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“By the way,” he turned to her with a slightly curious expression, “Since we’ve known each other for so long, why don’t you call me Leonardo?”
“Mr. Leonardo,” Hedy took a deep breath and said, “Can we go back now?”
“No,” Da Vinci replied politely. “I need to confirm how to draw the human body through dissection.”
He had wanted to do this for a long time.
What are ligaments? How does the body bend or stretch? How are human muscles structured?
There weren’t many people who could accompany him in doing such strange things.
It required mutual trust, but also the avoidance of stubborn religious dogma, and it helped if they could offer some practical advice.
Hedy Kiesler was the perfect answer to that.
He clearly understood her character, and now, he directly pickeda relatively fresh grave and began digging with a shovel.
In recent days, Da Vinci had come here several times to scout the site.
A formal cemetery required a management fee, which some poor families couldn’t afford. As a result, they would bury their loved ones in these remote and desolate places, where even the crosses were made of rough branches tied together.
Hedy nervously glanced around, then emphasized her words. “What are you going to do after you’ve dissected the body? Throw it into the Arno River?”
Da Vinci paused for a moment, surprised by her question. “Of course, we’ll bury it again?”
What a strange thought she had.
Before long, a simple coffin emerged, nearly damaged by the shovel.
Da Vinci’s eyes lit up as he cleared the surrounding dirt and then found a way to pry open the coffin.
The coachman had already received his payment and came over with a body bag to assist.
Hedy wondered how the lord had agreed to such a request. For a moment, she even felt the urge to vomit.
But at the same time, she felt like a witness to history.
In the harsh religious environment of the time, dissections were never something that could be done openly, much less be approved by the public authorities.
Yet, the birth of modern science itself stemmed from the explorations of artists and sculptors into dissection.
Without them, the functions of the internal organs and brain would not have been identified, let alone the development of medications and treatments.
Well, she decided to accept it as a sacrifice for the advancement of medicine.
The carriage jolted its way back, both Da Vinci and Hedy lost in their own thoughts.
Da Vinci was contemplating where to make the incision, while Hedy was wondering if she might be sentenced to hanging by the Church.
"So, Leonardo," Hedy asked, "how did you convince the lord?"
"I told him..." Da Vinci looked at her, a sly smile on his face, "that it would be highly useful for alchemy."
Alchemist—
The Medici actually agreed to this!?
Hedy sucked in a breath, instinctively wanting to argue with him, but she found herself unable to speak.
