Please Kill Me - Chapter 198
Yekaterina had always held on to Offenbach, so it was perhaps a rational suspicion.
Because of this, she knew she had to finish what she had started, regardless of Leonid’s wishes. Doing so would be the only proof that she wasn’t planning to leave.
Yekaterina stepped out of the carriage. Once the coachman, who had been paid, left, only the Offenbach mansion remained in front of her. The familiar, faint smell of blood lingered in the air, already giving off a sense of familiarity.
‘I swore I wouldn’t return.’
Having heard Dmitry’s story from Leonid, Yekaterina had no choice but to turn back. Despite everything, she owed Dmitry, and she was the one who could understand him more than anyone.
As she entered the front gate, the guards recognized her and quickly opened the door. Some rushed inside to deliver the news.
By the time Yekaterina passed through the garden and entered the mansion, she saw a figure hurriedly descending the stairs.
It was a face a little more gaunt and somber than she remembered. The shadow of herself she had left behind at Offenbach.
“…Sister.”
With wide eyes and dry lips, the young man called her name. Yekaterina, instead of replying, slowly shifted her gaze to Dmitry.
“How are you here…?”
“Have you been well?”
At Yekaterina’s question, Dmitry fell silent. Yet, the faint bitterness in his gaze was hard to hide. It was clear that the time since Yekaterina had left had not been easy for him.
Yekaterina approached him and slowly extended her arms. She embraced Dmitry, just as she had done when she was a child to her younger sibling.
* * *
It was the same day Dmitry had been slapped by Ludmilla.
Usually, Ludmilla treated her son like gold, but to slap Dmitry was a rare occurrence. He had always been a model child, after all.
But that day, Dmitry had acted differently. He had intentionally made mistakes in front of Sergei, even breaking the vase Ludmilla treasured. Eventually, Ludmilla, unable to hold back her anger, slapped Dmitry’s cheek.
— Stupid brat. I can’t stand you! Get out!
Dmitry didn’t respond and immediately ran out. Yekaterina followed and caught up to him, hugging him tightly.
— W-what are you doing? Let go!
The boy struggled. He kicked and screamed, asking why the adopted child dared to lay hands on him. After everything that had happened in the monster pit, he even threw insults, but the more Dmitry struggled, the tighter Yekaterina held him.
She was the one who remembered the boy’s birthday, which everyone else had forgotten while at Offenbach.
— Let go of me! Let go! I-I said let go… sniff… I… sniff… Huh…
Dmitry wept as he was held in Yekaterina’s arms, and from that day on, he began calling her ‘sister.’
Since then, the siblings often hugged , whether it was after Dmitry had been severely injured in training or after Yekaterina was released from solitary confinement. Even without words, their hugs became a form of comfort and connection between them.
But that was before Yekaterina lost her memory due to the side effects of magic.
When Yekaterina hugged Dmitry, the young man became completely stiff, as he always did when facing his sister. He had always felt small and insignificant in front of her. He couldn’t bring himself to say a harsh word, and all he could do was return the embrace.
Tears streamed down his face as he leaned into Yekaterina’s shoulder. He sobbed quietly, and Yekaterina held him for a long time.
It was a reunion that had been a long time coming.
* * *
“So, what I want to say is two things. I will go to Rostislav, and after that, the decision is yours.”
Yekaterina said, finishing her statement. Dmitry’s brows furrowed slightly, and his tears stopped.
They sat across from each other with a teacup between them. Dmitry wanted to say a few more words out of politeness, but Yekaterina immediately got to the point.
She told him she had heard that Dmitry had visited Leonid and had helped him escape.
“If you want to keep seeing me… then you’ll have to get along with Rostislav. If not, do whatever you wish. But if you harm Leonid again, you will become the last Offenbach of Ethiel.”
Her words, spoken in an unemotional tone, were chilling, and it was a threat that Yekaterina was more than capable of carrying out. Dmitry, however, didn’t seem fazed.
He gave a faint smile, his expression a little conflicted.
“If killing him meant you could come back, I would have done it without hesitation. But… Sister would rather die than lose him.”
Dmitry knew that if Leonid were to die, Yekaterina would also be lost, and he couldn’t bear that thought. It wasn’t about seeking her forgiveness, but about keeping her alive.
“Sister, you’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you? I would do anything for you.”
Therefore, the answer was clear.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
No matter what, he would protect her.
* * *
Yekaterina returned to Rostislav exactly one day after leaving.
“Miss!”
“Miss is back!”
“But… who is that with you?”
“This is my brother.”
