Chapter 45 Madam Ye, Sleeping in the Same Bed but Dreaming Different Dreams!! This is inappropriate!!! ...
If Heinrich had a slight moral doubt about the legitimacy of revenge earlier because of Lilith's "repentance," then at this moment, all his doubts and guilt had vanished.
This was originally a dish he often ate at festival banquets in his hometown. Freshly fried, the skin was crispy and fragrant, and the meat was tender and juicy. It was even more refreshing and less greasy when eaten with pickled cabbage. However, the fried pork knuckle that had cooled down had a hard outer shell, and the fat had congealed into a greasy white paste, making it taste like chewing wax.
Those lofty goals and ideals, those great and beautiful visions, were irrelevant to Heinrich because of his male identity.
No, actually, Lilith didn't treat him as a man. He was treated a level higher than any "man" in Lilith's eyes; he was her dog.
A dog that teases and coaxes him when he's happy, guards the house when he's in danger, and beats and scolds him when he's angry. Lilith teases him, uses him, and humiliates him without restraint, taking pleasure in his suffering. Whether it's for revenge or out of some unrequited love he dares not admit, Heinrich can endure it nine times out of ten, but there will always be one time when he simply can't bear it anymore.
He also wanted to be treated by Lilith as a human being, not a dog without dignity. Therefore, he had to carry out his plan, even if it went against the moral principles he had once been proud of.
"I won't eat it, thank you for your kindness." Heinrich took a deep breath.
"Why?" Lilith frowned.
“I can’t bite it. My teeth aren’t that strong. Besides, I have work to do. We’ve finally reached a town with a post office, and I need to follow up with our partners in Venice, Elena, and Zurich as soon as possible about our impending delay. I have at least five or six letters to write. It’s getting late, and I want to leave work early to write those letters.”
With that, Heinrich glanced coldly at the plate of meat on the floor, walked to the desk without turning around, tidied up the jewelry, belt and hairband that Lilith had casually tossed on the desk when she returned, and placed them on the corner of the desk. He then took out paper and pen from his bag and began to work.
Lilith sat speechless on the bed. This was the first time since she bought this slave that she felt a tightness in her chest while being with him. What she hated most was that she couldn't refute his official-sounding words at all, because it perfectly matched the work attitude Lilith demanded of him.
What went wrong? Didn't he used to like being treated like this? Lilith was completely puzzled.
To her, this was a reward. But humans and dogs are different, and sometimes she couldn't understand what Heinrich was thinking. However, given his recent good behavior, she didn't want him to feel truly frustrated, yet she couldn't resist the urge to retaliate. What should she do?
“Not bad,” Lilith praised, winking. “Heinrich, you’ve done very well, very well. I’ll give you new tasks after you finish these.”
She got out of bed, took a change of clothes from her suitcase, and casually walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
After Heinrich finished his work, Lilith was already in bed, wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep. Ever since their last hotel stay was disrupted by intruders, Lilith had instructed Heinrich to only book one double room. So, after taking a shower, Heinrich changed into his pajamas and headed to his bed. At that moment, Lilith suddenly opened her eyes.
"Come here." She smiled and beckoned to him.
"What's wrong?" Heinrich frowned and walked to her bedside.
“Sit down.” Lilith tugged at his clothes, gesturing for him to sit on the edge of the bed.
As soon as Heinrich sat down, Lilith grabbed his collar and pulled him back, causing him to fall onto Lilith's bed, where she wrapped him in a blanket.
"It's so cold in the room, come sleep with me." Lilith smiled and snuggled into Heinrich's arms, where his broad chest felt warm.
"Madam!! This is inappropriate!!!"
Heinrich was startled, his face instantly turning bright red with embarrassment. He hurriedly tried to break free, but his hand accidentally touched something soft, causing him to scream again in fright.
“I’m the mistress, you have to listen to me. What I say is appropriate is appropriate.” Lilith smiled triumphantly and commanded, “It’s not like you haven’t hugged me before, what’s there to be shy about? It’s just for warmth, just sleep like this.”
“No, madam. For the sake of your chastity and reputation, I cannot do this. Even if you only want to keep warm... outsiders will misunderstand you.”
"Do you think we wouldn't be misunderstood if I took you on a trip, disappeared into the forest for a few days, and then only shared a room when we came out? Maybe by the time we get back to Venice, we'll be known as a notorious adulterous couple," Lilith teased him with a laugh. "But I still brought you along because I don't care about the gossip. What successful person doesn't have a few affairs behind their back? Besides, I'm not really going to do anything to you. Don't worry, I have absolutely no interest in that kind of thing. If you really don't want to, then forget it."
"Madam...I..." Heinrich panicked, trying to persuade her again. Her soft, rose-scented skin pressed tightly against him; he couldn't possibly sleep. Lilith was drawing him in with her physical presence. Was she oblivious to her own allure, or was she deliberately tormenting him?
"See, you didn't object, did you?"
Lilith raised her hand with satisfaction, gently stroking Heinrich's blond hair that fell across his forehead, gazing into his blue eyes that sparkled like crystal in the moonlight. Then she took one of Heinrich's arms, closed her eyes nonchalantly, and revealed a smug smile.
"Good night, Heinrich. We have to travel tomorrow morning."
Heinrich barely slept a wink that night. But the next morning, he still had to get up even earlier than Lilith to go to the post office to mail a letter and then double-check that the two of them had prepared the supplies needed to cross the Alps.
The Sprügen Pass is a narrow, winding path carved out by the ancient Romans in the Alps. Located on the Swiss Plateau, the mountain road is quite treacherous, and even in mid-May, the wind is still biting cold. The green mountains are covered with fine, sugar-like snow, and from the mountainside, one can see tranquil, sapphire-blue lakes in the distance.
"Heinrich, the lake here is so blue, just like your beautiful eyes~"
Lilith was wrapped in a thick wool coat, with a fox fur scarf around her neck and custom-made lambskin gloves on her hands. Even so, she was still shivering from the cold.
She turned to look at Heinrich, who was standing guard behind her. Although he seemed exhausted from the previous night's events, the cold wind seemed to have roused him. His snow-white skin flushed slightly at Lilith's words, revealing a shy smile. He only showed this expression when he was alone with Lilith. At other times, he stood behind her expressionlessly, his wary gaze scanning every man who approached her.
In a small town at the foot of the mountain pass, they met merchants traveling from the Italian border to Germany and formed a group to travel together. Lilith no longer concealed her identity in front of potential clients, enthusiastically introducing them to the currency exchange and credit services of the Knarro Bank.
Some businessmen, having heard of the Knarro and Schmidl families' businesses, showed interest in the emerging venture, while others scoffed at the woman's words but refrained from saying anything harsh outwardly due to Heinrich's death stare. Lilith was indifferent to the behind-the-scenes mockery and ridicule, finding joy only in the new clients she acquired. She occasionally recalled her Aunt Elena's words: no matter how much you dislike men, you must strive to earn their money into your own pocket.
The journey was arduous, and they had no chance to stay in decent hotels. Most of the time, they had to make do with a night in a simple inn or monastery. Some bedrooms did not have fireplaces, and the air was extremely cold at night. Lilith then naturally asked Heinrich to lie with her every night.
Heinrich's initial excitement and embarrassment turned into a subtle, indescribable sadness—he realized their trip was nearing its end. Once in Zurich, Lilith, as Heinrich Schmidl's widow, would naturally not share a bed with such lowly servants, lest she leave the Schmidl family representatives with a bad impression of infidelity. Heinrich couldn't sleep again; he stared motionless at Lilith's face in the moonlight all night long.
Lying beside him, Lilith was not the fiancée he had imagined. Her behavior, both in motive and substance, possessed a strange, utilitarian openness, seemingly unrelated to love; nor was she the mistress he knew, for she was no longer so aloof, no longer trampling on him, no longer despising him; she wasn't even his enemy. They gazed at each other calmly, blankly, like friends. But such days would likely never return.
Although Switzerland is located on a high plateau with a cold climate, the weather was fortunately good these past few days, with no snow. They arrived in Zurich on horseback after a week's journey, two days later than originally planned. Upon entering the city, Lilith asked for directions everywhere and went straight to her hotel to check in and rest. Unsurprisingly, they each stayed in separate rooms. Lilith moved into the deluxe suite reserved for VIPs, while Heinrich carried his luggage into the servants' quarters.
Before heading to the restaurant, Lilith slipped a few silver coins into the hands of the waiter, asking him to deliver a message to the Schmidl family's ambassador. At this point, their meager travel funds were almost entirely exhausted. Fortunately, they still had drafts, which could be cashed directly from Elena's agent, serving as initial capital for opening a branch and as a lubricant for cultivating connections with the locals.
Heinrich was packing his luggage in his room. They would be staying in Zurich for a while, so he planned to unpack everything from his suitcase. This wasn't his first time here. He had stopped in Zurich on his way from home to Venice to fetch his bride. At that time, the Schmidl family's representative in Zurich had gone on a trip to celebrate his daughter's birthday, who was married and living in Burgundy, so Heinrich hadn't met him then, and he didn't have to worry about being recognized now.
But he still needed to be careful. It would be terrible if some malicious passerby remembered his appearance and exposed his identity. Just to be safe, he took out a long black handkerchief from his bundle to cover his face.
He recalled the grand procession of the Schmidl family four months earlier when they set off to fetch the bride, the lavish gifts and extravagant display—not only to show their sincerity to the Knarök family, but also to display the lord's wealth and prestige to the crowd. The spirited Heinrich had spent lavishly in several fabric and jewelry shops in Zurich as gifts for his servants. Now, revisiting this place, everything had changed.
Suddenly, he heard Lilith's laughter outside the window. He instinctively went to the window and, through the crack, saw that Lilith had changed into a well-fitting black dress, wore a black veil, and had her red hair flowing freely, elegantly greeting a middle-aged man. Heinrich looked closer—it was Pascal Schmidl, one of Heinrich's uncle Helmut's trusted retainers.
Why is he here? How could it be him?!
Heinrich immediately pictured Helmut's face—that treacherous man who killed Heinrich's father, married his mother, seized the Schmidl family's assets, and conspired with Lilith to cause Heinrich to lose his family, his wealth, his bright future, and everything else.
Now, he has driven out his original agent from Zurich and sent his own men to usurp Lilith's place, infiltrating his influence into every sphere of family power. Thinking of this, Heinrich felt an indescribable nausea.
All he could do now was to continue helping Lilith complete the tasks she assigned, just as he had done over the past month, and then use the spare time he could squeeze out to continue communicating with his true allies. Since the great upheaval he had experienced, Heinrich was no longer the naive boy who would readily trust anyone. But his allies shared common interests and goals with him, and like Lilith, they were forces he could now utilize.
"Heinrich, what are you still in there for? Come out now!"
Lilith's voice came from outside the door. Heinrich frowned and rushed to the door, locking it.
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Author's Note: I had so much fun writing these chapters! [kissing emoji] I was completely immersed in my art and couldn't tear myself away. I've been incredibly busy these past few days, but I'll get back to writing as soon as I have a little free time.
Next update on Friday, love you all! [heart]
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