Chapter 11 Pain Sedatives, Then Dog Training

On the small boat returning from the Knaror Palace to Sophia's house, Lilith sat quietly at the bow, saying nothing. The night sea breeze was cool, and Heinrich took off his cloak and draped it over Lilith to keep her warm.

He watched Lilith's red hair sway in the night breeze and couldn't help but recall their first meeting. Back then, Lilith smiled like a ghost, casually deciding the life and death of slaves with a few words, like a queen in control. But now, this Lilith, poisoned by her own brother and with nowhere to turn for help, seemed quite different from before.

For her, family never seemed to be a warm protective umbrella, but rather a tool to exploit and oppress her; marriage was not the fruit of a happy and fulfilling love, but a cage, an exile, a fig leaf for sadism and violence. In such an environment, no one was trustworthy, no one could help her, and she could only rely on herself.

After disembarking, Cecilia accompanied Lilith back to their guest room to prepare for bed, while Heinrich, arranged by Sophia's servants, stayed in the servants' quarters. Just as he finished washing up and was about to go to sleep, Cecilia pushed open his door and said coldly:

"The lady wants you to come over."

Heinrich was surprised. Lilith always had Cecilia attend to her while she rested, never allowing him to come to her before bed. Was there something he could do that Cecilia couldn't? Of course, she had bought a slave, and Heinrich could do whatever he wanted with her. So he changed back into his outer clothes and knocked on Lilith's bedroom door.

"Come in."

Heinrich pushed open the door and saw Lilith wearing a black silk nightgown, half-lying on the bed wrapped in a blanket. A plate of cherry panna cotta was on her bedside table, and two silver spoons were placed on the tablecloth next to her.

“Take a bite first,” Lilith commanded.

Heinrich realized why he had been summoned—to be a poison test dog. After all, Cecilia was Lilith's confidante, and she would be heartbroken if she were poisoned. As for the pet dog dying from poisoning, well, just like with the rabbit, they could simply buy a new one.

He scooped a spoonful of milk pudding and put it in his mouth. It was rich in milk flavor, slightly sweet with cherry, and had no unpleasant odor. So he picked up a clean spoon, scooped up another spoonful, and fed it to Lilith's lips. His mistress blinked, opened her mouth, and took the milk pudding into her mouth.

"Are you feeling better?" Heinrich asked gently as he put away the cutlery after she finished the whole panna cotta.

"No."

How can I help you?

"What you said before, um, are you still willing?"

Lilith pointed somewhat sheepishly to Heinrich's belt, and he immediately understood what she meant. It turned out that besides testing poison, there was another task Cecilia couldn't do—being whipped by the mistress for no reason.

“Of course.” Heinrich unbuckled his belt and handed it to Lilith once again.

"Turn around, with your back to me, and kneel down."

Lilith bent the slightly longer leather belt twice, held it in her hand, and slammed it hard on Heinrich's back, making a dull thud.

"Does it hurt...?" Lilith asked hesitantly.

"It doesn't hurt." Heinrich found it somewhat amusing. Not only did it not hurt, but because Lilith was using the wrong method, the belt had no force when it hit him; it was as if it were just tickling him.

Moreover, Lilith's two arms combined are only as thick as Heinrich's one arm. The belt has a wider contact area, and he is also wearing an outer garment, so even if she uses all her strength, it is difficult for her to really hurt him.

"Tell me if it hurts, and I'll stop."

Lilith whipped the belt around a few more times, and this time Heinrich finally felt a slight pain. He turned around and found Lilith already panting and resting on the pillow.

She has quite a temper, but no strength at all. Heinrich almost burst out laughing, so he quickly turned around, poured Lilith a glass of water, and handed it to her.

Are you feeling better now?

"If beating you up could solve the problem, I would have done it long ago... Sigh, never mind. Thank you."

“It’s my duty.” Heinrich took the belt back from Lilith and fastened it again. “There’s more I can do for you than this. As for Mauro, if you’d like…”

“Given his current status, if he dies under mysterious circumstances, those Knaros will definitely send law enforcement officers to investigate thoroughly. Even if they can't find anything, they'll have a million ways to pin the blame on me.” Lilith gripped the soft down comforter tightly. “My immediate priority isn't even revenge, but self-preservation. I knew they wouldn't let me go. My last husband died just over a month ago, and they're already itching to remarry me. Where do they want to marry me off this time? Paris? Bruges? Or London? I absolutely cannot let them succeed. Liliana isn't going anywhere; she's staying in Venice.”

What are your plans?

“I want to join the Money Exchange Guild and officially open my own bank. Then I will no longer be just the illegitimate daughter of the Knarro family or the fiancée of the Schmidl family, but ‘Lilith the Moneylender.’ Lilith is not a child of Eden, nor is she an appendage of Adam. She is a free person.”

"What kind of money exchange firm would that be?"

Heinrich wasn't surprised by her words. Given the scale and capital of Lilith's current lending business, she was more than capable of running a small bank. She had both the ability and the resources to match her ambition.

"It's a semi-official guild that provides guarantees and oversight for its members. Only by successfully joining the guild can one obtain a license and the right to operate legally. Even though I know they are almost certainly not going to issue a license to a woman, I have to try..."

“When we get back, Sherlock and I will work together to prepare the documents you need for the trial.” Heinrich sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Lilith’s arm that had just been whipped. “As for Mauro, if you give your permission, I’m willing to spend extra time beyond the basic work to collect evidence against him. A man of his character, after doing so many bad things, will always leave some trace.”

“Okay. I approve.” Lilith suddenly reached out and poked the scar on Heinrich’s brow bone with her finger. “Be careful.”

“There’s one more thing I need you to promise me.” Heinrich lifted a corner of the blanket and tucked Lilith’s arm back under it. “Get some rest tonight, and don’t be sad anymore.”

"..." Lilith looked at him silently for a long time before finally speaking, "Thank you, Heinrich, good night."

On the other side of the city, at Mauro's home.

"Slap!" A resounding slap landed on Maria's face. Even if she was pregnant and couldn't hit her body, at least she could slap her face; after all, hitting only the head wouldn't kill the baby.

"Useless thing!" Mauro cursed angrily. "Couldn't you have watched her eat it before you left? How dare she try to pin this on me!"

Maria covered her burning cheeks and sat down on the ground, two lines of tears streaming down her face.

"Now look what's happened. They fined me three months' worth of living expenses. How am I going to pay back the money I owe next month?"

Mauro suddenly noticed a gold bracelet on Maria's wrist and grabbed her arm tightly.

"This is the last dowry my mother left me..."

Mauro ruthlessly ripped the bracelet off and weighed it in his hand: "If you hadn't slipped up, would I be short of money? Did you see the ring on Liliana's hand, and those newly bought lackeys? A bastard born of a female slave lives a better life than me, the legitimate son. This is simply outrageous!"

"I heard she makes money by lending money..."

"You believe that? How could a woman like her possibly manage such a job? If you ask me, she and her disreputable mother are equally despicable. It's just that she used the Knarro family's reputation to enter high society, making it easier for her to seduce her wealthy patrons!"

"How could this be... She's still a daughter of the Knarro family..."

“How could it be impossible? Her husband has only been dead for a short time, and she immediately went and bought a gigolo. Isn’t that irrefutable proof of her promiscuous nature? The entire Knarro family will be disgraced because of her! Just wait, once I have something on her, even if I can’t kill her, I’ll banish her from Venice. Otherwise, if the old man softens his heart, my inheritance will be lost! I’m doing this all for our son…”

Maria lowered her head once more, gently stroking her lower abdomen, feeling a new life growing inside her, feeling the deepest connection she had with her husband, her family, and the world.

Over the weekend, Lilith rested for two more days at Sofia's house, and at her friend's insistence, she had several new outfits re-measured and tailored. At Lilith's request, all the outfits were black dresses of different styles and materials, almost as if she were wearing mourning clothes welded onto her body as a special form of camouflage.

Heinrich and Cecilia each received two new outfits. Heinrich, in particular, received a shirt and jacket custom-made for him by a designer especially skilled in menswear tailoring, which made him appear even taller and more imposing. He suddenly realized that when he arrived at Lilith's house, she had already prepared some exquisitely crafted adult menswear. Heinrich inquired with some curiosity about the origin and purpose of the clothes.

“I made these clothes myself, for my husband.” Lilith glanced expressionlessly at Heinrich, who was wearing new clothes. “We got engaged a year ago, and at first I didn’t intend for him to die. But after witnessing so many marriages around me, I decided I couldn’t let my fate be controlled by a stranger.”

Heinrich felt a mix of emotions. From Lilith's perspective, her insecurity and self-preservation seemed perfectly reasonable. But if she hadn't chosen that path, if Heinrich, still the young master of the Schmidl family, had known everything Lilith had experienced at the Knarro household, the business she had painstakingly built in Venice, and the suffering she had endured, he would have used all the money, power, and resources he possessed to help her, protect her, and clear away all obstacles and troubles for her, instead of being forced to stay by her side as a lowly slave.

However, he still couldn't forgive her. Although he realized that he had developed some unnecessary feelings for Lilith, he still clearly remembered the heart in Lilith's chest that had been soaked in venom by her environment.

Venice, like the lagoon upon which it depended for survival, benefited from the seawater that brought opportunities and wealth for trade, but also fostered rampant greed and deadly plagues. Living in such a melting pot, Lilith ultimately could not escape its influence.

On Sunday evening, Lilith, accompanied by two servants, returned by boat to her small house. Tata waited impatiently at the door to report two pieces of news to her, one bad and one good.

"The doctor who gave the almond cookie test results is dead."

“As expected, Mauro won’t let him go.” Lilith sighed. “What’s the good news?”

"Miss Elena is returning to Venice from Florence!"

"Oh! That's wonderful!" Lilith excitedly grasped Heinrich's hand, twirled around on the spot, and flashed a radiant smile. Heinrich looked at her with satisfaction. She hadn't smiled so happily in a long time.

A note from the author:

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I really like the comparison in this chapter ^_^ Both involve beating a spouse, but it's completely different when it's based on informed consent and mutual enjoyment compared to one-sided abuse.

Also, the reason Heinrich didn't feel pain was mainly because Lilith didn't use the right technique, the men's belt was too thick, and Heinrich was wearing an overcoat, not because Lilith was weak. This was just a temporary relief; it will hurt more and more as she hits him, haha.

I'll start updating according to the rankings this week. I'll take a two-day break after finishing today's update, and then I'll update again next Monday. The new cover is finally finished, and I really love it. I hope you all like it too.