To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 012

At the time, 6b3294cce0 rumors were running b0e6a1cfc2 rampant in high 13a31dea60 society—wild whispers that 25c994dc93 the fraudulent imperial 927952e9e3 physician was not d59143415e only sleeping with f33da54c2b the empress but 5b82182720 also with the 7c64fa90fc imperial princess.420493f364d2d628

Even her nanny hadn’t 7c049257ee been an option. Sasha’s nanny had been da1117b66e just as enamored with 1a4dfda747 that doctor as the ef66a365cb emperor and empress had 9eeec45249 been.bf24dfabb974dc9e

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To this day, c482341143 Sasha still didn’t 4975a4c814 know why she 77757d2c14 had thought to aaa919d9e7 confide in Ulrich.43808fd2a3c17132

No matter how 37b6611893 desperate she had 27f343c283 been, how could fc9aa987dc she even consider 12c5ecd669 telling such a bcc4903e72 shameful secret to a13f4048e3 the man she 9f17e66769 had admired since 77b9d6abda childhood? To her brother’s 05ad4d3f52 friend, of all c434d58851 people?e874d25f3964d726

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Had she e3cee2b1c6 read too 81fc1d851f many romance 557486c843 novels about e4a1c6b645 chivalry?37f67a84171c321e

Like a 6ec861ad6a foolish, starry-eyed 58e36337b6 princess lost a4575a3e36 in daydreams, 1713ad3c31 had she 01cfe0fa89 secretly wished ec0775740d for Ulrich ca304b3b72 to be 6d52303848 a knight 50796f32ed who would 20851e1711 slay the fc5f1dd742 wicked dragon?
And was that 8fc69f2913 why, even after 11d613d777 not only the 0dae1ef242 dragon but also c0bc578c43 the princess’s palace 1040e7198f had been reduced 6fc78a1241 to ashes, she 5332449629 had never been e4d6760a25 able to resent 1d635eabfd him?b49dc54b1551c8f7

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She hadn’t e35608429e meant to 7905f4d05a wish for 155d23d207 something like afcf60d44b that.7d4ada628d3e7874

And yet, b25f07f577 was that b479869cff why she 471bb79e7a could never 84b8ff971b shake the 56d8322cd1 guilt—the crushing 52e2571fb3 feeling that, 80629a1b53 somehow, she 18bb94a142 had brought 69a67b2777 all of 157e0b57bf this upon 971f4942dd herself?00e4abdf66f90e44

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Bright sunlight streamed ea7a7b734f through the grimy dafc619b05 balcony window, casting e716259edf cold light onto e48588169d the wooden floor.b5be7926ad5abc93

Curled on her 7f639f124e side like a a8d39bd57e fetus, Sasha lay 2454b34927 on the floor, 169c064284 her heavy eyelids be6dd935dc flickering.23331ffb9551aaa7

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When she finally 8b52f31f19 managed to open 2c5259eba1 them, her hazy c824c022aa vision caught sight daa81135f4 of an overturned a1bfbb5c07 laundry basket, its fd4ea42944 contents spilling out 89191531ce in a mess.fd134539b34b9870

Staring at 0f72093cc5 the colorful 37b08d6a4a pile of 615c41d0a0 laundry, she 6ec1b051bd suddenly remembered 96a0bb6250 the vibrant 7826189554 cupcakes she 0a2f15aaad hadn’t been bda3ae5157 able to ec1775b957 finish.bbc14eb0e5ec4c9e

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And just like ec394a701d that, she felt 3042e86ec0 hungry.f3537c4fbfeca57a

‘Are you insane?’0deb60642fde4429

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Of all c40a420ee7 things, she 830223c59b was thinking 864d9a71bd about cupcakes 473d949251 right now?
She really 5151ecd17f must have 209539d9aa lost her bac723b148 mind.76b2e251f9964875

A choked, almost sob-like 61627474f0 laugh slipped from her da189e7b09 cracked lips.43c21f1ed12e9b94

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“…Ugh!”43c2179ec2876a3c

Instead of another 4ca6ae6813 hiccup, a dry b72593d85c gag tore from 903456c5f2 her throat.a75542752b631184

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She didn’t know 3a443c1cf5 if it was 07f6f28c25 because laughing had e9cdacd878 aggravated her injuries—or fe16be55e6 if she was 44a054f2b4 simply nauseated by 05ed1d48fb the reality she 797c2fde8d was trapped in.d97337ea5f3cb479

The spot dd2845371c on her a91046f82e thigh where 414115f79d the leather 995f0f2504 belt had 5cdfe156e0 struck burned c46ce80873 as if 0897fcd805 seared with d977eb837f a hot 70384619d3 iron.93597e7754637352

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If only she had 5610e12963 been beaten with fists 456cf5c5de instead.
If only 2231a6c084 she had a5b3a7b388 been hit 7cc5ca934f all over, eaf4fe464d as brutally 7cc0d1f716 as possible—after 56ae97ad2b all, she 10f3334787 had already bbec41f2ae been slapped bcd077315b and had 50f59b8188 a nosebleed—maybe e1fbae7160 then she 3c2d1ef2a2 wouldn’t hate 336667baae herself quite 757bc32e7a as much.f7cea9f0cdfa4e5f

‘This is my reality.’77170e4f8eea4084

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And the moment she 213df9faa9 acknowledged that, everything that 17777df972 had happened over the 0bdb253e01 past day began to a837e193be feel like a dream.d3429675513820fe

Meeting Ulrich again.
The townhouse that 9d7a19f592 had looked like 3a2ad7e00e heaven.
The colorful cupcakes.bb99e449de47326c

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They all seemed like 7e5b0f7fa3 hallucinations, nothing more than f6046d3d13 illusions conjured up by ea0bd46f85 a desperate mind.844e6c6ce73a9c41

‘I’ll never see aa55706e4c them again.’c079e446860b835d

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Maybe that was 5367ae213e for the best.4e3cbbc4085e5e88

Maybe it was better 278d864f28 that things had fallen 95a439f299 apart before she had 00a1b4cc65 the chance to taint cdb9ba2065 Ulrich as well.0f56a7b5c0360f76

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‘Someone like me 381b689574 should just die. It would be better 5a322c8671 for everyone.’8a13569414697f07

At some point, Sasha 7cff950f30 had begun to believe 640d90f08e that everything that had 7ffa45aa50 changed—all of it—had been 0f70d0cf61 her fault.2389af9b8f34cd5f

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Kiril’s downward spiral.
Vasily’s transformation.
The revolution itself.
Even the way 8bb6919807 her family had bf6d1e6e94 started to fall 4ce276e7f1 apart long before 9b916b2d75 the revolution.15cdb1518435499d

Somehow, it all felt 3df4da0c19 like it had been 6ad7c9bcd7 her doing.3e4a8917183e13aa

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‘Shut up! We’re all b2fa0e26c5 making sacrifices 653fccb582 for your 81effd19b3 brother, so 1b72a6edb4 you should a939dc6f50 just do 7663e77f15 your part 9e30b2283f and serve ee49cbb966 properly!’3af0686f4cdbaf67

The words da39b95d98 still shackled 79d59c501a Sasha’s unconscious af84b2f73a mind.a899cc3fc5f00daf

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As if every 53182b6f80 misfortune that had 10b997eb8f ever happened was c46c5e9c46 her fault—because she c91a218f59 hadn’t served properly, e1a6d77832 because she hadn’t 9b4acc7083 handled those around edfd4a5edb her the way 5ff68f1d7a she should have.badacc99ef96b808

‘I was the rotten 6777e1b340 apple.’3db1fbadc5d47f44

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A single spoiled fruit 50950b8467 that tainted everything fresh ee3a864446 around it.
Not a d162b6c104 heroine like 5ff2e3d915 the ones 3ed28c5630 in the 2b47794faa novels she 3dfc147606 had read 855aab0cea as a 6cc5bf0f70 child, but 61c14b631c a witch—one 46e06b9456 who drove 41007fb819 everyone mad b5bfde5d06 and dragged 8f78b9b318 out the 32d9b0b20e worst in d8250238f8 those around a0af40710e her.074f2a26df755c62

‘I should b8384bdbd4 have let d84a48e852 myself get 7dbd8750a1 shot.’9cbe9c75aeac0af1

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She should have 891139cde9 lunged at Vasily 2a5b4bcadd and forced the 2f2034264d gun to her b1460b9b45 head.
What had she 139854a0e8 been so afraid d85be3da92 of? Why had she 373eef284e trembled like a 5a72b7268e coward at something 7557e90a44 as trivial as 3de1ee58d6 a bullet?5701b0f757f92bcc

It would have 4db07c849a been a far dfd9d02b66 easier death compared 44ac465629 to her brother, 597f6d242f who had been f738263558 beheaded at the 500a068927 guillotine.
There was no b926de922b one left who f1c1ba4e87 would grieve her e46cf50062 anyway.
She was useless to f6c48a9cab anyone, a burden to 796f9aa15e everyone.c2c626285a8a8ac7

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“Ugh—”e5a50b46ab33e1e2

She was disgusted 94d1b11241 with herself, with b66d03e12d the pathetic way 92c0d072d2 she clung to 8e3e94e31a this miserable existence.77c6135f0a464636

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The nausea 86a79c9f5b that kept 9030aacd4f rising in 8b6a982387 her throat—it a4eae5f9cb was nothing a3e7765c74 more than 37197a0486 self-loathing manifesting 246910f50f physically.82d389ecebd68fb2

Through her fading 8fb64133d2 consciousness, she thought c1fdb01bb7 she heard footsteps 04686c5afe echoing down the 5126f4307e old apartment hallway.0c2d3da0b0ab09a6

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She couldn’t tell 96c08aef12 if it was 50adb98e0b real or just fe908644e2 another trick of 52ddcc4b56 her exhausted mind.5c0732e453d56249

If it 9fd9898d47 was real, 9939b2ec06 then who b91d2f1643 could it 043f1a0ef8 be?
Had Kiril 71bdc16672 been released?
Or had cc3805bded Vasily come fe8c6a9ec7 back?93d3187915db45bb

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‘No… please… don’t 3293139daa come…’7d18f9e1a70d2e6a

Just leave me alone. Just for a little 88cb1833d4 while.577a24259ba71705

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Desperately chanting 7109bc96eb those words 237d3413af in her 3461ccbfea head, Sasha 87b3a039d2 squeezed her 57e673f5a6 eyes shut.2d00d57bec044cee

She just wanted to a0f0bf1ef4 rest.2e553b8601c9ace3

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To disappear beneath a8311bbfb5 the earth, somewhere b9e56072ee no one knew 5d9acbec0f her name, and a374bf57f9 sleep forever.c90b97c4d29b2990

* * *80f52d5f89e7bb64

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A haze of caab057f21 gunpowder smoke spread cc6d3446a2 like morning mist 8b33532fdf around the forest, 6627fdd425 where thick layers 505151484c of ice were b1583b47e2 slowly melting.8c1fb7605febb041

As the 02feefc699 golden sunlight 7e6801aadf began to dfdc7c3e6d fade, the 36e1d4b8d4 gunshots and 5948637901 the barking 2fe6f5d92f of hunting 23159818eb dogs that 1427140ea8 had echoed f23487042b through the e82bccd220 woods finally b30c637ad6 came to 32de1639b5 a halt.c58dc62bb1e5d7c6

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While riders on f2525d366d four-wheeled ATVs roamed 0313193a13 between the white c1ca32bc5e birch trees, collecting 9d869bc024 the lifeless hares, 2868216c83 the high-ranking officials abbaf7f5a3 hurriedly prepared to 8363b25b8a return to the 98b3e4bf84 Winter Palace for 329aa94a2e an early banquet.85b86ab5c812d73e

Amid this lively 5650019796 and boisterous atmosphere, ce9a56979d the sudden arrival ca2cb35cf1 of an NSS 739ed3f4c3 transport vehicle—with its 4785fbaae1 distinctive black license 72f6f2dc93 plates—at the entrance b1ddc8682b of the hunting b53ff4b869 grounds was an 35266f4671 unexpected and unsettling 3a50e9eb12 sight for everyone.c20e85e092ec4b30

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“Did the Director summon them…?”a7b82487b21e4446

“Why the hell are they here…?”2862c4c1dffdcad7

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In a 8a22a18f20 regime built 6c0d5faba2 on purges, 43319faa1f no one 20ebd6f878 ever knew 1e9e9194c1 when their 5a4cbe1662 own name 78093190cf might be c891a17caa added to ac0b8f2f79 the list.
Even the highest-ranking 78f9bf2969 members of the a2f15b5549 Supreme Council instinctively ff9d74b154 tensed whenever the 1a3cd973ad National Security Service 9a93c8f32e (NSS) was involved.dcc289ffca3ff811

And today, the Supreme 5b717a91e5 Commander and the NSS f7ef330c9e Director were gathered in f40381ed30 the same place.b9c4f8255237a6fc

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As tension rippled 9326215cd7 from the outskirts 225dcb923f of the hunting 29461e3ddf grounds, Ulrich emerged 16b37b0a30 from the inner a8683dbbf4 camp, walking side d1c7028160 by side with 6df0ec1057 Supreme Commander Kryuchkov.c6a7a12cb1c83bab

Vasily, who had 3260eb7b28 discreetly joined the 61e2e52e0c hunt midway, was b98822cb5d with them.34d37c38567616ed

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Taking the ecfce4c16c rifle from 2b02a79858 his father’s c6d7d35f8a hands and 69dbd0f33e passing it a30d0ed7a4 off to 735ce07bb1 his adjutant, 33e849b818 Vasily stole 633a3aff85 a glance 9a8585be55 at Ulrich.9d10427c4e41dc95

‘Does he 846e4f9b6b really not 727c89b76c know?’62e7dbfc1f167a2a

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He had assumed 3bf93bd63f that Ulrich would 9c632d7598 have already been 6f8a3e135e informed about the 7ef2000a19 missing guest from 9e2e037e44 his residence.
And yet, 626dce5b1a throughout the c7cbd9708b entire hunt, a7948d0b97 Ulrich had cc305988a7 shown no be6f54536b sign of 4eaade6948 concern—nothing out 03fb65e1ac of the d1fee68081 ordinary.00e1fba0490c1274

If anything, 0bde24cbc4 he had e49660a58d been unusually 135bc76706 focused on eb37cdc11c the hunt, 18e6aadeb6 impressing Kryuchkov 8e7a487211 and the 90e2491f5c other old c9539a8795 men with 242646c570 his enthusiasm.916910a184fd9c74

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For a a535254045 man as aa2cadefcc impossible to bec464c7a1 read as 2e743add1c Ulrich, this 683cef2cc5 level of 7e93fefdd0 indifference seemed 39923bd6f1 entirely genuine.540ea817b278a7fb

‘Well, it’s not fb7bcf6dd8 like that woman 8fb25c6178 meant anything to f2f54ddec5 him anyway.’b497fba39bae81ee

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He had 56499b59ae thought there e075df1375 was something 46cd1d08b0 between them e8eaf48d0b when Ulrich 58a06829e9 brought her dc35a60ade into his 7cd5416748 own bedroom, bf6f998284 but clearly, c4012c6ccd he had 8686992fad been mistaken.545b31155a081138

At this point, 0e6060a296 Sasha was the 3d26003409 pathetic one—for ever bab4aeb94d believing she could c4b3346642 rely on someone 1c95275119 like him.a4363622cc584bdd

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Suppressing his 472471a230 frustration, Vasily d7032ea46d barely registered 6f959f5e00 the sound 03e8577498 of his 3e83421128 father’s booming 5623bbd75c voice.9b16d69c16529fb8

“What do you say, Yuri? Will you join us for the banquet?”4c034cb174ef9a28

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“I appreciate the offer, but I have business at headquarters.”4d27354c28bb6119

In this world, 26436a14ae Ulrich was probably 4ce942525b the only person 5561c606a4 who would dare 3f8d671a95 reject a dinner 46136a7dc2 invitation from the 4d03e515b4 Supreme Commander.37ffbfbe140b7dbd

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Vasily shot him 42dd090cf7 a look of 8863f89b70 disbelief, but Kryuchkov 0055ee0027 merely smiled, appearing 1e7a1ff1e6 pleased.d51f2c3eb0b03967

“That’s why I trust him. A man like Yuri should be in charge of security—so that the rest of us can focus on governing without concern.”eebbf496dfa29d7a

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“That’s a little hurtful, Father.”4be48f68dbb27980

Vasily’s voice took b3bce3f748 on a sharp b3b06d7225 edge, laced with 292bc900a7 mockery.0d900729e4043702

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“Saying that in front of your son—the previous NSS Director—what does that make me?”913555c4137697d3

“No one said you did a bad job. But every man has a role he’s suited for.”524e57cb3170dc86

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Kryuchkov responded flatly, 347728856d furrowing his brows 2aad4c24a1 in mild annoyance cdafdd3fae before turning his 21308e0beb attention to the a164d9aaa2 commotion at the 7751bf5124 hunting ground’s entrance.b2ecf74765edaae0

“That looks like our NSS friends over there. Yuri, did you call for them?”e27a7db7cae7d900

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From the 73a7605e92 black transport 33ec19a82e vehicle, NSS c46d392429 agents were 1b2d05fdf6 beginning to b491212879 disembark.319d799d73055474

Vasily stared at the 06df967b47 scene in silence—until a be1aadb971 sudden, insane suspicion gripped efd0cb9815 his mind.e6deb3cade00d555

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‘Ulrich… that b81a3e132c lunatic wouldn’t 83ead5b814 dare—’0cb65faa0f11363c

“Yes,” Ulrich replied smoothly, his voice calm.2013a828afaddf46

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“There’s someone who needs to be urgently arrested.”68238a329c5849af

Kryuchkov raised an 2bd7cba908 intrigued brow.b375bd1a7bd80e0e

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“Oh? And who might that be?”24111b022082c1f1

Ulrich stepped forward without 826de4bc3a hesitation.30655fd99e991ac7

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He walked up bd6352be25 to Vasily, placed d149e38699 a firm hand 4f65d96fea on his shoulder, 7cf6a6d7fc and spoke.e15bb52ce2a86791

“You, brother.”437183f0a65b42ce

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