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"Botticelli, many things may not be swayed by advice," Hedy said as she set down the warm towel and sat beside him, taking a deep breath. "Death is inevitable."
Death from illness, death from old age—they all ultimately lead down that same path.
"You’re actually luckier than most."
"Luckier?" he replied instinctively. "Why?"
"You had someone you loved, whether or not she truly belonged to you." Hedy gazed at him, and suddenly, the image of Leonardo da Vinci’s confused and innocent face flashed in her mind. "Some people may search their whole lives and never find someone they can love so deeply."
"Simonetta’s death was beyond your control."
"But what you have is a precious and undying love."
Whether or not she existed, you still possess that unique and invaluable love.
You are also favored by God.
The young man stared for a long time, then suddenly smiled, tears streaming down his face.
Mr. Botticelli was in poor spirits, but after Hedy comforted him, he took a bath and had a good sleep.
As he laid down to rest, he seemed like nothing more than a pure and simple young man.
There were no halos around him, no shadow of any Medici, and he was no longer surrounded by the complex emotions and memories that had once plagued him.
Hedy stood by his bedside, and suddenly, many memories from her past life resurfaced.
She had once thought that a person’s prime was in their twenties, and even in her thirties and forties, she had once felt lost and anxious.
But in reality, being in your twenties... is just the beginning.
Although Botticelli possessed many things that others envied, like his background and talent, he also had a side of simplicity and dedication.
She turned her head and glanced at the circular hellish painting, sighing with a smile.
The water plant project was still in the planning stages. Turning the idea into a fully realized facility required the help of many people, mobilizing various resources and capabilities.
On one hand, she had asked Da Vinci to draw out the construction plans based on her specifications, while also writing a detailed project proposal and continuously confirming the necessary support with the Medici people.
They needed to acquire a plot of land by the river, set up windmills, and create several different pools for variousfunctions.
There were also questions about how to make activated carbon, how to design the adsorption and filtration stages—all of it required innovation and adjustments in many directions.
During her field inspections of the site, Hedy gradually started hearing some rumors.
It was said... that the Medici’s financial power was slowly dwindling.
"Although the current lord has great taste in fine art, he’s not a shrewd businessman."
"Didn’t they shut down several banks abroad? They must be going under."
Hedy had been an actress in her past life, so she wasn’t very clear on matters from other fields.
Her focus had been on extracting penicillin and building the water treatment plant, which were essentially efforts to increase her chances of survival in this dangerous era.
This was a time full of peril, where one needed to have connections, the capital to establish themselves, and most importantly, to be cautious.
She waited for the two merchants who were chatting to walk away before emerging from around the corner, feeling somewhat conflicted.
