Please Kill Me - Chapter 122
“That must have been quite an ordeal.”
“Falling off a cliff…”
Yuri and Vasily muttered to themselves, while Yekaterina nodded slightly in agreement. After Leonid was taken away for treatment, Yekaterina had a private conversation with Yuri and Vasily.
The first reason was to inform them of what had happened.
The second reason was to learn what had happened while they were gone.
As the initial shock wore off, Yuri spoke up. He had regained much of his usual calm and composure, now that Leonid had returned safely.
“In any case, I’m relieved both you and Leonid are back safely, Yekaterina.”
“Indeed, your foresight proved to be correct, Miss.”
“The situation was turning grim, but with someone to testify, the suspicions can be cleared. However…”
Yuri’s gaze turned sharp as he looked at Yekaterina.
“Can I trust you, Yekaterina Offenbach?”
“I don’t see what in my words would make you distrust me.”
“I’m not asking because I don’t trust you. I’m asking because Sergei Offenbach is dead.”
Sergei Offenbach. His death was abrupt, but the weight of his name remained.
“While we might speak freely, you, after all, have lost your father. It doesn’t seem logical that you would throw yourself to save Leonid over Sergei Offenbach.”
“It’s clear which side to choose between the dead and the living.”
Yuri’s eyes narrowed at her calm response, showing he couldn’t quite understand her. He seemed about to say more, but Vasily quickly intervened.
“I trust the Miss. Though she is an Offenbach, I sense no falsehood in her words.”
“Perhaps you’re siding with her because she saved you?”
“Your Highness…”
“Don’t call me that. It gives me a headache.”
Yuri sighed, rubbing his dark-circled eyes before continuing.
“Yekaterina Offenbach, I want to trust you as well. You’ve helped my mother and me. But in a situation where your father died before your eyes, how many will believe you saved Leonid? Especially without any clear reason.”
It was only then that those present understood what Yuri was saying.
Yuri’s words didn’t stem from a lack of trust in Yekaterina herself. Given the help she provided with Larissa, it would be shameful for him to express doubt over something like this.
The real reason Yuri seemed distrustful was simple: Yekaterina’s account was inherently unbelievable.
“What you’re saying is that her testimony won’t hold any weight in this situation.”
“Precisely. Moreover, who would believe it if Yekaterina Offenbach claimed that Dmitry Offenbach shot an arrow at his own father?”
In reality, only a few people knew that Yekaterina was even there: Vasily, Yuri, and Olga.
Everyone else assumed the robed figure with Leonid was part of the Rostislav search party or a latecomer who happened to save him.
It made sense since Yekaterina’s disappearance from Offenbach and her stay at Rostislav were not public knowledge. No one would guess the silver-haired woman was Yekaterina herself.
“Yekaterina Offenbach, revealing your involvement alone would stir significant attention, and the repercussions would be considerable.”
Handled poorly, this could result in a negative backlash against Rostislav. Essentially, what Yuri was conveying boiled down to this.
“So you’re saying that I can’t be the witness to the incident.”
“Exactly.”
“And if nothing is done, Leonid won’t be able to clear his name.”
Though Leonid’s status might prevent immediate imprisonment, the public opinion against Rostislav would undoubtedly sour.
Yekaterina recalled the scene she had witnessed and the primary culprit behind it all.
“…I’ll handle it myself.”
It was time to return to Offenbach.
Returning to Offenbach traditionally meant facing death. For Yekaterina, this was an unchanging truth, regardless of whether Sergei was alive or dead.
Offenbach does not tolerate traitors, and Yekaterina had deeply internalized this belief. Therefore, if she was in Sergei’s position, she would have killed herself as well. The only difference would be in the extent of the suffering inflicted.
However, during the fall from the cliff:
— …Sister?
She definitely heard Dmitry’s voice. At that moment, she had no time to ponder it deeply, but it was undoubtedly Dmitry’s voice.
It sounded like a child who had just lost something precious in a lake.
For some reason, Yekaterina found herself unable to ignore that voice.
