Chapter 49 Unseemly Marketing Tactics After arriving in Zurich, they relied on currency exchange…

Heinrich froze. He quickly pulled back from the brink before blurting out his actual birthday. He suddenly realized that he had never before inquired about the birth dates of his slaves. Celebrating birthdays had always been a privilege reserved for people of high status.

"I don't know either," Heinrich lied.

“Alright. Cecilia and the others seem to remember. Cecilia’s birthday is in September, Ivanka’s is in January, and Tata’s is in June. It’ll be here soon, and maybe we can make it back in time to celebrate her birthday. It seems you need to have a birthday celebration too,” Lilith pondered.

"How about we take the day you bought me as my birthday?"

"No. That's a different day, we have to celebrate it separately. Let me think, what's Heinrich Schmidl's birthday? It's July 31st, the last day of July, I think. Hmm, never mind, we'll celebrate your birthday on that date from now on."

"Celebrate for me?"

"Yes. Cecilia and the others get this perk too. Last year I gave Cecilia an expensive oriental brocade dress, supposedly from her hometown, it was very beautiful. I also gave Tata a gilded compass and Ivanka a dagger with a handle inlaid with Polish amber. You'll get a gift too, I've already decided what to get you. And, your birthday is in July, which is exactly when the Venice city government sets off fireworks in St. Mark's Square every year. I just don't know what day it is this year...maybe we'll see fireworks in the days leading up to your birthday."

"What are fireworks?" Heinrich heard an unfamiliar term.

"They're flowers made of gunpowder, blooming in the sky. The fireworks for the annual festivals are sponsored by Venice's wealthiest nobles and their businesses. I wonder if our Knarro Bank will ever be able to earn that much money... When we're rich, I'll donate fireworks in your name as a gift. Let me see our projected income and expenditure details for next quarter..."

As Lilith spoke, she rummaged through Heinrich's bag and pulled out some documents. The new calculation results were fresh out of the oven. Lilith stared at the numbers, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

“This is a performance estimate based on existing clients, after establishing this exchange line, and does not include additional business such as future contracts, so…” Heinrich explained.

“I know.” Lilith interrupted him, unable to believe her eyes. Her gaze followed Heinrich’s handwriting as she scanned the entire calculation process, still finding it hard to believe.

Because the losses were far too great, even more than she had originally expected.

Rent, wages, security—expenses kept piling up, but profits were nowhere in sight. Forget buying gifts; if the losses continued like this, Lilith would even have to start selling her jewelry to fill the hole.

"Looks like I'll have to sell you to pay off my debt. Tell me, is Isolde still willing to take you in?"

“I’m afraid she wouldn’t even look at me, a secondhand item,” Heinrich shrugged.

Lilith took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down: "The main reason is still a lack of customers. Our largest customer base right now is just depositors, with no demand for credit or foreign exchange. If we want this river of cash to flow healthily and create value, we need a lot, a lot of new customers, we need to get foreign exchange going, and we need to lend out cash."

"That's right. But where will the new customers come from?"

Heinrich's first thought was of the connections he had made for the family on behalf of his father during his last visit to Zurich. The Schmidl family's goods, traveling south along the Main and Rhine rivers to Italy, would transit through Zurich, switching from waterway to land route. However, those connections were now being managed by Pascal, appointed by Helmut, making it difficult for Heinrich to reveal his identity and thus hindering his efforts to act as a go-between for Lilith.

“Several paths,” Lilith analyzed. “First, Aunt Elena’s willingness to invest is contingent on her having many familiar friends and trading partners along this trade route. We need to win those people over and make them our core clients. Although the Schmidl family’s investment is small, it’s the same; we need to absorb their existing partners. Tomorrow I need to ask them for a detailed list.”

"What if they're unwilling to give it?" Heinrich was somewhat skeptical of Pascal's generosity.

“Then go ahead and steal it, what else can you do?” Lilith rolled her eyes at him. “However, while relying on them can solve the immediate problem, it’s only scratching the surface and won’t lead to rapid growth. Since we’re in Zurich now, we absolutely can’t waste this opportunity to attract new customers at the new branch…”

How do we recruit?

"Time is of the essence... so we have no choice but to resort to some unethical means. Whatever, as long as we can make money."

"It seems you already have a plan. What do you intend to do?"

“A little girl like me, even if I went to the chamber of commerce or a tavern and earnestly tried to promote our business, would most likely just be dismissed as nonsense. And since you don’t want to go out, you can’t be relied on,” Lilith said with a wry smile. “Since we can’t use words, let’s use writing.”

Do you mean writing a letter?

"I guess so, but not exactly the same. You could think of it as a letter without an envelope or a specific recipient. I need a very eye-catching headline that will grab people's attention at first glance and make them want to keep reading, rather than being thrown into the trash can as spam."

Lilith took out a piece of draft paper and a pencil from Heinrich's bag and began to write furiously as she spoke. Heinrich lit a kerosene lamp and shone it on Lilith's hand, then leaned closer to look and saw that she was writing:

After my aristocratic husband died, I opened a bank and became rich overnight.

Shocking! The truth behind her million-dollar annual income is...!

After arriving in Zurich, he became a legend through currency trading.

"Are you sure the Schmidl family would allow you to use this method of publicity...?"

“Who cares? Can they help me make money?” Lilith said as she wrote another message. “When we get back, you’ll help me translate all these documents into German—I trust your skills, but it has to be conversational and in line with local expressions.”

"That's no problem."

"The first page will have a catchy headline, and the second page will be an introduction to our bank's services. We'll finalize the draft together tonight, and tomorrow I'll have the guys from the newly established branch copy it for us. They're just sitting around doing nothing, and we still have to pay their salaries, so we might as well give them something to do. They were all handpicked by Elena, so they should be trustworthy. Oh, and I also need to have them gather some current hot business news to attach to the bottom page, subtly promoting our bank's professionalism. Most importantly, they need to include our bank's address, but absolutely no stamps."

"Why?"

"Of course, it's so we can find someone to take the blame if something goes wrong. I will never admit to being involved in such a disgraceful affair. If anything goes wrong, the responsibility will definitely fall on you, the legal representative. But don't worry, even if you get arrested, I will definitely use my connections to arrange the best cell for you." Lilith patted Heinrich on the shoulder solemnly.

"...Are you going to abandon me?" Heinrich lowered his head, his eyes wide, and asked tentatively in a slightly coquettish tone, curious about Lilith's reaction. He saw Lilith's cheeks flush slightly; sure enough, she enjoyed this feeling of being relied upon.

“Of course not… Heinrich.” Lilith cupped his face in her hands. “I was just kidding. Of course I can’t bear to part with you. A slave as handsome and capable as you is a rare find. That’s why I promoted you so much. Don’t forget my kindness to you.”

“I will always remember this.” Heinrich gently grasped Lilith’s wrist and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “It’s getting late, let me take you home.”

“When we get back, pack all my luggage in my room.” Lilith stuffed her newly finished draft and pencil into Heinrich’s bag. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll return that luxury suite. I need to save some money now.”

Are you planning to move to the Schmidl family mansion?

Heinrich recalled that beautiful villa. In order to bring his fiancée from Venice to Germany, he had specially arranged for the Schmidl family's residence in Zurich to be decorated with lace-trimmed curtains, tablecloths and bedding in the bedroom where Lilith and he would stay. He also arranged for fresh flowers to be prepared before their arrival.

Although, based on his current understanding of Lilith, he knew that if she actually saw the furnishings, she would most likely mercilessly ridicule her fiancé's taste, criticizing the decorations he had chosen as tacky, and then be thankful that she hadn't married into Germany, he still wanted to show the gift to its owner, since he had put thought into it.

“I don’t want to go. Actually, Pascal specially showed me the room my husband decorated for me,” Lilith said casually, but Heinrich interrupted her somewhat excitedly.

How are you feeling?

“It was so warm and thoughtful. They even embroidered my name on the pillow with red thread,” Lilith said quietly, unconsciously turning the ruby ​​wedding ring on her left ring finger. “Perhaps it’s because of my meager sense of morality that I feel a little guilty. I can feel that he really wanted to take this marriage seriously. If it were any other noble lady being treated like this, she would probably be overjoyed and grateful. It’s just a pity that he tried in the wrong direction and was betrothed to a woman like me who hates marriage. Although I don’t regret ordering his death, I know that I may have let him down. But then again, I don’t think it was such a remarkable gesture.”

"Why?" Heinrich was filled with mixed emotions upon hearing these words. She had no idea how deeply his love for her was etched in her heart.

How much love can one develop for a complete stranger? First impressions are important, but I don't believe in love at first sight.

"But you chose me from among so many slaves at first glance."

"That's because the criteria for choosing subordinates are more objective, unlike love, which is so ethereal. Even so, I wouldn't trust you as wholeheartedly on your very first day working for me. Building a relationship takes time and effort. If he knew that his wife was such a greedy and ruthless woman like me, all his previous feelings would vanish."

"Maybe he likes women like you."

"Don't speak up for him. He's already dead anyway. It'll only add to your guilt, and it won't change anything. Go back to work." Lilith seemed a little displeased. "I'll stay in your room from now on, and you can sleep on the floor."

Heinrich sighed, wanting to say something more indirectly, but in the end he simply fell silent.

They quickly walked back to the hotel. When Heinrich said he wanted to cancel the suite but keep the servant's room, the hotel receptionist looked surprised and disdainful, saying that there was no rule of renting a servant's room separately to the master and servant to live together, and that it was too improper.

Even Lilith, who didn't understand German, knew that the other person was definitely not saying anything nice. She watched Heinrich's face turn red with anger as he argued aggressively with the other person, and feeling somewhat uncomfortable, she patted his shoulder, signaling him to stop.

“It’s no big deal. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just move to Schmidl’s place tomorrow. If you really don’t want to see anyone, take the money and find another hotel by yourself.”

Heinrich lowered his head in grievance, looking at his mistress, then gave the receptionist a cold glare before following Lilith back to their room without looking back.

“There’s no need to lower ourselves to their level. Where we live doesn’t really matter. We have more important things to worry about. Even if we’re not welcome here, we won’t have to sleep on the streets. Don’t waste your energy on people who aren’t worth it.” Lilith tugged at Heinrich’s sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and ruffled his blond hair.

“But they’re saying bad things about you…! I don’t care what they say about me, but you…you shouldn’t have to suffer such unwarranted malice.”

“It’s okay, I don’t understand anyway. So they can’t hurt me.” Lilith made a face. “In that case, come back to my room with me and help me pack. We’ll work a little more in the luxury suite we paid for.”

"good."

Heinrich opened the door for Lilith, only to find a figure kneeling on the floor in the bedroom that should have been empty. He was hiding in the shadows, using the moonlight streaming through the window to rummage through Lilith's suitcase, scattering clothes and documents all over the floor.

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Author's Note: Lilith synthesized her fiancé just like synthesizing a giant watermelon [Let me see].

The next update will be on Wednesday. Something very exciting will happen in the next chapter!!