Page 383 of DATE
"I’ll be fine..." Leonardo, with what little strength he had left, held her hand tightly, enduring the pain and resistance of his body as he emptied the food he had previously eaten.
His stomach felt as if it were being corroded, and the sharp pain made him curl up, kneeling on the ground. Even the rise and fall of his breath intensified the agony.
He couldn’t stop now; he had to trust her... he had to believe in her.
Each time he vomited, his throat and esophagus felt like they were being burned by intense fire, the pain so excruciating that he almost wished he could die right there.
"One more time... Leonardo," Hedy, her vision blurred by tears, knelt beside him, staying with him in his misery. "It’s almost over. You’ll be okay."
She had no idea what would happen next or what exactly was in the poison.
But this was all she could do.
Thankfully, the poison in those two meatballs wasn’t in a large enough quantity.
The onset of the poison was quick, but the rescue measures weretimely, and they hadn’t reached the worst-case scenario.
Half an hour later, Leonardo was only vomiting clear water, and the stomach pain and nausea had lessened considerably.
At the same time, the milk was brought in.
Niccolo, his face full of confusion, was helping his teacher, trying to understand what had happened. “So vomiting can fend off the poison’s effects? So you don’t need an enema?”
And what about the milk? He had heard that cow's stomach stones could save a person, but now milk could detoxify as well?
“Drink one more sip... slow down.” Hedy sat beside him, feeding him the milk, her heart finally at ease. “Finish this bowl and sleep for a while. You’ll feel much better.”
At that moment, Nino walked in, followed by several guards.
"Your Majesty," he said, clearly breathless from what had just occurred. "We caught three people on the roof."
When they had arrived, the men were just tying ropes around their waists, preparing to descend.
Hedy’s expression darkened, and she placed the empty bowl aside, her voice cold.
"Bring them up."
The guards brought the three men, bound tightly, and their faces seemed somewhat familiar.
“Borgia’s three illegitimate sons,” she sighed. “I knew it.”
Caesar and his two brothers were bound hand and foot, their mouths completely gagged with filthy cloths, preventing them from making a sound.
The Queen stood up and slowly approached the three men lying on the floor.
She had never intended to go to such extremes.
But her mercy had only made her and those around her vulnerable to deadly threats—
Just a moment ago, when Leonardo had been clutching his stomach in pain, she had almost lost her sanity.
"Spain is a place you cannot return from," Hedy said, her eyes cold as she observed the terrified or enraged expressions of the three men. "The two countries there are already divided, and they will never accept the Borgia name—so where can you go?"
“Milan has already surrendered, Naples has already fallen, and you can’t cross Genoa to get to France.” Her gaze became sharp, her voice carrying a bone-chilling coldness. “The Venetians saved you, didn’t they?”
They gave you shelter, allowed you to take refuge, and provided you with the resources to return for revenge...
Caesar stiffened, struggling to make a sound.
