Please Kill Me - Chapter 178
“Miss!”
“Miss Yekaterina!”
“I thought I would never see you again!”
After leaving Offenbach, Yekaterina went straight back to the Rostislav mansion.
One might expect that if someone unexpectedly showed up at the mansion in the middle of the night, they would be met with drawn blades, but the servants of the Rostislav mansion poured out like wildflowers in the dead of winter to greet Yekaterina.
Among them was Olga, who burst into tears, and Igor, the cook, who turned his head away, pretending not to be affected while his eyes were red. Even the gardener, Josip, muttered some curses.
“Cough, this isn’t the time for that. The Miss hasn’t eaten well since we last saw her, so we need to bring something for her to eat right away.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ve just grown some ice roses, and I need to show her!”
“Eek, miss!”
The varied reactions made it clear that everyone was glad to see Yekaterina.
Given that the head of the Rostislav family was imprisoned, it seemed their anxious hearts burst forth upon reuniting with someone they missed.
‘Such a warm welcome.’
Although she had heard from Olga about the changes that had occurred in the Rostislav mansion since her departure, seeing it all firsthand felt strangely unfamiliar.
Yet, Yekaterina couldn’t help but feel that it was all a bit ridiculous.
Somehow, the overwhelming hospitality made her feel shy.
‘Is this a side effect of the confession potion?’
Since waking up, Yekaterina had felt emotions she had long forgotten once again surging within her.
It was like experiencing the thawing of frozen sensations.
How could she have lived without feeling this?
Perhaps she would come to miss the times when she hardly felt anything at all.
‘But now there’s no going back.’
Yekaterina unconsciously looked down at her empty hands, the events from the parlor replaying in her mind.
The moment she had embraced Leonid.
The warmth and heartbeat echoed from her fingertips. In that moment, she felt overwhelmed by the volume of her emotions and could have cried.
While she could live without knowing such fullness, she could not turn away from it once she understood.
So perhaps she was destined to return in the end.
Yekaterina withdrew her empty hands.
Soon, the commotion around her subsided. The tide of people who had rushed in began to trickle out, and by the time a brief silence settled,
Yekaterina turned her gaze to the one person who remained in the room.
A loyal knight with slightly reddened eyes.
“I suppose we have a lot to discuss.”
* * *
Vasily Arkady.
The loyal knight of the Rostislav mansion had not slept well for several days.
Since Leonid was unable to return after attending the imperial banquet, few people in the mansion had been able to sleep well, and Vasily was particularly affected.
‘What on earth happened?’
He couldn’t even begin to guess the events that unfolded in the palace.
Of course, Vasily was aware that Leonid had attended the banquet with some plan in mind. But could he have imagined it would lead to Leonid’s imprisonment?
‘Prince Yuri was attacked, and now it’s the Duke who is detained as a suspect.’
Even if he wanted to know more about the situation, as a member of the Rostislav family, he couldn’t step a foot into the palace. Normally, he could have at least spoken to Yuri, but with Yuri severely injured, even that was no longer an option.
The only reason Vasily could keep his composure was that he had received a letter from Yuri.
— Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.
A short letter with no addressee or sender, not even a subject.
Yet Vasily recognized the handwriting; it was undoubtedly Yuri’s.
Given the surveillance on all correspondence coming from Rostislav, it was likely that Yuri couldn’t share any detailed information. Still, this gesture aimed to reassure the members of Rostislav.
Yet Vasily’s frustration remained unresolved.
After all, the public was betting on whether Leonid would lose his head or not; how could a knight in that situation rest easy?
‘And I still have no idea what happened to Miss Yekaterina…’
Thanks to Yuri, Vasily had refrained from doing anything reckless, like rushing into the palace alone; perhaps he should consider charging into Offenbach instead.
If luck were on his side, he might see Yekaterina before losing a limb… just as he was contemplating this, Yekaterina returned to Rostislav like a shooting star.
Vasily had to suppress the urge to cry alongside Olga, who was already in tears.
He couldn’t allow himself to weep yet. He was Leonid’s loyal knight.
“…That’s how it happened. With Leonid’s help, I was able to escape, and he ended up getting imprisoned.”
“Sniff, hic, ugh, really? Hic…”
“…Olga, could you bring me a glass of water here?”
“Yes!”
At Yekaterina’s words, Olga hurried back with water just as the story reached its midpoint.
Vasily gulped down the water, hiccupping several times before setting the glass down with a thud.
