Please Kill Me - Chapter 20
Leonid seemed to sense the meaning behind Yekaterina’s gaze without her having to say anything.
‘Are you not going to let go?’
He could almost hear her unspoken, indifferent voice echoing in his head.
With a grimace, Leonid swiftly withdrew his hand.
As his hand retreated, Yekaterina’s lips parted.
“…There are stories in history books about foolish people who felt superior by enslaving the families of their enemies.”
Again, Leonid felt he understood the unsaid words.
Are you also one of those foolish people?
“…It’s not like that.”
“Then why keep holding on?”
Why are you offering goodwill to me? At Yekaterina’s question, Leonid found himself unable to provide a proper excuse.
He had never thought offering goodwill could be this complicated, nor had he anticipated being questioned about it.
She was truly an enigmatic person. Like encountering a purple apple.
‘There’s no such thing as goodwill without expecting something in return.’
Even to a stranger in trouble, couldn’t one spontaneously offer a coin? A heartless person might ignore it, but at least Leonid didn’t live like that.
He would offer goodwill to someone in trouble and sometimes rely on the goodwill of others.
Of course, there was a motive behind Leonid’s goodwill.
Having Yekaterina with him would create a favorable condition for a conflict with Offenbach.
But that wasn’t the entirety of his goodwill.
‘The real problem is that she’s unbearably bothersome.’
If only Leonid was certain Yekaterina would return, he wouldn’t care much where she stayed.
He didn’t feel guilty about using Yekaterina as leverage; after all, she was the one who intruded first.
But beyond that, things were annoyingly frustrating.
First, she came asking to be killed, then nonchalantly spoke about entering a torture device like the black room.
Yekaterina seemed to have given up on everything, as if she might jump into a frozen lake at any moment. Or rather, she herself seemed to be thin ice.
One wrong step and she might shatter.
That’s why he couldn’t help but watch her.
Yet this simple logic seemed utterly incomprehensible to Yekaterina.
And if he remained silent, she was sure to climb out that window.
What kind of dilemma was this?
Finally, Leonid couldn’t hold back his irritation.
“Is it my fault that you’re unbearably bothersome?”
“…Are you angry now?”
“Consider it so. Just do as you please. Go into the black room or find another house to intrude.”
“Why are you getting angry? Did I provoke you?”
“I’m frustrated.”
Leonid, grinding his teeth in irritation, strode towards Yekaterina.
“Who barges into someone’s house asking to be killed? I may not know why you want to die, but since you came here uninvited, at least consider my position of having to care.”
He expected the retort about why he should care.
“You know the story of Princess Ivanna and Prince Terenty, right?”
But she took an unexpected turn.
“Why bring up that classic?”
“The two countries were at war, but the princess and prince were in love, weren’t they? You know how that story ends, right?”
“They both die, don’t they?”
“If you don’t want to die, it’s best not to like me.”
Ah.
Leonid finally grasped the odd flow of the conversation.
Hearing what he had said earlier, Yekaterina must have misunderstood that Leonid was developing a liking for her.
Admittedly, the words alone might not make such a misunderstanding entirely baseless.
He might have sounded like he had feelings for her.
But that was strictly from Yekaterina’s perspective, not Leonid’s.
‘Hah.’
Who’s liking whom now?
A couple of good deeds, and it’s as if a wedding ring is already on the finger. Leonid bit the inside of his cheek.
“Just know that I’m also not interested in such misunderstandings.”
“Books say it’s usually too late once you realize your feelings. Don’t fall for someone who’s about to die.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to say, I don’t-“
Gurgle.
The sound of a growling stomach interrupted the moment between the two.
Leonid momentarily forgot his frown and looked at Yekaterina.
Yekaterina, realizing her hunger, placed a hand on her stomach, then slowly met Leonid’s gaze.
“Will I be provided meals while I stay here?”
And just like that, Rostislav manor had a new lodger. The previous squabbles seemed trivial compared to the swift turn of events.
* * *
In a pitch-black room.
A young man with long, blue-tinged silver hair slowly wiped his long sword with a cloth.
His gaze, as sharp as the blade, was fixed on a man kneeling before him.
“Keep talking. What about Sister?”
“She refused to be taken to the black room. And, she got into a carriage and left the grounds- Argh!”
With a thud, the trembling man who had been kneeling before him clutched his kicked shoulder and crumpled to the ground.
