Please Kill Me - Chapter 139
The news that Vasily received was on the day he went to the palace to meet with Yuri. Since Leonid had been reclusive since the hunting event, Vasily often acted on his behalf for matters requiring communication with Yuri.
On this particular day, Yuri delivered unexpected news.
“…Offenbach is going to attend the Vesna banquet?”
“You’re making me repeat myself today. Yes, that’s right.”
Vasily’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
What is Vesna? It is a grand festival celebrating the arrival of spring, even larger than the New Year’s festivities.
Although the Ethiel Empire experiences perpetual winter, it does not fully experience all four seasons like other countries. However, the citizens of the empire eagerly welcome the warmer days, even if it only means a slight reduction in the number of people freezing to death on the streets.
The arrival of warmer weather signifies that they no longer need to ration their stored food, which is reason enough to celebrate.
The imperial court starts with a grand banquet, and for a week, everyone in the empire shakes off the dust of winter and enjoys the festival.
There is only one rule for the festival:
To go outside during this period, one must wear a mask.
According to legend, the Winter Queen becomes enraged when she sees the faces of people celebrating the arrival of spring. Hence, the tradition of hiding smiling faces behind masks has been passed down through generations.
What was crucial, however, was that Rostislav usually returned to their home territory around this time. So, it was only natural that he would not attend the imperial banquet.
“This time, it seems he’s decided to delay his return to the territory.”
“What was he hoping for?”
“Probably due to the Arlan War.”
Yuri answered with a hint of indifference.
After Sergei’s death, Yuri’s influence surged like a river after the rain. It wasn’t due to Yuri attaining any particularly great position, but rather because Sergei’s death had siphoned off the influence from Ruslan.
Moreover, after Sergei’s death, rumors spread that Dmitry, who succeeded as the head of the family, no longer wanted to maintain ties with the Empress. As a result, those who had previously aligned with Offenbach and the Empress began to scatter.
Half of them had turned to Yuri. It was only natural, given that Yuri and Leonid were cousins and had grown up together like family, something no noble would be unaware of.
“I don’t know what exactly has gotten into them… but for now, I can’t figure out what’s going on.”
Anyway, it was a positive development for Yuri. Despite his persistent unease, he was busy managing his increased support base and had his hands full.
Yuri appeared as if he had just met with some nobles, with his hair neatly combed and dressed in his full imperial attire. It was a look Vasily had grown somewhat accustomed to.
Vasily, slightly dazed, looked at Yuri, then refocused and asked.
“So, will the Miss, no… Yekaterina Offenbach also attended the banquet?”
“I believe she will. The tradition is that pairs must enter the banquet.”
“But there was the previous Offenbach’s Madam, wasn’t there?”
At Vasily’s question, Yuri looked as if he had heard something absurd.
“Vasily, don’t you know how things are going with the Offenbachs?”
“…No, I don’t.”
If Vasily had known, he would have certainly wanted to inform Leonid. Thus, he had deliberately remained ignorant.
Yuri’s expression showed that he wasn’t surprised by Vasily’s lack of knowledge.
“Once Dmitry Offenbach took over as head of the family, Ludmila Offenbach returned to her parents’ home. Now, only Dmitry and Yekaterina Offenbach are left in the Offenbach family.”
Vasily felt a sense of disorientation for the first time. The change in just three months was startling. Perhaps he had stayed in the mansion too long, as if time had stopped the day Yekaterina left. Or maybe the world was changing too quickly.
Feeling confused, Vasily asked hesitantly,
“Ludmila Offenbach… she was Sergei’s wife and Dmitry Offenbach’s mother, wasn’t she?”
“Yes, but as soon as Dmitry took over as head, she went back to her family’s estate in the countryside. This is why rumors have spread that Dmitry is distancing himself from the Empress.”
Vasily was hearing for the first time that Dmitry was distancing himself from the Empress. In that sense, the situation seemed disorienting.
Ludmila Offenbach had been a symbol of the connection between the current Empress and the Offenbach family. She was a distant relative of the Empress, coming from the Pavel family, which was associated with the Empress.
Sending her to the countryside was a blatant statement that Dmitry no longer wished to maintain such connections with the Empress.
“Did he send his own mother to her family estate just to make that clear?”
“Do you expect anything different from someone who shot his own father?”
That’s a fair point.
But what about Yekaterina?
Before Vasily could voice his question, Yuri seemed to understand his feelings and spoke up first.
“Yekaterina Offenbach is doing well. Although Dmitry Offenbach holds the actual power, she is the one who exerts the controlling influence.”
“So Dmitry Offenbach pushed out his parents and set up a two-person system with Yekaterina Offenbach?”