Page 10 of DATE
At least her safety was much more assured now.
Hedy, holding her bundle, returned to the small courtyard, suddenly remembering what Leonardo had said the day they met.
"I have no interest in women, I won’t harm you."
...Perhaps, he had really been caught by the night watchmen with some kind of evidence?
Da Vinci led a simple and humble life.
Their table had no meat, no fish—black bread with vegetables was the norm.
Hedy worked hard to improve their living conditions, and occasionally, she would observe her master's work.
Strictly speaking... he hardly worked.
Although several women and nobles came to him for portraits, he didn’t take on many commissions, and when he did, he worked extremely slowly.
Sometimes, after finally starting a sketch, he would leave it aside after a short time, then go back to studying the mechanisms of gears and firearms.
So, his poverty was somewhat understandable...
The only upside to living in this era was that taking a bath wasn’t frowned upon.
When she directed The Love of the Three Queens, the historical consultant had mentioned the appalling hygiene conditions during Napoleon’s time.
The French considered bathing one of the causes of illness, and some people might have only bathed a handful of times in their entire life, relying on perfume to mask their body odor.
But during the Renaissance, at least taking a bath wasn’t considered disgraceful, and even if people found out, they wouldn’t think of you as a madman.
It was just... Leonardo didn’t seem to bathe much either.
Hedy kept her curiosity in check, but she hadn’t noticed Leonardo doing anything like boiling water or fetching water at night.
Her curiosity kept pushing her to ask, and eventually, she couldn’t resist.
"I forgot to tell you," Da Vinci finally remembered and spoke seriously, "The public bathhouse is very close. It's only a ten-minute walk. Want to go tomorrow?"
Wait—public bathhouse?
Hedy suddenly remembered how she’d been struggling every day to start a fire to boil water and felt a little embarrassed.
"Do you prefer a bath in a tub or a steam bath?" Leonardo asked, tidying up the papers on his desk, speaking casually. "Once we finish this painting, we can go to a more upscale bathhouse. They even have musicians playing the lyre."
Hedy let out a long sigh of relief and gratefully agreed.
However, when they actually went out the next day, everything was laid bare before her.
It was indeed very crowded.
The hygiene conditions were quite good, and there was hot water available for bathing.
"So... is it a mixed bath?" she asked awkwardly. "Do people bathe in the nude?"
Leonardo had already stepped into the bathhouse, but when he saw her still standing outside, he looked at her in confusion.
"Is there a problem?"
Hedy stood at the entrance, clearly frozen in place.
