Chapter 40 A Feast of Lies and Dreams His size was rather unusual…

Huh? What?

Lilith only understood the word "woman" from the entire conversation. She paused for a moment, then suddenly had a brilliant idea. She opened her arms and laughed heartily, lowering her voice and shamelessly piecing together sentences in broken German:

“Woman! Yes, woman! Haha, I wish I were a woman.” She blinked, unable to speak German, so she continued in Italian, “If I were a woman, I could be like you, not only an admirer of beauty, but also beauty itself. Your hair is the color of the first snow of winter, your eyes are like the most precious rubies. It is my honor to meet such a beautiful woman as you.”

“You’re so kind.” Isolde had never heard such exaggerated praise before, and she covered her face slightly embarrassed, responding in Italian. After a moment, she remembered why she had questioned it, and lifting the harem pants with two fingers, she asked again, “And this thing… what is it?”

"Ouch!" Lilith suddenly shoved Heinrich, trying to mimic the greasy man's expression with a lewd smile. "Dude~ your little secret's been discovered! What are you going to do? Explain yourself! Hey! It's so inelegant to say these things in front of women!"

"What!?" Heinrich had no idea how to respond.

“Never mind, look how red he is, he's too embarrassed. Let me explain.” Lilith glanced around, then covered her mouth with one hand, clearly wanting to steal a look. “His size is a bit unusual, he needs to wear looser underwear, otherwise it'll rub against him and make him uncomfortable…”

"How dare you speak such vulgarities in front of the lady!" The maid Hilde sternly stopped her. Isolde, however, only blushed and looked away shyly, remaining noncommittal about Lilith's words.

“I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, Your Excellency. Please forgive my rudeness and disrespect. My companions and I were lost in the forest, and it was thanks to your generous help that we escaped death. When I return to Venice, I will do everything in my power to repay your life-saving grace. And during my stay at your castle, please let me be your most loyal friend, and I will make sure you enjoy your time with me.”

As she spoke, Lilith, leaning on her cane, stepped forward, bent down before Isolde, and reached out her right hand to grasp Isolde's left, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. She carefully observed Isolde's reaction; the white-haired, rosy-cheeked woman seemed to no longer question her, but instead gave Lilith a slight smile.

“I am Countess Alta, you may call me Isolde. The portrait behind me is of my ex-husband, who has passed away... quite some years ago. And this friend beside you... he has just regained his lost memories. His real name is Tristan, and he is my long-lost first love.”

“That’s wonderful! Lovers finally get married, and I love witnessing such happy moments. Also, I’m Lorenzo from the Canaro family of Venice. You can just call me Lorenzo.” Lilith introduced herself somewhat awkwardly. Saying that guy’s name already made her feel a little nauseous, let alone having to accept being addressed that way.

“Mr. Lorenzo, you must be hungry too. I’ve prepared a sumptuous meal for you. Please come to the dining room to eat.” Isolde smiled, stood up, and led the group into the dining room. Lilith followed behind, leaning on her cane, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, causing her face to contort in agony. Heinrich instinctively tried to support her, but she glared at him fiercely, signaling him to leave.

The next second, Lilith clutched her "injured" leg and collapsed onto the cold tile floor.

“Mr. Lorenzo! Are you alright?” Isolde turned around anxiously.

"It's alright, it's alright, I just accidentally aggravated the wound..."

"Would you like me to re-bandage you?"

"Bandaging isn't necessary for now. Do you have any pain relievers? I have some chronic joint pain, and now that old and new injuries are piled up, it's a little inconvenient..."

“Yes! I’ll go get it for you right away. Hilde, go and bring over the old man’s old wheeled chair.”

In the blink of an eye, she had sent the master and servant away. Lilith stood up, clutching her stomach, and went to pick up the prop crutch that had been thrown away in the distance.

“Explain yourself.” Lilith coldly raised her head and glared at Heinrich. “More than her witchcraft and lies, I want to know why you’ve kept the fact that you speak German from me.”

“Before becoming your servant, I lived in Germany for a long time, but I wasn’t very good at it, so I never mentioned it to you…” Heinrich avoided his gaze.

“Liar. You spoke even more fluently than that translator from the University of Padua. Heinrich, you made me lose two dukatets to that coward named Dante. If I had known you spoke German, why would I have hired him? You wait, I'll settle the score with you later.” Lilith glared at him resentfully. Under these special circumstances, she had many more questions that she could only suppress for the time being, waiting for an opportunity to ask them all.

Not long after, the maid Hilde pushed a wheelchair over and helped Lilith to sit down. After leading the two to their seats in the dining room, she went into the kitchen. Isolde brought over a small bottle of colorless and odorless potion and instructed Lilith to pour some out and drink it after the meal.

The dining room's decor still betrayed its age; even the tablecloths exuded a musty smell, as if they'd been stored away in a trunk for a long time. Lilith glanced at Isolde's excessively thin frame, guessing she probably hadn't been eating properly. Besides, since entering the castle, she'd only seen Isolde and her maid, Hilde. Managing such a large castle and overseeing the meals and lodging of the master and guests—could Hilde really manage it all by herself?

When the blonde maid placed the appetizer on the table in front of Lilith, Lilith was genuinely startled. The murky, greenish-gray broth was covered with unidentified brownish-red debris, making it look utterly unfit for human consumption.

"This is my favorite soup, I made it myself, come and have a taste!" Isolde said to Lilith with a smile, then immediately scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

Lilith hesitated for a moment, but seeing how much Isolde was enjoying her food, and knowing she hadn't eaten for most of the day and her stomach was growling, she reluctantly scooped up a little to try as well.

The first taste is a strong, exotic aroma of fresh basil and crushed nuts, followed by a smooth and delicate texture of rich soup on the tongue, mixed with the aroma of celery, the subtle salty and savory flavor of dried mushroom bits, and finally a slightly sweet aftertaste of carrots and pumpkin.

"God bless this, it's so delicious!"

"Hehe, eat more if you like. There's more."

Lilith exclaimed incredulously, wondering if she was hallucinating from being too hungry for so long. She quickly swallowed several more spoonfuls, and the deliciousness remained undiminished, confirming that she was indeed eating something good. Could the witch have added some palatable potion? But she couldn't worry about that now. Lilith devoured the soup, then looked at Isolde with incredibly grateful eyes:

“Dear Mrs. Alta, beautiful Lady Isolde, I’m not being polite, but this is absolutely the most delicious vegetable soup I’ve ever had in my life.”

"Thank you for the compliment. These are all vegetables I grew myself. When the weather gets better, I can take you to see the garden behind the castle."

“Great! This is my first time leaving Venice. As you know, the island is full of buildings and there is no farmland. Fresh vegetables are also very scarce. I have never seen what a vegetable garden looks like before, but I can imagine that it must be very hard work to take care of the land. You are so skillful.”

"Since I came to Italy, I have never been anywhere else. I have always heard that Venice is the richest place in the entire Mediterranean, and I really hope that I will have the opportunity to visit it in the future."

"If you come, I will definitely treat you to the highest standards and let you taste the freshest fried seafood, stir-fried beef liver, and squid ink pasta. Our place is right next to the port, so we have the freshest seafood that you can't find anywhere else. I'm sure you'll love it!"

Heinrich silently observed the two women chatting happily about food and the customs of different places. Isolde spoke fluent Italian and had no communication problems with Lilith. Heinrich, on the other hand, was caught in the middle, unsure of what to say, and simply remained silent.

“Whether it’s farming or cooking, these are just ways I pass the time when I have nothing to do here alone,” Isolde said modestly with a wry smile, then turned her gaze to Heinrich. “Fortunately, Tristan is back with me now, so I’ll never be alone again.”

Heinrich gave an awkward laugh, still unsure how to respond. He then realized that his acting skills were far from as good as he had imagined. Seeing this, Lilith immediately picked up the conversation and continued.

"You haven't told me your love story with Mr. Tristan yet, and I can't wait to hear it!"

“This is a story from a long, long time ago, from when I was young.” A sweet smile appeared on Isolde’s face. “My father was Count Reus of Thuringia. Being born into a family like mine meant I was destined to marry into another noble family. As the third daughter in the family who was not valued, I was betrothed to Count Altay of Italy at a young age, even though I had never met him and he had already married three wives, who were more than forty years older than me.”

Lilith gasped, looking at Isolde with deep sympathy. She completely understood the feeling of being forced into marriage by one's family to a stranger. In Isolde's weary face, she seemed to see herself in another timeline, someone who hadn't chosen to kill her fiancé. Her loneliness, her obsession and madness towards what she loved, suddenly made sense. However… while Lilith's motivation for stopping the marriage was career and independence, what stopped Isolde was her love for another man—a part that Lilith couldn't condone.

"Tristan was a knight who served under my father. He grew up with me, but was forced to go to war just before I was to be married. I originally wanted to die for love to defy my father's order for me to marry Count Alta. But Tristan promised me that he would come to find me and be with me, no matter how much time had passed or where I was."

"That's why I decided to survive no matter what, to marry alone in Italy where I had no relatives or friends, and to wait in this secluded castle for more than ten years. Now Tristan has finally returned. He is not only the most handsome and bravest knight, but also my lover until death."

Isolde gazed tenderly at the "Tristan" in her eyes, her gaze unwavering and without hesitation, as if the man before her were the perfect lover from her memories. Lilith was incredulous. Although she didn't know Heinrich's exact age, she knew he was young, only a teenager, and couldn't possibly be the lover Isolde had pledged her life to over a decade ago. What made her so certain? Or was she actually feigning ignorance, and if so, what were her reasons?

“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad to see you two finally reunited. But the man I know, his name is Heinrich, and he’s an accountant at my bank. I’ve never heard him mention his past as ‘Tristan,’ so what’s going on?” Lilith decided to cut to the chase and asked directly.

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Author's Note: I couldn't resist describing food again! This time, it's a completely made-up vegetable soup combination. I really wonder if these foods would taste good mixed together, hahaha.