Please Kill Me - Chapter 67
Death is the one true equalizer. Impartial to both the rich and the beggar. For Yekaterina, death was the lightest of all burdens. A gift granted even to her, who was taught never to expect anything.
Therefore, death must be light. It has to be.
For if death were too heavy to grasp, it would mean she possesses something.
However, Yekaterina never spoke of this to Leonid simply because.
‘He wouldn’t understand.’
And she didn’t particularly wish to be understood.
Yekaterina had always drawn a line; Leonid was outside it, and she was inside.
Underneath this clearly drawn line, there was order—her alienation, her death, her life. As long as this line remained intact, Yekaterina could serenely embrace death. She believed it was best for Leonid too.
Yet, Leonid consistently shattered her expectations.
He kept crossing the line. He got angry at her for disregarding herself and questioned her desire to die.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Yekaterina was as sensitive to others’ indifference as she was indifferent herself. She knew that Leonid had not always been so concerned about her.
‘No, it was rather blatant.’
It wasn’t that he lacked interest, but that he seemed to try not to care. That’s why Yekaterina decided to stay by his side.
Whether Leonid cared for her or not, if he tried not to engage, she could die as if she was there but not really there.
Was that too complacent a thought?
Eventually, Leonid brought up the questions he had been avoiding. He crossed the line Yekaterina feared.
‘It’s confusing.’
Yekaterina might notice a drizzle on her clothes but not when a person seeps into her life. She had never been so close to someone, nor had she ever been the subject of such attention.
It was the first time for Yekaterina to have someone cross the line she had drawn.
Leonid kept trying to break the rules Yekaterina had set for her own survival. He found her, no matter how far she walked away to distance herself.
And then he said,
“Let’s stop and go back.”
Leonid sighed and released Yekaterina, his face looked fatigued at that moment.
“We can’t keep talking in the middle of the forest forever. If another search party spots us, it won’t end well.”
Considering the forces of Offenbach scattered throughout the forest, it was lucky they hadn’t been discovered yet. Especially since Yekaterina’s robe had become thoroughly soaked with the monster’s fluids.
Leonid clicked his tongue and draped what he had been wearing over Yekaterina’s shoulders. It was an awkward gesture, but neither the giver nor the receiver complained as they watched the clumsy sight.
After a moment of awkward silence, Yekaterina spoke.
“….Will I be imprisoned if we go back?”
“I always wondered, do you have a penchant for being detained?”
“I’m a deserter, after all.”
“Do they imprison deserters in Offenbach?”
“It depends on the circumstances.”
Imprisonment would be the least of her worries. If Yekaterina were to return now, death was likely all that awaited her.
However, Leonid seemed to interpret her words differently and simply nodded lightly.
“Right, it depends. Desertion on the battlefield is punished by military law, but this isn’t a battlefield, and there’s no military law here to apply.”
“So—”
“So, I’ll decide based on my judgment. If you’re not fond of imprisonment, it might be wise to stay on my good side until we get back.”
Yekaterina closed her mouth at that.
Leonid’s face eased into a more relieved expression as he removed his hand from the robe’s button. Considering he had managed it with one hand, it looked quite decent, although the size difference meant the robe was almost dragging on the ground.
Leonid didn’t stop there; he pulled the hood over Yekaterina’s head, ensuring not a single strand of hair was visible with meticulous care. The one-handed effort was a bit slow, but it couldn’t be helped.
In reality, Yekaterina could have easily taken care of the robe herself. She could have taken it and put it on without any help. There was no need for Leonid to slowly drape it over her with his awkward, sluggish hands.
‘Is this because you care about me?’
Just as there were things about Yekaterina that Leonid couldn’t understand, she found herself puzzled by Leonid’s kindness. She couldn’t grasp why he would prioritize her well-being, especially given his own injuries.
‘I’m clearly just another person to him.’
There wasn’t any great relationship between them, nor had they known each other for a long time.
She was a stranger who had one day stepped into his life.
Yet, from the way Leonid acted, one might think he was tending to a family member.
The problem was that Yekaterina didn’t feel inclined to reject his actions either. It was as if she had forgotten all the boundaries she had maintained for so long.
Leonid’s gestures felt so natural that Yekaterina accepted them just as naturally.
