Chapter 72 The prescription for healing the wounds requires five doses in total; I need to get vaccinated soon…
After dinner, Lilith found herself in bed with Heinrich again. However, she was holding the ledger Heinrich had previously handled in her left hand and a quill pen dipped in red ink in her right, nestled in his arms, "grading his work."
"Was this intentional or accidental?" she asked reproachfully, marking a flawed entry on the paper.
"It was really an accident..." Heinrich opened his eyes wide and pleaded with her, "Master, please don't blame me, okay? I know I was wrong. Anyway, I won't have a chance to settle accounts with you in the future... so please don't blame me."
“Don’t even think about going back on your word. We agreed before, if you find a problem, you’ll get ten lashes later. Let me see, eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf (German: one, two, three, four, five), well, five times in total, which means you’ll get fifty lashes later.” Lilith smugly stroked Heinrich’s chin. “This time I’ll hit you really hard, leave a mark, so that even if you leave me, you won’t forget me.”
"Of course I won't forget you." Heinrich suddenly felt a pang of sadness and quickly hugged the woman in his arms tightly. "After I'm gone... what specific plans do you have?"
“First, I’m going to go to the slave island and buy a new, handsome young slave to replace you and keep me happy.” Lilith said this on purpose to provoke Heinrich, raising her head with a mischievous smile as she awaited his reaction.
“I can’t buy them anymore. I burned the whole island. I sent all the slave traders to hell.” Heinrich said calmly, without changing his expression. “But I released all the slaves and had William pick out a few capable ones for me to recruit. Hannah and the others started working for me from then on. But the reason for attacking there in the first place… was mainly to find you.”
"My goodness, so many people, and you didn't pay a single penny?" Lilith subconsciously calculated the price. "Then you made a fortune."
“No matter how much money you make, you’ll lose it all when you buy me back.” Heinrich poked her cheek. “If only those law enforcement officers could put the energy they use to collect traffic fines into banning the slave trade. It’s illegal, but it’s still rampant behind the scenes. I don’t know when it will end.”
"Yes. When I was locked in the cage, I was thinking, so this is what you've been through. It's awful... I really don't understand how you could fall in love with me after I caused you to experience that kind of thing."
"After all, you didn't want me to become a slave and suffer; you just wanted me to die. It's different."
“Listen to what you’re saying, is that even human?” Lilith sighed, “But anyway, I hate Lorenzo to death. I have to kill him, no question about it. Not only does he have to die, but his bank has to be destroyed, either acquired or simply disappear. But before that, I have two more things to do.”
"Which two things?"
"First, we must clear my name of the charges he brought against me. Do you remember the three charges he leveled against me? Murdering my brother's widow, Maria; murdering my fiancé, you; and setting fire to the Condalini's warehouse."
“You did commit each of these three crimes.”
“Yes, that’s true, but I’ll clear myself of every single one of them. I don’t believe Lorenzo has any substantial evidence. If he did, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to set fire to my house after discovering Tata’s death and losing his only witness. First of all, I want my father to testify for me and vouch for me that Maria’s death has nothing to do with me.”
“That guy…” Heinrich felt a surge of anger at the thought of Lilith’s spineless, sexist father. “How are you going to persuade him?”
“Spending money,” Lilith answered bluntly. “He’s a regular at the casino, just like Mauro. But he’s been living the high life for years, so he has some savings and isn’t going to lose so much that he has to borrow money everywhere. I’m his only daughter now, his thriving cash cow. How could he not protect me? Does he expect Lorenzo to take care of him in his old age?”
“He doesn’t deserve your money, nor does he deserve to be a parent.”
"It's just business, mutually beneficial, no need for sentimentality, I've already come to terms with it. As for the second accusation... Mr. Schmidl, you will testify for me. If you're in a hurry to go back, then let William testify for me. You two brothers won't be going back together, will you?"
“I do intend to leave William here. That way, if something happens to me, at least he will be safe and sound. But I'll have to trouble you to take good care of him for me.”
"Don't worry. You'll be fine, and he'll be fine too. As for the third point, regarding the arson, I'll deny it to the death. If he can produce any solid evidence, I'll pin it all on the deceased Heinrich, saying that it was his own doing and I was completely unaware of it."
“That sounds foolproof.” Heinrich gently squeezed her arm, relaxing the muscles in her hand that she would be wielding the whip in a moment.
"At the same time, I also need to reorganize the bank's operations. Sister Clara was right. This pandemic has actually given my bank a chance to breathe. I need to take advantage of this time to quickly turn over funds to make up for the previous defaults, and also set aside some money for charity and publicity to properly maintain my reputation."
"That will definitely cost a lot of money. I'll send someone to bring you another box of gold coins later."
"Then I'll accept it without ceremony. Hmm... While I'm sorting out the business and clearing his name, I also need to prepare for a counterattack against Lorenzo. If we can find evidence that he was involved in the cause of this war, that would be a solid charge of treason, and he would be hanged in St. Mark's Square. But I haven't decided on the specifics yet."
"Actually...maybe I could stay and keep you company, and help you..."
“No,” Lilith refused. “You’re leaving in a few days.”
"Why?"
“This is my own business. You have your own plans to keep you busy, don’t you? You also want revenge.” Lilith stretched, put the ledger aside, and slowly got up from Heinrich. “Now many people in Venice know that you are still alive, Mr. Schmidl. If you don’t go back soon, Helmut will find out too.”
"but……"
"Heinrich, don't think I'm some delicate baby who can't live without you. Before I met you, I struggled my way up from the slums. You, on the other hand, you'd better watch out. I'll be here waiting for you to come back and see me."
"Are you still willing to see me?" Heinrich suddenly sat up straight, his voice trembling with excitement. "Can I come to see you again in the future?"
"Of course, if you leave earlier, we might be able to spend Christmas together when you come back. Actually, there's another reason: we can only apply to the church to dissolve our marriage after you've legally regained your original identity. You promised me you'd divorce me."
"Okay. I will definitely come back to find you and bring you lots and lots of gifts..."
“Heinrich, what do you think our relationship is now? Lovers, enemies, or friends?” Lilith asked him with a smile.
"The relationship between master and dog." Heinrich said as he obediently knelt before Lilith.
"Pfft. So when you come back you'll be a dog with a title, sounds pretty cool. Alright, now it's time for your punishment." Lilith took a three-finger-wide black silk belt from the wardrobe and gently placed it over Heinrich's eyes to block his vision. She felt his body tremble slightly at her touch. "Heinrich, do you want it?"
"I want it. Please punish me, Master."
"After the punishment, you must behave." Lilith took out a new leather whip that Heinrich had prepared for himself from the wardrobe. "Turn around, count how many times you've been hit, and if you count wrong, you'll have to continue the punishment."
/
The next morning, Heinrich's back, covered in whip marks, was still sore and aching. He had to ask Lilith to apply some ointment so he could continue working that day. Lilith, somewhat embarrassed, helped him apply the ointment, reassuring him that she wouldn't beat him so badly again, even though her own hips were also aching from maintaining the contorted position for so long.
"I'm going to see Cecilia today to discuss my plans and start arranging their implementation. You should also go about your own business. There's definitely a lot to do before the trip, so let's meet again tonight."
"Okay." Heinrich took her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.
Since the family only had one gondola, Heinrich naturally left it to Lilith and walked to meet William. Before leaving, he specifically wrote a letter for Lilith to give to Hannah. Cecilia would be busy with work and wouldn't have time to accompany Lilith all the time, and he couldn't bear to leave Lilith wandering around the city alone. So, in the letter, he instructed Hannah to take direct orders from Lilith from now on and stay by her side to protect her safety.
Since she wanted to use Heinrich's still-living works as evidence to clear her name of murdering her fiancé, Lilith decided to go all out and open her wardrobe to specifically choose a dress of a different color.
But the wardrobe Heinrich had prepared for her, aside from a few white gowns that resembled wedding dresses, was still entirely filled with black dresses. Lilith was once again somewhat worried about his taste. Although she had never worn anything in front of him before, she had quite a few brightly colored and beautiful dresses in her wardrobe before she became a widow. Now she could only reluctantly change into a white dress to go out.
Lilith wondered if Cecilia was fully recovered, and whether she would ask her more questions about Heinrich. She was somewhat troubled, wondering how to confront her. Soon after, the ship docked. Lilith jumped onto the pier and discovered that several large wooden crates were piled up in front of Sophia's house.
"Lily!"
Hearing a loud call, Lilith turned around and saw Sophia and Isolde. She happily ran over and embraced them. They were unaware of what Lilith had been through recently and were quite surprised to see her in a white dress. However, they were too shy to ask, and could only scrutinize her new outfit with meaningful glances.
"You're not planning to get together with that Heinrich...?" It was Isolde who first pointed it out.
“No! Uh… actually, it’s because I just found out my fiancé isn’t dead.” Lilith blushed and frowned, unsure how to explain, but then she noticed Sophia sighing in relief beside her. “But anyway, we’ve discussed it, and he’s decided to break off our engagement. But before that, Isolde, I’d like to ask if you could make some herbal remedies for my burns.”
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Isolde asked with concern.
"No, no, I'm fine. It's for... Mr. Schmidl."
“Mr. Schmidl!” Sofia teased, “When are you going to show us what your fiancé looks like? He doesn’t really look like the man in that portrait, does he?”
“No, not really… but… it’s too complicated. Let’s go inside first. Cecilia doesn’t know either; she’s still staying at your house… for some complicated reasons. Since you’re both here now, let me explain everything to you in detail…”
So Lilith, omitting some business details, presented the three with a basic overview of what had happened over the past two months. Everyone fell silent after hearing it. Sophia frowned deeply, Isolde rubbed her temples, and Cecilia was almost in tears.
"Anyway, I'm back now, unharmed, and back to managing my bank, everything as usual." Lilith smiled awkwardly, unsure how to deal with her friends' complex emotions.
"Don't worry about the herbs, I'll go to the pharmacy to get them in a bit..." Isolde said softly, as if afraid of saying something wrong and upsetting Lilith. "And about Lorenzo's connection to Padua... I have some old acquaintances in Padua, I wonder if I can help find any clues. Actually, Sofia and I came back this time to continue our journey north home. I need to go back to manage the household affairs during the autumn harvest season. Fortunately, the fighting in that area has stopped now, and the trade routes have resumed. I'll definitely inquire about it for you on the way back..."
“Thank you, Isolde.” Lilith solemnly grasped Isolde’s hand, then turned to look at Sophia, who had been silent for a long time, and found that she, along with Cecilia, had begun to cry.
“Lily…you really…have gone through so much.” She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’m honored that my house can be a haven for you during your difficult time. You know, you can always consider this your own home…I brought a lot of fresh vegetables, meat and fruit from the estate in Ferrara. I’ll have the servants prepare a grand dinner to soothe the suffering you’ve endured…If…Mr. Schmidl would like to come, he’s welcome too…”
"No need, I think I'd better..."
Before Lilith could finish speaking, a rapid knocking on the door interrupted her.
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Author's Note: More updates tomorrow.
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