Page 382 of DATE
After they sat down, they began discussing matters concerning Venice.
This country was born from the expulsion of the Huns under King Attila and is now invincible due to its prosperous trade routes.
In the past few decades, Venice had been at war with Milan, Genoa, the Ottoman Turks, and other nations, all while supporting a large number of mercenary groups due to its exceptional economic advantages.
The servant brought in a lavish dinner and, after pouring them two glasses of fine wine, bowed and left.
Hedy had just received a caramel pudding that Dechio had brought from home earlier that afternoon. The smell of quail made her lose her appetite, so she pushed her plate aside.
“These meatballs are fried with vanilla sauce,” Leonardo said, scooping a spoonful and jokingly pretending to feed her.
“I really have no appetite,” she sighed, saying, “Tell the kitchen to make some beef stew with peas tomorrow.”
Leonardo casually tasted two meatballs and continued discussing the lion in the northeastern direction.
As the important ports along the Venetian coast were marked one by one, he drank several glasses of water, unconsciously covering his throat with his hand.
Hedy vaguely felt something was wrong and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I feel a bit nauseous,” Da Vinci said, covering his abdomen and frowning. “And my stomach is starting to hurt.”
Hedy froze for two seconds before quickly ringing the bell to summon Nino. “He might have been poisoned—bring the bucket over and make him vomit now!”
Leonardo’s face grew increasingly pale, and even coughing began to trigger vomiting.
“Nino, go get some milk—make sure it’s boiled and absolutely clean! Lock up all the other kitchen staff!” Hedy, seeing that Dechio had arrived after hearing the bell, gestured for her to hold Leonardo steady. She placed one hand on his shoulder and said, “Leonardo, you have to vomit everything out—there’s still time!”
The man bent over the bucket, vomiting violently, his forehead starting to bead with sweat.
Hedy had already ordered Niccolo to secure the palace and the city. When she returned, slightly unsteady on her feet, she sat beside him and continued wiping the sweat from his neck and forehead. “You need to keep vomiting—until it’s only clear water.”
Dechio placed a silver needle into the vomit. After a while, the needle began to darken.
It was indeed poison!
Hedy, frantic, handed him some mouthwash water while Niccolo, coldly, spoke from behind her: “These meatballs are problematic—some of them have something inside!”
Why had she fortified the palace so thoroughly, yet there were still people who could sneak in?
It was the same last time—why, when she lived in a heavily guarded high place, could someone still poison her wine and directly bring her to Rome?
Where had things gone wrong?
Hedy’s expression went blank for two seconds before she suddenly stood up, gripping the table, her face ashen. “Niccolo, lock all the windows, and check all the rooftops and eaves now!”
Could they have snuck in from above through the windows?!
Whether it was the Old Palace or the Genoa palace, these places couldn’t be breached from the ground by the guards.
But Borgia’s assassins might have climbed the stone walls and used ropes to enter through the windows from the highest points!
Leonardo had been vomiting for quite a while now, and his voice had become weak and hoarse.
"It hurts so much..." he muttered. "I don’t want to throw up anymore..."
"Just a little more, Leonardo," Hedy said, tears streaming down her face as she tightly held his hand. "Just a little more, for me and the two children—Leonardo, you have to vomit everything out of your stomach."
"Don’t cry..." He took a deep breath and forced himself to vomit again, clinging to the bucket in a pitiable and desperate manner.
