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Meanwhile, the young and gracious queen began inspecting various drafts of laws and their revisions. Occasionally, she would hold a salon at the Plato Academy with friends, enjoying gentle conversation and fine wine.
Their love was not as fiery and intense as those in knightly tales, but like still waters, it flowed steadily and endlessly.
One late night, Leonardo rushed back to their bedroom, finally remembering to go home and sleep. His queen was already fast asleep, the blanket warm and soft.
After changing into his pajamas, he took a deep breath and climbed into bed beside her. The once distant and perfect existence that seemed out of reach was now his wife.
Everything felt like an unreal beautiful dream.
The two of them slept close together, like larks nestling, unknowingly falling into each other’s embrace, both smiling faintly in their sleep.
Outside, the wind howled relentlessly, but it could not disturb the warmth inside.
——
As March arrived, another piece of good news came through—
The fleet she had commissioned two years ago had finally been fully deployed and was in place.
Back when Hedy was still a merchant in Milan, she had been paying attention to the prices of different ports and fleets. Later, she also gathered several subordinates to assemble a fleet that was sufficiently capable.
Just a month ago, after being open with Leonardo about her background, she had brought up another matter.
—The true face of this world, beyond what it appears.
“This world isn’t just about our island,” she said, drawing a rectangle on a white sheet of paper and sketching the shapes of different continents inside it. “I’ve seen places farther away.”
“You mean… the East?” Leonardo’s expression became rather focused. “I’ve read The Travels of Marco Polo for a long time, and there are many clues in it.”
In fact, this book was less of a travelogue and more like a collection of essays.
It recorded the descriptions and experiences of merchants from different regions regarding the East, and it wasn’t just about Marco Polo.
One of the ways people in Europe understood the East was through the Ottoman Empire, which had also led to several wars.
“So, you mean you know how to find the East by sea?”
Suddenly, Leonardo hurried off to fetch a book and showed her the page he had marked earlier.
Hedy took the book and, almost instinctively, read the word aloud: “...Zayton?”
“—It is one of the largest ports in the world, where countless merchants gather, and goods pile up like mountains. The bustling trade here is unimaginable.” Da Vinci looked up at her. “It is the key to opening the East.”
Hedy was somewhat unfamiliar with the location, but she understood the outline of Asia and the position of the Americas.
On the white sheet of paper, the charcoal pencil began to mark different oceans and continents, scattered like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle across the seas.
Leonardo leaned closer to her, focusing intently on these unfamiliar forms.
“We’re here now—” her pen tip pointed to a small corner. “And over here is the East.”
“Where is this?” he asked, extending his hand.
“Russia,” Hedy paused, then added somewhat uncertainly, “But at this time, it was probably still under the Mongols.”
“Below this country,” her pen tip slowly moved downward, “is China.”
She circled the coastline, but couldn't yet find the precise spot to mark: “Zayton’s port should be here.”
