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Hedy instinctively tightened her grip around his waist, clutching his hand.
"I..." She hadn’t yet had time to express her panic when she was quickly captivated by the view around them.
The Arno River wound like a deep blue satin ribbon, and the ochre-colored city bathed in a soft glow, shimmering with light.
The flow of people below resembled streams that came together and parted, while the distant bells of the Florence Cathedral rang out, startling a flock of white doves that circled around them in a graceful dance.
Hedy stared for a long time, her voice almost a whisper. "This is our Florence..."
"You once needed this city to protect you," the man lowered his gaze and looked at her. "Now, you are the guardian of this empire."
She took a deep breath, nodding.
At the beginning of the story, she was a lost and helpless maid, so desperate for cash that she was willing to sell her only piece of jewelry, nervously doing her duties.
But later, through a twist of fate, she became the Medici alchemist, the mastermind and strategist behind the lord, even influencing the progress of science and military affairs in the region.
Now, she was one of the Medici, the leader of the Five Nations Alliance, and the queen of this empire.
And all of this was also thanks to Leonardo’s companionship and support.
They were both destined to live lives of obscurity, aging and passing away in solitude and exhaustion.
But now, they had each other and so much more beyond that.
"Today is your birthday, Hedy," Leonardo said as he bent down and took a painting from a shelf, holding it out to her. "This painting isn’t big, but I hope you like it."
Hedy’s first reaction was Mona Lisa.
She looked at the deep blue-toned painting, pausing for a couple of seconds in silence.
The Mona Lisa was said to be the name of some female patron—clearly, with the passage of time, he would likely never have the chance to interact with those beautiful women again.
But the face in the painting, which seemed both masculine and feminine... why did it feel both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time?
"I’ve layered it five times," he patiently explained. "In addition to the starry sea and candlelight in the background, four layers of portraits are stacked together."
"Who are they?"
"Your youth, your old age."
"My past, my future."
Leonardo raised his gaze, his voice low and gentle. "I’ve named this painting... Eterno."
Eterno, which meant "eternal" in Italian.
Her eyes slowly welled up, and her fingers gripping the frame turned white.
"I’ve thought about what you’ll look like when you grow old," he said, lifting his hand to gently touch the side of her hair, his voice carrying a trace of a smile. "You are beautiful now."
"But even in thirty years, when you’re gray-haired and covered in wrinkles, whenever I think of you, I’ll still smile without meaning to."
"To grow old with you, perhaps that is God’s greatest gift to me."
Hedy struggled to control her emotions and reached out to hold him tightly.
"I love you..." she murmured. "I love you."
