Page 9 of DATE
He turned his head, noticing her delicate eyebrows arched like crescent moons.
Her Eastern, glass-like light blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and her flowing long hair looked both elegant and unique.
Da Vinci instinctively observed her almost perfect facial features, pausing for a moment before replying.
After Hedy left with the candle, he suddenly remembered something. He flipped through the papers and hurriedly began sketching practice drafts.
The days slowly started falling into a routine.
Although Hedy was a foreigner, her adaptability was impressive. In just a few days, she had become familiar with the local women and even helped them dry pasta.
The craftsmen on the street also got to know her, and some of the kinder older men would even compliment her on her beauty.
Yet, occasionally, when she looked at her reflection in the water and saw that long-forgotten young face, Hedy would feel a sense of confusion.
She had aged for decades, and now, suddenly, transforming back into a young girl felt somewhat disorienting.
At this moment, she was Hedy Kiesler.
Living in another time and space, bidding farewell to nearly all her past memories.
She was no longer connected to MGM, no longer part of Hollywood, and there were no more relentless paparazzi stalking her.
One day, she bought some tomatoes and olives and, on her way home, ran into the chubby woman who lived across the street.
"Speaking of which—how did you end up working for that man?" The older woman’s voice dropped, and she lowered her tone, clearly startled. "Don’t you know who he is?"
He is... a famous artist?
Hedy looked at her in confusion, her expression one of a young girl who seemed utterly unaware.
Sofia, in her eyes, looked like a lamb being deceived by the devil.
"Kiesler, the painter. He’s been arrested before!"
Sofia emphasized the words, leaning closer to Hedy’s ear and speaking seriously. "An anonymous letter said he was a sodomite!"
If it weren’t for his connections with the Medici family, he would have never been bailed out!
Just thinking about it makes me shiver!
Hedy held back a smile and nodded seriously, “I really don’t know anything about that. Thank you for the warning.”
"The Pope himself said that sodomy is a pact with the devil!" Sofia took a step back, looking at her sympathetically. "You better find another place to work, or you won’t be able to enter heaven after you die."
"Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding?" Hedy said patiently, trying to reassure her. "Thank you, I’ll be careful."
No wonder he was eager to hire a maid—it was probably to avoid suspicion.
She glanced back at the dome of the Florence Cathedral, smiling as she held the corner of her skirt and walked back.
What a joke, she thought. Are there few homosexuals in Florence?
The city's name, Florenzer, was a slang term for a homosexual in her native language. From ancient Greece to the Renaissance, many famous figures had been accused of this crime.
Who knew how much of what these anonymous people said was true?
If the accusation was indeed true, it wouldn’t be a problem for her.
