How Lilies turn Black Chapter 43 - The Dice Thrown (4)  

“Then the answer is even clearer.”  

 

“…What answer?”  

 

“How about trusting Ms. Moretti’s judgment at that time and believing in her back then? If you naturally thought that was the right thing to do, then it couldn’t have been the wrong decision.”  

 

A calm voice and a faint trace of a gentle smile were directed at her.  

 

“I hope you don’t look back and only think about that path. That’s what I believe.”  

 

“…”  

 

It was solid advice. It was also the comfort she had wanted to hear. But Lilia couldn’t even lift her head, as if she were a sinner.  

 

‘Wayne, if you knew that path was stained with blood… could you still say the same thing?’ Her tongue felt bitter.  

 

“…Mr. Boyd.”  

 

“Yes?”  

 

“Earlier, the place you came out of… I think it was the FBI building. Do you work there?”  

 

Wayne scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.  

 

“Yes, that’s right. You saw me.”  

 

“…Yes.”  

 

“Is there a reason you’re asking all of a sudden…? Is there something you need my help with?”  

 

“No, it’s not that. Just…”  

 

He nodded as if encouraging her to speak freely and waited. But Lilia hesitated, fumbling for words before finally parting her lips.  

 

“When you do that kind of work… don’t you sometimes have to act against your beliefs?”  

 

“Hmm… Well? What kind of actions would those be?”  

 

Wayne tilted his head, seemingly not fully grasping what she meant.  

 

‘I guess I shouldn’t beat around the bush…’

  

She took a deep breath in and out. She needed a clear answer even if she had to bear the consequences.  

 

“For example… having to become as wicked as the evil people you’re trying to punish.”

 

In the end, she had to ask. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, leaving her momentarily relieved.  

 

But as the weight lightened, the empty space grew, and unease began to creep in.  

 

Had it been a pointless question?  

 

She wondered, but words once spoken could not be taken back… Wayne soon delivered his answer.  

 

“Of course there is.”  

 

Without a trace of hesitation, his reply was clear and decisive.  

 

“Goodness alone cannot stand against evil. One must be just as ruthless. Still, I don’t believe that strays too far from the path I intend to walk.”  

 

“…!”  

 

“In the end, it will be an act of realizing justice.”  

 

Goodness alone cannot stand against evil…  

 

The words struck her like a hammer to the head, but Wayne continued calmly.  

 

“Whenever I’m confused, I try to think of light and darkness. Light exists, so shadows must follow, and darkness is what allows light to exist in the first place. Isn’t it the same with good and evil?”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

“The important thing is not to be consumed by darkness or evil… That’s something I always remind myself of, over and over.”  

 

As the initial shock faded, her chest grew heavier.  

 

Even Liliana couldn’t forgive herself—yet it was Wayne Boyd who forgave her instead.  

 

He told her, It’s alright. It’s only natural.  

 

True goodness inevitably carries the weight of wicked deeds.  

 

But one must never forget the justice and righteousness that those deeds were meant to serve.  

 

Remember that, and in the end, you will reach the light… That was what he told her.  

 

Liliana couldn’t judge whether his belief was right or wrong. But she knew it would save her. She knew that only this could save her.  

 

Any logical flaws no longer mattered. She, who had lost her way, needed a firm path to follow—and someone who would believe in her as she walked it.  

 

How could she stop the tears from welling up in the end?  

 

Wayne, who had been quietly sharing his thoughts, abruptly stood when she suddenly burst into tears. Setting aside his own bewilderment, he sat beside her and opened his arms.  

 

“…You must have been through so much.”

 

An infinitely gentle voice warmly enveloped her fragile body. 

 

How could she stop crying when he treated her with such tenderness?  

 

Wayne silently stroked her back, even as his own shoulder grew damp with her tears.  

 

Cradled in the arms she had longed for, she finally let go of her wandering heart… Light seeped into the harsh reality, warmth permeating the cold.  

 

Liliana pressed her wet cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.  

 

Now, even with her eyes shut, she could see clearly what she had to do. Protecting what had been lost remained her unchanging destiny.  

 

How could she leave this cruel reality untouched—one that would steal the life of someone so kind and tender-hearted?  

 

— “To fight evil, you must become just as ruthless,” you once said, Wayne…  

 

Perhaps God would not forgive her sins. But it didn’t matter. She had never sought forgiveness from the God who had abandoned her.  

 

‘If only you say it’s okay, then that’s enough for me.’

  

She had merely lingered in the darkness for a while to protect the light.  

 

If he could understand and hold her like this, she needed no divine absolution.  

 

‘I’ll put everything back in its rightful place—all that ‘they’ have tangled.’  

 

With her own hands, she would create the most flawless paradise and offer it to him.  

 

So when it was all over… all she asked was that he hold her, just as warmly as he did now. 

 

Liliana pleaded silently.  

 

And so, Liliana’s dice were cast. Perhaps they had been thrown the moment she first fired a shot at Antonio.  

 

Either way, all that remained for her was to plunge into the game that had begun with those dice, fight with all her might…  

 

And ultimately seize victory for the light.  

 

✨

 

After a long bout of tears, Liliana and Wayne left the café, their atmosphere awkward yet far more intimate than before.  

 

It was 9 PM.  

 

She had thought she didn’t want to go home that day, but perhaps her now-calm mind changed her mind. Seeing the darkened streets, she decided it was time to return.

 

It was the right thing to do. She couldn’t recklessly wander around alone until dawn.  

 

The kind Wayne Boyd escorted her near her home.  

 

They walked and talked for a long time, and somehow, there was still so much left to say. Even though it was just a series of meaningless small talk, she couldn’t help but feel reluctant to say goodbye.  

 

Perhaps Wayne felt the same. The two lingered, standing by the roadside, unable to easily part, and kept chattering away…  

 

After hesitating for a while, he tentatively suggested meeting again.  

 

“You can return the jacket I lent you next time.”  

 

Seeing right through him, Liliana let out a clear laugh.  

 

“My place is just ahead. I can give it back now if you’d like.”  

 

“Ah, no… well… You’re still not feeling well, right?”  

 

His ears turned bright red under the streetlight. His flustered look was so endearing that she wanted to tease him more, but Wayne swiftly countered. He handed her his business card and said,  

 

“Just contact me whenever it’s convenient, and I’ll come get it then.”  

 

She couldn’t bring herself to refuse and ended up taking it. She had vowed not to see Wayne beyond this, but she knew that resolution had already crumbled long ago. 

 

Now, she had no strength left to push him away.  

 

Of course, her own desire to keep seeing him played a big part… but she decided to ignore that for now.  

 

Either way, Liliana fiddled with the card carrying Wayne’s lingering scent as she returned home. Her mind was hazy, as if she had just woken up from a dream, the line between fantasy and reality blurred. It felt like floating weightlessly through the sky.  

 

But the moment she opened the front door and stepped inside—  

 

The dream shattered. 

 

A cold, harsh reality was waiting for her.  

 

“Who… are you?”

 

A spacious living room where the nightscape of Demercy was clearly visible through the glass window.  

 

On the low table in the middle of the room lay a fedora hat she had never seen before. Beside it, a chair was turned backward, facing the window.  

 

Instinctively, she sensed that someone had been sitting there, waiting for her.  

 

“Theo… doro?”  

 

“You’re quite late coming home.”  

 

Ah, it wasn’t Theodoro. Just by the aged tone of the voice, she could tell it wasn’t him.  

 

‘Who is this? I’ve never heard this voice before…’  

 

Should she turn around and dash outside? Could she call for help right away? What should she do?  

 

Just as Lilia hesitated, her eyes brimming with fear—  

 

“Liliana Moretti.”  

 

The unknown man called her name. Lilia instinctively took a step back, then held her breath.  

 

“…!”  

 

He knew her name. This intruder was fully aware of who she was. That meant he wasn’t just some random burglar here to steal valuables.  

 

“W-Who… are you? To come all the way here. This is clearly a private… living space.”  

 

She tried to sound brave, but her voice trembled pathetically as it left her lips.  

 

Sure enough, a soft chuckle reached her ears before the chair that had been facing away from her slowly turned around.