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"Will she?" the boy shot back. "What happened between you two?"
"When I got back to Milan, I found she left without even finishing the handover at the ranch and the workshop. It was almost like she ran away," Da Vinci explained. Atalante emphasized, "Did you force her? Or did you do something worse?"
Da Vinci hadn’t expected him to think along those lines. He rubbed his brow and explained everything that had happened.
"She'll be back soon," he repeated. "I'll just wait a few more days."
The boy listened to all this, covering his face and staying silent for a long time.
"Leonardo, my dear Leonardo," he said, almost amused. "Have you really never had contact with a woman before?"
Da Vinci looked offended and retorted, "After all this time with us, don’t you think you should know by now?"
That was it.
The boy gave him a look of pity, shaking his head. "She’s mad at you."
"She’s mad at me?" Da Vinci was surprised. "Why?"
Atalante, considering how long he had known Da Vinci and the fact that he had once been his teacher, chose not to walk away in frustration.
"Leonardo," he said, pressing his hand on his shoulder to look him directly in the eye, "you need to understand, not many women like to take care of such a troublesome child, especially when they have no connection to them."
He gave him a serious look. "And if you're the one indulging in all this trouble, it will only make her subconsciously want to distance herself from you."
Da Vinci’s thoughts lingered on the previous statement: She’s mad at me?
"Of course, she's angry!" Atalante replied.
"But she never showed any signs of being upset or scolded me." Da Vinci anxiously tried to explain. "She didn't even furrow her brow once. Atalante, are you overthinking this?"
"That's because she's always been very composed, and she’s lost her expectations of you," Atalante said with a deep breath, almost wanting to shake the sense out of his teacher’s head.
"Leonardo, you can be a big boy in front of her, but what women really need is a mature man."
"The first sign of maturity is not bringing her trouble. Do you understand?"
Da Vinci instinctively stood up, but then quickly sat back down again.
"I made a mistake," he murmured. "I should explain it to her. How about writing her a letter?"
Atalante muttered to himself, This man taught me for five years, and I can't just walk away, and then took a deep breath. "You need to go find her."
"Now, immediately, right now."
"Find her?" Da Vinci stood up again, his face filled with both nervousness and hope. "Will she see me?"
"Leonardo," Atalante said, restraining himself from knocking Da Vinci on the head, "you need to get your mind back from those flying tricks and stage effects. She’s angry with you, she wants some distance, and she no longer trusts you the same way. If you still love her, you need to get her back, and you should do it in a gentlemanly and mature way. Understand?"
Da Vinci quickly grabbed his outer robe, turning to leave.
"I'm going to see her," he said, his steps hurried. "Right now."
"Hey—" Atalante called after him through the window, his voice carrying long and loud, "Take my horse—the faster one!"
——
When Da Vinci left, he was still in his right mind, remembering to check the doors and windows of Hedy's bedroom and study, making sure they were all properly closed and locked.
