Chapter 19 The Uninvited Witness's Magnificent Reversal! ...

About an hour ago, Heinrich returned to his room after Lilith left. Although there were two beds in the male servants' quarters, Heinrich had been using the room all to himself since he was the only man in Lilith's household.

He stood by the window, his hand unconsciously fumbling for the ring Lilith had given him, pondering everything that had just happened. The way Lilith had bossed him around was a far cry from her usual confident and capable demeanor when assigning tasks. More than her sorrowful, downcast eyes, Heinrich would have preferred to see some cunning scheme reflected in Lilith's snake-like green eyes.

The completely unknown threat intertwined with past traumas, as tangled as her hair when she combed it. In this situation, her arrangement of the servants was less a calculated move after a calm analysis of the situation and more like a gamble with unknown odds after randomly allocating chips.

The instruction to "invite the bishop" seemed reasonable at first glance, but Heinrich faced numerous uncertainties in carrying it out. He was merely a foreign slave who had recently arrived in Venice, and his only opportunities to meet the bishop were through Lilith. How could the busy bishop easily accept the invitation of such an insignificant figure to testify on Lilith's behalf?

Even Lilith herself only had the opportunity to meet the bishop alone because of the Knarro family. This is why, despite her constant conflicts with family members and knowing there was a trap, she still had to attend the banquet. Lilith currently doesn't have enough leverage to break ties with the Knarro family and completely abandon the many benefits that the family name brings her.

The Knarro family was certainly unaware of Lilith's clandestine lending business. Even in Venice, where commerce and economic interests were considered the lifeblood of the nation, lending, though permitted in various gray-area forms, was still seen as a shady business, despised by the older generation of nobles. Therefore, Lilith planned to act first and report later, obtaining official permission before revealing her activities, so that even if her family objected, they would be powerless to stop her.

In this awkward phase where formal approvals are still pending, anything can happen. Lilith's worries were not unfounded. She feared that Mauro would use this to retaliate against her, as it was her greatest vulnerability at the moment.

However, Mauro might not have considered these things. His foolishness and shortsightedness were evident in the previous case of the named poisoning. He might not be able to grasp Lilith's business strategy. Despite being the eldest son, he idles away his days, lacking ambition, and even covets his sister's dowry, resorting to any means necessary and committing countless evil deeds. Heinrich despised such a person from the bottom of his heart.

Heinrich recalled his family. His parents had a good relationship and had six children. His eldest and second eldest sisters were already married, and Heinrich, as the third son, was the eldest boy in the family and was originally the most likely to inherit the family business and title. His close younger brother, Wilhelm, had just turned sixteen and had grown into an outstanding and courageous young man. He and Heinrich were learning to run the family business together with their father, and they never bothered with the backstabbing and competition.

His youngest siblings were still too young to understand the world. Heinrich remembered the expectant looks in his younger siblings' eyes as they waited at the door to see him off when he led the wedding procession out. They had all seen the portrait sent by the Knarro family and knew that their older brother was about to marry a beautiful Italian noblewoman.

But all these beautiful visions were destroyed by his fiancée Lilith...? Was the culprit who destroyed everything Heinrich longed for really this little girl who was the target of the entire Knarro family?

Images flashed through his mind: Lilith's overjoyed expression upon receiving the ruby ​​ring, her innocent smile as she played with the rabbits in the garden, her triumphant satisfaction after successfully acquiring the bankrupt bank; her panicked state when verbally attacked at the funeral, her terror after being poisoned, her distraught state when encountering robbers… He still remembered the temperature of Lilith's trembling body as she fell into his arms, and the tears welling up in her beautiful green eyes—he didn't want to see her cry anymore, especially not for a stupid, wicked good-for-nothing like Mauro; it was simply not worth it.

He had to help her, help her escape the filthy quagmire of the Knarro family that had plunged her into this abyss. If it weren't for Mauro's persecution and the family's tacit approval, Lilith wouldn't have been forced into this situation where she couldn't survive without her own help, and perhaps she wouldn't have chosen to hire someone to kill her fiancé. On the contrary, if Heinrich could help her through this difficult time and gain Lilith's trust, he might finally be able to reveal his identity to her, and as Heinrich Schmidl... stay by her side.

Getting back to the main point, regarding the matter of proving their right to operate, the Jewish merchants Tata had invited were sufficient. Rather than inviting a bishop who was practically impossible to find, Heinrich believed he should use the limited time available to invite more compelling witnesses, not only to resist but also to seize upon Mauro's weaknesses to launch a counterattack.

The three prostitutes who had been bribed beforehand? No. Their testimonies were too flawed, and the profit-driven Knarro family wouldn't care about the lives of a few lowly prostitutes. As for the courtesans, their ambiguous and self-preserving attitude certainly wouldn't be helpful. Therefore, the only remaining option was the owner of the casino Mauro frequented, who was also one of Mauro's many creditors.

Twenty minutes later, Heinrich walked through the casino's magnificent lobby and among the men and women wearing elaborate masks, and went straight up to knock on the door of the boss's office.

The casino owner was an old man with white hair and a thin build, but his back was very straight, giving him the air of someone who was still vigorous despite his age. Although his black robe was obviously old, the workmanship and materials were of good quality. However, because he was engaged in a lowly job, he did not have the right to flaunt decorative buttons on the hem of his robe like an aristocrat.

“You’ve been running casinos for so many years, you must understand the psychology of gamblers better than I do. Since Mauro owes you money and hasn’t paid it back, he must have even more debts elsewhere, using loans to pay off other loans.” Heinrich casually swirled the glass of red wine the casino owner was serving him, putting on an air of composure.

"So what? This has always been our rule for lending to these gamblers. I only care that he can pay back the money; where the money comes from is none of my business."

“That makes sense. However, my master, Liliana, is now settling accounts with her brother Mauro for the misdeeds he committed within the family. If you manage to get the Knarro family to know about his debts now, you'll have a chance of recovering them. The head of the Knarro family, for the sake of his Venetian noble reputation, will use the family treasury to pay off the debts. But if you wait until Mauro is executed or exiled… then it will be much more difficult for you to recover the debts…”

"What good will this do for your master?"

“My mistress, Miss Liliana, has just received a temporary operating license from the Exchange Merchants Association and will soon receive formal approval.” Heinrich proudly raised his head. “In that case, our two companies can be considered competitors, although we target different customer groups. From now on, it will be a win-win situation for both of us to introduce business to each other and look out for each other.”

"Won't I offend the head of the Knarro family by barging into their family banquet like this?"

“Of course not. Although Miss Liliana is an illegitimate child, she is one of Lord Massimo’s most favored juniors.” Heinrich made up a story on the spot. “To ally with her is to stand with the future of the entire Knarro family.”

"make a deal."

Heinrich secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He himself hadn't expected to be able to concoct such a convincing story, completely concealing Lilith's passive and defensive position, making it seem as if she were actively attacking. Since following Lilith, he had become increasingly shrewd under the pressure of his life, whether it was an improvement in his negotiation skills or a moral decay, he didn't know. He didn't have time to think about it anymore.

Half an hour later, he appeared with the casino owner at the small gate of the main palace in Knarro. The guards, often bribed by Lilith, let them through upon seeing the ring. He saw Tata and Solomon Goldstein anxiously waiting outside the drawing room.

"How is the situation?" Heinrich asked, pulling Tata aside and keeping her away from the two outsiders.

“This is very bad,” Tata said worriedly. “I heard that those people bribed those three prostitutes in the Castro district to accuse our lady of being a witch who sells her body…”

"..."

Heinrich clenched his fists, finding it hard to believe that Mauro could commit such a vicious frame-up. Among the noblewomen Heinrich had encountered in the past, many valued their chastity more than life itself. Even if he knew Lilith didn't possess such high moral standards, damaging a woman's reputation by slandering her virginity was still an extremely despicable tactic, utterly disgusting.

Not to mention the baseless witch accusations. Heinrich remembered the first time he saw a witch hunt taking place on his homeland—innocent women were bound hand and foot, and priests threw them into a blazing fire like livestock to be sacrificed in an ancient religion.

Heinrich looked up; the bright candlelight flickered on the candlesticks on the wall. He pushed aside the maidservant guarding the door and led the casino owner straight inside.

"Who are you?" Massimo asked the two uninvited guests. "We have important matters to discuss right now."

“Respected Mr. Massimo, I apologize for disturbing you.” Heinrich knelt properly on one knee, bowing his head to Massimo. “I am Lady Liliana’s servant. I was waiting for her outside when I encountered this gentleman, who said he had urgent business, so I had no choice but to bring him in.”

The casino owner glanced at Heinrich with slight displeasure. The chaotic state of the room was vastly different from what Heinrich had originally described. But since he was already there, he could only go along with what the other man had said.

Just as the casino owner was about to speak, Heinrich quietly raised his head to look at his mistress. Lilith's eyes widened in surprise, and she met his gaze warily before quickly looking away, feigning composure.

"Your Excellencies, I am the operator of the 'Mask Hall' casino, and also a creditor. Mr. Mauro's debt of 150 ducats is nearly a month overdue, and I have no choice but to visit him in person to urge him to repay the money as soon as possible."

"The Masked Hall, isn't that a casino where you enter anonymously?" Francisco, who was also an idle man at home, seemed to know all about these things.

"Anonymity is fine for ordinary VIPs, but for clients who borrow money from me, I have to investigate their background thoroughly. I only lend money to them because of the Knarro family."

The casino owner took out the IOU written by Mauro from his briefcase, and Massimo's waiter stepped forward and handed it to Massimo. He examined it carefully, and then handed the IOU to Bruno.

“You really know how to teach your son and daughter,” Massimo accused angrily. “This is indeed Mauro’s handwriting and seal; I think there should be no doubt about it.”

Bruno trembled as he took the IOU written by Mauro himself, shaking with anger: "Mauro, tell me honestly, besides this, how much else do you owe?"

"No, that's all, Father!" Now it was Mauro's turn to panic, so frightened he almost fell off his chair. "That's all... and some odds and ends..."

"How much do you owe in total! Tell me the truth! You and your sister are going to make me lose all face tonight!" Bruno stormed up to Mauro, shoving the IOU in black and white in his face. "So, all that money you borrowed from me a while ago saying you wanted to do business was spent on casinos?!"

“Perhaps Mauro can spend money not only in casinos, but also in brothels.” Lilith raised an eyebrow, her icy gaze falling on the three women kneeling on the ground. “What do you think?”

"What do you mean! Are you trying to say that I instructed them to slander you?!" Mauro roared angrily, pointing at Lilith's nose.

“I didn’t say that.” Lilith curled her lips into a smug smile. “But since you brought it up yourself, and considering the previous experience with the almond biscuits, it’s not impossible.”

“You…you witch…you’re utterly slanderous!” Mauro shouted hysterically.

“Whether I am a witch or not is still unknown, but your gambling addiction and debts are undeniable facts.” Lilith tilted her head, looking at her brother, whose defeat was inevitable, with pity. “Just admit it.”

"Wow, so many people!"

Before Mauro could retaliate, the door to the reception room was pushed open again.

A note from the author:

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This week's update is a promising work. Because each chapter will be quite long, it will be updated four times. The next update will be on Sunday, followed by Monday and Wednesday.

Also, I recently commissioned some new character illustrations! Feel free to check them out on my XHS!