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Sometimes, she could smell the aroma of stews from the streets, and her stomach would almost growl in response.
If he continued to procrastinate like this, she feared they’d end up owing wages soon enough.
Da Vinci sighed deeply, clearly frustrated. "I really want to finish sooner, but sometimes when I'm painting, I can’t help but get distracted by other things."
He would even spend an entire hour studying a stain on the wall when he was avoiding his work.
Hedy rubbed her face and said seriously, "I’ll supervise you from now on."
And she truly did start supervising.
Every day, they would head out to the Palazzo Vecchio, listening to the sound of Giotto's bell, and they would return together by 3 PM.
Before 3 PM, it was work time, and they had to focus on finishing the fresco.
Perhaps because Hedy was watching over him, Da Vinci’s efficiency improved remarkably.
The Medici family was generous, providing a large amount of paint and an advance payment. The effect on the wall was mesmerizing, far better than the old frescoes Hedy had seen in the galleries.
Hedy never imagined she would actually sit beside a historical figure, watching him create a legend.
This painting would later be studied and analyzed by countless scholars and would become a treasure in the history of art.
She had died in the year 2000, at the turn of a new millennium, and she wondered, perhaps a hundred years from now, she too would be considered a historical figure.
Although Da Vinci liked to obsess over details when painting, he wouldn’t put brush to canvas until he had thoroughly studied the structure of the human body. However, completing an order and creating his own drafts were two different things.
In Florence, most artists didn’t paint for themselves; they worked based on commissions. Da Vinci’s stubborn nature was rare among his peers.
Without realizing it, he had become accustomed to the taste of the citrus medicine, and his body was growing healthier and stronger.
As the fresco was nearing completion, Hedy took some time off and headed to the outskirts of the city.
She had chosen a wild olive tree some time ago, and at the roots, she had buried a small pit where she hid a bundle of necklaces.
Now, more than a month had passed, and it was time to check if it was still there.
With the area clear of people, Hedy quickly moved through the oak grove on the outskirts of town, her skirt held up as she made her way to the wild olive tree. She started digging the pit as quickly as she could.
In the distance, a carriage hid in the shade of the poplar trees, almost unnoticed.
A young man, dressed like a noble, parted the velvet curtain and watched the grayish-looking young woman.
"Cosimo, who is she?"
The servant quickly went to check and came back after a while to report.
"She doesn’t seem to be from Florence, looks like a stranger."
The young woman appeared to uncover something small wrapped in cloth. After confirming its contents, she sighed deeply, reburied it, and then, lifting her skirt, swiftly turned to leave.
From the back, her exposed neck gleamed as white as a swan’s.
"Go dig that thing up, bring it to me," the young noble ordered.
"Yes, my lord."
The small bundle, sealed in coarse cloth, was immediately unearthed and carefully brought before Lorenzo.
