... forever.
The man placed the paper on his chest, lingering for a long time before rising.
He missed her and the children; these days had been filled with anxiety.
Time spent with science was indeed swift and enjoyable, but there was always a sense of emptiness in his heart, as if something were missing.
He closed his eyes, and her face appeared once again in his mind.
His Hedy.
Gentle, elegant, insightful, perceptive lover.
Leonardo's throat moved slightly as he realized he should do something.
"Leonardo—wait, have you already assembled the machine?!"
"Yes," he turned to look at the professor, smiling elegantly, "We can return earlier than planned."
It would take about sixteen days to travel from Rome to Florence, and he could sketch along the way.
A bold idea began to form in his mind, as if a flame had rekindled in his chest.
When The Last Supper was completed, Hedy had specially set aside her duties to come and see it.
The painting was a collaboration between Leonardo and his students.
Her lover had designed the composition and the initial sketches, while some of the finer details were completed by Raphael and Michelangelo together.
Raphael was meticulous and vivid when shaping the figures, with an exceptional grasp of texture.
Michelangelo, on the other hand, was obviously a genius when it came to coloring, and his work on the atmosphere was nothing short of masterful.
Even though their teacher was far away, it felt as though they were in constant spiritual communication, making the final painting harmonious and unified.
One was a boy, the other a youth, yet they had already displayed an extraordinary talent at such a young age, leaving all of Italy in awe.
It was said that during the creation of the painting, Niccolo had also tried to get involved.
The young finance minister attempted to help by adding a few strokes of color or at least drawing a wine glass.
However, he clearly didn’t have the skill, and the only piece he worked on—the bread—ended up looking like a hard, stone-like object. In the end, it was Michelangelo who helped correct the light and shadows.
In similar works, the disciples of Jesus were typically seated in a row, but in this painting, the composition had been refined and the scene dramatized. A melancholic and sorrowful Jesus sat alone at the center, with the disciples scattered on either side, creating a sense of judgment and chaos.
Hedy stood quietly in front of the mural, faintly imagining how that brown-haired, brown-eyed handsome man must have wandered and pondered here.
Perhaps his fingers were stained with paint and egg yolk, or maybe he had a piece of bread in his mouth and spent the entire afternoon forgetting to chew.
The painting was so solemn and dignified, yet its creator was so gentle and delicate.
She truly missed him.
The fleets of five nations began to gradually assemble and set sail toward the Americas, and the first bell of 1490 rang on time, as though announcing the arrival of a new era.
The Queen instructed her subordinates to test the waters with Spain and France, and the developments unfolded almost exactly as she had anticipated.
She compiled a mail-order list of luxury goods from Italy and sent a private fleet northward from Pisa, to peddle the goods they were carrying.
The hawks of Queen Isabella eagerly emptied the shelves of jewelry, clocks, and silk, checking off almost every item on the mail-order list.
Indulgence was indeed an enjoyable affair—but it came at a cost.
After receiving the financial reports, Hedy swiftly called for more fleets to carry even more luxury goods to gather wealth.
The taxes on the ships were intentionally reduced, leading many merchants to flock in, eager to profit from the opportunity.
"It seems like you want to provoke an internal rebellion?" Niccolo noticed this detail, going through the rough expense reports of France and Spain in recent years, his tone a little smug. "It seems a certain country is overextended."
"Not enough," Hedy thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Aren't our pepper crops almost ready?"
"The first batch was already harvested," he paused, showing an incredulous expression. "Aren't you going to leave some for the royal family?"
"We have decades to enjoy pepper juice," she winked. "Let's sell the first batch entirely ground into powder to them. Remember to set up a supervisory body."
Niccolo let out a long, low sound and suddenly froze.
He quickly packed up his documents, turned, and hurriedly left.
"Wait—" She stood up to call after him, only to be met with those amber eyes. "Leonardo?!"
The man quickly walked over and enveloped her in his arms.
"Hedy..." He tightened his embrace, inhaling the scent of hyacinth in her hair. "I’m back."
Hedy stood frozen, grasping his hand, intertwining their fingers once more.
"Leonardo," she whispered softly, "I feel like I want to hide you away."
"We haven't seen each other in four months," she lifted her head, reaching up to stroke his stubbled chin. "It feels like it's been four years."
The man sighed, slowing his pace of speech. "Then let's hide together."
In these past few months, he had once considered taking her away from here, to steal back all the time they had given to the empire.
They pressed their foreheads together and laughed, their eyes lowering as they exchanged a long, lingering kiss.
Florence still hadn't seen snow, and the continuous light rain made it hard to tell what season it truly was.
Hedy had originally intended to visit Lorenzo's grave alone, but after much thought, she decided to bring many of his old friends along, as well as Lady Clarice and the children.
The widow of the Medici family had always been calm and composed, visiting every month to place a bouquet of fresh flowers on the resting man’s grave.
Her children had become the pope and cardinals of Rome, and were now leading the spread of Protestantism to faraway places.
Leonardo stood at the grave for a long time, finally speaking softly after a pause.
"The Ministry of Defense is now quite advanced," he said, looking at the surname on the tombstone as if gazing at an old friend. "Even if France and Spain come together, our forces can respond and defend swiftly."
"We already have wireless communication, and more and more allies—Portugal, Hungary, England..."
He spoke at length about the old matters of the House of Lords, occasionally smiling, just as he had when discussing strategies with the lords in the study.
"By the way," Leonardo gazed at the Medici inscription for a long time before speaking again. "She is happy now."
"I will take care of and protect her, until old age."
"Just as I promised you."
The old ministers stepped forward one by one to lay flowers and pay their respects, some gently touching the tombstone and speaking softly to him.
Hedy waited until the very end, before approaching with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in her hands.
She hadn't come here in a long time.
"Lorenzo," she paused, repeating, "Lorenzo de' Medici."
"I am your successor, and once your alchemist."
"If you remember me, perhaps you also remember the policies and grand ambitions I once spoke of."
Her palm rested on the cold tombstone, as if trying to transmit some warmth.
"I've done it."
"Lorenzo, Italy is now completely unified, and no one in Europe dares to challenge its power."
"We have fleets as tall as skyscrapers, unrivaled cannons, and many universities are being built. This place has become the center of wisdom and art."