Please Kill Me - Chapter 2
Yekaterina’s father was a man who valued efficiency. The more commendable the subordinates the better. Of course, he didn’t forget to thoroughly educate capable subordinates to ensure they didn’t become useless.
“Yekaterina, I heard you’ve mastered all of Roel’s martial arts. Both archery and swordsmanship, surpassing even the master.”
“Yes.”
“Good. It seems the investment was worthwhile.”
Yekaterina’s adoptive father monthly called her to show the breakdown of the money spent on her. Given the numerous tutors he employed, it was natural that a considerable amount of money went into her education. However, as he looked at the astronomical figure, he remarked:
“Raising you, who was originally useless, and investing this much in you is already a favor. Don’t forget this kindness and strive for the sake of Offenbach and Dmitry.”
In summary, it meant not to expect anything. Just by being alive and breathing, she had received enough grace. If she dared to desire anything beyond that, she would face great consequences.
Yekaterina, who had learned survival skills before letters, couldn’t defy this warning. She faithfully followed her adoptive father’s words, and his caution was deeply engraved in her bones, flesh, and veins.
She asked for nothing, having survived only by preserving her life. Regret, envy, and all such emotions were irrelevant to Yekaterina.
People were meant to live according to their station. Just the fact that a former street orphan almost froze to death on the streets but now became the adopted daughter of a noble family was already a significant honor.
So, the days of lying in a vacant room, burying her face in the pillow, and crying when the bright moonlight flooded the empty space, creating an unbearable emptiness, are now a thing of the past.
At the age of twenty-five, the only thing important to Yekaterina was dedicating herself to Offenbach.
Protecting Dmitry and protecting Offenbach.
Just a fortnight ago, she thought that’s how she would live her entire life.
At least until a fortnight ago.
“Dmitry has a task for you to fulfill before the succession ceremony.”
Until her adoptive father spoke with an unusually gentle tone, she didn’t easily nod her head.
She expected him to give orders to slaughter monsters or kill someone, as usual. However, Sergei brought her to an underground prison and confined her without any knowledge of what was going on.
Yekaterina was thrown into a monster enclosure without understanding the reason. She initially thought she had to slaughter all of them. However, what Sergei wanted was Yekaterina’s death.
She went in and out of the monster enclosure five times. As the moon waxed and waned, Yekaterina faced numerous close calls with death.
Even now.
When her thoughts reached that point, tears inexplicably streamed down her face for reasons unknown. At first, she thought it was her hot blood. She believed the choked sensation, blocking her breath, was due to the persistent feeling of nausea.
“…..Wh, why….”
The swollen lips uttered the words on their own.
Despite being educated not to scream no matter what happened, her voice sounded strangely rough. It was as if there was a metallic edge to it.
Calling her adoptive father with such a voice usually earned Yekaterina a scolding. Such reprimands always loomed large for Yekaterina.
Anyone who must prove their reason for existence to survive will be cautious of their superiors’ reactions. Yekaterina was no exception, despite being well aware of this fact. Even though she knew this, Yekaterina struggled to speak, feeling compelled to ask.
“Why… Why to me…”
“Why am I doing this to you? Just because of that, you cry? How pitiful.”
Sergei intervened, finishing the incomplete sentence. It was then that Yekaterina finally realized she was crying.
The sensation of her eyes being warm, the continuous feeling of something welling up beneath her eyes – just a while ago, all the choking feeling that blocked her breath, now turned out to be tears.
Sergei scoffed at Yekaterina, who was sobbing hopelessly. No, it was more of a sneer. He sharply laughed, fixing his piercing black eyes on Yekaterina, as if he were about to devour her.
“Well, didn’t you steal something from Dmitry?”
What he spat out was the truth that Yekaterina was unaware of.
Yekaterina, at that moment, couldn’t grasp Sergei’s words. She simply stared at him blankly. In response, Sergei mocked her.
“Now you know. It doesn’t matter anyway. You’ll die soon. You’re right. Even if you die, you should at least know why it’s happening, so it doesn’t feel unjust.”
Having said that, Sergei grabbed Yekaterina’s long hair. Yekaterina’s head lifted, and their gazes collided in mid-air. Sergei’s black eyes and Yekaterina’s eyes of the same color as Sergei’s.
“Have you ever wondered why you have the same eye color as me?”
“……?”
Yekaterina’s eyelids drooped weakly.
As Sergei said, they did have an oddly similar eye color, considering they were unrelated. While it wasn’t extremely rare to share the same black eye color, Yekaterina had assumed it was a coincidence.
So, it wasn’t?”
“Well, maybe not. You didn’t seem to remember.”
