Page 107 of DATE
The first step in forming a deep bond is sharing each other’s secrets — and also each other’s vulnerabilities.
Da Vinci had done many things that defied convention. Just his dissection manuscripts alone, with their implications on the sun and the church, could have sent him to the gallows a dozen times over.
At the beginning of her time in this world, Hedy didn’t trust him much. She didn’t dare to hide her belongings in his workshop. All she knew was that he was the artist behind Mona Lisa, a mysterious and outstanding painter. But these facts didn’t prove his character.
It wasn’t until over a year passed that she gradually realized his friendliness and trust toward her. She finally decided to entrust him with the same.
— After all, burying everything wasn’t a long-term solution.
Apart from the ring she had sold in the black market to exchange for gold and silver coins, all her necklaces, bracelets, and pendants were still intact.
Da Vinci hadn’t expected this young woman to be so skilled at hiding things.
In the old abandoned house’s roof tiles, beneath a particular olive tree's stone, even in a secret hole in a wall—she had hidden her small packages everywhere.
While keeping an eye on their surroundings, Da Vinci helped her retrieve everything, carefully checking and examining each item.
There were five pieces remaining, none of which showed signs of being tampered with or opened.
They hurried back to the workshop and entered the secret room next to the fireplace.
Hedy carefully placed the items into the willow wood box, locking it up securely.
"Can I ask... what’s inside?"
Da Vinci considered himself a reliable person, but he had a strong curiosity.
He noticed that Hedy’s eyes hesitated, so he waved his hand dismissively. "It’s fine if you don’t want to say."
"Hmm... let me show you," she replied.
It was definitely more pleasant to look at than the corpse you dissected earlier.
Hedy lowered her head and cut open the cloth bag, taking out the jewelry while her mind raced to come up with a plausible story.
But for a brief moment, she sensed that, even if she truly were a thief, this man would not send her to the gallows. After all, the strangest and most unpredictable person in all of Florence was probably Leonardo himself.
"Is this... a necklace?" Da Vinci suddenly froze, furrowing his brow. "This isn't just a sapphire."
He clearly saw the large diamond, cut into dozens of facets, attached to the teardrop-shaped pendant.
Wait—
Hedy suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She thought she might have misjudged him, made the wrong decision in trustinghim. For a moment, she even imagined herself on the execution platform.
"This isn’t something I stole—" she began to explain, but was quickly interrupted.
"I’ve seen this before," Da Vinci said, holding up a candle and staring at the dazzling diamond as it shimmered in the light. "Do you... also have a ring? I think it has a ruby set in it?"
Hedy froze, instinctively responding, "Did you see it in the black market? Who bought it?"
Da Vinci subconsciously repeated, "Black market?"
"Why the black market?"
What was going on?
He had actually seen that ring? But didn’t know it was connected to her?
