Chapter 88 I have plenty of ways to ruin the treatment of the lord's wife once again...

Afterwards, Lilith lay motionless on the bed like a doll, her whole body weak, her eyes vacant, and her face covered in tears.

She felt a pang of regret. Perhaps she really shouldn't have asked him to do this while she was sick. In her illness, she had become unusually sensitive; all her senses were amplified, and even the slightest touch triggered a strong electric shock. Her already feverish body felt unbearably hot. So painful…

She looked up, her gaze drifting unfocused towards Heinrich, who had just finished strenuous exercise. He was panting as he cleaned up the scene, beads of sweat clinging to his golden hair.

“My darling…my mistress…” Heinrich wiped her body clean, cupped her face and gently kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes, only to find that she was still crying. “It’s my fault for not controlling myself again…”

“It’s not your fault.” Lilith was still a little sullen, but seeing Heinrich’s handsome face made her feel much better, although her buzzing head still throbbed with pain.

"Would you like to go eat? Or rest a little longer?" Heinrich asked with concern. "I baked you a honey cake myself, but you haven't had a chance to try it yet."

“Okay.” Lilith looked up at the sky outside the window, which was already pitch black early in winter.

Heinrich dressed her in a magnificent long gown, made of the finest silk, adorned with luxurious pearls and gemstones. The stitching was slightly rough, indicating it had been hastily made after Lilith's arrival. But she didn't mind. She hadn't been in the mood to dress up while ill, and changing into the gown for dinner was merely to show her appreciation for Heinrich's kindness in preparing the Christmas dinner.

Despite not having eaten for a day and a night, Lilith still felt no appetite looking at the abundant delicacies on the table. Whether it was the pork knuckle, roast goose, or steak, everything was too fatty, making her feel nauseous. Finally, unable to eat any more and still hungry, she asked the waiter for a glass of hot milk, which she ate with the pannetone Heinrich had baked for her. The familiar recipe made it taste just like home-cooked food, at least it didn't make her stomach feel too uncomfortable.

Heinrich noticed Lilith's listlessness and was racking his brains for words to cheer him up. Suddenly, there was a knock on the restaurant door. Lilith nodded, allowing Heinrich to let the guest in.

The person who entered was Karl, a follower of Heinrich. Seeing that there were women present, he was about to lean down and whisper in Heinrich's ear when the master interrupted him, saying, "There is nothing that Liliana cannot hear. Just say it."

So Karl straightened his back, bowed to Lilith, and then said:

“Some people in the village near Schmidl Castle witnessed last night’s fire and, having heard rumors of Helmut and the old lady’s deaths, shouted at the village gathering that it was the work of a monster, trying to take advantage of the chaos to spread witchcraft in the village. They were immediately subdued by our people.”

"Where is he now?" Heinrich frowned.

"He's still tied up in the village square, awaiting his fate. However, the former lord is now dead, the judge has gone on vacation to the south with his family, and the bishop's grand mass hasn't been finished yet. There's no one capable of making the decision. Have you considered..."

Karl's meaning was very clear. If Heinrich were to personally intervene at this point, it would likely have a calming effect. Even if some might suspect his connection to the fire, the narrative of avenging his father was not typical of a despicable person; if carefully crafted, it could even become a tool for him to consolidate his power.

But it was Christmas Eve after all. Heinrich cautiously watched the listless Lilith, awaiting her decision.

“Go ahead, my lord.” Lilith yawned. “My head hurts so much, I’m going to rest in a bit. Come back soon.”

“Okay.” Heinrich walked to her side, took her hand, kissed the back of it, and said to her in Italian, “Get some rest. Merry Christmas.”

“You too. Merry Christmas,” Lilith replied in German.

Seemingly to cultivate an image of integrity and kindness, Heinrich returned to his bedroom, changed into a proper off-white suit, mounted his horse, and rode away in the company of his attendants. Lilith, no longer needing to force herself to stay awake at the table, immediately returned to her room, changed out of her suit into a nightgown, and collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted, and fell asleep.

Late at night, she heard a faint sound. Someone slipped under the covers and hugged her in the darkness. Perhaps Heinrich had returned. Lilith didn't pay much attention and went back to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the pale sunlight, filtered through the gaps in the curtains by the heavy snow, was still there. Heinrich had left again; the note he had left behind remained on the bedside table.

"Everything went smoothly last night; the villagers celebrated my return. I drank quite a bit, so I'm late, sorry. I have to visit the bishop today, and this afternoon I need to take care of the castle's post-disaster restoration. I'll finish as soon as possible and come back to keep you company when it gets late."

Lilith looked at his neat handwriting, the ink still wet, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable. She forced herself to stand, her body aching and weak, and walked to the French windows, pulling back the curtains. She saw Heinrich hurrying out the front door and getting into a carriage.

Dressed in formal attire and holding a scepter, he looked every bit the dignified and refined heir to a title. Who would have known that he once lived a life of barely clothed body, covered in wounds, and with chains around his neck?

Lilith watched the departing carriage, feeling somewhat dazed. Outside was a frigid, snowy world, while inside was a warm, utopian haven, cozy with the warmth of a charcoal fire. In her illness, even touching the windowpane sent a chill down her spine, let alone going out with him, or having Hannah accompany her to continue her investigation of the local market.

It seems that for her, staying in this sanctuary is the safest place.

Lilith could only remain lying on the soft bed, with Hannah sitting beside her, teaching her German intermittently or reading her storybooks. The letter to Cecilia had already been sent, and Lilith wanted to get up and write something herself, but as soon as she sat down at her desk, a headache struck her, forcing her to return to bed to rest.

Even though they were both soaked to the bone in the winter night, why was Heinrich's body as tough as iron, without getting sick at all? Lilith felt incredibly resentful. She couldn't remember ever having such a long period of idleness in a long time.

She took the medicine one dose after another, and finally, at the beginning of the new year, her fever subsided. However, the ailment shifted to her throat, and she began to cough incessantly. She was alright during the day, but the coughing was incessant at night, causing her to be unable to sleep for nights on end.

When she couldn't sleep, she would stare at his face, sometimes with the urge to shake him awake and ask him to talk to her. Apart from the notes Heinrich left for her every morning, she hadn't had a chance to speak to him in a long time.

Snow continued to fall heavily outside the window during the day, so she dared not go out and sent Hannah into town to gather information. She herself stayed home, trying to get back into work mode. She first held a mouthful of herbal cough syrup in her mouth, then warmed her hands by the fireplace before sitting down at the table with paper and pen, attempting to make some market estimates based on the limited data available. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. She thought it might be Hannah, who had gone out earlier to gather intelligence for her, returning home.

"Cough cough cough... Please come in."

Lilith saw that the person who entered was a strange blonde woman. A tool bag hung from her waist, containing a measuring tape, pins, needle and thread, and scissors. Two maids followed behind her, each carrying a magnificent and luxurious white dress.

“Viscountess, Viscount Schmidl has sent us to have your wedding dress made.” They bowed gracefully to Lilith. “Please try it on; this is the first version made to fit the measurements given to us by the Viscount.”

Lilith was very displeased. Her work had been interrupted before it even began, and for such a trivial reason. She had indeed agreed to play Heinrich's wife, but her intention was simply to use that title to attract more German business clients, not to get him to do all this nonsense.

She sighed and, considering they had come all this way in such cold weather, tried on the dress. Only then did she realize she had lost weight again. In the mirror, she saw herself without makeup; her pale face was gaunt, a result of her prolonged illness. The snow-white skirt felt incredibly heavy; she couldn't move around normally in it.

After seeing the seamstresses off, Lilith sat down at her desk again, trying to calm down, when someone knocked on her door again.

"Please come in."

"Viscountess, we are here on the orders of the Viscount to pack your luggage."

"Pack your bags? Cough cough cough cough cough... Why?"

"The castle's renovations are complete. The Viscount plans to move back to the main residence soon."

“Moving? But I’m still sick!” If she was just annoyed before, Lilith was now completely enraged. “He didn’t even consult me ​​before making this decision. Go tell him I’m not moving. I’ll wait until I’m better.”

“Madam, but this is the Viscount’s order…” the waiter said, feigning difficulty.

“I told you to go tell him. I’m not moving! Cough, cough, cough, cough…” Lilith’s emotions got the better of her, and she coughed even more violently, unable to speak properly.

"Madam, if we don't finish the work, the Viscount will punish us..."

"Your so-called Viscount... cough cough... he's a complete bastard!" Lilith screamed hysterically. "Get out! Get out! If you dare bother me again, can you handle the consequences when Heinrich returns and sees me this angry? Get out now!"

With that, she slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside, not wanting anyone to bother her again. She was seething with anger, plotting how to settle accounts with Heinrich. Ever since her status changed from Heinrich's guest to his 'wife,' her words no longer carried any weight. People still treated her with deference in his presence, but once Heinrich was gone, they no longer cared about her.

Indeed, the choice made back then couldn't have been more correct. This is the price of being a wife. Even though she holds a certain degree of absolute dominance when she's alone with him, in terms of social power, she's not treated as an independent person at all.

Viscountess? She didn't want to be a viscountess. She was Lilith, the moneylender, and Liliana Canaro, the banker from Venice. She'd had enough of this life; she couldn't stand it anymore.

Fortunately, she brought a dozen or so guards with her when she left Venice, and they were all hidden in the town, posing as ordinary traveling merchants to gather business intelligence for her. Heinrich is still unaware of their existence.

Even on the night Lilith went to "rescue" Heinrich, these people were actually lying in ambush in the woods around her to ensure her safety. She did like Heinrich, but she wouldn't gamble her safety on his love for her.

She was very unhappy. She had to talk to him clearly, otherwise she would have to do something to change the terrible situation, even if it meant resorting to violence.

Her throat was still sore, and she could barely speak, so she sat down at the table again and prepared to write something.

Before she could write two lines, someone knocked on her door again.

"Get out!!! Don't bother me!!" Lilith shouted.

“Madam, it’s me.” Hannah’s voice came from outside the door. “I’ve already sent those guys waiting at the door away, please don’t be angry.”

Lilith reluctantly opened the door for Hannah. She glanced coldly at Hannah, and the thought that even she was someone Heinrich had entrusted to her, despite knowing rationally that Hannah was now completely loyal to her, still made her feel a little resentful: "Even you have more say here than I do."

"They're just inflexible and won't change their minds. You don't need to get yourself upset over these people. Getting better is the priority."

"Viscount, Viscount, always Viscount... Go to hell, Viscount! You're driving me crazy!" Lilith grabbed a piece of white paper from the table, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it violently toward the front door, hitting Heinrich squarely on the forehead as he opened the door to come in.

"Don't you know how to knock before entering a lady's room? You rude thing! Get out!"

"I was wrong." Heinrich immediately closed the door, sighed deeply, and knocked. "May I come in?"

"No, get out."

“Lilith…I have something very important to tell you. Please let me in.” Heinrich pleaded patiently. “I was at work, but I heard you were in a bad mood, so I came back to find you.”

“Then I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going back to Venice tomorrow,” Lilith called out to him through the door. Her throat hurt terribly, and she coughed for a while before finally calming down after taking several deep breaths.

“Heinrich, your men have no respect for me. If this is how you treat me, I won’t stay here for another second. Don’t forget who got you out of there. If I can save you, I can destroy you again.”

She was met with a long silence from outside the door.

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Author's Note: Only three chapters left until the end! The young couple had their last argument, and they'll be completely reconciled in the next chapter [starry eyes]. More updates tomorrow! [starry eyes]

I made some significant adjustments to the synopsis of the upcoming story when I was refining the plot. Please check it out and see if you like it! If you do, please give it a like! [heart emoji] Love you all!