Please Kill Me - Chapter 12
The reason Duke Rostislav himself went to the palace, rather than sending someone, was simple. He had a scheduled audience with the Emperor. Vasily cautiously initiated the conversation.
“Your Excellency, hasn’t the Emperor changed his mind?”
“No. The first prince has the qualities, but not the lineage to the Emperor’s liking. Thanks to that, Offenbach has had a good day.”
“Are they still supporting the second prince?”
“Since the Empress finds Offenbach useful, it’s natural they support her son, the second prince. They’re like a pack of dirty rats…”
Leonid muttered in a low tone.
The attention of the nobles of the Etiel Empire was focused on a single issue: who would be the weakened Emperor’s successor?
The current Emperor, Evgeny IV, had been frail and struggling with state affairs for some time. A few months ago, he announced his intention to abdicate the throne.
The problem was that his successor, the Crown Prince, had not yet been decided.
The reason for the delay was simple: each of his children had a flaw.
By principle, the throne should have passed to the eldest son, the first prince, Yuri Oleg. However, Yuri was born from a queen who was a common noblewoman, not a high noble, lacking the desired lineage.
Then there was the other son.
The second prince, Ruslan Pavel, born to the Empress, was certainly superior in terms of bloodline but lacked the necessary qualities. He neglected his studies, relying on his mother’s backing.
But in terms of lineage, no one could match Ruslan, and the court’s dominant forces were all aligned with the Empress.
Even though Rostislav was one of the central two families, it was more due to being a founding noble with extensive lands and history than actual power at court, which unfortunately fell short compared to the Empress’s faction.
“There’s nothing we can do, Vasily. Prepare to return to the north.”
“But, Your Excellency.”
“I’ll do what I can, but if the Emperor decides on the second prince as his successor, there’s nothing we can do. It’s about time to return to our lands anyway. It might be better to withdraw from the succession dispute altogether.”
At that moment, a knock interrupted their conversation. Leonid and Vasily’s attention shifted to the door.
“Your Excellency, it’s the butler. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
The door opened silently, and the aged butler, Stepan, entered, bowing his head.
He looked unusually anxious.
“I was looking for Sir Vasily and found him here, fortunately.”
“Did you need me?”
“Yes. It’s good you’re with His Excellency. Sir, there’s been an intruder in the manor.”
The word ‘intruder’ made Leonid’s brows twitch.
“An intruder in the manor?”
“I’m sorry, but yes. The guards on the wall were all found unconscious. They’re currently searching inside and around the manor.”
The fact that they were still searching meant that the intruder hadn’t been found yet. Vasily, looking shocked, asked,
“Stepan, when was the intrusion discovered?”
“It was discovered a bit late as it got dark outside. Judging by the fact that the ones who fainted haven’t woken up yet, it seems it happened less than 10 minutes ago.”
“Very recent. Hurry up.”
At Leonid’s crisp command, Vasily quickly regained his composure.
“I’ll leave now and report back to you later, Your Excellency.”
With Leonid’s nod, the two hurried off to search for the intruder. Leonid, left alone, looked at the closed door.
His mind was already in turmoil, and now an intruder.
‘It’s true that bad things come in pairs.’
After staring at the door for a while, Leonid sighed and returned to his desk, closing his eyes.
There was some time left until dinner, so he thought he should clear his head.
The cool breeze blowing in seemed like a good opportunity to do just that…
‘Cool breeze?’
He was inside the room.
And yet, there was a cold wind?
Puzzled, Leonid slowly opened his eyes. A large lattice window, which almost filled one wall, was wide open, its curtains fluttering.
Was the window always open?
Feeling something was off, Leonid stood up.
“Leonid Rostislav?”
The next moment, he doubted his eyes.
Against the backdrop of the dim night, a small woman stood beside the window.
Even in the gathering darkness, her silver hair shone brilliantly.
Leonid frowned and slowly reached into his coat, gripping a hidden weapon.
“…Who are you?”
In response to his question, the woman blinked her doll-like, indifferent eyes a couple of times. She chose her words, then spoke.
“Hello, the weather is nice. Our country is always cold, but these days it seems a bit warmer.”
So, here’s the thing.
“Could you please kill me?”
