How Lilies turn Black Chapter 29 - The Rabble of West Peal (3)

“…You want West Peal back, don’t you?”  

 

A flicker of interest crossed his otherwise dry, expressionless face. But it was fleeting, and he quickly returned to his stoic, mannequin-like demeanor.  

 

“No need to make me say what everyone already knows.”  

 

It wasn’t a direct admission, but it was close enough. His unexpectedly honest answer left Liliana both surprised and confused.  

 

Perhaps he saw no point in clinging to pride when everything was already lost.  

 

‘Well, this makes things easier.’  

 

With a lighter heart, Liliana looked at him.  

 

“Work with me. That’s what I want too.”  

 

“What?”  

 

“I told you. To help you take back this land.”  

 

“…Are you from Aiken?”  

 

He asked though he didn’t seem to believe it himself. His suspicious gaze swept over her. 

 

It was understandable—her Victoria accent bore no trace of Aiken’s distinctive tone.  

 

“No. I know it sounds strange, but—”  

 

“Sigh…”  

 

Sean’s deep sigh cut her off. With a look that said, ‘I knew it,’ he muttered dryly.  

 

“That’s why your proposal doesn’t make sense. If you were one of the Aiken settlers stuck in Demercy, you’d know better than to suggest something like this.”  

 

“…Huh?”  

 

“I won’t ask why you want us to rise again. You’re probably one of the many groups driven out by the Benedettis. You thought our goals aligned, so you came to me, but I suggest you turn back. Sadly, we’re not looking to start a big fight.” 

 

Driven out by the Benedettis? She wasn’t part of an immigrant group harmed by the Benedettis, as he seemed to think.  

 

But correcting his misconception wasn’t the most important thing…  

 

‘What do you mean, you’re not looking to start a big fight? Or that you’re not in a position to?’  

 

She couldn’t understand. In her past life, they hadn’t started a major conflict, but she had no idea why.  

 

Since she’d been curious about it, she pressed further.  

 

“Why not? No, let me ask this first. Why do you keep shooting at them if you’re not planning to go to war?”  

 

Determined to get an answer, she even added a more pointed jab.  

 

“You’re not confident enough to risk your lives, but you’re fine with flailing around. Is that it?”  

 

“…”

 

The pointed question seemed to twist Sean’s insides, and his face contorted in irritation.  

 

“Watch your mouth. We’re not exactly the most refined bunch, but we’ve been polite so far. Don’t cross the line.”  

 

His voice dropped lower, almost like the growl of the dogs outside. Liliana clenched and unclenched her sweaty palms, tense.  

 

Still, her attempt wasn’t entirely in vain.  

 

“Since you’re curious, I’ll answer.”  

 

Though she had nearly provoked him, it was enough to get him talking.  

 

“You’re right about the flailing. If we don’t do even that, we’d go crazy from the frustration… But it’s not just about being afraid to die and settling for this. Have you thought about what would happen if we actually took back West Peal?”  

 

“Hmm…”  

 

As if he didn’t expect an answer, he continued on his own.  

 

“The victory would only last for a moment. Luciano Benedetti would bring that damn Favona crew and wipe us out completely. We might not even get buried in the land we were born and raised in. What’s worse is that not just us, but innocent people from Aiken might suffer just because of where they’re from.”  

 

“…”  

 

“Do you understand now?”  

 

As if the words burned his own throat, Sean downed his hot coffee in one gulp.  

 

But even that wasn’t enough to quell his rising anger. He grabbed a cigarette and lighter rolling on the desk, his face twisted in frustration.  

 

Click! Click!

 

The clear metallic sound echoed in the silence, but the lighter wouldn’t ignite. Unable to contain his irritation, Sean muttered a curse under his breath.  

 

Liliana, who had been quietly organizing her thoughts, reached into her handbag and tossed a matchbox onto the desk.  

 

“Here.”  

 

It was a red matchbox with the name, address, and phone number of ‘De Lucia Bar’ printed on it.  

 

She had picked it up as a memento when she joined the bar, and now, at this moment, it proved to be more useful than ever.  

 

As the text on the matchbox caught Sean’s eye…  

 

Just as she had expected, his previously irritable expression darkened in an instant.  

 

“…What’s this supposed to mean?”  

 

“Your lighter doesn’t seem to be working.”

 

“Is that all you mean by this?”  

 

Of course not. Now it was time for Liliana to reveal her ‘real’ intentions to Sean, who had been honest about his own.  

 

She pointed to Silvano, who had been sitting quietly, observing the situation.  

 

“This man here will move between midnight on November 22nd and dawn. He’ll take out all of Antonio’s lieutenants managing four of his five clubs—excluding the Laura Club.”  

 

“Wait, what?”  

 

“What you’ll do is raid the Laura Club, Antonio’s main base in West Peal, and seize the rest of his operations. You’ll need to finish before reinforcements or the police arrive. You’ll have to move quickly. By the 22nd, you’ll have enough time to prepare, right?”  

 

Sean, overwhelmed by the rapid-fire information, stammered in confusion.  

 

“Wait, wait. What is this…?”  

 

Of course, he’d be flustered. No, flustered was an understatement.  

 

Despite explaining their situation clearly, Liliana was now asking for their cooperation as if they hadn’t heard a word. He must have been beyond frustrated, boiling with anger.  

 

Sure enough, his face crumpled like paper as he repeated what he’d said earlier.  

 

“Didn’t I make it clear? We’re staying out of this kind of thing.”  

 

She had heard him, and she understood perfectly. But hadn’t Liliana already provided the solution to eliminate their biggest fear?  

 

“You saw the matchbox. What are you afraid of?”  

 

She pointed again to the small box on the desk, and Sean finally fell silent.  

 

There was no better guarantee than the name Theodoro Benedetti. Of course, using it more than once after this would put her life at risk, but for now, it was enough.  

 

The silence lingered for a while. 

 

Sean seemed to be processing everything, but his face still showed lingering doubt as he voiced his question.  

 

“…If your backer is who I think it is, why involve us directly? If there’s internal conflict within your organization over Antonio, you should handle it yourselves. I can’t figure it out, no matter how much I think about it. What do you really want?”  

 

“You don’t need to know the details of our organization’s situation. What we want is simple. It’s not even that difficult.”  

 

“…”  

 

“Once you take back West Peal, tear down the filthy brothels and build a completely new kingdom in their place. Then, pay the tribute to ‘him’. That’s all we’re asking for.”  

 

“Tribute?”  

 

‘Yes, tribute.’

  

But Liliana’s goal wasn’t just to make money from that tribute. It would be pocket change, after all. 

 

But that tribute, despite its modest amount, would carry immense significance—it would serve as proof that Theodoro had formally allied with the Aiken-based gangs.  

 

“We can pay the tribute as the price for taking back West Peal… But are you really not planning to manage it directly?”  

 

“You know the ins and outs of this place better than anyone. It’s only right that the people who know what kind of businesses to run and who to work with should be the ones in charge.”  

 

Of course, the more important reason was to establish a formal relationship between Theodoro and the gangs through the tribute…  

 

But Liliana didn’t mention that part.  

 

Still, her answer seemed sufficient. There were no further questions, and Sean fell deep into thought.  

 

‘It’s a lot to consider.’  

 

She understood it wasn’t an easy decision.  

 

But Liliana didn’t have the luxury of waiting for him to weigh every detail. She needed to sway his conflicted heart entirely in her favor.  

 

“Aren’t you destined to leave this land and scatter to the winds if you don’t push Antonio out? So, either live like that… or seize this chance to fight with everything you’ve got, a chance you’ll never get again.”  

 

This was, in essence, the final blow to shake the leader of the Goth Gang.  

 

“Are you going to keep living so pitifully?”  

 

✨

 

Liliana brushed her lush hair in the small backstage room of the bar. The strands caught in the comb shimmered golden, rippling like waves.  

 

Time had flown by like flowing water, and it was already November 21st.  

 

The Goth Gang had ultimately accepted her proposal.  

 

While it was the expected outcome, she hadn’t felt entirely at ease since the negotiation. She knew the weight of the responsibility now resting on her shoulders.  

 

So, she spent every hour racking her brain, considering every possible scenario and preparing for it.  

 

But amidst all that, she had to act as if nothing was happening in front of Theodoro and the other members.  

 

The dark circles under her eyes and her paler-than-usual complexion in the mirror reflected the extreme stress she’d been under these past few days.  

 

‘But once today is over…’  

 

The fruits of her labor would show.  

 

All that remained was to get through the next half-day—just six hours of the evening. She’d take the stage as usual, sing her songs… and then everything she’d prepared would come to light.  

 

‘That’s right. Just do what I’ve been doing, like always.’  

 

Liliana, who had been scrutinizing her reflection in the mirror, began her final preparations to step out into the hall.