How Lilies turn Black Chapter 23 - Silvano Giacone (8)

The car glided smoothly along the pitch-black road, where not even a step ahead was visible. 

 

For a drunk driver, his skills were impressive. 

 

The steering wheel turned effortlessly. The car stayed perfectly within the lanes, driving obediently. 

 

The man was demonstrating driving skills that were even better than hers, and she hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol.  

 

The road ahead had no streetlights, and Lilia wasn’t confident she could drive as well as him to find the motel, wherever it was.  

 

‘I’m not sure if heading to the motel is the right thing to do…’  

 

Inside the car, music filled the awkward silence. 

 

The man hummed along to the song, while Lilia quietly gazed out the window.  

 

“What do you do for a living? Is it okay to ask something like this?”  

 

At the sudden question, Lilia lifted her chin from her hand and turned her head.  

 

He hadn’t asked her name until now, so why was he suddenly curious? Pushing aside her bewilderment, she parted her lips to answer.  

 

“I sing at a bar.”  

 

“Sing?”  

 

The man let out a snort. It didn’t leave much of an impression, as he quickly changed the subject.  

 

“Now that I think about it, you must’ve come from far away. Where are you from?”  

 

“Gilligan. It’s not that far, since it’s in Demercy.”  

 

“Demer?”  

 

Another snort reached her ears. This time, it felt different. The faint narrowing of his eyes and the strange glint she thought she saw couldn’t have been a mistake.  

 

“Nice place to live.”  

 

He chuckled as he spoke. 

 

Was that supposed to be a genuine compliment? She could tell he was being sarcastic, but he acted oblivious and continued humming.  

 

“A guest from Demercy, visiting Silvano…”  

 

Her dry throat swallowed hard. A strange sense of unease washed over her, and she clenched and unclenched her fists.  

 

That’s when he suddenly turned his head toward her.  

 

“By the way.”  

 

“Yes?”  

 

One corner of his lips curled up into a smirk.  

 

“I’m really sorry about this, but I had some beer earlier. I think I’m about to puke.”  

 

“…”  

 

“Can we stop for just a second?”  

 

Lilia bit her lip, momentarily flustered. The sudden request made the atmosphere in the car even more awkward. 

 

But considering he was driving under the influence, it seemed safer to pull over, even if just for a moment.  

 

“Sure, go ahead. Just for a bit,” Lilia replied cautiously.  

 

The man nodded appreciatively and gently steered the car to the side of the road. After parking, he opened the door and stepped out. 

 

Left alone in the car, Lilia took a deep breath and stared out the window. In the darkness, she could faintly make out his silhouette.  

 

While he was gone, a flurry of thoughts crossed her mind. 

 

‘Can I really trust this man?’

 

A chill ran down her spine. Lilia could instinctively sense it—his words weren’t just about taking a quick break.  

 

Yes, now was the time when the hidden agenda beneath that sly, smug face would finally be revealed.  

 

But no matter how much she tried to steel herself, the creeping fear was overwhelming. 

 

Clenching her damp fists tightly, she replied,  “…Take your time.”  

 

She ignored the weight of his gaze on her cheek and the sound of his chuckling.  

 

The car soon came to a stop in a secluded corner of the road, and the man told her to wait for a moment before stepping outside.  

 

‘What is he planning…?’  

 

She clenched and unclenched her pale fists, staring out the window. She could see him trudging through the knee-high grass, swaying as he walked.  

 

Then, his footsteps suddenly halted. When he fumbled with his waistband as if he really intended to relieve himself right there, Lilia quickly lowered her head.  

 

What if she heard something embarrassing?  

 

Desperately bowing her head, she stretched out her arm to turn up the music volume.  

 

~ I’m sorry, so sorry that I was such a fool. I didn’t know, love could be so cruel. ~

 

Brenda Lee’s ‘I’m Sorry’ played sweetly through the speakers.  

 

The sticky melody didn’t suit the tense, pre-storm atmosphere of the moment, only amplifying the sense of danger she felt.  

 

Just as Lilia was biting her lip in frustration—  

 

Thud!

 

A sudden, loud noise shattered the peaceful melody. Startled out of her wits, she let out a scream as soon as she looked up.  

 

“Ahhh!”  

 

The scene before her was horrifying. 

 

The man, who had just been relieving himself, was now standing in front of the car, his hands planted on the hood, his face illuminated by the headlights.  

 

His reflection in the light flashed stark white, like a scene from a horror movie.   Her frozen face turned just as pale.  

 

The man, enjoying her momentary terror, began walking toward the passenger side.

 

“What kind of person is this scared? Haven’t you seen much scarier things in life?”

 

Her heart was pounding, but even in that state, she could tell there was something off about the man’s words.

 

What did he mean by saying she hadn’t seen much scarier things? It didn’t seem like he was simply referring to the unsightly things she might have witnessed while working at a bar.

 

‘What is he trying to say?’

 

As Lilia clutched her racing heart and replayed the conversation in her mind, the man, who had already approached the passenger seat, leaned against the car and began rummaging through his pocket.

 

Soon, a clear sound rang in her ears.

 

Ting!

 

It was the sound of that Zippo lighter she had heard when she first met him.

 

Rolling her eyes to glance outside the car window, all she could see was the man’s hand and a single cigarette held between his fingers.

 

Suddenly, his hand moved toward Lilia, gesturing slightly.

 

“Roll down the window. The air here is amazing. You don’t get to breathe such fresh air in the city, do you?”

 

His voice mumbled from outside the window.

 

Honestly, she thought that even if she rolled down the window, all that would rush into her nose would be the smoke from his cigarette…

 

But Lilia, without retorting, obediently rolled down the window.

 

Cold air brushed her cheeks. 

 

Along with the chilly wind and the acrid smell of cigarette smoke, his hand suddenly reached over the window.

 

“Cigarette?”

 

Lilia gently pushed away the paper pack he offered her.

 

“No, thank you. I’m not a smoker.”

 

As soon as she expressed her refusal, she heard a sharp, mocking laugh. Was she hearing things?

 

Being a non-smoker wasn’t something to be laughed at, so Lilia tried to brush it off as her imagination.

 

But the sarcasm that followed wasn’t something she could easily ignore…

 

“Stop pretending and just do what you usually do. Haven’t we both figured each other out by now?”

 

“…What? What do you mean by pretending?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Silvano grabbed the edge of the window and leaned his head into the passenger seat.

 

“Are you really this clueless?”

 

His curious gaze scrutinized her from every angle. Along with that uncomfortable stare, cigarette smoke wafted into her face, causing Lilia to frown and wave her hand.

 

Unable to bear the mocking tone any longer, the words she had been holding back burst out.

 

“What are you trying to say? That you’re really Silvano Giacone?”

 

“Oh ho.”

 

His eyebrows, hidden beneath his bangs, twitched fluidly. His persistent, pitch-black eyes, which were almost uncomfortably intense, were filled with intrigue.

 

“So that head of yours isn’t completely useless, huh?”

 

“…”  

 

“How did you figure it out? At first, you didn’t even recognize my face.”

 

Yeah, back then, she didn’t know.

 

From Wayne, she had only heard personal opinions about Silvano, but never any description of his appearance.

 

Lilia glared at the inconsiderate man who continued to exhale cigarette smoke, her eyes sharp with irritation.

 

‘What a nuisance.’

 

She reached out, grabbed the ends of his hair, and yanked him sharply toward her. 

 

Then, in a whisper-like tone, she murmured, “You’re not very good at lying, are you? Either you’re careless or just reckless. You should’ve at least put away the shampoo you left in the bathroom before trying to deceive me.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“The scent of shampoo is all over the place.”

 

Close enough to brush her nose.

 

Silvano, who had been abruptly pulled closer, widened his eyes in surprise before lazily drooping the corners of his eyes.

 

His momentary shock at her sudden action didn’t last long.

 

“Get out.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The commanding tone, which even sounded somewhat haughty, left Lilia momentarily dazed. The flustered expression soon returned to her face.

 

His expression shifted in an instant, the smile disappearing as if he had become a completely different person.

 

“I said get out. Don’t make this awkward.”

 

Silvano threw out the chilling words, straightened his back, and stepped away.

 

The threatening shadow looming over her head immediately receded, but Lilia could feel that a more dangerous moment than ever had arrived.

 

With trembling hands, she opened the car door and stepped out onto the overgrown wild grass.

 

It had come. When she hadn’t explicitly mentioned Silvano, she hadn’t felt this much pressure. 

 

But now, the truth she had only vaguely sensed began to tighten its grip on her limbs.

 

Feeling the chill of the biting cold air, she tightened her collar. The man—no, Silvano—stood with his back to her, facing the wind.

 

“…Love is blind, and I was too blind to see…”

 

He hummed the lyrics along with the music leaking from the car.

 

His body swayed to the rhythm as if intoxicated by the music, though, in reality, he likely hadn’t had a drop of alcohol.

 

As the rustling sound of footsteps grew closer, Silvano flicked the cigarette butt into the air and turned to look at her.

 

“What are you doing?”