Please Kill Me - Chapter 190
The impulse to run away immediately struck at her heart like a hammer, but instead, Yekaterina gripped the dagger tighter.
‘I have to destroy this, no matter what.’
She couldn’t turn back now, not after coming this far.
She could already feel the consequences of the seal breaking.
In fact, she knew it all too well. Just getting close to the sealed monster’s core had her body trembling in fear for survival, and even a slight smudge of the altar’s writing would cause monsters to wildly appear and wreak havoc.
‘I will surely die here.’
There were several high-grade monsters trapped in this underground prison. These creatures were valuable for research and other uses, so it was necessary to keep them contained.
However, if the seal broke and the monsters were exposed to the powerful magic, they would undoubtedly wreak havoc with unimaginable strength.
If that happened, the imperial family would probably have to collapse it and seal off the entire underground prison.
‘Then this will be my tomb.’
But she was certain that Leonid could be freed.
When the monsters began to rampage, the first people who would come to mind would be the Rostislav and Offenbach families.
So perhaps it would be better to be buried here.
If Leonid managed to escape and search for her, and if this place were to be closed off, no one would ever know that this was Yekaterina’s grave.
She didn’t want him to see her lifeless body.
‘How ironic.’
She had wanted to live because of Leonid, and now, she was willing to die for him.
If there was one regret, it was that.
Not having been able to tell him that she loved him.
Of course, there had been chances to meet, but when she thought about seeing Leonid again, she felt that she wouldn’t have the courage to speak, so she came straight to the underground prison.
A tear fell onto the hand gripping the dagger.
‘Just once more.’
If only she could meet him again.
Then, she would finally say the things she had never said…
But she knew. Such luck would never be granted to her.
Her life had been one of misfortune from the start.
Yekaterina’s wishes had never been fulfilled.
Yet, even knowing that, why couldn’t she let go of hope?
It was truly pointless.
She knew, but still—
She saw a shadow approaching.
‘Am I imagining things?’
Yekaterina slowly blinked. She thought she heard hurried footsteps in her ears, but she couldn’t be sure.
After being exposed to such high-density magic for so long, her vision had already begun to tilt.
“…rina! Yekaterina! Stay with me!”
The strength left her hand. She saw the dagger fall, but Yekaterina couldn’t afford to pay attention to such a thing.
“Leo…nid.”
The person she had longed to see was right in front of her.
Was this still some lingering regret she hadn’t let go of?
Or had some monster emerged and cast this illusion on her?
Leonid should still be locked in the prison.
‘I haven’t even made a proper strike yet.’
She hadn’t even carved a single letter properly.
So if she collapsed now, it would be disastrous. Yet, she couldn’t summon any strength into her body.
Yekaterina slowly blinked.
She saw Leonid desperately embracing her. Even through her blurred vision, she could tell his face was deeply furrowed.
The things she had always wanted had only ever existed in illusions, so this too must be an illusion.
Leonid should still be locked away.
Which meant, she needed to destroy the altar quickly.
She had to carve the letters out, even if it meant cutting into her own bones. To save him, somehow.
‘Somehow…’
Yekaterina’s fingertips twitched. But her body, already out of control, refused to move as she willed.
‘I have to save Leonid…’
Not this hallucination, but truly, to save him—if she died, at least she would have no regrets.
Why did her body always betray her will at the most crucial moments?
Her eyelids, which had barely been holding on, finally dropped. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
But those eyelids would never rise again.
Soon, darkness overtook her.
* * *
The time rewinds a bit.
“Crown Prince! Something urgent has happened!!”
It was when the servant, who had been kept close to the Emperor in case the Empress had any schemes, urgently came to inform Yuri.
What the servant delivered was none other than:
“The Emperor has passed away!”
The death of Evgeny IV.
Yuri’s expression was as if he had been struck with a heavy blow.
“What? That’s impossible. His condition wasn’t so critical just this afternoon. Can you take responsibility for that?”
“Yes. His condition rapidly worsened about an hour ago. The doctor has confirmed it.”
Evgeny IV was dead.
No one was able to speak easily in response to the startling news.
But at that moment, another thought crossed his mind.
If the Emperor had passed away…
‘If the Emperor has died, Leonid can be saved.’
Though there was still a process to go through before Yuri could officially take the throne, the fact that he was no longer in a situation where he had to break the Emperor’s stubborn will was enough to bring some relief.
