Please Kill Me - Chapter 5
She sincerely thanked Sergei, who had taken her in, and at the same time, she truly loved the Offenbach she belonged to. She even thought that if Sergei praised her for dedicating herself to protecting this place, she would be more than happy.
Perhaps that’s why, until she no longer wanted anything, the most difficult thing was ironically severing her affection for her adoptive parents.
– Good job, Yekaterina. Just keep it up.
– Rina, with you around, this mother has no worries.
After countless efforts, receiving a few words of praise felt like a refreshing shower. Despite her initial resentment, a few words like these would soften her heart.
What was the result?
The love that could be severed after getting thrown five times into a monster cage proved to be excruciating.
‘I don’t care what happens now.’
Yekaterina slowly closed and opened her dry, indifferent eyes. Her wrist, revealed beneath her nightgown, appeared pale.
‘I won’t be returning to the past after dying twice, will I?’
Usually, Yekaterina would be busy ordering the tasks for the day as soon as she woke up, but not today. Today will be her funeral.
‘First, let’s see how well the protective magic works.’
Is there anything useful?
Yekaterina glanced around the room. If there were at least one sword, she could test it right away. Unfortunately, there was no suitable item for ending her life.
Moreover,
‘I’m hungry.’
Gurgle. A sound echoed from her stomach.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve always lived feeling hungry.’
Might as well eat before dying. A final meal wouldn’t hurt.
‘While I’m down there, I should grab a sword.’
Yeah, let’s go get a sword. And while we’re at it, have a meal.
Yekaterina, thinking of a suitable excuse, put on the indoor gown hanging on the hanger and opened the door. A maid asked curiously from behind.
“Where are you going, miss?”
“To the first floor.”
“The family is currently having their meal. Your meal will be served later…”
Bang.
Yekaterina intentionally cut off the maid’s words and closed the door behind her. As the maid said, it was currently the family’s mealtime.
Yekaterina’s meal usually consisted of sharing the leftover food with the maid. Although there was no reason why Yekaterina couldn’t sit at the dining table, her father always demanded that she finish her work first.
– No food for a lazy parasite who can’t finish her work. If you want to eat, finish your tasks first.
Even if she wanted to dream of leisurely sitting at the dining table, she couldn’t. To complete her assigned tasks, she had to divide even the meal times.
Naturally, there was no chance to sit comfortably at the dining table, and when she returned with a hungry stomach, the leftovers from the family’s meal were waiting for her.
Despite being called ‘miss’ as part of the family, her treatment was the same as that of a maid. She ate the remaining hard bread, and that was all.
She once loved this place for a long time.
Yekaterina sighed. There was nothing left to expect here.
Oh well, maybe she can look forward to the morning menu. After all, it’s the last supper.
‘Will something delicious come out in the morning?’
Yekaterina intended to act as she pleased until she died. For example, sitting at the family dining table, which she had never sat at before, and eating warm food to her heart’s content.
‘I’ll eat until my stomach is full.’
Yekaterina put on a calm smile and grasped the handrail of the stairs. It was a somewhat liberating feeling.
* * *
The sound of indoor slippers descending the stairs blended gradually with the lively sounds of the meal.
‘Hmm, a delicious smell.’
It seemed they roasted chicken for breakfast. One of Yekaterina’s favorites was eating well-cooked chicken on bread. She could count on one hand the number of times she had eaten it.
Around the time the dampness disappeared in the cold morning air, perhaps due to the movement of her body, a yawn escaped.
“Yawn.”
As Yekaterina yawned for a long time, the attention of the three family members who were happily chattering in the dining room turned to the stairs. They looked like they saw something they shouldn’t see.
Breaking the uncomfortable silence, Yekaterina’s stepfather, Sergei, was the first to speak.
“…Yekaterina, what are you doing here?”
‘Oh, there are exactly four chairs. It’s fortunate that one is empty.’
“Have you finished all your work already? Seeing you come to the dining room in the morning, it seems I gave you too little work.”
‘Oh, there are no plates. No knives and forks either.’
“Yekaterina Offenbach! Are you not going to answer?”
“Um, could you please bring me some plates and utensils?”
Yekaterina personally pulled out a chair that the maids had not bothered to prepare and sat down, saying nothing.
Thanks to her actions, Sergei’s face twisted in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable, but that was not Yekaterina’s concern. Right now, she was only focused on the delicious chicken and freshly baked soft white bread in front of her.
Unable to endure the tense atmosphere this time, Ludmilla, the mistress of Offenbach, made a fuss.
“Li-Lina! What is this defiance? Father is talking to you, and you’re not even answering….”
“Yes. But there are no plates or utensils in front of me.”
Beautiful Ludmilla, who only knew how to be loved, was naturally a fragile person.
She nodded when her husband said he would adopt a daughter and raise her like a slave.
