CHAPTER 33 #3
Hedy paused, and the group behind her remained silent.
"Lorenzo, I have not betrayed this surname."
"People will forever remember the Medici, and the red and white irises of Florence."
Her voice trembled slightly, and her palm pressed harder against the stone.
"I should have noticed your illness earlier... I'm truly sorry."
"If it weren’t for my mistake, perhaps you could witness all of this now."
From a distance, Raphael suddenly shivered and instinctively raised his hand.
What was this?
He glanced around and realized that white ice crystals were falling with the gusts of wind.
Leonardo was also taken aback, reaching out to catch the tiny, almost invisible snowflakes.
Hedy lifted her head and murmured, "It's snowing..."
Florence had never seen snow before.
In that moment, she suddenly recalled the farewell, when he had looked at the shadow of the window.
To this day, she had never stepped foot into the Palazzo Pitti, as if guarding some secret.
The light snow passed as swiftly as a drizzle, not even leaving a trace on the ground.
Yet the timing felt perfect, as if it were a silent response.
The queen took the white cloth again, wiping the tombstone, letting the long wind carry the fine snowflakes as they fluttered by.
"Thank you for everything you've given me," she whispered. "I will never forget."
This surname... will forever remain alongside your name, becoming an immortal existence.
——
Spain suddenly erupted into a civil war.
Earlier in the spring of this year, the people had been busy with the booming maritime trade, but likely due to excessive fiscal overreach, a large number of workers were deprived of their wages for the reason of "not being devout enough."
The outbreak of this war spread quickly like wildfire, even to the point where the Inquisition's buildings were torn down one after another.
Previously, in this country, even those who followed the 'Protestant' faith were persecuted like heretics. But by this time, many Catholics, along with Protestants, took up torches, moved statues, and bound the inquisitors to the executioner's scaffold.
Queen Isabella attempted to use her forces for more extreme suppression, but neither crossbows nor swords could control the wild, beast-like uprising of the people.
Some people spontaneously shouted slogans for the Renaissance and the promotion of Protestantism, while many others silently and angrily sought revenge on their past tormentors.
The rebellion lasted nearly fifteen days. In the end, many churches closed their doors, too scared to let anyone in, and the monks, who had previously been used to domineering, remained silent, like frightened ducks awaiting slaughter.
During the furious resistance, militias led the crowds into castles, looting gold, silver, and various luxury items bought with the people's taxes—even stealing the kitchen's bone dishes and rolling up all the carpets to take away.
France immediately closed its border with Spain and began to emulate Italy by reducing taxes for its people, but the parliament began to have intense debates, protesting that they had abandoned too many benefits.
The English, never forgetting to stir things up from across the channel, allegedly took advantage of the chaos to seize several Spanish merchant ships.
With Spain caught in a state of anarchy, Portugal attacked, almost as if they had already planned it—without waiting even a single day.
No one knew that these events were part of a conspiracy by the Five Nations Alliance. It was truly the queen herself who smashed her own crown to pieces.
It is said that Queen Isabella finally died a tragic death in a church, her blood drained, only to be discovered by the Pope.
By the beginning of this autumn, immigrants started arriving from all four directions of the Americas.
It was rumored that the empires had signed labor contracts with the African natives—although the wages for the workers were less than half of what European workers earned, it still led to competition among various African tribes, and some local chieftains even fought over it.
Alcohol and food became highly popular commodities, and shipping routes flourished as a result.
Asians sailed west, selling large quantities of porcelain, silk, and low-cost mechanical products, while Europeans headed south with beer, cheese, and olives. Ships carried ever-increasing numbers of Africans northward, while immigration to the Americas also continued to rise.
At first, the English were puzzled by the large number of Europeans in Italy’s colonies. However, when they discovered the prisoner marks on the laborers, they finally understood and shifted their prisons to the colonies.
The development of the Americas was happening at an incredible speed, almost as if it had set sail on a ship with favorable winds.
In Florence this autumn, the sunshine was brilliant.
Hedy, once again, was so busy that she forgot her birthday.
The two children were already running around the palace, even trying to add little mustaches to all the saintly figures under the guidance of Botticelli.
Raphael and Michelangelo chased behind them, feeding them, while Niccolò brought them sweets in various forms.
When Leonardo entered, the queen was focused on revising the contents of a telegram. She had signed more trade agreements with China and was planning to send more students abroad.
Now, Italy was thriving, and even all the ancient monuments and books had been restored. She had become a famous art patron.
“Hedy.”
“Huh?” The beauty with light blue eyes showed an apologetic expression. “There are three more documents, Leonardo. Can you wait a bit longer?”
The man smiled quietly, starting to grind coffee beans nearby.
These magical beans from Yemen, when ground and roasted, had an indescribable fragrance. Since Columbus had brought them back, Italy had experienced a new wave of trendiness. Nobles insisted on having a couple of cups of coffee before any conversation as a sign of respect.
Once the coffee was ground and brewed, and with just a little bit left at the bottom of the cup, she finally finished her work for the moment.
“Finally done…” Hedy let out a sigh of relief, sipping the half-cup of espresso and genuinely sighing, “Your skill is truly amazing. I think for the rest of my life, I’ll only want to drink coffee that you make.”
Leonardo chuckled softly and kissed her forehead, taking her hand. "Come outside with me."
"Huh? Where to?" Hedy stood up, gesturing for Dechio to file the documents. She showed a slightly worried expression. "Is Antonia drawing cat whiskers on the statue of the goddess again? I’ve told her at least four times—"
"No," the man said with a smile as he led her downstairs, walking at a leisurely pace.
"What about Alberto? That kid looks so well-behaved but turned around and went off to steal some of Niccolò's wine..."
"Not that either." He paused for a moment, then teasingly said with a tone of amusement, "Hedy—perhaps you should think about yourself for once."
"Me?"
She stopped in front of the courtyard, suddenly realizing she was surrounded by a large shadow.
The queen instinctively looked up and noticed the enormous object in the middle of the open space.
"Leonardo—!"
"Hmm?"
"Leonardo!"
"I'm here."
Her voice rose significantly, her astonishment barely contained. "When did you make this?!"
"Do you remember the autumn hunt a week ago?" Leonardo wrapped his arms around her shoulders and said, "I actually went to do an experiment."
Her good friends were all there, wearing expressions of either relaxation or admiration.
In the center of the courtyard was a red-and-white striped hot air balloon, with irises painted on it so vividly that they seemed to come alive.
"I asked the professors, and they said it would probably take at least another twenty years to build an airplane," Leonardo said slowly, "but we could fly up and see the city. The beauty and brilliance it has now, it’s all because of you, isn’t it?"
Hedy was stunned for a few seconds before Leonardo scooped her up in his arms.
"Leonardo!"
"Let’s go, Your Majesty," he kissed her cheek, as if a knight carrying his princess to mount a dragon, and they both stood in the hot air balloon.
Above them, the hot air surged, and Niccolò, following the teacher’s signal, released the ropes.
The balloon began to rise, steadily climbing higher and higher.
Hedy instinctively tightened her grip around his waist, clutching his hand.
"I..." She hadn’t yet had time to express her panic when she was quickly captivated by the view around them.
The Arno River wound like a deep blue satin ribbon, and the ochre-colored city bathed in a soft glow, shimmering with light.
The flow of people below resembled streams that came together and parted, while the distant bells of the Florence Cathedral rang out, startling a flock of white doves that circled around them in a graceful dance.
Hedy stared for a long time, her voice almost a whisper. "This is our Florence..."
"You once needed this city to protect you," the man lowered his gaze and looked at her. "Now, you are the guardian of this empire."
She took a deep breath, nodding.
At the beginning of the story, she was a lost and helpless maid, so desperate for cash that she was willing to sell her only piece of jewelry, nervously doing her duties.
But later, through a twist of fate, she became the Medici alchemist, the mastermind and strategist behind the lord, even influencing the progress of science and military affairs in the region.
Now, she was one of the Medici, the leader of the Five Nations Alliance, and the queen of this empire.
And all of this was also thanks to Leonardo’s companionship and support.
They were both destined to live lives of obscurity, aging and passing away in solitude and exhaustion.
But now, they had each other and so much more beyond that.
"Today is your birthday, Hedy," Leonardo said as he bent down and took a painting from a shelf, holding it out to her. "This painting isn’t big, but I hope you like it."
Hedy’s first reaction was Mona Lisa.
She looked at the deep blue-toned painting, pausing for a couple of seconds in silence.
The Mona Lisa was said to be the name of some female patron—clearly, with the passage of time, he would likely never have the chance to interact with those beautiful women again.
But the face in the painting, which seemed both masculine and feminine... why did it feel both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time?
"I’ve layered it five times," he patiently explained. "In addition to the starry sea and candlelight in the background, four layers of portraits are stacked together."
"Who are they?"
"Your youth, your old age."
"My past, my future."
Leonardo raised his gaze, his voice low and gentle. "I’ve named this painting... Eterno."
Eterno, which meant "eternal" in Italian.
Her eyes slowly welled up, and her fingers gripping the frame turned white.
"I’ve thought about what you’ll look like when you grow old," he said, lifting his hand to gently touch the side of her hair, his voice carrying a trace of a smile. "You are beautiful now."
"But even in thirty years, when you’re gray-haired and covered in wrinkles, whenever I think of you, I’ll still smile without meaning to."
"To grow old with you, perhaps that is God’s greatest gift to me."
Hedy struggled to control her emotions and reached out to hold him tightly.
"I love you..." she murmured. "I love you."
What she had longed for in her past life, and what he had once sought but could not obtain in this life, was love.
Love was fiery, scorching, fragile, and yet eternal.
Love was like the palm of a lover's hand, the lips of a partner, and the beating of their hearts in synchrony at this very moment.
The man sighed softly and leaned down to kiss her tender lips.
"I could listen to it a thousand times," he said, gently stroking her long hair, his smile as warm as the first time they met. "Happy birthday."
I will grow old with you.
And I will never let go of the hand I hold.
You are a miracle on this earth.