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In front of everyone, Hedy hung the two cotton strings over her ears and used a coarse cloth to cover her mouth and nose.
"Why not use the doctor's kind?"
In the Middle Ages, masks were long, iron bird-like beaks that covered even the eyes.
"It's only necessary to protect the mouth and nose, sir."
Lorenzo rummaged through her suitcase again and pulled out a fruit. His expression shifted slightly.
"...The palace wouldn't withhold even oranges from you."
"Oh—" Hedy instinctively took the orange back. "This is for Mr. Da Vinci. I'm used to being his maid."
She turned and handed the orange to him, saying earnestly, "He drinks orange juice when painting. When I have time, I'll make more for you."
Da Vinci observed the cold expression on Lorenzo’s face and responded with a smile.
Although both of them had entered the palace, their living quarters were far apart.
As the court alchemist, Hedy had to regularly report to Lorenzo or assist him with any questions, so her quarters were in a guest room upstairs from his office.
Da Vinci, on the other hand, lived with the other painters and seemed to be treated quite well.
But no matter what, Hedy’s living situation had improved greatly from before.
Her room had a spacious and comfortable bed—no more curling up in a storage room to sleep—and she even had her own wardrobe—a wardrobe!
Now, Hedy not only had a personal maid to help with sewing and laundry, but she also had several new dresses, robes, and knitted shawls. Her wardrobe was even neatly stocked with three pairs of shoes, all clean, tidy, and beautiful.
—If all this was Mr. Medici’s kindness, then he was actually quite thoughtful.
"Dechio," Hedy picked up the small conical bottle from her bedside. "What is this?"
"My lady, it's smelling salts."
"Smelling salts?"
She shook the liquid inside the bottle and cautiously sniffed it.
The scent was incredibly pungent, like ammonia.
The word seemed long forgotten, but after a moment of reflection, she recalled its meaning.
In high society, women were expected to be "fragile and delicate." Even hearing bad news was considered enough to make them faint, as a way of showing their frailty.
Because they often fainted, smelling salts were kept on hand to revive them with this sharp, stimulating scent.
Hedy toyed with the small glass bottle, suddenly wondering if pretending to faint would expose any flaws in her performance.
The following days passed, but she didn’t see her old friend Da Vinci for six or seven days.
She was met by a group of noblewomen and had to constantly ask her maid, Dechio, about court etiquette.
Mr. Medici’s wife was a quiet and cold woman. She had already given birth to eight children for him, though one pair of twins had died shortly after birth due to congenital issues.
A modern person would be quite surprised to see so many children.
After all, the current lord was only twenty-nine years old.
