Please Kill Me - Chapter 157
“…Yes, I guess so.”
That was all she could manage to say.
‘So it was the doing of Offenbach.’
Yekaterina closed her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again.
That night, after she had taken Leonid to Yuri and returned to the terrace, the spot where the silver-haired woman had been lying dead was now completely cleaned, as if nothing had ever happened.
Yekaterina was not someone who would misunderstand the implications of such evidence being erased.
‘I really hoped it wouldn’t be so.’
She wished with all her heart that it wasn’t her fault he got hurt.
No matter how much she denied it, the outcome remained the same. The embodiment of Offenbach coldly questioned her.
“Sister, are you going to resent me?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I was worried you might have forgotten what Offenbach’s way is while you were outside.”
Offenbach’s methods were merciless. They paid for everything with lives.
So Dmitry was showing an abundance of mercy to both Yekaterina and Leonid. Even though he had already attacked Leonid twice, absurdly enough, that was the case.
At that point, Yekaterina couldn’t help but voice the question that had been buried in her mind.
Why was Dmitry being so soft on this matter?
“If you’re curious whether I’ve forgotten, then you could just act according to Offenbach’s ways. Why show mercy and pose questions?”
“It’s surprising you still don’t understand. I don’t want to turn against Sister.”
His tone was so serious that Yekaterina slowly clenched her hand hidden beneath her dress. Her mouth felt dry, but her dry tongue kept moving.
“Then wouldn’t it have been better to just keep quiet? What’s the point of telling me all this?”
“If you start having foolish thoughts, then I really will have to kill Leonid Rostislav. I mean, if you plan to go back to him, then you should let it go.”
“I have no intention of going back. I… won’t return.”
“More than anything, I don’t want Sister to have this secret.”
Dmitry’s dry voice captured Yekaterina’s attention. She lifted her gaze to meet the eyes of her half-brother sitting across from her.
Yekaterina was certain that she had been taller at some point, but now Dmitry had grown significantly, giving her a strange feeling. Moreover, it had become awkward to assert their connection as siblings.
Sitting across from him, he felt less like a brother and more like some storm submerged in Offenbach.
However, Yekaterina had no way of knowing that this was all a facade.
Dmitry’s fingers slowly drummed on the armrest of the sofa.
“I want to get along with you. You know that I treat you with respect. I admire all the time you’ve survived. That’s why I want to make you the Mistress of Offenbach, and I don’t want to betray you.”
It was all a lie. In truth, his feelings were far more desperate. Dmitry revered Yekaterina rather than simply respected her, and he cherished her more than his own life. Yet, as he always did, Dmitry skillfully spoke his falsehoods, hiding emotions that should not be revealed.
It was a little disappointing.
Before fatigue could settle on his face, Dmitry waved his hand dismissively.
“If you understand, then you should leave. There won’t be any outings for a while, so you might as well take this time to rest. You’ll need to attend a banquet before going back to the estate, so before that—”
“Dmitry.”
Yekaterina’s voice interrupted him. Dmitry forgot to mask his expression and turned to face her.
It was unusual for the typically quiet and indecisive Yekaterina to cut him off.
Dmitry furrowed his brow slightly at this unexpected change, but Yekaterina seemed unaware of her own transformation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to maintain such a calm demeanor while keeping her gaze lowered.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. What you might be considering. But no matter how hard I think, I can’t understand it. You say you care for me while trying to sever my connection with Leonid, and you question whether I resent you even though you claim you don’t want to turn against me.”
“…So?”
“If you truly want to get along with me, then you need to tell me what you’re thinking.”
Yekaterina’s previously lowered gaze lifted to meet Dmitry’s.
Her voice maintained the same calmness as before, without any rise or fall, yet the tone was commanding.
This was not something Yekaterina would have said just a few months ago. In fact, even making eye contact would have been unthinkable. This change stirred Dmitry’s anger.
Ironically, this transformed Yekaterina was the very sister Dmitry had fallen in love with as a child. The young Yekaterina had been far more assertive than she was now and never shied away from meeting his gaze.
Back then, she had saved him; she was his salvation and his life.
No matter how much Yekaterina seemed to lose herself over time, that fact had never changed. Yet Dmitry still found it difficult to forget the version of her from those days and often dreamed of it.
After Sergei’s death, he hoped that Yekaterina might return to her former self in the remaining Offenbach.
He longed for her to come back, to look at him again, and to hold his hand. He felt that if that were to happen, he would have no regrets, even if it meant dying.
In the end, his wish was granted. Yekaterina had returned to her old self.
