Please Kill Me - Chapter 10
Even Yekaterina knew that no one could withstand Offenbach’s power. Offenbach didn’t compromise; everyone understood that. Everyone talked about it from behind the scenes. That’s why those who attempted to compromise couldn’t overcome Offenbach. This, too, was common knowledge.
However, Yekaterina knew something they didn’t. That there was someone stronger than her, the most powerful in Offenbach.
‘I know who it is.’
Leonid Rostislav, the head of the Rostislav family, belonging to the central two families alongside Offenbach. He was the current Duke Rostislav. He was the only one who could kill Yekaterina.
Clues about him suddenly emerged from her rather chilly memories. The reason was simple.
Yekaterina had first met Leonid when she was twenty-five, in the interrogation room. At that time, Yekaterina, or rather, the Yekaterina before her return, had been incarcerated on charges of poisoning the first prince, as per Sergei’s orders.
It was all Sergei. She had always been docile and obedient until her first death.
There was only one command: “Yekaterina, confess to plotting the poisoning. No matter what evidence they find, they can’t kill you anyway.” Sergei intended to use Yekaterina’s confession to confound the investigation while keeping himself from being exposed.
As a result, Yekaterina had to remain in prison for over a month. Of course, she was treated relatively well, as a noble, but there was no place that could be considered comfortable within the prison.
The stone floor emitted damp cold, and the only protection from the cold was a thin blanket.
That’s why, in those days, Yekaterina had eagerly awaited the time when she could go to the interrogation room once a day. At least it was free from the intense cold there.
Although the interrogator had fiercely demanded answers, to Yekaterina, who had endured harsh times in Offenbach, the interrogator’s threats were nothing more than a cat’s scratch.
That’s why, at that time, Yekaterina would sit in silence for a couple of hours in front of the interrogator and then return.
But that day, a different person came into the interrogation room. He looked different from the usual harsh-looking interrogators. He was a neatly dressed blond man.
However, his expensive clothes and fur couldn’t hide a certain look on his face.
Yekaterina had an instinctual feeling. This man was as close to the sword as she was. His sharp appearance, his gaze sharpened like a blade, and the determination evident in his firmly closed lips were proof of that.
The man who pulled a chair on the stone floor opened his mouth.
“Yekaterina Offenbach?”
Yekaterina nodded her head, and the man continued to speak.
“I found the right person. I am Leonid Rostislav.”
Rostislav. As soon as she heard the surname, Yekaterina’s gaze, which had been lowered, shot up in recognition.
Rather than confusion, her expression was more akin to an awe. Like a child meeting a mythical fairy they had only heard of in stories. Yekaterina spoke, seemingly unaware of the expression on her own face.
“You are Rostislav.”
“Do you know me?”
“I’ve heard about you occasionally.”
“From whom?”
“My father.”
The rapid back-and-forth conversation like a rabbit being chased by a fox came to a sudden halt just like that. It was due to the mocking smile on the man’s face that was honed like a blade.
“I guess you didn’t hear any good news.”
Instead of answering, Yekaterina nodded her head once more.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the silhouette created by his face. Since the interrogation room’s light wasn’t particularly bright, the man’s face, which seemed to cut through even the shadows, appeared even sharper.
No matter how dim the room, she could still see what kind of silhouette that man’s prominent nose and jawline created. Even the shadow cast by his long eyelashes on his cheek could be seen.
‘He’s handsome.’
Yekaterina had never commented on someone’s appearance before, but it was clear that he was exceptionally good-looking. Among all the faces she had seen in her life, his was at the top tier of beauty despite frowning at her.
As a result, while gazing at Leonid in silence, Yekaterina couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It was because of the memory that Sergei, her father, used to say.
— ‘A guy who thinks his pretty face is the only thing he’s got going keeps blocking my path! He thinks he can go around rampaging just because he’s in the Emperor’s favor!
She was not sure about the latter, but the former seems accurate.
“Why are you laughing?”
Ah, did I laugh? Yekaterina blinked her eyes slowly before answering.
“Because you’re handsome.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
Rather than responding to Leonid’s immediate disbelief, Yekaterina chose to remain silent. She didn’t have the energy to engage in any kind of dispute.
However, it seemed that Leonid took her silence as a kind of reluctant agreement.
“I may not be well-liked by Offenbach, but to say that in a life-or-death situation, you have some nerve.”
“Wasn’t I going to die?”
This time, Leonid’s eyebrows narrowed.
Yekaterina observed the various emotions flickering across his face as his features transformed. While it was diverse, generally, an unpleasant feeling lingered on his face.
