Please Kill Me - Chapter 171
“…Dmitry Offenbach.”
At the mention of his name, the young man smiled brightly.
“Yes. I came all this way to find my sister, but it seems I’ve hit a dead end. However, seeing how the situation is unfolding has piqued my curiosity.”
Why was no one questioning Leonid about the allegations?
At Dmitry’s additional comment, the crowd murmured. The carefully crafted atmosphere was beginning to unravel due to his presence. Leonid furrowed his brow.
“Are you suspecting me now? You know well what my relationship with Yuri is.”
“Of course, I don’t trust my suspicions entirely. But that doesn’t mean I can completely rule you out as a suspect, does it?”
Leonid could see the glances exchanged among the crowd. While Dmitry’s words weren’t entirely incorrect, most of those present were aware of the special bond between Leonid and Yuri.
Could it really be that Leonid Rostislav would attack the First Prince? This thought began to permeate quietly through the crowd.
Dmitry continued,
“Furthermore, while His Highness was attacked, I’m quite curious about what the Duke was doing—why he wasn’t able to prevent the attack or capture the assassin.”
“I wasn’t with Yuri when he was attacked. I went to look for him after he left his post and found him injured.”
“Indeed, if the Duke had been present, I believe His Highness would have been safe. However, until there is evidence to prove otherwise, it seems difficult for you to clear your name.”
Dmitry’s statement was undeniably accurate. Leonid knew that denying it would likely yield negative consequences. After all, taking the blame wasn’t a significant issue for him.
What mattered was quickly dispersing the crowd from the lounge.
Clenching his teeth, Leonid took a step closer to Dmitry.
“True. I cannot deny there are suspicions. If necessary, I will cooperate with the search.”
“Will that suffice? Until the perpetrator is found, it seems only fair for the Duke to be detained.”
“…I don’t care. Right now, the priority should be searching the palace.”
At Leonid’s words, Dmitry raised his hand with a bright expression.
“The Duke is correct. So, those present here should inform His Majesty, the Head of Interior, and the guards about this situation.”
“Excuse me, but what about the Duke?”
“Detaining Duke Leonid Rostislav can wait until after this. I assure you, in the name of Offenbach, he will not flee.”
To claim the Offenbach family name meant taking full responsibility for everything that unfolded from one’s words. Those who had been floundering without high-ranking officials nodded in agreement, seemingly captivated by Dmitry’s words.
Before long, as people filtered out and the door closed, only Dmitry and Leonid remained in the lounge. It was also the moment when the smile that had been consistently on Dmitry’s face vanished completely. Witnessing that abrupt change, a sense of disdain rose in Leonid.
“…I didn’t expect you to be worse than a raccoon when I insulted your father.”
“You have to suffer for your lack of insight. Are you bragging about your ignorance?”
His tone had shifted 180 degrees. The usual softness was gone, replaced by arrogance and aggression.
Glaring at Leonid, Dmitry spat out his words.
“Now tell me where you’ve hidden my sister.”
The attitude of demanding his own was straightforward. It meant that Dmitry had orchestrated the entire situation.
‘Not just with Yekaterina, but even calling in people must have been his doing.’
There was no other way to put it than to say he was worse than his father. The fact that such a vile person had the audacity to demand Yekaterina while wearing an innocent expression was even more contemptible.
Others might not know what kind of person Dmitry was, but Leonid was fully aware of his actions, making it all the more intolerable.
“…Sister?”
The deception underlying that polite title and the way he looked at him as if Leonid had taken something important from him was outrageous.
Leonid’s sharp response caused Dmitry’s eyes to narrow.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Your friend has been stabbed, and you want to play dumb? I gave you all the opportunities to hate my sister, but why does it always turn out like this?”
When he had arrived at the lounge moments ago, seeing the bustling crowd, Dmitry instinctively felt,
‘The situation isn’t going as I intended.’
He realized that his desired scenario had unraveled.
The optimal situation he had envisioned was for Yekaterina to attack Leonid, revealing the scene. Though it would undoubtedly complicate matters, if Yekaterina and Leonid became irreparably entangled, it would be of no concern to him.
Everyone knew about the longstanding enmity between Offenbach and Rostislav, and since both were nobles of similar status, it wouldn’t be surprising if they couldn’t save at least one person, Yekaterina, from this mess.
Thus, what Dmitry sought was, to put it precisely, for Yekaterina to hesitate to face anyone outside of Offenbach due to this incident.
