Please Kill Me - Chapter 180
While it was common to hear of guards being bribed to gain entry, this was the first time Vasily encountered the idea of discovering a secret passage to enter.
He was unable to contain his surprise as they traversed the corridor.
However, Yekaterina, the one who had found the passage, remained completely still and composed.
‘I’m relieved I found it without much trouble.’
Yekaterina had always believed there must be a passage within the prison.
When she had previously been imprisoned for allegedly plotting the assassination of the First Prince, even though the entire Offenbach was under tight control, Sergei would occasionally send people through.
This knowledge came from the founding records passed down to the head of the central family, which included details about secret passages.
Of course, Yekaterina had no way of knowing this now, but at least her past experiences allowed her to guess at the existence and location of a secret passage.
However, it wasn’t just this that kept Yekaterina so tense.
‘I’m going to see Leonid again.’
That thought solidified her resolve.
Before long, they approached a steel cell, and soon enough, she saw a familiar face inside.
It was Leonid.
The prison where he was held felt strangely familiar.
‘Could it be?’
It was the very cell where she had once been imprisoned on suspicion of poisoning the First Prince.
If this was fate, it was truly a cruel one.
To think that now, instead of her, Leonid was the one being held in the place where she had once been trapped.
In other words, this meant Leonid was in quite a difficult position.
Yekaterina hesitated in her steps without realizing it.
‘Will he blame me?’
Until the moment she lost consciousness from Leonid’s blow, her body had been rigid, but her eyes remained clear. She remembered every instance she had swung her knife at him.
No matter that it was all a result of Dmitry’s magic, the fact remained that Yuri was injured and Leonid was imprisoned. Confronting Leonid was akin to confronting her own guilt.
What if Leonid showed signs of resentment? Should she throw herself down and beg for forgiveness?
But such worries melted away the moment she faced Leonid through the bars.
“…Yekaterina?”
His voice was filled with disbelief, mixed with a hint of joy reflected in his slightly gaunt cheeks.
All of this reassured her that her earlier concerns had been unfounded.
Leonid looked just as he always had. He welcomed her with the same relaxed demeanor as before.
If it weren’t for the long steel bars separating them, she would have never imagined the ordeal he was going through.
“How did you get in here? I can understand you coming alone, but bringing Vasily too…?”
“I found a secret passage, and we came through it. Are you alright, Your Grace?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? I’m doing just fine. There needs to be someone in Ethiel who can deal with the Rostislav family. It’s just that being stuck in here with no news from the outside has been a bit frustrating, but this is a good opportunity. So, let’s talk.”
With that, Leonid began firing off a series of questions.
He wanted to know about Yuri’s condition, what discussions were happening regarding his situation, and how Yekaterina had managed to find him.
Once the brief overview was done, Leonid spoke up.
“This situation has gotten quite bad.”
Yekaterina nodded slightly.
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“I’m asking how you plan to get out of here. I could help you break out, but I know you wouldn’t want to go that route.”
“Not only would I not want to, but you also have no reason to take that risk.”
“Why not? Originally, I should have been the one to end up here.”
“But the choice to not let that happen was mine. So stop talking about taking responsibility; it sounds like you’re only here out of a sense of obligation.”
“…That’s not true.”
“Of course it isn’t. It sounds like you’re just overwhelmed because you like me so much.”
As Leonid grinned, Yekaterina felt her cheeks flush.
Memories of that moment in the lounge, when she had taken the confession potion, rushed back to her.
Leonid’s hand brushed against her reddened cheek, soothingly gliding over it with his cool touch, before he leaned in and whispered with a playful smile.
“I should have just taken you and run away from that banquet, don’t you think?”
“Are you joking right now?”
“I’m just in a good mood for the first time in a while. After all, you chose me.”
Leonid’s gaze drifted into the air, painting the memories of that day.
The moment when he faced off against Dmitry in the lounge.
Dmitry had said that Yekaterina didn’t belong with Leonid.
She was someone deeply entrenched in Offenbach, and black things should stick together. If something white mingled with them, it would inevitably turn dark too.
— Sister can’t escape from Offenbach. And after today, she won’t even think of trying to.
Dmitry’s plan was to make Yekaterina aware of this and trap herself in the shadow of Offenbach.
She would want to ensure Leonid didn’t suffer because of her, and it was clear that she would not be able to endure the constant pain Leonid would endure as a result of her actions.
