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Before she could even scream, she jumped onto the chair, her voice rising in panic: "Leonardo!!"
Leonardo froze for a moment, following her gaze. The little mouse, sensing something was wrong, quickly turned and scurried back under the wooden cabinet.
The mouse, the mouse is a mouse!!!
Hedy was completely paralyzed, barely able to get off the chair, and was almost ready to jump onto the table and escape through the window.
She didn’t want to stay in this cursed place for a second longer, but she was also uncertain where that black creature would pop out from next.
"Stay there—do you need me to get some smelling salts for you?"
Before the words were even out, another black shadow leapt from another corner, squeaking twice.
"Leonardo—!!"
"I’ll handle it…" Da Vinci found a broom and started sweeping under the cabinet and in various corners. The squeaking mice scattered everywhere like marbles, and two or three even ran out through the window.
Hedy stood on the chair, trying her best not to scream, but her face had gone as pale as a ghost.
The strength and fragility of humans were incredibly close attributes.
Maybe one could remain calm in the face of war and palace coups, but when it came to actually dealing with caterpillars and mice, it felt like half a life was being drained away.
Once the commotion settled down, Leonardo opened the door and the window to let in some fresh air. He turned and saw her still hiding on the chair, unable to contain a laugh. "You don’t need to be afraid... they won’t bite you."
Hedy quickly shook her head twice, still refusing to get off the chair.
She had seen those frantic little creatures darting around like lightning, and just their greasy black fur was enough to make her scalp tingle.
"Hedy… I’ll have the servants come deal with this," Leonardo said, stepping in front of her and offering his hand. "Shall we go downstairs?"
Another little head peeked out in the distance, squeaking again.
This was definitely the result of someone spilling a food tray nearby a few days ago!
Even in the Doge’s Palace, there were mice!!
The young lady on the chair was pale and trembling slightly, instinctively shaking her head and refusing to come down.
Leonardo sighed and extended his other hand as well. "I’ll carry you out."
His tone was calm and natural, with no sense of overstepping.
Hedy looked around at the cabinet and the bottom of the table, took a deep breath, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The next moment, she was lifted off the ground, her entire body suspended in the air.
She was so light.
For a brief moment, Leonardo felt a strange sense of familiarity, as though dream and reality were overlapping.
The girl in his arms was still slightly trembling, her face buried in his shoulder.
The subtle, gentle fragrance of hyacinth lingered, and her long, ebony hair brushed against his cheek.
Such a strong and confident girl... also had things she feared.
He steadied her in his arms and softly reassured her, "I’ll take you out, don't be afraid."
