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"Yeah, he thinks you’re my mistress," Da Vinci calmly said as he twirled his pasta. "I’ve explained it to him already."
What?
Seeing her look surprised, the young man with brown eyes explained slowly, "I’m an illegitimate child, so he jumped to conclusions and warned me not to do anything foolish."
So, being an illegitimate child wasn’t something shameful in this era?
Hedy watched him with such natural ease, and suddenly felt her entire value system crumbling.
In this era, mixed-gender public nudity wasn’t a big deal, being an illegitimate child could be said so openly—what else was there that she didn’t know?
"By the way, next time, can you go to the apothecary and buy a mummy for me?" Da Vinci thought for a moment, then spoke again. "You've been here for half a month already, and you can just call me Leonardo from now on."
Hedy swallowed a bite of her pasta and repeated slowly, "A... mummy?"
"Yes, for painting. I’m running low on material," he said casually. "Make sure to pick one with good, full flesh, it’ll look better when painted."
She tried to keep her composure, nodding awkwardly.
In reality, given her true age, she had witnessed many things.
She had lived through World War II, seen the rise and fall of MGM, and wasn’t easily shocked by most things.
But the word mummy was unmistakable.
That night, she tossed and turned in bed, even starting to think about how she would bring a mummy back.
What in the world were these madmen planning?
And why in the world would mummies be sold in an apothecary?!
The next day, Hedy quickly tidied the courtyard, cleaned the room, and cut some black bread to serve as breakfast. She nervously took the rough cloth and headed to the apothecary.
When she had been familiarizing herself with the area earlier, a kind local had explained that the doctors, apothecaries, and painters were all part of the same guild.
Her master had mentioned that the medicinal herbs were also used as pigments for painting.
The wooden sign, written in an elegant but somewhat hasty script, read "Alejo Apothecary", and inside, rows of shelves held many jars and bottles, along with other unidentifiable items.
There were piles of spices in small compartments, and she could barely make out small fennel and onions.
In several glass jars, there were snails still wriggling, and an old woman was taking one of the jars, preparing to pay.
Here, you could buy wine, dead owls, and all sorts of strange herbs.
"Mr. Alejo?" Hedy tentatively called out, holding her purse of money.
A red-haired merchant walked over quickly, sizing her up. "What can I help you with, beautiful lady?"
The word made her uncomfortable.
"Um... a mummy," Hedy whispered.
"Oh! We just got in some new stock!" The merchant's expression didn't change at all, as if she were simply buying a purple cabbage.
He flipped through the wooden shelves, casually pulling out a small box and handing it to her. "This is from the chest. Will this work for you?"
"Y-yes... it's fine," Hedy said, almost feeling like the box was too hot to touch. She quickly stuffed it into the cloth bundle. "How much is it?"
