Please Kill Me - Chapter 169

Swish. The sound echoed as the blade sliced through the tapestry.

However, before the tapestry could be completely severed, another blade lunged toward Leonid.

“Ugh!”

If his reaction had been even a moment slower, his abdomen would have been split open. A tense shiver ran down his spine. Facing off against Yekaterina, who wielded daggers in both hands without a proper weapon, was no easy feat, no matter how skilled he was.

‘I felt it before.’

Her attack speed and unpredictability were exceptional. In fact, it seemed like she had gone easier on him during their previous sparring session. Now, Yekaterina relentlessly pressured him without giving him a moment to breathe.

In a different situation, he might have been able to counterattack comfortably.

But the opponent was Yekaterina. Even as he looked up at her, tears streamed down her rigid face.

Her body, which had stiffened rapidly, now swung the dagger while she cried without uttering a single word.

It didn’t take long for him to grasp the situation.

‘Damn it.’

Clearly, Dmitry had done something.

Whether he had drugged her or used that strange power that made him fall off the cliff.

‘Since it was a deal, silence must have been part of the conditions.’

Because he had made her take the confession potion, the conditions had been broken as soon as Yekaterina spoke the truth.

As the realization hit him, his jaw tightened.

He had thought that there must be a reason for Yekaterina to lie, but he never imagined Dmitry would cast such magic.

The color on Leonid’s face changed. He didn’t need to guess how complicated the situation had become; he could feel it in every fiber of his being.

‘Nothing has gone smoothly.’

How did he end up entangled with such a woman?

While others would get flustered over a mere brush of hands, here he was, panicking with a knife at his throat.

No matter how much he thought about it, he felt like he had made a grave mistake. Maybe Yuri was right; Yekaterina was not someone to get close to. Leonid was aware of this.

But what could he do?

By the time he realized it, he was already too deeply entwined with her.

If Yekaterina genuinely wanted to kill him with that dagger, or at least if she hadn’t taken the confession potion and spoken her true feelings,

Leonid might have willingly offered his heart.

If that was what Yekaterina wanted, he could have given up one before he died.

He must have thought such irrational thoughts.

But, whether it was a blessing or a curse.

Now that he faced Yekaterina under the effects of the confession potion, Leonid could no longer afford to die at her hands.

The moment he faced Yekaterina, who confessed her feelings for him, was something Leonid could never forget.

Hearing those words, all the moments of torment spent apart from her melted away in an instant. How could he express the fullness and sense of stability he felt at that time?

With each encounter, those feelings grew clearer.

He needed Yekaterina to survive, and she would need him in return.

So, he couldn’t let anyone die, not even himself.

‘At least I should be grateful that she isn’t targeting Yuri anymore.’

Yuri, who had initially blocked Leonid’s way and taken the blow for him, was leaning against the wall, clutching his wound. The fact that the bleeding showed no signs of stopping suggested he was seriously injured.

Moreover, given the location, they needed to resolve the situation quickly.

As this thought crossed his mind, Yekaterina struck the ground once more.

Like before, the dagger began to trace a swift circular path from her fingertips. Leonid evaded it, grabbing a cushion from the sofa to deflect the path of the dagger.

Thwack! The dagger sliced through the cushion, feathers scattering chaotically in the air.

At that moment, when her vision was obscured, Yekaterina’s swift movements faltered.

Leonid didn’t let the opportunity slip by.

Clang!

With a loud noise, the dagger fell from Yekaterina’s grasp, and in the next moment, she was pinned to the ground, both hands restrained.

Yekaterina struggled, but she was no match for Leonid’s strength.

He struck her neck just enough to avoid causing serious harm, and it didn’t take long for her to lose consciousness.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Thud. Yekaterina collapsed completely unconscious, and Leonid barely managed to get up to his feet.

“…I don’t know what the hell is going on. Yuri, how is your-”

And at that moment, his words abruptly stopped.

The sound of multiple footsteps approaching down the corridor reached Leonid’s ears.

The anxiety that had just settled returned to grip his throat in an instant.

Given the recent knife fight and Yuri’s bleeding state, why were people coming now?

Yuri, too, seemed to sense the footsteps, and his already pale face turned even more pale.

If someone were to witness this situation, Yekaterina would find herself cornered with no way out. The evidence and circumstances were perfect; she might even face execution.

The first prince, gravely injured and on the brink of death, alongside Yekaterina of Offenbach—wasn’t this a combination that would lead to immediate execution?

‘Damn it, damn it!’