Please Kill Me - Chapter 70
There was no response. It wasn’t that Yekaterina was ignoring Dmitry’s words; rather, Dmitry had intentionally put her to sleep.
So that Yekaterina couldn’t consciously hear his confession she would never hear in his sober mind.
“I brought all the magic to you, Sister. You never stole anything. You never once desired magic, so there is no fault on your part. If anyone should die, it should be me, not you.”
“….. “
“I’ve found a way to start over. Next time, I’ll make sure you can live without desperation. After disowning Father and sending Mother back to her family, Offenbach will act in our interests…”
His muttering sped up, becoming more a pledge to himself than a confession to his sleeping sister.
“…so please don’t leave me.”
The unhearable confession lingered in the empty dungeon.
All of this felt as vivid as if it had just happened the other day.
But now, it hasn’t happened at all. Dmitry had reversed time as he had confessed, returning to the past.
Though he had lost much in the process, it didn’t matter to him.
‘Everything has become undone.’
Yekaterina’s miserable death, his own powerless tears in front of her—none of it happened.
How joyful he had been to realize he had succeeded in returning to the past!
He had a chance to start over. Dmitry was so confident he could do it.
That’s what he believed.
But before Dmitry could even try to act, Yekaterina had already run away from Offenbach.
‘I guessed she might remember the past.’
But never did he imagine she would end up holding hands with someone from Rostislav.
Dmitry’s view of the clearing overlaid with the image of the couple he had seen before.
Their interaction had seemed natural, and the man’s hand holding Yekaterina’s.
There was no place for Dmitry to intervene.
It wasn’t just because Rostislav and Offenbach were at odds. The fact that Yekaterina had fled Offenbach was now of little importance.
Yekaterina was looking at Leonid.
‘I had never seen such an expression on Sister before.’
Not before she turned silver-haired, nor after. Her face did not appear particularly happy or sad; it simply had no tension.
Her face had a serene comfort. Like a young child holding the hand of an older guardian on the way home. Having seen that, Dmitry could not bring himself to step forward.
He could only watch.
‘Rostislav. What is it about him?’
What makes Yekaterina seek him out and hold his hand?”
Though he wished he could hear their conversation, it was too faint to discern. For now, he could not know, but his path was clear.
‘Since I’ve confirmed that Sister is safe in Rostislav.’
All that remains is to put Offenbach in order before he can bring her back. Again, as he cannot let Yekaterina die miserably again.
Nor did he plan to hand her to Rostislav. She belonged by his side, in Offenbach.
‘So, I’ll leave her be for now…’
Yet, a sense of unease lingered.
Dmitry turned his head, tracing his vision with the image of Yekaterina disappearing between the trees. The sight of Yekaterina’s expression was something he had never seen before, and her walking away with Leonid.
It wasn’t a deep regret.
After all, he was confident that he could bring Yekaterina back.
“….Ivan. Has the assassin I sent to Rostislav not returned yet?”
“As you said. Shall we send another?”
“No, forget the assassin.”
That was merely a probe to try finding Yekaterina. Assuming the assassin hadn’t returned because he was caught and killed by Rostislav seems incorrect now.
But that was alright. What mattered now was investigation.
“Plant someone inside.”
It was unlikely that Leonid Rostislav was keeping Yekaterina without reason.
“We need to find out what he’s planning.”
Dmitry’s voice, cold and deliberate, seeped into the forest.
* * *
“What on earth have you been doing?!”
Olga’s crisp voice sharply interrogated the couple before her.
The man seemed awkward, turning his head away, while the woman maintained a calm expression despite the accusation.
“Oh my God, how could clothes get so ruined? And look at the hair, it’s a complete mess! What were you doing, Master, that allowed the Miss to end up like this?”
“I… lent her my robe. And it’s not exactly my fault that Yekaterina ended up like this.”
“Master should have used your sword before the Miss had to use hers!”
“Olga, that one is injured.”
Yuri, the man’s best friend and cousin, tried to intervene, but he was met with a sharp rebuke.
“Your Highness, please stay out of this!”
“Ah, right. Okay.”
“My anger isn’t just about the Miss being a mess! It’s disappointing to see the Master looking so unscathed!”
