Royal Sinners (Sinners 1)

Chapter 11: Prova Di Fedeltá

"Hey Hanna, read it!" I couldn't bother to look at the book Lilo waved in front of me. No, not that I'm ignoring her on purpose. "Weakling! He~llo?"

Maybe a little more and her mood will spiral to murderous again, but I kept on replaying the words she said to Don Gotti.

True to my predictions, a cold blade kissed the skin of my neck. "You're boring," she said, coldly at last.

"Lilo... did you do it?"

"Oh, you're talking again." She pulled back the dagger and disappeared under her skirt. "Did what?"

"Byrone. Did you kill him?"

"Well... sort of."

I couldn't find the right words to say.

"Just kidding."

I was freed from the dilemma of telling her it's a sin to kill and run away. She said she didn't, so maybe she didn't. At least, that's what I wanted to believe. "Then... how did you know that he begged before he died?"

"Well, it was just a guess. Knowing Byrone, I'm sure he did. Besides, it's not like he was killed quickly. His fingers were all cut, no one does that after the body is dead. I'm guessing he was tortured first."

I nodded and believed her every word.

"Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"About everything. And... of all the things you've seen. Aren't you afraid of us, Hanna?"

There were no pretenses now. She's just a child, afraid of losing a friend if that's what she thought of me.

"Yes, I am. But I'm sure you have your reasons to live like this. It depends on you if you want to tell me anything."

Huh. How bold of me to demand trust. Ironic for someone who keeps skeletons in the closet. She smiled again, free of doubt and malice, a plain happy smile of a fourteen-year-old. "I trust you now. You know, I'm happy he died that way, Byrone. He was always mean, well, we're all bad, but... you know what I'm trying to say. My teacher said it was a terrible job though, 'No etiquette and messy'."

"Teacher?"

"Alfonse Herod... that freak with a hankie. He's my mentor." The she added, "Well, because of that stupid look on your face, I'll explain. When that good-for-nothing brother of mine went away, he told Pete, Byrone and Alfon to be left behind. Because of his background, Gentle is the best option. That's why I asked him to teach me how to... clean. It's nothing. Sooner or later, I'll have to do it. But then, we have different principles."

She fisted her palms and lamented. "He told me that I'm careless. When you kill someone, you just kill them, right? It's supposed to be murder! With all the smashing, shooting, stabbing and etcetera! Of course, there's blood, or...organs and a lot of mess! I can't choke people to death with a hankie like he does!"

"Why would you want to be a cleaner?"

She flipped her hair. "Well, a pretty face with a deadly skill is a great combo, yes?" But the smile didn't last. She picked up another apple and cut it in half. "I have to be strong and not be a burden to anyone. The guys have too much stuff to do and I don't wanna add to it. Most importantly, maybe someday, if I become the best cleaner, I can use it to kill someone. To cut that person to pieces and see him rot, like this apple." Lilo stared at the cut fruit with full of hatred.

"Who?"

"The one who killed my father. Or even his son, I'll kill him, too. Gustavo Qapone will die or feel the pain of losing someone."