Chapter 125
The cold response left no room for argument. It almost seemed preferable for Offenbach to scoff or mock Yekaterina rather than give such a blunt, matter-of-fact answer. She understood the nature of Offenbach better than anyone.
She simply didn’t want to accept it.
“…So it’s my fault, then.”
“Yes. Is he still alive?”
“I saved him.”
“That’s unfortunate. It would have been cleaner to kill him.”
Yekaterina’s fists clenched. She wasn’t angry with Dmitry. His approach was exactly what one would expect from Offenbach.
It was her own foolishness that disgusted her.
“Dmitry, I heard you’re searching for the person who killed Father.”
“Yes. Leonid Rostislav is the prime suspect. It seems no one thinks the son could have shot his own father.”
“Clear his name. You can do it. You’re the one who created the entire situation.”
“…I don’t understand. Have you lost your mind, Sister? Why would I help that person?”
“If you don’t, I will confess to the crime myself.”
Dmitry’s face betrayed a crack in his composure. He shot back quickly.
“Are you insane? Why would you—”
“Because I put him in this situation. That’s reason enough. I owe him a debt. I can’t allow him to suffer any more because of me. So you have a choice: let me confess or clear Leonid’s name.”
That’s my purpose. As Yekaterina finished speaking, Dmitry’s expression twisted in distress. Saving Leonid would be easy. He only needed to frame the attendant, who had been with Sergei as a starter yesterday, as the culprit.
But the reason he didn’t want to do that was clear.
‘How could Sister care so much about that person?’
The fact that Yekaterina had come all this way just to ask for his help with Leonid was the source of his frustration.
In theory, once someone leaves Offenbach, they can never return. The very act of coming back is akin to seeking death. Thus, Yekaterina had come here knowing she was risking her life.
All for the sake of Leonid Rostislav.
‘I should have killed him properly back then.’
Unlike Sergei, Leonid was not an easy opponent. Dmitry’s magic-laden arrows always aimed for the heart. But Leonid had evaded being pierced through the heart even on collapsing terrain.
It meant there was no chance of victory in a direct confrontation.
That’s why Dmitry had intentionally weakened the ground. Yet instead of killing him, Yekaterina was trying to save him. If such attacks wouldn’t work, the only option left was persuasion.
“I will grant your request, Sister. But there’s a condition. Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal? What’s the condition?”
“Return to Offenbach.”
Yekaterina’s eyebrows twitched.
“I am already gone.”
“But you could return. Especially now that Father is dead.”
“……”
“Offenbach is without a head, and I alone am insufficient to control it. Therefore, we need a strong figure. One so powerful that no one would dare to challenge.”
And Dmitry knew well that he could never be that figure.
That was also why Sergey had wanted to kill Yekaterina even more. Yekaterina, who was stronger than Dmitry and possessed protective magic, would certainly be a threat if she remained alive.
But Dmitry didn’t mind if Yekaterina became Offenbach’s master. He only needed her to stay in Offenbach.
“……So what’s the price?”
“Leonid Rostislav is trying to make the First Prince the Emperor. I will help with that. It’s simple. If I gradually cut off support for the Second Prince, the First Prince will easily become the survivor. In return…”
“In return, you want me to come back…”
“Yes. And under the condition that you have no contact with Leonid Rostislav.”
“And if I refuse?”
“According to Offenbach’s way.”
It meant he would exact revenge on Rostislav in kind. If he couldn’t kill Leonid immediately, he would make him suffer financially and politically.
Draining him as he had with Larisa and Yuri.
“……”
Suddenly, a fable from her very early childhood came to mind.
The fable about a mermaid who falls in love with a man on land and faces the tragedy of having to kill him to survive. The story ends with her leaving his side and disappearing forever.
The unreal nature of that tale seemed not so different from her own situation. Previously, she had thought it foolish for the woman in the fable not to kill the man, but now she could understand that feeling.
She had anticipated something like this when she came here.
After much contemplation, Yekaterina finally spoke.
“…Give me some time.”
“How long? Just so you know, it won’t be long.”
“Not too long.”
With that, Yekaterina turned and left.
She held the time until dawn the next day in her hands.
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