Please Kill Me - Chapter 153
Yekaterina left before long.
“I’ve left Dmitry alone for too long. If I wait any longer, he’ll become suspicious.”
“Isn’t it okay if you don’t change your dress?”
“I can just say it got torn on my heels.”
Fortunately, aside from a small tear at the hem, Yekaterina’s dress was in good condition. Of course, her outer garment was stained with blood from carrying Leonid and would have to be discarded, but at least the dress itself was intact.
The fact that the distance between the party hall and the First Prince’s palace wasn’t very far felt like a stroke of luck.
Yekaterina passed through the chilly garden and returned to the terrace, where Olga, who had received the news a bit late, rushed in, marking the end of that night’s events.
Leonid lay unconscious for three full days before finally opening his eyes.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been so ill, but the toll from overexerting himself had been significant. During those three days, he alternated between feverish delirium and deep sleep. Occasionally, he would open his eyes, but whether it was due to the fever or something else, it seemed he didn’t remember anything about it.
After those stormy three days, Leonid woke up.
And after waking, he didn’t ask for Yekaterina even once.
It wasn’t just that he didn’t ask. He appeared visibly resigned and didn’t speak a word about the events of that day.
In fact, it would be misleading to say this was entirely of Leonid’s own will. While he lay there, seemingly lifeless, Yuri gathered Leonid’s close associates to explain the situation and said,
— When Leonid wakes, do not bring up Yekaterina Offenbach. Don’t even ask what happened that day.
Having heard similar orders before, Vasily raised his hand and asked.
— Are you saying this for the same reason as before?
— No, it’s at Yekaterina’s request.
Yuri replied with a hint of bitterness.
He still couldn’t shake the chilling feeling in his heart whenever he thought back to that day.
He had never considered his life to be less unfortunate than anyone else’s. His mother had completely fallen apart due to a combination of designed misfortunes and random strokes of bad luck. He grew up in the vast palace without anyone to lean on.
The love he had been with since childhood and he promised the future with had crumbled due to betrayal, ultimately leading to her death.
Every misfortune that had disrupted his carefully laid plans felt like a sudden onslaught of fate, and until now, he had believed he wouldn’t fall behind anyone as long as he didn’t compete with them. Yet despite his outlook…
— If none of this is my fault, then what am I supposed to blame?
He found himself speechless in front of her.
Honestly, Yuri was still uncomfortable with the idea of Yekaterina being with Leonid. Their relationship unsettled him. He was ready to be selfish and narrow-minded if it meant saving Leonid.
However, in focusing so much on that, he belatedly realized he had never considered Yekaterina’s feelings.
Yekaterina, who had brought in a bleeding Leonid, was crying.
Only because of the possibility that he might die.
Both Yuri and Yekaterina were desperate when it came to Leonid’s life. But while Yuri’s desperation manifested as a willingness to exclude others to save Leonid, Yekaterina chose to sacrifice her own well-being to save him.
That was where their differences lay.
And it was only then that Yuri came to this realization.
Yekaterina couldn’t possibly be unaware that her actions might hurt Leonid. It wouldn’t sit well with her either. The weight of that understanding hit him late.
So, instead of telling Yekaterina to leave, he asked her, “What do you want to do about this?”
— …I think it’s better this way. Just don’t mention my involvement at all.
— What do you mean by ‘don’t mention it at all’?
— I want him to believe that I attacked him, that I’m the reason he got hurt…
— Is there any reason to do that?
— He was attacked by an assassin who looked like me. No one else could have thought to use me as bait to lure Leonid. So I’ll let him believe I’m the one who hurt him.
That way, Leonid would blame and resent her, and he wouldn’t suffer from her absence.
— It’s better to be resented than… to cause him more pain. Leonid probably didn’t even see me. Even if he did, he’d think he was imagining things.
Now was a good time to disappear into the shadows.
Yekaterina left, after thanking Yuri for his help.
Yuri decided to follow her wishes, not because it would help Leonid, but because it was what Yekaterina wanted.
“Until Leonid brings up Yekaterina Offenbach, don’t mention her at all. And if he does, answer as vaguely as possible. She’s nothing more than someone who tried to kill him.”
With that, everyone fell silent about Yekaterina and the events of that day.
