Chapter 65: On the Other Side of the Plague, Haunted by a Male Ghost

When Cecilia returned to Venice, the port was filled with a tense atmosphere, and everyone was on edge. When she saw people hurrying by wearing masks with filters covering their mouths and noses, she realized that the crowded town had once again been visited by the plague.

However, what truly worried her was not these things, but the fact that Lilith had disappeared without a trace.

Since Cecilia's letter from Rome to Venice at the end of July had gone unanswered, she anxiously sent over a dozen more letters, still without a reply. She later learned that a conflict had broken out between the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice in Padua. Later still, she received a reply from Elena, informing her that she had gone to Florence for safety, while Lilith remained in Venice.

Although the war did not reach the lagoon, the disruption of trade routes and bond defaults caused by the war were enough to strangle a well-run bank. Moreover, war often brings urban riots and terrible plagues... Cecilia was too worried to leave, so she had to temporarily put aside her unfinished work in Rome and set sail for Venice in mid-September.

By the time she arrived in Venice, it was already late September. In the lingering warmth of late summer, the virus bred in the damp corners; people were burning the bodies of those who had died from the disease in the square, and billowing black smoke turned the blue sky gray. Cecilia had sent a message before her departure informing her that she would be arriving on the island that day, but there was still no reply, so no one greeted her at the dock.

She felt increasingly uneasy, so after disembarking, she headed straight for the street lined with banks near the Piazza della Rialto. Due to the impact of the pandemic, bank executives had fled to their country villas in Italy, leaving the market in a state of depression. Like other banks, the doors of the Cnarro Bank were firmly locked with heavy chains, and no one was there.

Cecilia arrived to find no one there, so she headed towards Lilith's small house. Perhaps Lilith had already taken Tata and the others to Sophia's manor in Ferrara for refuge, but Cecilia at least had a key to the house. She could go home to rest first, contact Lilith, and then set off to find her.

But what she saw was a scene of ruins.

The white stone walls were stained gray-black by the thick smoke, and the windows that were once stained with stained glass were now black holes, like the deep eye sockets of a skull. Collapsed beams and debris were piled up like mountains, and the surrounding area was cordoned off, like a corpse that had died tragically by the roadside but no one dared to collect its remains.

Cecilia couldn't believe her eyes. When she left Venice about six months ago, it was her exquisite and cozy home, adorned with flowers, fragrances, and heavy, luxurious crepe curtains. Its mistress was both a decisive and efficient banker and a little girl who needed her care. But where was she now? Where were Heinrich, Tata, and Ivanka?

Cecilia rushed to Sofia's private residence. White smoke billowed from the kitchen chimney, indicating that someone still lived there. She quickly knocked on the servants' side door next to the main gate. An elderly nanny with frail legs opened the door. Cecilia recognized her; she was Sofia's wet nurse, who had cared for her since childhood. In her old age, alone and in poor health, Sofia, remembering their past friendship, had allowed her to stay. It seemed Sofia had taken her personal servants to the countryside for refuge, leaving this nanny behind to look after the house.

“I am Cecilia, Mrs. Schmidl’s maid. Do you remember me?” Cecilia asked anxiously.

"Don't rush, I recognize you. Mrs. Schmidl is indeed here with us. She often mentions you, saying you are also a remarkable banker. Please come in."

Led by the old woman, Cecilia hurried through the courtyard and into Sophia's palace. Instead of leading her upstairs to Lilith's usual guest room, the old woman took her to the kitchen. Before even entering, Cecilia smelled a fishy odor.

She saw a maid in a faded old dress sitting on a low stool washing a golden snapper. Cecilia carefully lifted the hem of her long, fine silk dress, afraid of getting it dirty from the splashing water.

Why had that old woman brought her here? Cecilia was utterly puzzled. It wasn't until the woman in the old dress looked up that Cecilia saw that long-unseen face and the red hair tucked under her headscarf. It was Lilith. Cecilia no longer cared about getting her dress dirty; tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed over to hug her.

“Madam… what’s wrong? Are you alright? Why are you doing all this? What happened while I was gone? You look so haggard and thin… where are Heinrich and the others?” Cecilia looked Lilith up and down in disbelief. She could hardly recognize this as the once vibrant noblewoman. Lilith’s frail body and worn clothes made Cecilia seem like the lady of the house.

"Actually, I've gained a little weight in the last two weeks." Lilith was overjoyed to finally see Cecilia again, grinning from ear to ear. "How are you? Is everything going well in Rome? You're finally back...it's so great..."

"What happened..." Cecilia cried uncontrollably. Lilith washed her hands, hugged Cecilia, and patted her back.

To avoid soiling the expensive custom-made furniture in Sofia's reception room, Lilith led Cecilia to sit in the servants' lounge and told her everything that had happened since they parted. The multiple attacks encountered on the way to Zurich and the great success of the Zurich branch had already been mentioned in previous correspondence. The impact of the war on exchange rates, underground lending, and the accusations they faced were things they hadn't had a chance to tell Cecilia before.

Later, Tata's betrayal, the devastating fire, Heinrich's sacrifice to save her, Lorenzo's betrayal, and her experience of being enslaved all brought Cecilia to tears. Lilith could only comfort her as she continued. She spoke of the destruction of slave island, the extravagant spending at the auction, her masked, disfigured fiancé and his almost insane possessiveness, and how she finally escaped by distracting the maid and diverting William's attention.

After that, she lived a secluded life in Sophia's house, keeping her red hair tied back with a headscarf and dressed as a maid. Since the old woman had difficulty walking, Lilith would occasionally help her with chores. Since the plague wasn't going to end anytime soon, having a place to stay to survive was much better than being forced into marriage.

"Besides, now that you're back... are you doing well in Rome?"

“Very good, the branch is developing very well. Miss Elena trusts me very much. Venice is in a very dangerous situation... Perhaps you could come with me to Rome after the plague is over.”

“No, Cecilia,” Lilith calmly analyzed. “I can’t go anywhere. Actually, I don’t know the full state of the Knarro Bank right now. But for the sake of my credit, which may have collapsed to nothing, I have to stay here and start resuming operations as soon as the pandemic situation improves… but not now. The markets are closed now, and I can’t even find reliable people to get information. And getting food is also a problem. I caught that golden snapper myself… thankfully, after those nobles left with their families, the lagoon is as quiet as a pond…”

“It’s alright, I’m back, I’ll help you…” Cecilia opened her arms, wanting to hug her again, but the moment she touched Lilith, she was interrupted by a series of violent coughs that erupted from her chest. Cecilia incredulously clutched her heaving chest, suddenly stood up and took several steps back, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

"Madam...please stay away from me!"

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Cecilia, I'll go and get a doctor for you. Maybe you're just tired from the journey, maybe it's not the plague... Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Sofia, there are plenty of rooms here. Go and rest well, I'll take good care of you."

Lilith patiently persuaded Cecilia for a while before she finally refrained from storming out and chose to stay. Sophia's family had a stockpile of medicine, but the food shortage was a problem Lilith couldn't bring herself to mention. Sophia's family's original food reserves were almost gone, and fishing in the river was only a matter of luck and not a long-term solution. She had to find a way to get something to eat outside.

After settling Cecilia in, Lilith, carrying a burlap sack, went out and headed towards the nearest church. The sun was setting, and it was almost dark. She knew that at this time of day, relief bread was distributed at the church entrance, and a plague doctor was on duty there. So she joined the long line of beggars, vagrants, and thieves, hoping to get some fresh bread for Cecilia.

When it was Lilith's turn, she first inquired about how to get a doctor. The monk impatiently told her that medical resources were scarce and no doctor could be assigned to her area. Seeing his cold attitude and not daring to offend this bread-distributing god, Lilith had no choice but to slip two Grosso silver coins into his hand and hand them to him. Only then did the monk tactfully stuff two more loaves of bread into her sack, but still didn't mention the doctor at all, and hurriedly sent her away.

The beggars nearby witnessed this scene. They stealthily followed Lilith, and once she turned into an empty alley, they pounced on her like hungry wolves. Lilith could only run forward frantically, clutching the bread. As she ran, she suddenly bumped her head into someone. She looked up and saw a plague doctor wearing a black cloak and a bird-beak mask.

"They! They're trying to steal my bread!" Lilith cried out. The Plague Doctor was a member of the Holy See, and in principle, he wouldn't stand idly by while such opportunistic behavior occurred. "Please save me!"

Upon discovering that the little girl had found someone to back her up, the beggars dared not cause any more trouble and scattered in all directions. Lilith breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked the doctor profusely.

"Thank you so much! I happen to have a patient in my family who has a cough... Could you please come and take a look at her?"

"I'm sorry, I can't treat her. But I can find you a suitable doctor and a nurse to care for her. Just grant me one request."

Lilith felt the arm that had been protecting her behind her suddenly reach out and grab her wrist tightly, and she had a bad feeling.

“Lilith, it’s me, Heinrich,” the person behind the mask said to her in an almost pleading tone, his voice soft and gentle.

"Let me go!" Lilith screamed. "Let me go! You beast! You persistent devil! It's been almost a month, and you still won't let me go? Do you want me to die in front of you before you'll stop? I won't marry you, absolutely not!"

“My request is simply that you listen to me. I’ve thought it through, and I will no longer force you to marry me. What you want is freedom, not me. Rather than keeping you by my side, I should respect your wishes.” Heinrich loosened his grip on Lilith’s wrist slightly, but still dared not let go completely, afraid that she would rush away again before he finished speaking.

"Really?" Lilith looked at him incredulously. "How did you figure that out?"

Heinrich then released her, trying to speak to Lilith calmly: "Because I love you, I can't bear to see you sad. That day, you jumped straight into the lagoon from such a height to escape from me. What if you had gotten sick or hurt yourself? I was so worried about you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have treated you like that... I only realize that now. Please forgive me."

“Heinrich,” Lilith sighed, her heart filled with mixed emotions, still not entirely believing that what he said was true, “is it true that you can arrange a doctor for me? Even if I don’t want to marry you?”

"Yes, of course, I am still willing to serve you, as an apology for the mistakes I made in the past."

"Then please ask a doctor to come to Mrs. Sofia Dandolo Esther's house. A friend of mine there has developed a cough."

"no problem."

Heinrich led Lilith back to the square in front of the church. The monk, upon seeing him, suddenly became very respectful and immediately dispatched another doctor directly towards Sophia's house, promising to deliver the diagnosis and bill directly to the Schmidl family mansion. Lilith breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the doctor to take the bread she had brought back with her; she might need to speak with Heinrich Schmidl again.

"The Schmidl family mansion? Is that the dilapidated house?"

“No, it’s a different place. Actually, using that name isn’t quite accurate, but it was indeed called the Schmidl family mansion before,” Heinrich stammered, somewhat incoherently. “I originally intended to give that house to you as a wedding gift. Although I no longer wish to force you to marry me, it was custom-made for you after all, and I couldn’t keep it for myself, so I still planned to give it to you.”

Lilith frowned, completely confused.

“Would you like to come with me to take a look?” Heinrich invited. “It would be perfect if we sat down. I have some things I haven’t had a chance to say to you yet. I’ll be leaving Venice after the plague is over. I hope we can clear things up before I go.”

“Alright,” Lilith agreed, half-believing, “I’ll go with you.”

So Heinrich led Lilith to the riverbank. He skillfully jumped from the dock onto a gondola and extended his hand to Lilith, inviting her to board.

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Author's Note: My friend previously said that Cecilia is like Gin in this story, and Ivanka is like vodka. I'm speechless... How apt!

This week I made it onto a WAP homepage chart, so I'll be posting five chapters. More updates tomorrow! The next chapter is uncensored [starry eyes] hahaha! I really enjoyed writing these chapters, and I hope you all enjoy reading them too.