Please Kill Me - Chapter 6
Ludmilla’s daily routine mostly consisted of being nervous about whether her beloved husband might get tired of her. Is there any need to say more? Even now, as she fusses around like a startled chicken, her biggest concern is not Yekaterina but Sergei.
“Yekaterina, what if you upset Father… He was angry. Hurry up and apologize. Dmitry is here too, as his older sister, you should set an example, right?”
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, Dmitry was there. Yekaterina noticed the presence of another person who had just sat at the table a little late.
Although not biological siblings, Dmitry, her younger brother, strangely had a similar atmosphere to Yekaterina. He had a slightly startled expression, as if finding this situation both amusing and awkward, or perhaps being too bewildered to speak like the others.
“Dmitry, I don’t have plates and utensils in front of me. Can you bring them?”
However, when Yekaterina spoke, he immediately gave an order to the maid standing nearby.
“Hey, you. Go and bring plates and utensils.”
“Thanks, Dmitry.”
It was a dry and unenthusiastic response with no trace of vitality. Unlike Dmitry, who seemed cooperative, Sergei seemed to have no intention of letting Yekaterina eat quietly.
Bang! Sergei slammed the table as he stood up.
“There’s no food for those who don’t know their place in Offenbach! Get out right now!”
Of course, Yekaterina did not respond with her usual dignified manner or retorts. This further fueled Sergei’s anger.
“I spared you, and now you, like a pest, are causing a ruckus without knowing your place! Despite my kindness! If it weren’t for me, you would have died a long time ago!”
“You can kill me if you want.”
“What?”
Just then, a maid placed plates and utensils in front of Yekaterina. Her expression brightened. Finally, she could have a meal.
“You can kill me if you want; I don’t mind. Let me eat my breakfast first.”
Yekaterina lifted her fork and knife, served herself a piece of chicken onto her plate, and took a large bite. It tasted better than she expected.
‘Delicious.’
Not bad for a last meal.
Enjoying her meal, Yekaterina took another bite, then turned her head towards Sergei as if something had occurred to her.
“Oh, by the way, I won’t be working today.”
It’s only right to say that she can’t. After all, she’ll die after finishing her meal.
The next words disappeared after that one bite. Yekaterina concentrated on her meal, regardless of whatever Sergei shouted.
Yekaterina opened her mouth again after taking a sip of water the maid had placed in front of her.
“By any chance, is there any wine?”
* * *
Yekaterina was walking through the garden, carrying her satisfied stomach.
The chicken and bread were indeed delicious, just as Yekaterina had anticipated. Like all servants of Offenbach, the chef was incredibly skilled. The crispy surface of the well-cooked chicken oozed with juice as it was sliced, and it was tender when bitten into.
The bread, made with high-quality flour and butter, tore neatly. Placing the carved chicken on top of the bread and taking a bite filled Yekaterina with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
Unfortunately, there was no wine. Perhaps not having wine was better, as it might have compromised the taste of the food. Although the lack of wine was regrettable, the last morning meal was quite a sumptuous breakfast.
‘Just being full makes the world look different. I guess it’s really true?’
A full stomach brought warmth to her body. The biting cold, so severe that it seemed to pierce through her thin clothes, diminished by half, and the delightful sense of fullness took its place.
‘If I go to the slaughterhouse, I should find at least one usable sword.’
Yekaterina was currently on her way to the monster slaughterhouse.
Offenbach’s castle is divided into various sections.
There’s a prison, a monster holding area, an herb cultivation room, a slave auction house. The reason for such diverse facilities is that Offenbach serves as the Empire’s waste disposal unit.
In other words, Offenbach functions as a backworld for the Empire. Where all illegal activities are tacitly permitted in exchange for handling the dirty work behind the scenes for the imperial family.
In a place like this, the way the lord treats his daughter so harshly is no more significant than an ant being stepped on.
‘At one point, I really felt grateful for being saved.’
Until her father tried to kill her, Yekaterina genuinely appreciated his actions.
While everything that made up Yekaterina was learned, as with all things, she considered it her genuine feelings. Sergei was a smart person, albeit with his intelligence leaning towards the negative side.
Once a month, he would take Yekaterina to an illegal slave auction.
– Come, Yekaterina. Watch carefully how those without protection end up. It will be a good lesson for you.
Sergei would show her the dirty and wounded slaves being sold one by one, telling Yekaterina that she could end up like them.
But now, Yekaterina also had questions for him.
Father, I narrowly avoided becoming like them back then, but is what I’m experiencing now considered living well?
‘Perhaps if I had asked such a question back then, I would have received a beating.’
