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He raised a finger, and one of his servants quickly unsheathed a dagger, gently cutting open the stitched seam. As the cloth fell away, the necklace, as radiant as a spring of water, spilled out, and the lord caught it effortlessly in his hands.
Lorenzo looked down at the necklace, his brow furrowing slightly.
"What is this?"
This was a Cartier necklace from 1930.
Diamonds, like stars, were set in a silver chain, and even held in the palm of his hand, it gleamed like a sliver of moonlight.
The arms dealer of that time, in an attempt to win the heart of Vienna's most unique beauty, had bought her countless jewels.
Tiny blue diamonds were scattered among them, though they were relegated to mere accents.
Diamonds, though seemingly translucent, would shimmer with endless brilliance when even slightly adjusted under the sunlight.
This single necklace was adorned with over a hundred diamonds, all intricately arranged in interwoven curves. Its hollow design was exquisite, with no trace of artificial polishing. The large pearls nestled within it glowed with a full, lustrous sheen.
"This—" The servant, who had seen countless lavish jewels in his time with Lorenzo, was now astonished.
"Perhaps... perhaps it's a diamond?"
Lorenzo raised the necklace higher, examining its brilliance more closely. "Even the Pope's diamonds don't shine like this."
He narrowed his eyes, as if counting something. “The reason this gem shines so brightly is because it has been cut into thirty, no, more than thirty faces.”
This type of gemstone was widely recognized as a talisman for protection, only fit for kings and the highest of nobility.
But the girl not only had a string of diamonds like this, but they were not only abundant in number; they had been cut into dozens of faces, which was no simple feat.
"Should I send someone to arrest her?"
Cosimo, observing his lord’s expression, continued cautiously, "She’s probably a thief, fleeing from some noble family in a nearby country."
"Don’t take any rash action." Lorenzo leaned against the window, playing with the necklace, and after a long pause, he added, "If she were a thief, she would have immediately gone to the black market to sell it and then hidden her tracks.
Burying it here, coming back to check on it, then burying it again—it suggests there’s something more to this."
Lorenzo had grown up in a world full of high society, accustomed to the various adornments on the necks and wristsof noblewomen. But this was the first time he had come across something like this.
"Cosimo, have it sewn back together and placed back where it was."
"Place it back, my lord?"
"Yes. Tomorrow, go check what kind of new, unusual jewelry has been appearing in the black market," Lorenzo said flatly. "She may have more than just this one."
"Understood, my lord."
When Hedy returned to the workshop, Da Vinci was busy helping a colleague with some woodwork, seemingly crafting a small prop for a play.
He had previously taken an order from a noblewoman for a portrait, but now he had carelessly started a draft, leaving it half-finished and unclear in its outline.
When he saw his maid return, he quickly handed the small object to his friend and turned to the easel to start painting.
The friend smiled and greeted Hedy before leaving for the theater, leaving Da Vinci focused on his work, with his back turned to her.
Da Vinci didn’t mind having someone watch him work, but he had a tendency to get easily distracted.
There were just too many fascinating things in the world—bird wings, lizard tails, human fingers—anything seemed worthy of a whole day’s study.
