How Lilies turn Black Chapter 38 - The Rabble of West Peal (12)

Theodoro lightly grasped Liliana’s chin, forcing her to look at him.  

 

“…Liliana Moretti.”  

 

“…”  

 

“Nothing in this world is harder to protect than nobility and purity. I gave you multiple chances to walk away.”  

 

His voice, rough and hollow, scraped against her eardrums.  

 

Something hot surged inside her chest.  

 

Yes, you gave me chances to turn back.  

 

But Theodoro—you were the one who forced me into the Benedetti Family in the first place, even if it meant abandoning myself.  

 

When Wayne’s severed hand was left on my doorstep like a gift.  

 

When you pressed a gun to my head and pulled the trigger—I could never go back to the life I had before.  

 

That’s why I despise your so-called kindness. I curse your pathetic goodwill.  

 

“…Did I ever ask you to protect my nobility and purity?”  

 

“…”  

 

Theodoro exhaled wearily, tilting his head back with a bitter, humorless laugh.  

 

“Ha…”  

 

His expression darkened as he reached for the gun at his waist.  

 

“You must’ve been prepared for this, considering what you’ve done.”  

 

The quiet click of the gun being loaded sent a chill crawling up Liliana’s spine. Her face paled.  

“…!”  

 

But Theodoro’s hands moved faster than her thoughts.  

 

In the blink of an eye, he took aim—not at her, but at Antonio.  

 

Bang!  

 

Bang!! 

 

Two gunshots shattered the silence of Lora Club.  

 

Both shots were deliberate misses.  

 

Antonio, still dragging himself down the stairs, took bullets to both thighs—not his heart.  

 

“Aghh—!”  

 

Blood gushed from the wounds as he collapsed onto the steps.  

 

This time, he didn’t tumble down. Maybe that was worse—at least if he had, he might’ve reached the bottom faster. Might’ve bought himself more time to escape.  

 

Antonio twisted his trembling head, staring up at Theodoro in horror.  

 

“Ha—hah…! Ack…!”  

 

His face, slick with cold sweat, was twisted in terror. Desperate, he began dragging himself down the stairs with his elbows, his legs now useless.  

 

The sight was almost pitiful enough to make one forget his sins.  

 

Theodoro watched his struggle in silence. Then, calmly reloading, he handed the gun to Liliana.  

 

‘Why…? Why give this to me?’  

 

She stiffened, looking up at him—but his face was unreadable.  

 

Without even glancing at her, he ordered, “Kill him.”  

 

Ah—Liliana shut her eyes. Maybe if she couldn’t see, she could escape this reality.  

 

She had imagined many things. How Theodoro would react when he uncovered everything she’d done.  She’d pictured him strangling her. 

 

Pointing a gun at her. But this? This had never crossed her mind.  

 

The weight of the pistol in her hand was unbearable—like the weight of responsibility it carried.  

 

‘Wayne… What would you have done in my place?’  

 

She missed him more than ever. Wanted to ask him.

  

Could you dirty your hands for what you believed was right? Would the end truly justify the means?

 

“This is the world you so fearlessly charged into, Liliana Moretti.”  

 

Theodoro’s voice was almost mocking.  

 

“Arrogance and ambition alone won’t keep you alive.”  

 

There was something painfully bitter in his words—as if he, too, had sacrificed too much just to survive.  

 

And Liliana… couldn’t pull the trigger.  

 

She thought she had prepared herself for this. But maybe Theodoro was right—maybe she had come here with nothing but reckless pride and greed.  

 

Memories of her past flickered through her mind like a film reel, making it impossible to shoot.  

 

Whether it was a lesson for her or for himself, Theodoro left those bitter words hanging in the air as he descended the stairs.  

 

Antonio’s blood trailed from the second floor down to the lobby. And he was still fighting his solitary battle, inching toward the front doors.  

 

“Phew.. hah… hoo…”  

 

For a man dragging useless legs, he was moving surprisingly fast.

 

The desperation to survive can make the impossible possible.   But life has a way of mercilessly testing that resolve.  

 

With mechanical steps, polished dress shoes followed Antonio’s blood trail down the stairs.  

 

For a man with full use of his limbs, catching a cripple crawling across the lobby floor took no effort at all. 

 

Theodoro loomed over Antonio in seconds.  

 

“Where are you rushing to?”  

 

The monotonous question fell like an executioner’s axe.  

 

“Ah—haak! P-please… spare me! I’ll do anything! Theodoro!”  

 

Theodoro walked past him without reply.  

 

For one fleeting moment, Antonio must have mistaken that for mercy—  

 

BANG!

 

The club’s front doors slammed shut before his eyes. Theodoro’s long leg had kicked them closed.  

 

Liliana stood frozen at the stair’s edge, watching it all unfold. The same question kept echoing in her mind:  

 

‘How prepared was I really, when I stepped into this world?’  

 

She’d vowed to restore lost lives and eradicate evil at its root—yet had she ever truly considered the blood that would stain her hands along the way?  

 

‘No… I did.’

  

She’d never been naive enough to believe there’d be no sacrifices. If she had, she wouldn’t have ordered Silvano to kill.  

 

‘Ha… haha…’

  

The irony was unbearable.  

 

That she could stomach commissioning murder, but balked at pulling the trigger herself. Her face twisted between laughter and tears.  

 

Theodoro must have been certain she’d never shoot Antonio.  

 

After one glance up the stairs, he approached a nearby gang member and extended his palm.  

 

“Huh? Y-yes?”  

 

“Gun.”  

 

The man—likely one of Goth’s crew—fumbled before producing a pistol. Theodoro snatched it with practiced ease.  

 

That’s when Liliana’s wavering pupils finally stilled.  

 

‘Ahh… He means to finish it himself.’  

 

Time was running out.  

 

Theodoro ejected the empty magazine, demanding a fresh one. 

 

Once reloaded, he’d shoot Antonio without hesitation—and Liliana would never hold that gun again.  

 

This was her silent expulsion from their world.  

 

‘…Wayne.’

 

What more was there to consider?  

 

A thousand swirling thoughts crystallized into one. The dazzling past faded into darkness.  

 

‘Forgive me.’  

 

However long or short her life may be—  

 

Liliana knew it would forever be divided into before and after this moment. She bit her lip until blood welled and raised her arm.  

 

Bang!

 

Muzzle flash. The recoil knocked her back several steps, but the bullet had already left the barrel—grazing Antonio’s shoulder.  

 

A high-pitched ring drowned all other sound. The world muted itself.  

 

Time seemed frozen, yet Antonio’s blood arced vividly through the air before splattering across the floor.  

 

Her heart pounded—or was it the ground shaking?  

 

Tingling numbness spread from her fingertips to her nape, but she clenched her jaw and raised the gun again.  

 

Theodoro had given an order. Antonio still breathed.  

 

With clumsy hands, she racked the slide and fired once more.  

 

Bang!