Please Kill Me - Chapter 141
Vasily wasn’t sure if Leonid really meant to say that. Regardless, Leonid immediately shifted his gaze out the window and looked at the lower fence outside.
“Is it already Vesna?”
“It seems so. Time flies.”
“Spring, huh?”
Leonid mulled over the word again.
When Yekaterina was with Rostislav, it was late winter—just before the end of the year. It felt like it was only yesterday, and now spring had arrived, and the season was changing so quickly.
The brief word ‘spring’ signaled that quite a bit of time had passed since Yekaterina left.
Leonid set his quill down on the stack of unfinished documents for the first time in a long while after the hunting party ended.
He only set the quill down when there was no more work to do, when even if he dipped it in ink, there was nothing left to write. He had been pushing himself constantly.
It couldn’t be helped. If he didn’t push himself, the memories that wouldn’t fade and the incessant thoughts would torment him.
Even when he tried to sleep, couldn’t. He had spent too many nights beside Yekaterina.
When he closed his eyes, he dreamt of Yekaterina. When he opened them, he thought of her.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t erase her from his mind. He tried visiting the forest where they first held hands. He even went to the wilderness where he had once promised they would go together if she learned to ride well.
But no matter where he went, her voice was unerasable. Her presence was like the northern lights, haunting and elusive.
A conversation they had once shared suddenly came to mind.
The day they first held hands in the forest.
— Everything becomes dull. Everything passes eventually. Emotions, too.
Words from a woman who had vanished before him, saying everything was meaningless.
— Even if I die, you’ll forget me soon enough. So, there’s no need to worry.
— …Yes, I would forget if you died. It’s only natural.
At that time, Leonid had answered without much thought.
How foolish that answer had been.
Back then, he thought he could forget easily. But now, if he was to be asked the same question, Leonid felt he could never give the same answer.
Even now, he couldn’t forget her, so what difference would death make? How could he possibly forget her?
Yekaterina had said that everything dulls over time, but there are people like Larisa, who go mad from wounds that never heal.
Sometimes, he wondered if losing his sanity might be better, but he would then remind himself of the heavy name of Rostislav he bore on his shoulders, forcing himself to stay grounded.
Leonid might have been okay with collapsing, but Leonid Rostislav could not afford to lose his sanity. Considering the Arlan War, his deceased parents, and the many vassals and subjects under his command, he felt even more compelled to hold on and continue his duties.
Every time he felt like giving up, he clung to his work even more tightly.
It was the same now.
‘Spring, huh? Yekaterina must have returned to the Offenbach territory by now.’
Once the Vesna festival was over, Leonid would also need to return to the Rostislav territory. He had already spent too much time in the capital. As the weather warmed, the monsters that had frozen during the winter would start to stir again, so he had to go back to deal with that.
The world still had plenty of tasks to throw at Leonid.
He rubbed his tired eyes and leaned back in his chair.
“So, did you receive an imperial command to attend Vesna, or did Yuri insist that you go?”
“No, it’s more of a message I thought you should hear.”
“Speak.”
Vasily hesitated for a moment. His hesitation was clearly due to deep thoughts, but he continued to think until the last moment. Leonid knew well that all this concern was for Leonid.
“Miss… I mean, Yekaterina Offenbach will be attending Vesna.”
Yekaterina Offenbach. The moment her name was mentioned, a frown appeared on Leonid’s face.
“Offenbach is attending Vesna? Don’t they usually return to their territory around this time?”
“It seems they’ve decided to stay this year due to the ongoing Arlan War.”
“If Yekaterina attends the festival, who will accompany her?”
“Dmitry Offenbach. Apparently, they are the only Offenbachs left in the capital.”
“I see.”
Leonid said this and picked up his pen again. The simplicity of his reaction surprised Vasily more than anything.
“…Is that all?”
“Is there something more?”
Vasily looked at Leonid with a ‘so why are you still here?’ expression instead of answering.
After his conversation with Yuri, Vasily had ultimately decided to deliver the news about Yekaterina to Leonid. Even if it might have adverse effects, Vasily understood Leonid’s situation.
Since Yekaterina’s departure, the entire Rostislav estate had been suffering, and Vasily believed that no one was in more pain than Leonid himself. Therefore, he thought that, regardless of the outcome, informing Leonid about Yekaterina was the best way to serve his master.
Yet, such a short and even indifferent attitude from Leonid?
