Please Kill Me - Chapter 121
— Do you think it could be Rostislav?
— Their relationship was terrible.
— I heard Duke Rostislav expressed displeasure after the recent monster subjugation. Could it be true?
The crowd hoped Duke Rostislav would return soon to testify about the situation. There was even a wager on whether he had anything to do with Sergei’s death or if he’d simply be surprised and pleased by his rival’s demise.
However…
— But where is the Duke?
Even as night fell, Leonid did not return.
With the head of the Offenbach family dead and Duke Rostislav missing, everyone began to murmur.
— Could the Duke…?
— Don’t say such reckless things. Why would the Duke personally get involved in something like this? There must have been an accident.
— But it’s too coincidental to be an accident…
Without Leonid to provide his testimony, suspicions spread uncontrollably.
What scared Yuri the most was not the rumors, but Leonid’s absence.
Rumors could be dispelled over time if innocence was proven. But an absence would not resolve itself with time. Yuri thought of those who had left his side forever.
Since hearing that Leonid had not returned, Yuri had been waiting anxiously at the edge of the forest, hoping for news from the search party.
Yuri was aware of what Leonid had planned for the hunt. After all, it was a plan made for Yuri’s sake. They had discussed it beforehand, and Yuri had a rough idea of how things were supposed to unfold. This outcome was never part of their plan.
‘I had a feeling something was wrong the moment I heard about Sergei’s death.’
But he never expected the situation to deteriorate this much.
Leonid’s goal had always been to bring about change gradually, without causing too much disruption.
If he had intended to change the situation by killing Sergei, he would have drawn his sword long ago.
Instead, Sergei had been found dead.
The prey, which was meant to be cornered without being killed, had turned up as a corpse.
Nothing could more clearly indicate that Leonid’s plan had gone terribly wrong.
Standing all night without rest had left Yuri visibly exhausted. Despite his fatigue, he couldn’t afford to rest.
‘Not again, because of me…’
To Yuri, Leonid was like the last remaining family member.
Though Larisa was technically family, Yuri’s longing for his mother, whom he barely knew, couldn’t compare to the bond he had with Leonid, who had been by his side all his life.
Moreover, the fact that Leonid’s disappearance was somewhat connected to him weighed heavily on Yuri’s conscience.
“This is my fault. I should have gone with His Grace.”
Beside him, Olga, who had also stayed up all night, muttered with swollen eyes. Having separated from Leonid to evade the pursuit, she had returned from the forest only to find out that Leonid hadn’t come back, which brought her to tears.
“…It’s not your fault.”
Yuri offered words of comfort, but the atmosphere didn’t improve. With someone missing, it was inevitable.
However, among the three with heavy hearts, only Vasily had a slightly different perspective. He was the only one aware that another person hadn’t returned last night.
‘Did the Miss somehow anticipate this?’
If she had, it would be truly remarkable, and if she hadn’t, her animalistic instincts were praiseworthy. Vasily held onto a sliver of hope, knowing that Yekaterina had disappeared along with Leonid.
If someone of Yekaterina’s caliber had gone missing with Leonid, there had to be a good reason for it.
He prayed that both would return safely. As Vasily anxiously watched the forest, he noticed a small figure emerging from it. A smaller figure seemed to be supporting a larger one.
‘I’ve been wishing so hard, I’m seeing things.’
There was nothing left in the forest to emerge. Unless it was the missing Leonid and Yekaterina. They had disappeared without a trace so they couldn’t suddenly come back on their feet….
“…. Your Grace?”
As Vasily muttered to himself, the others also noticed the figures emerging from the forest.
“Look, there are people!”
“Your Grace!”
“Leonid!”
While Vasily stood in a daze, Yuri and Olga rushed towards the approaching figures. As they got closer, it became clear that Leonid was the one being supported.
“What happened to you?”
“Why are you in this state? Lenny, I thought something terrible had happened to you…!”
“Medic! Where’s the medic?”
Amidst the unexpected return, tears flowed, and a frantic search for medical assistance ensued. Despite the chaos, two individuals managed to maintain their composure and lock eyes across the commotion.
One was Yekaterina, cloaked in a robe.
The other was Vasily.