How Lilies turn Black Chapter 26 - Silvano Giacone (11)  

 

“…Theodoro Benedetti?”  

 

Muttering in a voice barely above a whisper, as if agreeing with himself, he stood up from pinning Liliana down and knelt with a hollow expression.  

 

A gust of wind swept between them, tousling his messy bangs.  

 

“The world’s gone mad, just like that,” Silvano said, brushing aside his unruly hair and licking his dry lips.  

 

At that moment, his eyes gleamed sharply. He was likely running through countless calculations while pretending to be calm.  

 

Liliana, struggling to sit up as a chill swept over her, faced him.  

 

“I’m going to make the owner of that place the new boss of the Benedetti family. Ridiculous, right? As you said, I’m weaker than a newborn puppy.”  

 

“You know it—”  

 

“That’s why I need your strength. We have to fight, and before that, we have to survive.”  

 

Wayne had once told her something about Silvano. He was an unusual man in many ways, but one of his most peculiar traits was…  

 

“He’s obsessed with desecrating corpses after death. He doesn’t seem to take much pleasure in others’ suffering, though.”  

 

‘Why would he do such a thing? To corpses whose lives had already ended.’  

 

Perhaps it was just a psychopathic act of cruelty, without any deeper meaning. It might have been nothing more than a way to vent his anger.  

 

Without being able to peer into his mind, there was no way to know his exact reasons or motives. 

 

But Liliana suspected his actions stemmed from a desperate need for recognition and attention.  

 

Like a child who grew up starved of proper affection, craving validation.  

 

Maybe Silvano wanted everyone to look at him, to have his name spoken with awe…  

 

Holding onto that possibility, Liliana reached out. The cheek her fingertips touched was rough and cold.  

 

— “You’re more ruthless than anyone in Demercy… and you have a power no one dares to challenge. Isn’t that right?”  

 

— “…”  

 

— “Come to Demercy with me. You’re not someone who should rot away in a place like this.”  

 

Liliana repeated it like a mantra. 

 

‘Even if no one seeks you out anymore, I know how extraordinary you are.’  

 

You’re the only one I want, and I’m the one who will return you to where you belong.  

 

So if you join me, Silvano Giacone will once again rule the underworld… and his name will shine with a deeper, more captivating hue of blood than ever before.  

 

Silvano listened to her whispers in silence for a long time. At some point, a dark smile had begun to bloom on his lips.

 

“So, is that all?”

 

Snapping out of her thoughts at the voice, Liliana realized that the man in front of her was not Silvano but Theodoro.

 

Since when had she been silent? He was fidgeting with his leg, looking utterly bored. She cleared her throat a couple of times and then returned to the conversation with Theodoro.

 

“I thought about other weaknesses too. I couldn’t just rely on that one.”

 

“Other weaknesses, you say…”

 

“I heard that the people Silvano had hung in the Hofler Building were his comrades who came to kill him. I thought that his anger and fear of betrayal could be another weakness of his.”

 

“That’s quite logical. I’ll give you that.”

 

What’s going on? The man who always made irritating remarks was now showing agreement.

 

It felt awkward, and Liliana hesitated for a moment. But Theodoro’s personality hadn’t gone anywhere.

 

“Did you come here spouting empty promises about not betraying him? If he accepted your proposal right away, he’d be a fool among fools.”

 

‘Of course. He never misses a chance to be sarcastic.’

 

Liliana decided to discard the thought that he might be more reasonable than she had imagined. 

 

Without further ado, she raised her arm.

 

“If this is the price, then so be it.”

 

Theodoro frowned again with his bushy eyebrows, glanced at her arm, and then stared back at her. He looked puzzled.

 

Of course, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t understand Silvano’s actions.

 

Even Liliana, who had prepared herself mentally, hadn’t anticipated it.

 

What had she said before ‘that incident’ happened? She probably said something like, we’ll be good allies, we have nothing but each other, so we won’t betray each other… and so on.

 

In other words, she had been spouting the kind of empty promises Theodoro had mentioned.

 

Silvano, who had been listening quietly, suddenly sat up straight.

 

The sudden distance. She wondered if she had said something wrong, but he showed no particular expression and simply said,

 

“Get up.”

 

‘Was it settled? Had he decided to accept?’

 

In front of her, who was still unsure, only Silvano’s broad back was visible as he turned away.

 

Then, when he turned to face her, what he held in his hand was a dagger reflecting a cold, blue light under the moonlight.

 

He stepped closer to her, one step at a time, as she inhaled sharply.

 

“I don’t like empty promises. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’ve been burned badly before.”

 

“W-what are you… planning to do?”

 

“Let’s call it signing a contract. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting a duel or anything.”

 

A contract? What kind of contract involves holding a dagger?

 

‘Is he suggesting a blood oath?’

 

She tried to step back, but the cold metal of the car, chilled by the early winter air, pressed against her back. There was nowhere left for Liliana to retreat.

 

Silvano burst into laughter as he watched her eyes waver with anxiety.

 

“I told you not to worry.”

 

Then, he suddenly took off his worn leather jacket and rolled up his sleeve.

 

The dagger in his hand scattered a chilling aura under the moonlight.

 

Swish!

 

He swiftly drew the blade across his scar-laden arm.

 

“…!”

 

Before her eyes, the tough skin split in two, and blood gushed out.

 

Like an unending spring, the blood surged forth, quickly covering his straight arm in a deep crimson.

 

The thick blood, soaking his skin, dripped onto the ground in heavy drops.

 

Liliana, who had never witnessed such a scene in her life, covered her mouth in shock. The man himself, however, grinned as if he felt no pain.

 

“Words that vanish once spoken are no match for this, right?”

 

“…”

 

“Consider it proof of my sincere commitment to help.”

 

Having said that, Silvano extended his hand towards her, indicating it was now her turn.

 

“And you won’t abandon me in this godforsaken countryside again. Right?”

 

Her dry throat swallowed hard.

 

Silvano’s hand was smeared with flowing blood, yet somehow, the thought of the future that awaited her came to mind before the immediate pain.

 

A future where every step they took together would resonate with the stench of blood.

 

She would make Silvano take the lives of many, and he would return every night with those terrifying hands, drenched not in his blood, but in that of others.

 

Even if she borrowed his hand, it would be her decision and her command…

 

It was clear that Liliana would etch bloodstains deep into the creases of her palms, stains that no amount of washing could remove.

 

She would likely spend countless days struggling under the weight of guilt. But if there was something she wanted to gain, it was only natural that there would be something to lose. 

 

If her betrayal could save the lives of the two people she loved, Liliana believed she could endure whatever it took.  

 

She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again, steadying her breath. She wouldn’t say that she wouldn’t abandon Silvano now that they had decided to work together. 

 

As he said, words spoken aloud were nothing more than fleeting promises.  

 

Instead, Liliana reached out her arm toward him, who had been waiting patiently…  

 

Silvano, as if performing an escort, gracefully took her hand and pressed a chilling kiss upon it, his expression brimming with delight.  

 

The eerie sensation spreading across the back of her hand made her flinch momentarily.  

 

As her sleeve slid up, Liliana hastily turned her head away. She couldn’t bear to watch the bloody scene that was about to unfold.  

 

Holding her arm firmly, Silvano gently warned her,  

 

“It’s going to hurt.”  

 

There was no time to slowly prepare herself.  

 

As soon as his words ended, the sharp sound of metal scraping through the night air tore into her pale skin, exposed in the darkness.  

 

In her averted vision, droplets of blood—her blood—scattered brightly.  

 

At that moment, Liliana let out a pained scream and collapsed, but he gripped her wrist tightly, refusing to let go.  

 

“Ha, hng…! Ugh.”  

 

It felt as though her skin was being seared with a hot iron, burning to the point of charring.  

 

Even as she gasped and clutched her arm, there was no escape from the paralyzing, horrific pain.  

 

Silvano looked down at her in silence, his grip on her wrist unyielding.  

 

The crimson liquid flowing from their joined hands dripped down, their blood soon mingling into an indistinguishable mess…  

 

As if he had been waiting for this, the corners of Silvano’s mouth gradually curved into a sharp, crescent-like smile.  

 

And then, at some point, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.  

 

“Haha! Hahaha!”  

 

His booming laughter echoed across the open field, swallowed by the emptiness, and Liliana shuddered, frozen in place by his bizarre behavior.