Chapter 12

In an all-dark room.

A young man with blue-silver hair tinged with blue light slowly ran down the long sword with a towel.

His sharp gaze was directed at the man kneeling in front of him.

“Keep talking. What about my sister?”

“she refused to be taken to the Black Room. She… she went out in the wagon–quick!”

The man who had knelt in front of him and trembled with a popping sound grabbed the shoulder he had been kicked and rolled over.

He was the man who tried to take Ekaterina at Sergei’s order during the day, and the part that was kicked was the part that Ekaterina attacked.

The man’s body, already showing signs of significant beatings, appeared to have no sanctity on the outside.

The young man’s shoes slowly landed on the man’s hand that was holding his shoulder.

“Aww!”

The man was now almost crying and crawling on the ground.

The cruelty of the young master was terrifying. But it is unsurprisingly a common scene in Offenbach.

A family in which only the dogs who listen well and the strong who can control them survive.

“If you followed my father’s orders and went to catch my sister, you couldn’t even catch her. Or should you have protected my sister as I commanded. Is there any reason why I should keep you alive for not being able to do anything right?”

“Ma…Master Dmitry, please… … Please have mercy… … .”

“Come on.”

Dmitry’s dry voice spread slowly on the floor like cotton torn into a mess.

“You speak as if mercy is any great tolerance. In reality, it’s just a form of training.”

A whitish light fell on her face as dry as his voice.

The all-black room and the silver-haired young man had a shape that matched as terribly well as the contrast.

After the metamorphosis period, the skeleton gradually fitting into the frame as it was established as an adult was like the back of a wild beast that was being called upon to grow in size.

Maybe it’s because Dmitry’s deep eyes seem to contain regrets that aren’t appropriate for his age.

He broke his wrist and ran his fingertips across the silver blade.

“The beast that has shown mercy, and has been merciful, wags its tail… …. It’s not that difficult to make a two-legged animal crawl on its own without a leash after just a few steps.”

“If you just let me live, if you just give me life… … Anything for the master… … !”

The man cried and begged to the point of being submissive. Dmitry’s hand in black gloves grabbed the man’s face and met his gaze from a distance.

Dmitry’s face, whom he met for the first time from a short distance away, was as beautiful as an angel.

Do you want to save your life?

The man leaned on that beauty and harbored a glimmer of hope.

But at that moment.

“But where will I tame you and use you?”

The young man smiled kindly.

The man’s face escaped the angel’s grasp and fell to the ground.

What followed was a dry and bitter voice.

“You have ruined all my plans.”

The man’s breath was soon cut off.

Dmitry fell at his feet and looked down at the dead man indifferently, and dropped his sword as it was.

It was a gaze without any emotion or interest. If I had to ask, would it be complicated or a bit complicated?

Dmitry, who was looking at the man who had fallen face down, thinking about what he was thinking, turned away.

No, he tried to turn.

“Dmitry? Are you here?”

If the door hadn’t opened and his mother Ludmila had not come in, he would have had the eyes of a slayer as indifferent as before.

Lyudmila walked over to her beloved son, regardless of whether she was used to the iron-smelling room. Apart from the fact that Ludmila is Offenbach, apart from the fact that she is speaking in an outfit that does not match the scene of the dreary and terrible room.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. I thought you were going to be at the training ground, but you were not there.”

“Training ended a little while ago, mother.”

Dmitry gave Ludmila a gentle smile, and Ludmila tenderly wrapped her arms around his cheek.

“Yeah, it was a lot of work. Are you having a hard time these days? There is only one year left until the succession ceremony.”

“… … right.”

“At times like this, your older sister should be able to set an example, but just this morning, she’s been so reckless—”

“mother.”

There was a sense of coercion beneath the gentle voice.

Ludmila was startled and carefully removed her hand from Dmitry’s face. But Dmitry was still smiling kindly.

“Is that all why you were looking for me?”

At the subtle but clearly drawn line, Ludmila resolutely retreated. Then, with a face full of concern, she spoke carefully.

“… … Well, actually, I was looking for Ekaterina. I was wondering if you knew anything about the slaughterhouse in the morning and then she disappeared somewhere… … .”

Of course, I know. But, as always, Dmitry had an unaware face.

“You said my sister disappeared?”

“Yes. I think your father was trying to get some soul, but he said he couldn’t find her trace. Thanks to her, I went to the tea party alone. If he doesn’t find Ekaterina by the evening, he must be angry… … .”

Ludmila wasn’t worried about Ekaterina. Ludmila was concerned only with her well-being and sometimes Sergei’s beloved son Dmitry.

familiar fragility.

And that was also the reason why Dmitry always felt uncomfortable with her.

Taking care of the children was Ludmila’s job to the last.

If Sergei is a whip, Ludmila is a carrot. To care for children so that they do not derail and to lead education. It was also the only task that the fragile Ludmila assumed in this Offenbach.

However, when Ekaterina is said to have disappeared, Ludmila, who should be held responsible, can only tremble.

“What if he says he wants to send me back to my home? I don’t know why? Ekaterina’s been doing well, but suddenly she’s creating such a fuss! Why did she suddenly confront your father? … .”

Since Ekaterina had disappeared like this, Ludmila murmured anxiously, saying that if she returned, it would not just end in a black room.

It was then that Dmitry could guess why Ludmila had come to him.

Since Sergei is terrified of his one and only son, she asks him to go and do Ekaterina’s work. Also asking for help in finding Ekaterina.

As always, she was a very fragile person. In the face of an unprecedented event, the only thing you can do is open your hands to your son. Dmitry’s gaze looking down at Ludmila was cold.

‘You can’t do anything with your own hands.’

If it had been any other time, I wouldn’t have bothered to do so. Fortunately for Ludmila, however, the story was a little different this time.

Because it was Ekaterina’s job, not anyone else’s.

A young man in a gentle mask calmed my mother down.

“mother. I’ll try to speak to my father. I’ll find out a little bit about sister, so mother can go rest.”

“Oh, will you? Because of you, this mother is really reassured… … .”

“sure. Don’t worry too much. I also don’t want my mother and my sister to be in trouble.”

Dmitry gently hugged Ludmila’s shoulder, comforted her, and sent her outside. She disappeared as naturally as when Ludmila’s soft and weak seal came in.

widely. The door closed, and the young man’s lips parted.

“Ivan.”

“Yes.”

At the light call, the man who had been covered by the shadows bowed his head and answered.

“Call out the assassins tonight. I need to find her.”

“Are you calling from Offenbach?”

“No, I’m going to get her out of here. Choose carefully those without a trace, so that no one notices.”

I must secure the status of my sister faster than my father.

Dmitry’s voice as he added that was overflowing with obsession.

Ivan answered silently. The man who took the example disappeared back into the shadows.

 *

Meanwhile, with Rostislav.

visor! The sound of dishes hitting the floor was noisy.

It was from Ekaterina’s side. Thanks to this, there was silence for a while at the table where only the two sat.

It was Leonid’s side who broke the silence.

“If you have a complaint, how about speaking up?”

“It’s a mistake.”

“It’s annoying to make a mistake. Doesn’t the food suit your palate?”

“No, it’s delicious.”

Ekaterina responded briefly and continued eating with the new tableware handed to her by the attendant standing behind her.

In a way, the answer was so simple that it seemed like she was trying to avoid the answer, but there was no one there who doubted what Ekaterina said.

The reason was simple. Because Ekaterina was eating very fervently.

The diners who sat down for dinner as an excuse actively savored all the food on the table. It was enough to stimulate the appetite of the viewer. The figure that had acted indifferently as if not alive the whole time had long since disappeared.

Thanks to that, Leonid felt a little strange.

‘She came to die.’

Would you put so much passion into your meal?