Chapter 91 The Truth About the Divorce (Part 1) [VIP]

Chapter Summary: It's because he has a defect in that area...

"Have you heard? Miss Liliana, that famous banker lady, has divorced Count Schmidl, who was recently awarded a knighthood!"

At a masquerade ball during Venice's spring social season, several masked ladies were gathered in a corner of the banquet hall, whispering amongst themselves.

"What? Divorce? Isn't she a widow?"

"Actually, her husband never died; he just disappeared. Rumor has it that Count Schmidl was actually the squire who used to serve Liliana!"

"Really? The Earl is going to serve a bastard girl?"

"Shh, that's the top banker in the entire Apennine Peninsula! They say she has spies everywhere in Venice. Be careful, she might be here herself!"

"Shouldn't legendary bankers be very busy? They shouldn't have time for socializing."

A woman standing on the periphery of the crowd, wearing a black mask, smiled and echoed. Her mask was decorated with raven feathers, and her red hair, pulled back, was faintly visible beneath her veil. Behind her stood a particularly tall blonde woman, whose entire face was also covered by a mask, and she remained silent.

"Exactly, what's there to be afraid of? Nobody knows who we are. By the way, have you ever met that count? Rumor has it he's somewhat...unremarkable in appearance?"

"That's just rumors spread by jealous men!" someone immediately retorted.

"Exactly, exactly. I met that count once. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and he was very gentle and cultured. His territory was very wealthy, and his family also ran steel and military trade. Such a perfect husband, why would Miss Liliana divorce him?"

"Maybe there's something going on..."

"I heard... it's because he has a defect in that area! It's rumored that the priest was able to declare the marriage annulled because they never had marital relations..."

The girls in the circle seemed to have discovered something incredible, and they all gasped in shock.

"So that's how it is! That explains everything! Liliana runs such a large business, she definitely needs a functional husband to bear her children."

"Oh dear, what a pity... Such a handsome man, what a waste of his good looks and physique."

"No wonder he never accepted anyone else's advances after the divorce. It turns out he was born with a deficiency and was afraid of being laughed at!"

"Hahahaha, that's possible..."

The woman wearing the raven feather mask laughed and echoed her sentiment. But the tall woman standing next to her seemed quite displeased. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, she grabbed the woman's elbow and dragged her into a side aisle.

“Hey! You’re hurting me!” Lilith protested.

The blonde "lady" pulled her into an empty corridor, and only after looking around and seeing that no one was there did she let go of her hand and say:

"Are you really happy listening to them talk about your... ex-husband?"

"Yes, I'm quite happy," Lily readily admitted.

She chuckled mischievously, shaking the fan in her hand, and looked Heinrich in front of her with amusement. His long golden hair was loose under his hat, and his dark blue dress was custom-made to his size, with two bulging cotton pads padded at the chest.

Although he was dressed as a woman, his strong and tall physique made it hard not to doubt his true gender, even with a wig and mask and without speaking, making him seem somewhat incongruous.

Most of the time, he would even deliberately bend his knees and walk in an odd posture in order to make his height appear less conspicuous in a crowd.

This outfit was, of course, a gift from Lilith. Previously, whether to gather information or to conceal her identity, she had dressed as a man and gone out with him many times.

In exchange, Heinrich had never worn a skirt in front of outsiders. Lilith finally managed to persuade him to participate in a role-playing game at the anonymous ball during this social season, after much pleading and cajoling.

“You seem quite happy to hear them say I’m not good-looking and that I have physical defects.” Heinrich said somewhat aggrievedly, “If someone said that to you, I definitely wouldn’t be able to laugh.”

"Why take it so seriously? I know perfectly well that what they're saying isn't true," Lilith teased, adding insult to injury. "Tell me, if they discover your 'true identity,' won't the rumors start saying that Liliana divorced Count Schmidl because she discovered his strange habit of wearing women's clothing?"

“…Compared to me, there’s someone else with real quirks.” Heinrich’s brows furrowed tightly beneath his mask. He regretted agreeing to Lilith’s unreasonable request. “I want to go home.”

"You promised to play with me, and I haven't had enough fun yet..."

"I've been playing here for a long time. It makes me very uncomfortable."

"Oh, stay with me a little longer, you stingy guy!" Lilith grabbed his arm and said in an exaggeratedly coquettish tone, "I want to keep listening to the gossip."

“I have work to do.” Heinrich realized that Lilith showed no empathy for his emotions and felt quite helpless.

"I've already given instructions regarding the bank..."

"It's not a bank matter; it's a matter of the territory. I also have my own things to do."

"..."

Lilith had nothing to say. Heinrich was no longer her slave, no longer her subordinate, and no longer her husband. She no longer had the power to force him to stay with her, nor could she interfere with his actions. But she felt very uncomfortable and had no desire to listen to gossip anymore, so she simply followed Heinrich out of the banquet hall and boarded the small boat for the return journey.

To express her dissatisfaction, she decided not to speak to Heinrich on her way back.

She leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed, deliberately turning her head to look at the river view, as if Heinrich didn't exist. But Heinrich didn't speak to her either. She felt this was very unusual, and couldn't help but peek over, only to find Heinrich reading letters in his leather briefcase by candlelight.

Pretentious!

Lilith was even more displeased. As soon as she got home, she quickly went back to her bedroom and closed the door. Heinrich had his own bedroom next to hers, and he had also already purchased a house in Venice under the Schmidl family name, so even if Lilith turned him away, he wouldn't have to sleep on the streets.

Work is work; everyone has a job. Compared to the vast financial distribution of Knarro Bank across Europe, the meager taxes paid annually by the Schmidl family's small count's estate are pitifully small. To work so hard, neglecting sleep and meals, only proves his incompetence…

Lilith grew angrier the more she thought about it. After removing her makeup and washing up, she changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed. Suddenly, she realized that the other side of the bed was empty, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Noble marriages emphasized etiquette and decorum. Couples would only occasionally consummate their marriages to produce offspring. If they remained intimate at other times, it would be seen as a sign of decadence and debauchery.

But Lilith and Heinrich weren't married, so they could sleep however they wanted, without any rules to restrain them. Lilith had long been used to falling asleep in Heinrich's arms. Now that he was suddenly gone, she couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned in bed for a while, wrapped in the blanket, when she suddenly heard a knock at the hidden door connecting the two bedrooms.

"Lilith, may I come in?" Heinrich's voice was very gentle, as if he realized that he had angered her and was taking the initiative to apologize.

“No,” Lilith refused firmly. “I want to sleep by myself tonight.”

"Are you still angry? Shall I come in and coax you?" Heinrich asked, slightly worried.

"I'm not angry, I don't need to. I'm going to sleep."

“…Alright.” Heinrich paused, then had no choice but to respect her decision. “Well then, good night and sweet dreams. See you tomorrow.”

"good evening!"

Lilith turned away angrily, clutching the blanket, but couldn't help turning back to look at the small door. That small door was never locked; whenever he wanted, he could barge in, pull her into his arms to comfort her, apologize, tell her he was wrong, and then coax her into happiness in his usual way.

But he didn't do that. Heinrich had promised her that he would never force her to do anything against her will again. Since Lilith had said she didn't want to, he wouldn't pester her any longer.

Heinrich's adherence to promises and respect for boundaries both reassured and troubled Lilith.

She recalled when Heinrich was still her subordinate, and when rumors circulated that the success of the Knarro Bank was due to the man behind Liliana, Heinrich keenly sensed her displeasure and voluntarily took a whip and begged her to punish him.

Heh, looking back now, it was just that Heinrich was enduring humiliation for the sake of revenge, and he had to pretend to be obedient and loyal to gain her trust in order to avoid being suspected.

Now that they are no longer bound by worldly contracts, Heinrich is no longer obligated to grovel before her. So he won't go to such lengths for her anymore, right...?

The more Lilith thought about it, the more suffocated she felt. Rationally, she knew that she wanted to develop a free and equal relationship with Heinrich, so that they could most effectively help each other and grow into more mature and capable adults together.

But emotionally, she couldn't figure out what she really wanted.

On one hand, she wanted Heinrich to obey her commands like a slave, to sacrifice his own interests for her unconditional love. On the other hand, she also hoped that he could sometimes be a little more forceful, to express his desire for her more forcefully, forcing her to apologize to him, to admit her mistakes, even if she felt embarrassed…

He probably wanted to hug her too. He could have easily come in…

Lilith couldn't fall asleep any longer. She hated the feeling of lying in bed, anxiously wasting time. So she simply turned on the light, got up, sat at her desk, and started working, trying to make herself sleepy and stop thinking about Heinrich...

The next morning, Heinrich waited for her for a long time in the downstairs restaurant, but Lilith didn't come down for breakfast after washing up. He hadn't slept well the night before either, partly because of the busy affairs of the territory, and partly because of Lilith's absence.

He knew she was definitely angry because he asked to leave the ball, but he still didn't think he had done anything wrong.

Lilith was tall for a woman in Venice, so she didn't look too out of place in men's clothing. But for him to wear a skirt, it would be one thing if it were just for her to see at home, but in front of so many outsiders, he felt like he was in a strange situation where he was being watched and entertained, making him extremely uncomfortable.

He didn't want to hear the rumors about him behind his back, and Lilith's attitude broke his heart even more. What kind of person was he in her eyes? Just an object that could be casually evaluated and ridiculed by others?

She once said she loved him, but why would someone who loves another person only care about their own joys and sorrows, and completely disregard the feelings of their lover?

He had clearly made concessions last night, but Lilith showed no intention of accepting his kindness.

Heinrich was getting impatient. But out of love for Lilith, he patiently went to her bedroom door to wait for her. He knocked, and the maid opened the door, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Is Miss awake? I've been waiting for her at the restaurant," he asked.

"Miss left very early today," the maid replied blankly. "She already had breakfast in her room."

[Author's Note]

You didn't expect this, did you? I suddenly came back to life!

I recently managed to steal a moment from my busy schedule to write a short side story about a young couple having a fight and then making up. It has three chapters in total, and I'll continue updating tomorrow.

Because I've been stuck on the completed series list, I haven't been able to release paid side stories, so I can only release bonus side stories!

All subsequent side stories will be fan service stories!

Because I'm currently very busy, I probably won't be starting any new stories for the next few months. I'll continue updating this side story when I have time.