Page 192 of DATE
"Avoiding trouble isn’t a bad thing, is it?"
Besides, they were coming for the lady of the lord’s birthday, so it likely had nothing to do with her.
If Dechio had already heard the news, he wouldn’t have let her simply leave like that.
Hedy patted his shoulder, then took out the sandwiches she had prepared for lunch from the basket, sharing them with him as they had their afternoon tea.
She pulled out the plant sketches she had copied and asked him to help her look for the plant.
The mood between them seemed to lighten once again, and by evening, they were singing together as they went to fetch water from the mountain spring.
But later that evening, Leonardo slowly realized a new issue.
Tonight, there was no Dechio or Atalante in the carriage, and there seemed to be no inns or taverns along the way.
They would have to spend the night together in the carriage.
Hedy had been so thoroughly enjoying herself by the spring that her skirt had gotten wet, and now, resting with her little soft pillow, she was sleeping peacefully.
He could have easily fallen into a deep sleep on the other side of the carriage, but somehow he couldn’t quite relax.
As night settled in, the world fell silent.
He could faintly hear the croaking of frogs and the sound of her long, gentle breaths.
It was like an angel fluttering its wings.
He was thirty-one, and she was twenty-three.
Yet when he was with her, he often felt like the one being caredfor and protected.
The moonlight, like silver gauze, bathed her profile, and the shape of her nose and delicate eyebrows were outlined in a classical, gentle manner.
Leonardo sat still for a few seconds, silently watching her, when suddenly the carriage hit a round stone, causing it to sway to the side.
As it rocked, she shifted in her sleep and leaned against his shoulder.
In that instant, the young man stiffened, his whole body tensing up in a flurry of panic.
He had never had such contact with a woman before, and he was not accustomed to this kind of position where someone leaned on him.
She appeared to be in a deep sleep, only subconsciously adjusting her forehead before settling back into a peaceful slumber.
Leonardo sat upright, his back stiff as a board, suddenly starting to question many things.
He even felt as though he would have to stay perfectly still and "proper" all night, with his eyes anxiously darting out the window—
After all, he had seen plenty of women’s naked bodies in the bathroom, and had painted them without feeling any shame.
Yet now, he couldn’t even bring himself to look at her in such an intimate way.
The faint scent of hyacinth mixed with the smell of her cascading hair, and the warmth from her shoulder made him feel his breathing quicken.
At this moment, Leonardo felt awkward and nervous, his hands rigidly placed on his knees, sitting as straight as a ruler.
She must have dreamed of something pleasant, as she gently rubbed her head against his shoulder in her sleep.
When he felt the subtle movement, it was as if his hair stood on end, and he inwardly prayed for her to wake up soon—hoping that when she did, she wouldn’t think badly of him.
