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Hedy, who had been organizing some things nearby, suddenly realized something.
Could it be that the strange smell she had noticed through the glass cabinet was indeed coming from that pigment?
"You know, do you know what purple pigment is made from?"
"...Huh?"
He turned around, looking down at her with a slight smile. "Murex snails."
"These snails not only need to soak in saltwater, but also in urine for a long time."
"The Romans had large urine pools specifically to soak the murex snails. The stench was enough to drive away even demons."
Just hearing him describe it made her want to avoid purple altogether.
She waved her hand in front of her face and sighed, "Such a shame."
"A shame?" Da Vinci frowned and repeated.
"This color is so beautiful. If it were in your hands, you could paint an even more classic piece." She propped her chin on her hand and continued, "It’s really such a waste."
Da Vinci’s expression shifted slightly, though he didn’t want to ask more questions. He simply turned back to his work, adding more color.
My paintings are definitely better than that sycophantic Botticelli’s work.
At least she knows good art when she sees it.
Their eldest son had turned in his work early, and Da Vinci’s father was both surprised and relieved.
He had watched the boy grow up and had often had to clean up after him. This time, not only had he finished the fresco, but he had even submitted it ahead of schedule—he almost wanted to go to the Santa Maria del Fiore and sing hymns of praise.
The Medici family’s overseer came to inspect the work and generously awarded them five gold coins, which was equivalent to six hundred soldi.
The coins were engraved with holy images, and their pure gold texture made one grin with pleasure just by holding them.
Da Vinci finally let out a sigh of relief and went back to his work, focusing on designing small flags for the outdoor theater and indulging in things he enjoyed.
Meanwhile, Hedy made a trip to the apothecary and finally got the copper ore she had been waiting for.
The shopkeeper’s cousin was a miner. Though he couldn’t bring her an entire piece of chalcanthite, he did manage to get a large chunk.
Between the ores, there was a noticeable thick layer of light white mineral, with faint greenish traces, though she had no idea what it was.
Despite the kind-hearted Alejo insisting there was no charge, Hedy still gave him a large bottle of wine as a token of thanks for his effort.
She wrapped the ore in rough cloth, as though carrying a large loaf of bread, and returned to the workshop, thinking of how to process the material.
The reason chalcanthite loses its blue color as soon as it’s taken out of the cave is because the water content has evaporated, turning it into anhydrous copper sulfate.
Hedy took a small knife and paper and began gently chipping away at the light-colored crystals.
The material was quite brittle, so it was easy to work with, almost like carving sugar.
It was likely because she was making a bit of noise that the door was knocked on.
Da Vinci, intending to ask her about Christmas preparations for next month, was instead puzzled by the sound coming from her bedroom.
The door opened quickly, and Hedy, standing in the doorway, blinked and asked, "Sir, is there something you need?"
