Please Kill Me - Chapter 98
Leonid looked like he was about to offer another excuse but ended up muttering curses under his breath and ruffled his hair in frustration.
“I don’t know. When I’m around you, I can’t control my emotions. It’s like I’m a fool who spends the whole day angry. Damn it.”
As he turned away, his ears and neck noticeably reddened.
Though it wasn’t clear what had caused him to react this way, it was evident that he was quite emotional. Yekaterina was left speechless.
It wasn’t because he was angry nor because he hated her that he hadn’t said anything to her.
“So, you weren’t talking because you were just observing me?”
Yekaterina’s question seemed to be directed at both Leonid and herself.
“Why, does that sound like a lie to you too?”
“….I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
Considering his embarrassed attitude and the way he had acted, it didn’t seem like he was lying. But accepting it at face value left questions unanswered. Why had Leonid suddenly decided to act this way?
As usual, Yekaterina was about to voice her confusion, but Leonid spoke first. With his hand covering his burning neck, he looked calmer and began speaking again.
“No matter what you think, I have something to say. My intention wasn’t what you think. And there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Something to tell me? What is it?”
“The hunting party I invited you to. I planned to use you.”
At that moment, her heart sank.
She already knew, so why did hearing it feel so wrong?
“I apologize for deceiving you. The plan was to expose you at the hunting party to create a narrative that Offenbach had attacked Rostislav.”
“Certainly, it’s a clever strategy.”
Her tongue felt stiff as she spoke, as if she was shoveling wet sand out of her mouth. The gritty sensation made it hard to speak. She knew what was coming next.
Leonid had used the past tense.
“It’s a good strategy. But it’s been abandoned.”
“…Why? Because you can’t trust me?”
Yekaterina’s hand clenched and then released.
“I know you don’t trust me, but isn’t it a waste? I am an adopted daughter of Offenbach, after all. You need to make Prince Yuri the victor.”
“True. But Yuri’s chances of victory won’t disappear just because I don’t use you. If it all hinged on one variable, then my efforts would be worthless.”
He had opposed her staying longer at the palace mainly to avoid the complications that would come if it became known she was under his protection. It would create more problems than it was worth.
However, taking her to the hunting party and exposing her was a different issue altogether.
“Besides, you’ve got too much to handle already.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“When you were hallucinating in the forest, you said you had nowhere to go.”
Yekaterina’s expression turned cold at his words.
He had touched on a sensitive and unexpected point. But despite her reaction, Leonid continued calmly.
“I may not fully understand you, but I don’t want to push you further into despair. Do you get it now?”
“…No. I don’t. You won’t use me just for that reason? Would you say the same thing even if Yuri’s head was on the chopping block?”
“You care more than you let on, worrying so much about Yuri.”
Leonid’s words had a sarcastic edge, but he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Think about it, Yekaterina. Do you think I’d do something that puts me at a disadvantage?”
“Yes.”
“…Fair point. But I’m not risking my friend’s life for a charity case. I’m sick of watching people die around me.”
Leonid said the word ‘sick’ with the weight of a curse. It was a deep-seated frustration.
From his childhood to now, he had seen too much death. When he was young, he lost his parents, and as an adult, he had gone to war to earn his knighthood.
“….The Rostislav family is actually quite distant from power struggles. Our territory is so remote, and since the central two families receive special privileges, we’ve always focused on producing knights rather than being power brokers. Naturally, we don’t get involved in these political battles.”
The strength of Rostislav comes from its formidable military force. Positioned on the outskirts of the Ethiel Empire, near lands infested with endless waves of monsters, the family is always training soldiers and engaging in real battles.
This is also why other nobles respected Rostislav.
While they squabble over power in this confined capital, Rostislav, with its formidable military and the privileges granted since the founding, watches from the periphery without getting involved.