Page 406 of DATE
"Your Highness—"
"Mr. Leonardo—"
"Please, you must listen to our appeals, Your Highness—"
"Ignore those vulgar merchants!"
As he made his way through the crowd, it felt like he was part of a parade, and the dozens of people shouting at once made his head spin.
Finally, he found his seat and sat down, beginning to listen to the speeches and debates from both sides. He soon started to feel drowsy.
The old gentlemen were always particular about the formality of their speeches, deliberately pausing and building up tension as they spoke.
Leonardo didn’t notice the impatient glares from the other side, and as he listened, he felt himself slipping into a dreamlike state.
He wasn’t sure who spoke first, but soon someone stood up, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
The two factions initially raised their voices louder and louder, then began shouting at the top of their lungs.
In the chaos, someone’s wig was knocked off, and then someone else threw that wig through the air. The crowd then stood up from their seats and started shoving each other, and some even began attempting to strike others with thick law books.
This event was truly a reflection of the Renaissance—similar brawls had occurred in the Roman Senate over a thousand years ago.
And, 500 years later, this remained an ancient tradition in some parliaments.
Leonardo had intended to take a nap during the meeting and wait for it to end, but in the midst of the chaos, a hat flew through the air and landed directly on his face, crookedly perched on his head.
"Calm down—" he tried to mediate. "Sit down and talk if you have a problem!"
An elderly man shouted a curse and threw a freshly brewed pot of tea into the air.
In the chaos, Leonardo instinctively began searching for Niccolò, only to find the young man sitting in a corner, eating from a can, completely uninterested in the commotion.
… The walls of the hall were still adorned with paintings by Botticelli and himself. He couldn’t help but think that if a cup of water were thrown on them, they would be nearly impossible to restore.
The prince, slightly annoyed, slipped out of the room, grabbed a trombone, and blew a powerful blast.
The sound was like an elephant suddenly shrieking.
People froze for two seconds, still tugging at each other’s clothes in a frenzy.
Leonardo blew two more blasts, completely silencing them.
"The queen will be questioning the progress of the meeting tomorrow," he said, his face stern and cold, jumping off the table. "And this display of yours is proving to me your impulsiveness and lack of wisdom—if this is what you want."
Many immediately backed down, adjusting their clothes and hair before sheepishly returning to their seats.
Some of the older men muttered a few curses reluctantly, only to be met with harsh glares from the other side.
Leonardo, now fully awake, casually hung the trombone nearby and signaled for the meeting to continue.
He couldn’t help but think that he probably wouldn’t have time to return and have lunch with Hedy.
These fools would likely keep debating until the afternoon.
Perhaps they had tugged on each other’s hair and clothes too fiercely earlier, as now, with everyone seated again, they seemed at a loss for words.
Niccolò in the corner wiped his mouth, finally putting down the can.
