Page 117 of DATE
You are sentimental, young, beautiful, gentle, and kind-hearted, shining like gold in the mines.
True feelings awaken there, by the Danube River, the beautiful blue Danube.
At that time, the Austrian Empire had suffered a crushing defeat in the Austro-Prussian War, and the people of Vienna were repressed and gloomy.
But this piece, like a gentle and warm spring breeze, was capable of awakening many long-dormant emotions.
By a hundred years later, it had become a staple on New Year's Eve.
As midnight passed, the Golden Hall in Vienna would echo with the waltz.
It was so joyful and gentle, as though it could melt away the snow in everyone’s hearts.
Hedy reflected on many memories and suddenly recalled this marvelous coincidence.
Once midnight had passed, it would be the first day of the new year.
And that also happened to be Mr. Lorenzo de Medici’s birthday.
—This time gap had crossed a century, yet it felt so perfectly fitting.
When she finished playing, Leonardo took down the paper roll and began punching it in real-time.
Hedy returned to the Doge’s Palace, bringing him some cheese and fruit, as well as a glass of wine.
Leonardo packed the paper roll, which resembled a coded scroll, back into place, wound up the mechanism, and raised his glass to her from a distance.
The next moment, a beautiful and soothing melody began to flow.
Hedy leaned against the piano, listening, almost lost in the sound.
She hadn’t expected that, after living through many long years, she would have such a rebirth.
Medicine, chemistry, fine arts, and music.
She wandered through the bustling, ancient city of Florence, bringing new and unfamiliar medicines to the people, while listening to the melodies of a future, two hundred years ahead, alongside a guiding star from history.
This, too, was the Renaissance of her aging soul.
The word "Renaissance" means "revival."
Such a term, used by historians in later generations to summarize this era, has been given a deeply fitting connotation.
Revive, in such a decayed and dark world.
The year 1480 finally arrived.
The lord of Florence celebrated his thirty-first birthday, and the court held a grand ball and celebration.
Not only did the local nobles and artists attend on time, but many prominent figures from foreign lands also came incarriages, offering him lavish gifts.
Hedy and Leonardo presented the automatic playing device, bowing neatly in unison.
When the guests saw the strange iron contraption they brought, some of them sneered in disdain.
But the servants, following Leonardo’s instructions, moved the heavy, odd device onto the piano and carefully set it up.
The wind-up mechanism was tightened, and the piano bench was empty.
