Chapter 39 The Wolf's Snacks: Training the Wolf and the Dog Together
Heinrich stood frozen, unable to believe what he was seeing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but then he heard the sounds of wild animals tearing and eating inside the carriage. Was Lilith still in this carriage? She couldn't have already…
Thinking of this, Heinrich's heart tightened, and tears uncontrollably streamed down his face. He couldn't explain why he was crying. The helpless, bitter smile Lilith had forced when they parted flashed through his mind. Could it be that Lilith already knew her physical condition prevented her from leaving the forest, and that she had sent him off alone with the supplies to find help because she didn't want to hold him back—in reality, she was prepared to sacrifice herself?
Heinrich suddenly realized that although Lilith had murdered her fiancé, whom she had never met, although she had colluded with her father's killer, and although she ruthlessly eliminated every obstacle that posed a threat to her, she was also incredibly dedicated and devoted to every subordinate, partner, and even client, striving to protect their rights and ensure they suffered no injustice. Despite her some rather peculiar little quirks, Heinrich didn't find them offensive or dislike them at all.
Instead, he himself, while secretly carrying out his revenge plan behind Lilith's back, was also secretly enjoying the time he spent with her. Even if we take a step back, in the end, he never intended for Lilith to die. He simply wanted her to experience the pain he had felt, to realize the error of indiscriminate killing—but if she died, then everything would end. Heinrich would never have his wish fulfilled.
Just a day earlier, Lilith had been lazily lying in his bed, hugging the rabbit doll he had given her to greet the dawn. This rescue mission was a colossal mistake. They should have backed down when the mad beggar made his prophecy; perhaps Lilith could have escaped this fate instead of being brutally devoured by a pack of wild beasts, her body not even preserved.
Heinrich's crying grew increasingly uncontrollable, until finally he sat on the ground and wailed like a child. He recalled Lilith's mischievous smile, and the unique playfulness of her Italian accent when she uttered his name echoed in his ears. Heinrich, Heinrich… the voice was so real, as if she were right beside him, until he heard a furious shout.
"Hey! Heinrich! I'm talking to you!"
Heinrich looked up and saw Lilith lift the curtain of the carriage and peek out. In her hand she held a bloody human hand that had been bitten in half, a gray-yellow wolf was obediently accepting her feeding like a puppy at her feet, and another wolf, having eaten and drunk its fill, lay docilely on her lap, accepting her petting and affection.
"You didn't think I was eaten by wolves, did you?" Lilith laughed smugly. "Actually, they're very well-behaved, even more so than you."
"..." Heinrich silently wiped away his tears, feeling frustrated by his overactive thoughts just now. "I'm glad you're alright."
“I’m also very happy to see you back to me safe and sound. What’s wrong? You look so pitiful. Come here, let me wipe your eyes for you.” Lilith smiled and beckoned with her finger. Heinrich had no choice but to obediently move forward and kneel down beside Lilith, squeezing between the two wolves.
“Look, I’ve brought you horses, and I’m about to take you to a safe place to rest.” Heinrich shook the reins in his hand. “But you said the wolves outside are more docile than I am.”
“Why bother with them?” Lilith tore off a precious piece of clean gauze and carefully wiped the tears from Heinrich’s face. “I had terrible menstrual cramps last night, and I fainted several times from the pain. When I woke up, I found this she-wolf snuggling into my arms to keep me warm, as if she could sense my pain. Once I regained my strength, I used my dagger to cut some snacks to feed them.”
“Snacks…?” Heinrich looked at the half-eaten human hand.
"Those corpses lying outside. They could eat on their own, but they seem to really enjoy being around people. Isn't that right, Lina?"
Lilith rubbed the wolf lying on her, and it wagged its tail and squinted its eyes happily. The other wolf curiously approached Heinrich and sniffed his scent, only to be shooed away by Heinrich in disgust.
"Lina...?"
“After all, she’s the wolf that saved my life, so giving her a name isn’t a bad thing, is it?” Lilith noticed Heinrich’s unfriendly little gesture. “You two should get along harmoniously and not compete or be jealous.”
"……knew."
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Tell me where this horse came from, and where you're taking me?"
Heinrich recounted the events to Lilith almost verbatim: the eerie castle, the strange maid, the embarrassment of being mistaken for someone else, the helplessness of being drugged, the back-and-forth maneuvering and insincere promises with Isolde. Afterward, Heinrich felt somewhat guilty. He had said such ambiguous things to another person; would Lilith be angry? He quietly awaited Lilith's decision on the next steps.
“So, she’s a wealthy lady of the house, and a widow. That’s wonderful, she’s exactly the kind of client we need for our savings business.” Lilith’s eyes lit up.
“But don’t you think there’s something strange about her castle…? I saw a huge cauldron in her tower with a green magic potion inside, and countless herbs and solutions of unknown composition in the cupboard. I still don’t know what she gave me. Maybe she really is a witch.” Heinrich was worried that Lilith might have missed the point.
“That’s wonderful. Ever since I was labeled a witch, I’ve wanted to meet a real witch, learn from her, and befriend her. Do you remember what Maria said when she last visited me? She said she had found a herbalist who prescribed her an abortion. Putting drugs in almond cookies might have been a trick taught to her by a witch.”
"But this witch... insists that I am her first love. What should I do?"
“If we can help her shatter her illusions, it will be a favor to her. It will make our borrowing of her horses, accepting her hospitality, and later asking her to lead us out of the forest worthwhile. Let me handle her. You keep acting and don’t worry too much.”
What are your plans?
"Let's go and rest for a while, and take it one step at a time. Even a witch's lair is better than a forest teeming with bandits. We don't have a better option right now."
"Yes, ma'am."
"However, as your boss and hostess, I still have to remind you, Heinrich, although I know you only said those deceitful things to appease her, the most important thing in our line of work is building trust... especially with potential clients. Remember, never make promises you can't keep again. If you lie too much, no one will trust you anymore, and who will entrust their funds to someone they can't trust? Unless you're absolutely certain they're going to kill you to cover it up, then that's a different story..."
"……I see."
"However, when dealing with such a strange person... a few harmless white lies can indeed make things go more smoothly. So I appeared in front of her as a man to avoid her misunderstanding our relationship."
Heinrich responded by pulling a clean set of men's clothing from the bag that Isolde had prepared for him.
“Perfect. Then you go out for a bit, I'll change my clothes, and then we'll set off.”
"Don't they need to go out?" Heinrich glanced at the wolf in Lilith's arms.
“We need to discuss the next steps further,” Lilith said, holding Lina tightly in her arms. “We need to discuss whether she would like to come home with me.”
After a while, Lilith dressed in men's clothing and used blood-stained gauze to disguise her leg injury. This would make Heinrich's lie believable and also make it easier for Lilith to get more gauze to clean up the menstrual blood.
"How did the discussion go?"
“She said she wanted to stay in this forest with her family.” Lilith pointed to the few wolf cubs that Heinrich had just chased aside and praised them earnestly, “She is a wonderful mother, and I respect her choice.”
Heinrich took a deep breath, took the hair tie from Lilith's hand, and tied her long hair up high. Italian aristocratic men paid attention to their appearance, and many wore long hair; Lilith's rival and suitor, Lorenzo, was one of them. Lilith's makeup had long been washed away by the rain, and with her dusty face and dirty hair, her disheveled appearance gave her a somewhat androgynous air.
"Would you like me to carry you onto the horse?"
“No need, I’ve learned to ride horses.” Lilith waved her hand, gripped the reins and the horse’s mane as she had practiced before, and was about to step on the stirrups and straddle the horse when suddenly another wave of pain hit her in the abdomen, making her curl up like a shrimp and almost fall off the horse again.
"Does it still hurt?"
"You'll know how painful it is once you experience it yourself." Lilith rubbed her stomach and curled up into a ball on the horse.
Heinrich sighed, took the reins from Lilith's hand, adjusted the stirrups, and mounted his horse, letting Lilith sit behind him. Lilith had to cling tightly to Heinrich's waist, leaning against his back. She had hugged Heinrich many times before, but this was the first time they had been so close together for so long. Lilith found Heinrich's waist and back hard to the touch, not very comfortable to hold, much less pleasant than the wolf she had played with earlier.
By the time they arrived at the castle, it was already bright, but the sun was obscured by thick clouds, and the sky remained a gloomy gray. The maid, Hilde, opened the castle's old gates for them. To be thorough, Lilith gathered a branch from the woods and had Heinrich whittle it into a stick, which she used as a crutch to hobble towards the castle gates.
"Welcome back. Madam is waiting for you in the drawing room. This must be Mr. Lorenzo."
Lilith frowned. Apart from "Madam" and "Mr. Lorenzo," she didn't understand a single word, but she heard Heinrich talking to the maid very naturally.
“Yes. Thanks to your concern, Madam, he is much better.” He realized something was wrong after he finished speaking, but it was too late. He could only try to change the subject to make up for Lilith’s silence. “Mr. Lorenzo is from Venice and doesn’t understand German. I will translate for him.”
“No need.” The maid gave Lilith a cold look, then immediately switched to Italian. “Come with me.”
The maid led the two through a dimly lit corridor deeper into the castle. Lilith deliberately walked slowly, tugging at Heinrich's sleeve and giving him a look full of doubt and dissatisfaction. Although she didn't speak, Heinrich somehow understood Lilith's meaning:
"You used to speak German, why didn't you tell me?"
"This is not the time to talk about this." Heinrich didn't speak, but sent Lilith an emoji, hoping she would understand.
"Why do you call me Lorenzo?!" Lilith continued, giving him an indignant look.
"We'll talk about it later." Heinrich took a deep breath and subtly raised his right hand, making a pushing gesture.
The maid led them into a dilapidated drawing room. In the center of the room stood a large portrait of a bald, stern-faced old man with a full white beard. Isolde sat on the sofa before the portrait, looking uncomfortably as if constantly watched by the man in the painting. A sorrowful expression appeared on her face when she saw Heinrich and Lilith approaching.
“Tristan,” she said quietly to Heinrich in German, “this Mr. Lorenzo you’re talking about is actually a lady, isn’t he? I saw a woman’s comb in your bag, and… this.”
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Author's Note: Comments are now open! Please feel free to comment! Love you all!
The next few chapters are going to be really exciting! I'm so excited!
I'll continue updating tomorrow!
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