Chapter 67 A Dream Destined to End: I want you, right now...
Heinrich carefully handed a glass of white wine to Lilith, who was half-reclining on the bed, to help her stay hydrated. She was wearing the same white silk nightgown she had worn once before; the fabric barely covered her body, but pink hickeys and bite marks were still visible on her neck and behind her ears.
She clutched the blanket, staring blankly at Heinrich, the man who had caused all this; his condition was far worse than hers. His back, already crisscrossed with knife scars and burns, was now covered with scratches left by his ingrown fingernails. Yet he seemed to revel in it. This wasn't the first time she had left painful marks on him; he had long since grown accustomed to feeling love even in pain.
“I promised I wouldn’t hurt you, but I still did.” Heinrich took the empty glass from her and placed it on the bedside table, then gently lifted Lilith into his arms and laid her on the sofa beside him. “I’m sorry, Lilith, you’re so beautiful, so lovely. I never thought I’d have the chance to do something like this with you… It was my first time, and I was inexperienced… I didn’t control myself well…”
Lilith cupped his face and planted a kiss on it. She was still somewhat dazed; the overwhelming pleasure had long since overshadowed the negligible pain. She sat blankly on the sofa watching Heinrich move the blankets aside, collect the wet sheets, and replace them with clean ones.
After he changed, Lilith beckoned him closer with her finger, then suddenly threw herself into his arms and nestled against his chest. His scent made her feel safe and secure.
"What's wrong? Does it still hurt?" Heinrich frowned with great concern.
"Actually, it's okay, it doesn't hurt much... Haven't I said it many times before? I'm very happy. And compared to the scars I left on you, this is nothing at all."
"But you don't need to do these things for me..."
“Heinrich, I’ve realized you really can’t understand human language. You’ve been by my side for so long, and you still can’t understand Italian? I’ve said it so many times, this is what I wanted. I wanted to try, I’ve wanted it for a long time… It was such a hard-won opportunity, thank goodness you’re still alive.”
Lilith turned and pinned him down, a wicked smile spreading across her face. Though she spoke words of reproach, she secretly relished seeing Heinrich's anxious and insecure demeanor in her presence. It made her feel that no matter his status—slave, fiancé, ally, or enemy—his heart was firmly in her grasp, and he would obey her every command.
"You said you were going to bring me back and talk to me... What did you originally plan to talk to me about? To confront me about how you'd been lying to me for half a year, and to stay by my side playing a master-servant game with me?" She nestled in Heinrich's arms, finding a comfortable position.
“I originally hoped you would never know any of this. Because you once considered me an important friend and a trusted partner, but now… I’ve become like this, like a monster. You always said I was very handsome…” As he spoke, Heinrich began to cry again. He turned his face away, still not daring to let her see his scars. “I even tried to force you to marry me without telling you, I really…”
“Heinrich,” Lilith wiped away his tears with her wide sleeve, “but you’ve decided to let go now, haven’t you…? Actually, I still don’t fully understand why you didn’t do it, even though you knew all along that I almost killed you, and you had so many opportunities to kill me later.”
"There are two reasons. The first reason is that when I decided to take revenge on you, you told me that marriage was more terrifying than death for you... So I thought... perhaps taking revenge in this way would be more cruel."
"How wicked you are." Lilith reached out and symbolically grabbed his neck with both hands. "William told me before that you used to be a very, very good person. How could you have such malicious thoughts?"
“Isn’t that what I learned from you, madam? You’re much worse than me.” Heinrich grasped her hand with a pitiful expression. “And another reason is… I like you, Lilith, I like you so much. I’ve never met such a smart, capable, brave, and wonderful girl. And you’re so beautiful, and so good to me…”
"Because you lied to me. I didn't know you were my fiancé back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so good to you. I would have tried every means to get rid of you."
“Lilith,” Heinrich held her hands tightly, looking directly into his eyes, “if you still want me to die now, I’ll be willing to die for you.”
"No, Heinrich, don't say that again!" She suddenly pinched his unharmed cheek hard, angrily scolding him, "I don't want you to die. I miss you..."
"Stay by my side forever." Lilith didn't say the last half of the sentence, but simply hugged him tightly. She didn't want Heinrich, who had been her slave and obeyed her every word, to leave her, but that wasn't the real him. His true identity was the heir to the Schmidl family title.
Even after breaking off their engagement, there was absolutely no reason for him to remain by her side as a subordinate. A man of his status would surely seek a wife of equal social standing to continue his family's glory. But…
She looked into Heinrich's eyes. Those teary blue eyes were overflowing with love and adoration, as if she were the reason he continued to live, as if she were his everything. But he would eventually come to his senses; he could have been a high-ranking nobleman, even keeping several mistresses besides his wife. Which nobleman didn't do that?
He had absolutely no reason to feel inferior because of his scars. Even with half his face disfigured, Heinrich was far more handsome than those overweight or unattractive men who were brimming with confidence… at least that's what Lilith thought. Besides, he had those scars because he saved her. If anyone dared to criticize him because of his scars, Lilith would absolutely not let them get away with it…
But what power or standing did she have to defend Heinrich? She was no longer his wife, nor his mistress. Yet, given his deep affection for her, might he continue these acts with her even after marrying someone else? But would that truly be right?
She didn't want to share Heinrich's body with another woman. No, absolutely not. It would be terrible for both Lilith and Heinrich's future wife, especially unfair to the latter, almost exploitative. Therefore, she and Heinrich had to separate. Since he had agreed not to insist on marrying her and didn't intend to pursue the past, could their grievances end there, wiped clean, and they could each live their own lives without ever interfering with each other again?
But… Lilith felt her heart screaming for help in her chest. It was beating so fast that Lilith couldn't ignore its presence and could only cling tightly to Heinrich's chest, tears streaming down her face helplessly. The hot tears smeared against his chest, and only then did Heinrich notice that Lilith was crying again. He quickly cupped her face and kissed her cheeks repeatedly, frantically patting the back of her head and gently patting her back.
"What's wrong? Lilith... my Lilith... my darling... my mistress..." Heinrich asked her in a panic, "Did I do something wrong again to upset you?"
“No… Heinrich, you’re very good…” Lilith sobbed against his chest. The thought that this broad chest would no longer belong to her filled her with resentment, anger, and sadness. It was like having her favorite toy, which she had made herself as a child, taken away by someone else. Even if she made a new one, it wouldn’t be the same; the old one would never come back.
Moreover, Heinrich was far more complex than a toy. She belatedly realized that Heinrich's exceptional talent and remarkable learning ability weren't solely due to his innate genius; behind it lay the excellent education and intensive cultivation he had received as the heir to the family title. This was why Lilith found working with him so enjoyable—his knowledge far exceeded what an ordinary slave could possibly have access to. There was also their serendipitous encounter, the night he was wantonly humiliated by her as a slave, his complex feelings of love and hate for her, their shared struggles, and his secretly growing obsession and ambition… all of this combined to create the Heinrich she knew—the unique Heinrich. She simply loved this Heinrich.
But hadn't he done so many things detrimental to her as well? Her previous suspicions weren't unfounded. He had indeed deliberately given her bad advice to put her under greater risks, had indeed sabotaged her bank's development in secret, and had even planned revenge against her, albeit in a way that Lilith herself hadn't expected but which was undeniably effective. It was hard for Lilith to say whether she could still trust Heinrich as before after all that had happened. Thinking about it that way, separation wasn't such a bad thing after all, was it?
No, no, no! She cried silently in her heart, her sobs growing louder. She just didn't want to leave him. She had already lost him once, and she never wanted to leave him again. She didn't want to get married; she just wanted to keep him by her side, to continue being her slave, her subordinate, her obedient dog, serving her, pleasing her, and submitting to her…
But if he did that, he wouldn't be able to continue his own business and achieve the goals he wanted to achieve... Although Lilith didn't know exactly what he had done behind her back, she could imagine that it must have been very important to him, just like her bank...
Moreover, Heinrich is fundamentally impossible to confine, isn't he? Just as she would do everything in her power to resist when Heinrich imprisoned her, didn't Heinrich also secretly cultivate his own power when she treated him as a slave? Neither of them could truly restrain the other's movements. Heinrich had already realized this, and Lilith was well aware of it as well, but emotionally unwilling to admit it.
She was now unsure whether she should invite Heinrich to do that embarrassing thing with her again. Although Heinrich was clearly enjoying it, he had finally come to the point of letting go, and wasn't this just dragging him back into this quagmire? What were they supposed to do next?
She didn't know, she had absolutely no idea what to do. Lilith cried helplessly, pleading for help as she exchanged a soft, deep kiss with Heinrich. She now knew there was a way to feel a little better, a way to soothe her broken heart. Let the dream continue a little longer, even though she knew they were destined to wake up.
"Heinrich, I want you, right now..."
“But just now…” Heinrich asked with some concern.
“I want it! I want it! I want it now! Give it to me, Heinrich, this is an order, I want you,” Lilith screamed hysterically.
"Yes, madam."
Heinrich responded softly, leaning down to kiss her lips again. Just as they were about to continue, they heard a knock at the door. They then remembered that the doctor they had sent to Sophia's house should be returning soon. Lilith, somewhat embarrassed, pushed him away, watching Heinrich hurriedly dress, put on a mask, and take the money downstairs.
Lilith quickly put on her dress and went downstairs, leaning against the stairwell to listen to their conversation. Fortunately, the doctor said Cecilia was just exhausted from the journey and emotionally drained by the bad news, which was why she started coughing. She hadn't contracted the terrible plague and would recover after a period of isolation and rest. After paying for the doctor's visit and medicine, Heinrich instructed him to send a message to William, and to send a capable maid with plenty of food to Sophia's house to take care of them. He also told Cecilia not to forget to tell her that her mistress was doing well and not to worry.
After he finished dealing with these things, he turned around and found Lilith standing behind him, her hair disheveled and wearing a nightgown. He noticed she was barefoot—it was his oversight that he hadn't prepared comfortable shoes for her to wear at home. He quickly bent down, picked Lilith up, and carried her up the stairs.
"Once Cecilia recovers, shall we bring her over?" Lilith asked.
“Of course, this is your house, you can do whatever you want with it. Cecilia will always come back to take care of you.” Heinrich adjusted Lilith’s position in his arms. “But before that… are you still willing to continue what we just didn’t finish?”
“Yes, Heinrich,” Lilith replied with a sweet smile, “Now no one will bother us.”
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Author's Note: More updates tomorrow!!!
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