Please Kill Me - Chapter 168
Thanks to that, the flow he had barely maintained broke, and it took only a moment for the impact to hit his body.
If Dmitry had delayed even slightly longer, he would have ended up vomiting blood in front of everyone.
While it was indeed a stroke of luck, Dmitry’s expression had grown even more somber than before.
The meaning behind why Yekaterina broke her promise was clear.
‘In the end, was it all a lie?’
Her words about not returning, and that she was no longer connected to Leonid, now felt insincere.
If those statements were false, that would be fine with him—as long as he wasn’t made aware of the deception, he could continue to live holding onto Yekaterina’s shadow.
But the sister whom Dmitry adored had ultimately betrayed him.
An emptiness suffocated him.
He had thought that darkness wouldn’t be so bad if he was not alone, but the one who had said they were together was now desperately struggling to escape the shadows, having completely forgotten him.
‘Should I have given up on Sister?’
If only Yekaterina had died trapped underground, he wouldn’t have harbored any foolish hopes of a new opportunity.
He would have simply lived, cut in half. It was that fear that had caused him to risk his life and turn back time. He didn’t want to live as an incomplete person after losing Yekaterina.
Yet despite having turned back time and seen a changed future, why was he still unable to escape his state of incompleteness?
Had he hoped for too much?
“……”
Even as he questioned himself, no answers came. The promise was already broken, and the magic had been activated.
Dmitry tucked the folded handkerchief back into his pocket and returned to the grand hall of the banquet, where the chandelier sparkled brilliantly.
In the meantime, a few of those he had spoken with earlier approached him.
“Sir Dmitry.”
“I heard you had something to confirm; did you manage to finish?”
“Yes. Thanks to your consideration, fortunately.”
Dmitry responded briefly to their probing questions, forcing a congenial smile.
“But I can’t seem to find my sister. Do you know where she might be?”
Dmitry’s question prompted several heads to tilt in curiosity.
Most were contemplating the absence of Yekaterina Offenbach, either thinking about her presence or searching for someone to provide a suitable answer in her place.
Unlike Dmitry, who easily wins others’ favor with his beautiful looks, friendly demeanor, and adept social skills, Yekaterina was like a reed that struggled to grow.
When she first stepped into the social scene, many were indeed surprised by her beauty.
However, as she consistently remained quiet and withdrew whenever addressed, interest sparked by her appearance quickly faded.
The looming intimidation and fear associated with the name Offenbach likely deterred anyone from approaching Yekaterina for conversation, leading to a swift decline in interest, like a fire extinguished by rain.
Moreover, social circles are known for their rapidly changing topics of conversation, so it was unsurprising that fewer people showed interest in Yekaterina on any given day. In such a crowded banquet hall, how many would actually remember her face?
“I don’t think I’ve seen her in the hall…”
“Perhaps she went out to the corridor?”
During the speculative murmurs, someone spoke up.
“If the person I saw was indeed your sister, she definitely spilled her drink earlier and went to change her clothes.”
“Oh, the one who was speaking with the First Prince?”
“It seems His Highness offered her the use of the lounge.”
As the figure became clearer, more testimonies began to accumulate. While no one could quite place who Yekaterina was, they all remembered the woman who had left with Yuri to change after getting her clothes in a mess.
With the circumstances suggesting that Yekaterina had disappeared with Yuri, Dmitry’s brow briefly furrowed before returning to normal.
“It’s troubling that people are missing just as His Majesty is about to arrive.”
“They’ll be back soon enough.”
“Yet it seems they’ve been gone for quite some time…”
Typically, this absence would have been overlooked. Attendees at such a gathering rarely concerned themselves with the absence of others.
However, now that Dmitry had brought it up, people began to share their curiosity about Yuri and Yekaterina, who had both disappeared.
And with Dmitry, who was actively searching for his sister, the doubts that might have quickly subsided began to gain traction.
As the words ‘adult man and woman’ and ‘a meeting of just the two’ often imply, the atmosphere shifted.
“Um, ahem. Perhaps it would be wise to send someone to check?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to reach out; they might have simply lost track of time.”
“Since Sir Dmitry is also looking for his sister…”
The chatterers’ gazes finally converged on Dmitry.
Seizing the moment, Dmitry offered a kind smile.
“Thanks to you, I now know my sister’s whereabouts, so I should send someone to check on her.”
His voice, adding that he was puzzled by why they were so late, carried an unsettling tone.
