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Da Vinci lowered his head, writing something. After a long pause, he spoke again, "Sometimes, I feel that you're a very mysterious existence."
"…Hmm?"
"You know so much, and you're fearless," he paused for a moment, then continued writing, "And you're exceptional in many ways, as if you had many tutors since you were young."
Hedy froze for a moment, realizing where the issue lay.
In this era, women were supposed to be completely disconnected from most forms of knowledge.
They were born to be servants of doctrine and had no chance of engaging with profound philosophy or science.
Take Isabella from the Duchy of Ferrara, for example. Even though she received a comprehensive and progressive education, she was remarkable enough to be recorded in history.
Sometimes her knowledge and speech were worlds apart from what one would expect of a so-called fugitive.
"If you trust me enough..." Leonardo lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes gentle and sincere. "Would you be willing to tell me where you truly come from?"
Hedy took a deep breath, trying to suppress the many thoughts clamoring in her mind.
She truly longed to tell someone about her origins.
She wanted to reminisce about everything from the twentieth century and the open discussions on everything related to future technology.
It was so lonely.
Living alone in this medieval-like world was incredibly isolating.
And if she told Da Vinci, she could fearlessly share all the knowledge with him, allowing him to use those principles to design even greater works and machines—
"What... do you think?" she asked softly.
"I've always wondered if you might be a runaway princess or the daughter of some duke," Leonardo lowered his gaze to the pencil's marks, his voice softening. "You have extensive knowledge, carry exquisitely crafted jewelry, and resist marriage."
Hedy furrowed her brow but kept that foolish thought locked away in her heart.
"Maybe," she laughed self-deprecatingly. "I don’t really remember."
Atalante received the news early in the morning, holding her little daughter and waiting at the city gate for their carriage.
"You've grown taller, Atalante!" Hedy exclaimed happily, hugging the little girl and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She then turned to greet the young wife, now pregnant again. "Hello, please accept the gifts we brought from Florence."
They didn't bother with washing or changing clothes. Instead, they spent the whole morning inspecting every shop in the city, then reviewed the reports submitted by the workers.
The three of them sat back in the pristine study, and there was no sign of that troublesome little demon outside.
It was said that after the child had been sent back to the vineyard, they were violently beaten by their angry parents. Now, no one knew if the child had started stealing from others again.
"Actually, the reason we’re back is to prepare for a war," Da Vinci said slowly, taking a sip of wine. "I've already drawn up several designs for firearms and cannons. The rest will be left to the blacksmiths."
Atalante, who had just been happily telling jokes, froze at these words. She instinctively said, "Weren’t you supposed to be back to continue the business?"
"The French are coming," Hedy replied briefly. "Probably in three to five months."
"We need to form a mercenary army, find suitable generals to lead them, and convert the southwest ranch into our base," Da Vinci unfolded a map and plan, gesturing for the young assistant to take a look. "This is going to be a big project."
"—The French?!"
"—War?!"
