Please Kill Me - Chapter 71
Yes, this was the point.
The point where Leonid found himself utterly at a loss for words. To anyone looking, his appearance had barely changed since they had left. At most, his robe had gotten a bit stained, which was only because he had draped it over Yekaterina; his own clothes underneath remained impeccably clean.
In stark contrast, Yekaterina looked like she could shock anyone not accustomed to blood. She was literally covered in blood from head to toe.
Such a state doesn’t just happen. It must have needed a fierce struggle, something everyone present was aware of.
Now, there was a problem.
One looked as if they had never set foot in the forest, spotlessly clean, and the other bore the signs of a brutal fight.
“Would she have ended up like this if you hadn’t just left all the tough work to her while you took the easy jobs back there? Is that what people do? Really? Despite having the skills?”
“Even if you couldn’t use your right arm properly, you wouldn’t look this unscathed if you had actually stepped in.”
Yuri added quietly, siding with Olga. Leonid was left without a retort.
“Yeah, it’s my fault… Just kill me then…”
What more could he say? That Yekaterina had charged ahead of him into the monster’s chest and almost got crushed by its stomp, only saving herself by a risky gamble?
Any further explanation would only make things worse.
If only Yekaterina would say something to contribute, but it seemed she found this rare spectacle of a subordinate standing up to their superior too interesting to interrupt.
“Yekaterina, do you have anything to say? Anything at all?”
“Um, about earlier in the forest…”
“In the forest?”
“Wasn’t Olga carrying a sword?”
“Is that really what you’re curious about right now?”
“Yes! I used to be part of the elite troops directly under Rostislav. I’ve retired now, but I’m definitely up for a forest jaunt. Back in the day, I often roamed around with Prince Yuri.”
“Aha.”
Yekaterina finally seemed to understand, closing her mouth again after a brief flicker of realization.
That left Leonid, who had hoped she might defend him, looking all the more pathetic.
‘It’s true what they say… Not a single ally in the world…’
He felt genuinely dejected.
That was how Leonid ended up being thoroughly scolded by Olga until a maid came to announce that Yekaterina’s bath was ready, and he was finally released from his verbal beating.
Yuri looked at the frayed Leonid with a mix of pity and concern.
“Feeling more aware now?”
“Does Olga even realize I’m supposed to be her master….”
Leonid, who would usually follow along well, sighed. He didn’t expect that Olga would get so worked up about Yekaterina. He felt exhausted, despite hardly having traveled far, yet emotionally drained as if he had been through much more.
“Anyway, I owe you one, Yuri.”
“Don’t just say it, pay it back. I never thought I’d end up sneaking people into the palace.”
Yuri’s playful chide made Leonid’s eyes narrow before relaxing again.
What could he do? He did owe him.
They were currently at Yuri’s palace, which they had ended up at for a simple reason.
Going straight to the Rostislav mansion was not an option with Yekaterina looking so conspicuous, and they couldn’t just sneak out through the woods like she had snuck in.
It would have been convenient to do so, but there were too many eyes.
Given that they had entered the imperial hunting grounds under Yuri’s name with three horses so if only one returned carrying Yuri, suspicions would certainly be raised.
Moreover, with the news of the high-grade monster’s appearance at the hunting grounds, Leonid also had to prepare for a reinforcement call tomorrow.
‘And I can’t just send Yekaterina back on her own…’
With night already falling when they exited the forest, where else to turn but to a nearby residence?
Now that things seemed to be settling down, Leonid suddenly remembered something important and blurted out.
“Oh, right, Yuri. How is the Queen?”
“Mother? She’s asleep.”
“Already?”
“It’s already time for her sedative, and she just sleeps whenever she closes her eyes.”
Yuri said nonchalantly, despite the nature of his words. Leonid’s expression stiffened at this.
It didn’t go unnoticed by Yuri, who slapped his cousin’s back with a friendly laugh.
“Lighten up, man. Someone might think you’re the cause of her condition.”
“But still…”
“Why are you making such a fuss when I’m fine with it? She’s perfectly normal when she’s awake. It’s enough that we just make sure she’s rested.”
Yuri chuckled, but Leonid could only force a smile. He found it difficult to genuinely laugh.
Larisa Oleg, the Queen and Yuri’s mother, and wife to Emperor Evgeny IV.
The beautiful woman, with wavy water-colored curls, had been struggling with her mental health for some time.
Originally, Larisa entered the palace in full health.
Larisa was a vibrant and educated lady from a distinguished family. She was more cultured than most nobles as she was interested in studies.
However, her personality began to change as misfortunes started surrounding her after she entered the palace.
Note:
Yuri’s mother was put as ‘Queen’ here because she is not the first wife, the Empress. From now on, the Queen would refer to Yuri’s mother.
