Please Kill Me - Chapter 108

The one silver lining was that Offenbach couldn’t publicly accuse Rostislav of kidnapping Yekaterina without risking the exposure of her disappearance.

‘For some reason, they’re trying hard to keep Yekaterina’s disappearance under wraps.’

If things played out right, it might not be impossible for Yekaterina to break free from that stifling family entirely.

But there was one concern.

“I’m not sure how Yekaterina will respond to this.”

“I hope she returns to the estate with us… Have you asked her about it?”

“I did.”

But she hadn’t given a clear answer.

Instead, she had seemed thoughtful before pulling out a small pouch. Inside was a core, clear and pure like a gemstone.

— Yekaterina, what is this?

— I kept it for you. It might not compare to what you’ve done for me, but I wanted to repay you, even if just a little.

— This is ‘a little’?

— Is it too little?

It was quite the opposite. It was too much.

One core of such quality could easily buy a mansion.

Yet Yekaterina seemed unaware of its true value, or perhaps she misunderstood the cost of the things Leonid had bought for her, as she kept trying to explain.

— If you go to the Contaminated Forest, you can gather over ten cores like this. There weren’t many high-grade monsters this time, so this is all I could get. If it’s not enough, I can go back,

— No, that’s not what I meant. Do you know how much this is worth?

— I know it’s expensive.

But she admitted she didn’t know the exact price. Her indifferent expression looked almost dazed.

— One of these should be able to buy at least five of those outfits I got you.

It was truly exasperating.

— Not five, but fifty. Maybe even a hundred.

— …Really?

Yekaterina’s eyes widened. Seeing her so genuinely shocked, Leonid couldn’t help but chuckle.

But her next words wiped the smile off his face.

— Then why aren’t you smiling? After hearing something like that, the least you could do is give a polite smile.

He really couldn’t bring himself to smile.

He thought back to how Yekaterina had reacted indifferently to the things he had bought her, and finally understood why.

It wasn’t just because she didn’t know their value, but because those luxury items meant nothing to her. They were giving each other things neither of them needed.

This realization hit him hard.

Leonid replayed the memory in his mind, then ran a hand over his face.

“…I’ve made the offer, so now it’s up to Yekaterina to decide.”

Whether she chose to go to Rostislav as Leonid suggested or return to the Offenbach family, who were eager to kill her.

Most people would choose the former without a second thought, but with Yekaterina, he couldn’t be so sure.

For now, however, Leonid had to prioritize Yuri’s matter, as the hunting event was right around the corner. He planned to discuss Yekaterina’s future after the event. He wasn’t in any hurry to send her away, so there was plenty of time.

“Whatever Yekaterina decides, our task remains unchanged. Make sure everything is prepared without a hitch.”

“I’ll do that. But… do you think the Miss might have snuck out again this time?”

“That’s why I had her confined; it should be fine.”

He had given her the most luxurious room, complete with a large bed stuffed with goose feathers, opulent furniture, and even a bathroom with a bathtub. He assigned staff to guard her room in three shifts. He was particularly worried about Olga, who usually kept a 24-hour watch, needing to be elsewhere.

Thankfully, the staff who had grown close to Yekaterina helped a lot in this regard.

— Confine the Miss?

— How could you suggest such a thing? What did she do to deserve this?

At first, the staff vehemently protested the idea of confining Yekaterina. They had grown quite fond of her over the past few days. So Leonid explained simply.

— If Yekaterina escapes, she’ll die.

— Are you threatening us with her life?

— It seems there’s a misunderstanding. The one who will die is Yekaterina, not you.

If Yekaterina escaped, it would be her life at risk. This brief explanation made the staff reluctantly agree.

— Well then, she must be confined.

— I’ll make sure she gets delicious meals five times a day!

— She won’t be able to ride, so shall we give her a rocking horse?

Thus, Yekaterina began her luxurious confinement, watched over with loving care by the staff and accompanied by a rocking horse.

Previously, she had managed to escape because the staff were unfamiliar with her and the surveillance was lax, but this time was different.

With guards working in three shifts and all the passing staff effectively acting as her watchmen, there was no way Yekaterina could steal a horse and escape again.