To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 015

Ulrich set down the 6fa0e6d17f damp towel and stepped 938a6b98b4 closer to the bed.64ddb06127e9a230

Droplets of rose-tinted ce4d8615cf water clung to 3574d7736c his golden hair, 15c298e6ea shimmering where it 1e0b78dceb fell messily around f2a0958701 his forehead.a019d16ae7d23a44

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“I sent some agents to your home, just in case. You were in such bad shape that I considered sending you to the hospital, but in the end, I brought you back here. You don’t seem to like doctors.”22d9a5a256eded33

Sasha stared blankly at a460dfd840 him, watching as he bc3efe7289 opened a cigarette case.4199c717793a5e23

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She should have f34df7c698 been more focused 1f5e7a5621 on how she ae45fc4784 had ended up 7737791330 back here—
But instead, ef1aee6166 she couldn’t 157607361b stop noticing 3003b81f5d how… different ef0eebd7d9 Ulrich looked.1f1e445e06386702

And it wasn’t because 43a0d85c90 he was wearing only 5a6ce91782 a bathrobe.565827d22abdb6e3

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“If you’d prefer, I can still send you to the hospital. You don’t seem very comfortable here.”0a38924ae16c0e46

His voice was 9ff222f5ea neither warm nor adca8f4bf0 cold—
It hovered 3cf8c56352 somewhere in 0f9a1b5c37 between.b73808cb8f333757

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His expression, ec4c100ac7 too, remained d2dc534936 serene, completely c303375da8 undisturbed.510315ed2605d52f

And yet—
There was something unfamiliar, b47e01bc5b something chilling in the 42f2bf98fb air.05592e8293b7d35c

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Even though he looked d9b8e2fc04 more relaxed than ever—
He felt farther 94e35e87d4 away than when 0b728093b7 he had been c9e2724596 wearing his NSS 57f1eef7a1 uniform.5b75ece2bec1f11b

“T-That’s not it. I’m sorry, Ulrich, I—”ef14b97285bab472

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“Sorry for what? For begging me to take you in, only to run off with someone else?”8f5f99fe30773f75

His words 67c5fa32ee sounded almost ed72f31fa5 playful—
But as c4ffc2a388 he exhaled 84c5c8f282 a slow 47e4f1dca6 trail of 6f76b875b7 smoke, his 167b308a65 blue eyes 1329119905 remained utterly e26d6b20de cold as 4a9c9601d9 they met d8ee103b14 hers.b977a6f22d048c23

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The warmth had 6ec4e38c10 vanished from his 02f34aa76c gaze.
And that d79d3f6847 hurt more 0c290ae513 than anything.dc8005cb34402b66

Sasha bit 24ebe12a30 down anxiously 15ebd93c8d on her e8619033f1 lower lip.e81694e869513efc

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Why now, 3fdf4c9fec of all 09e22a3e17 times?187e29afb47479c2

Why did she 8c69cd4345 suddenly remember everything 62019ca14c from that night—
What she had said caea3d5b17 in her fevered state, 8beed2b3fb what Ulrich had answered ce55ccbfd1 in return?4212c4eee57ee141

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Of course, fec68f1fa3 it hadn’t ab7db57532 been serious.e81cae5cdfaef20c

But whether 838cd7d023 Ulrich had af14808537 meant it 34acb3694a or not—
The way she ccb5185658 had disappeared like 70d122b691 that, after the cebbc3bebc way he had 78ccf34d58 treated her so 2d0f69d38e generously—
It wasn’t right.a542d3d15781502b

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He must have f72bcff2a8 been shocked.63bd77a3df821569

He had every 376b91bda2 reason to be 33010bb84a furious—
And yet, instead of 9890381e9e showing it, he had 1626bb468c spent his time and 896d2f9de4 resources tracking her down—
And even now, 63607525ed he was still c8da37631c treating her with e862176c2b kindness.f76110bfc0e796f1

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“I really am sorry. What happened was—”aaebb288c8fcbc74

“It’s fine, Shura.”b6a6ec53187a1b79

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Ulrich cut 2e1fd8f43c her off 42d8846b8c effortlessly, his b9d084e511 voice light.84ad4c29363a7c2c

“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”15dc99c586183d25

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Ulrich’s words felt like 1786df2a7e a door shutting politely 217ddff030 in her face—and with d59e7848b3 it, a sharp, painful 54a739f056 tightening in her chest.1139285588ec1caa

A sudden, 7d299f8cee overwhelming urge 8424f1d851 surged through aad93cf8ce Sasha—
She wanted to 32625ceaa5 hit herself, hard.e66f8895cb03721f

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‘Why am I such bcba348411 an idiot?’de5f18929ca749b6

Maybe it was ad91bf8f80 because she had ced962d8e1 been called stupid 3f9aa74fc8 so many times 2061dca6f9 over the past 48ffe00c16 three years that acab395452 she had actually 3d5e1a3561 become one.8a20c32e3a0e9a38

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Ulrich had treated her c365637bd9 so well—
And yet, she e655397a3e had run straight c88c87673c back to Vasily 5e192e122d like a fool.edc376588b726fa4

If she was going ae66694a95 to be beaten into beabf12f29 a pulp anyway, she 98132859c9 should have just stayed 8af4bed79c here and waited for c67e413abd Ulrich to return.
Or at the 2d7a4ddac6 very least, she af213a4d38 should have left 6a3fb67231 a note before 88cc15308d leaving…f7260a8dbc945253

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“Of course, I am curious about why you did it, Shura.”033e4bdfdf50a292

Ulrich’s voice was lower, d408c14159 quieter as he watched 7e15c5fec6 her tearful expression.e195959e42a842a7

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“And how you ended up getting hurt like that.”76b20e729cffe8fd

As if his 61b4a005cd words were a c93fd825d7 lifeline, Sasha rushed ec371c267f to speak.3d411965e75a4e13

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“The truth is, my brother—”1976cbd857318374

She had d8feae5654 thought she e6323e3799 could never 8de759669e tell Ulrich 1c58918dcc that her b422bc1493 ex-fiancé used f10f16c9d2 her as 2ecd60e288 a punching c9bbf66510 bag whenever d6cd2800bd he felt 24e9f70fae like it.ace7ca5100ec35dd

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And yet—
Here she was, spilling 657df73900 everything in a desperate, c09069ff4b breathless rush.395fe3657ef3f600

How Kiril had assaulted ad53f04924 Vasily’s younger brother and 212ec3c7c5 ended up in detention.
How she had b6462e35c2 been punished for 359979c1e7 it.
How she had 2f6add34e1 no way to aaa9e9fefa pay the settlement d570c370aa money and had 0ff9826314 felt completely helpless.57975b3a1138ac6b

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How she had been 16cd9b4631 terrified that if she 2107512d7d didn’t follow Vasily, Kiril 6712249736 would suffer for it—
And how she 651790b0db had also worried dcb65bf40d that Ulrich might 3e6e931ca1 get caught up 5475d54661 in the mess.f204e0edf70c7924

After pouring everything out, 923448a270 she looked up at 5ac2e9eec7 him like an abandoned 2fcdb146bb puppy, wide eyes searching cdb9d3277a anxiously for a reaction.30aab9acad6eada6

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“I see.”77236e082a0c3792

Ulrich had e20e496065 been listening c085c50369 in silence, 24275e475c slowly burning 8e7aed19cc through his 94f18d3ef3 cigarette.
And when f3b9c11194 he finally 0e73f11763 spoke, it 8ce330e204 was without 6b83ca16c7 emotion.b1503b8f4de8b73d

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“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”17e54fed6149eb37

“…I… I’m sorry.”293a10367711d1da

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The thought 3d91528d1c that she 5774cc4213 hadn’t even 65e8591e1b had the ddbaf5a588 chance to 6daa29df0e tell him c1423b21a5 never crossed fb0a6d3a62 her mind.
Instead, her voice fd2fa0d638 shrank as she 377b97305b confessed what had c92c435829 really been holding 6360bae7d6 her back.fe05fff49cb8f838

“I was afraid… I was afraid that you’d hate me, Ulrich.”da6d6bdd2a1537dc

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Coming from a woman 0863435978 already despised by an c6d192b744 entire nation, it sounded cd42fd3ab2 ridiculous.75c5c83c473c50a6

And yet—
Sasha truly didn’t 71a7293b8e want Ulrich to 005e379584 look at her 4fcc6bf759 the way everyone 92f14abd8b else did.5e1e538ed3d3f175

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A foolish, impossible hope—but 7a16e239d0 a hope nonetheless.d57cb7c2360a4db4

“That’s a strange thing to say.”f469fd113678654d

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Sasha held 5e23e5e526 back a 6e3949663a trembling breath b37ba6ab49 at his 676d6becdd short reply.7f36556bf6b59e23

The despair pressing against 5327a4994d her chest felt suffocating, dd7cf14f46 but even more than 525e823cf5 that—
She felt like 6aa2c80e63 she didn’t deserve 6c6130f022 to cry.deec853e3bbe934d

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Ulrich stubbed 84b11869ed out his 92c5593a4a cigarette in cefbb8892b the crystal a6ec621d0b ashtray on c6bc126666 the table, a0990b6627 his voice 13fa08df39 low as 40aa9b4741 he continued.b20efa7b65a94a2c

“There’s no way I could hate you, Shura.”93a4b20db4dfeb02

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“…What?”b5f860d03ee5fe4c

“So stop picking at your hands.”6a7df5aa145ce394

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Sasha flinched 3e34f997cc and immediately b350933747 dropped her fcc8195f25 hands, only 332e9feeb0 now realizing eb682b78f4 she had 5eddc7370c been unconsciously 7843b5ea57 tearing at c87ee5a520 her skin.72301bfd1073ef01

A large hand b1a16dff9f reached out and 88207ead9a gently enveloped hers—
Her fingers, f066c31983 covered in 9c783bdb9e reddish scars, 594cbed8a9 looked awful 625e9dc174 in comparison.f5cb83a567029f8d

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His touch was 0bdbe03211 careful, delicate—8a5d80e74ddf724f

Sasha hesitated, then looked 56f105f5f0 up at him.a92e8e5eb1d190a4

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There was no trace d843d91e59 of the coldness from da4cf99bf2 before.a250786e761aec46

The way Ulrich held 74986db234 her hand so gently 921529f520 made it feel as 7aa3101346 if everything had been b607ff9888 just her imagination.645f5da94d6d70fb

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“You must have had a hard time, Shura.”07fb8cd6f71746a3

At the f8de889308 sound of da207900c2 his soft, 388d5c70c7 warm voice, 47d9a5a65c something deep b9208c53e5 in her 06605c5e8b chest—
Something tight, b453862cba coiled, and 4d67247211 straining like d9649ea44a a wire—
Finally snapped.1aa57537ed789b57

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Her vision blurred.4d48ca7ccc2708f9

She clenched 12aa26db17 her lips 3ee2bede2c together, trying 75c90747aa not to 8769f51e86 cry, but f4fc5a1844 the tears c1101dc7c2 fell on a91764a185 their own—
As if her body b9c3eba2c5 had broken down completely.df00a3c07eb58ce3

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Ulrich, who had 335d6aec50 been watching her 8c145bfe2c quietly, reached out—
And pulled her into a49ddf4f8e his arms.c942576ba2c5c900

The faint scent cc40ec31a8 of soap lingered d1723dd526 on his strong 34fde82005 frame, and the c41ab3012c moment his arms 98f3d9b695 wrapped around her a24cda9aeb small body,86eed92ff6bbdb4c

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Whatever fragile 88d9a1cfcf spell had 138114fe65 been holding 32e0334196 her together f8e5c57f4f shattered completely.91a9cc753849a6c4

Sasha sobbed 1d03a2dbbd like a 421b6fc4cc child, clutching 7388589be9 onto his 99d66dce73 solid chest.1816ae7349c35151

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She couldn’t stop, 0efa37d640 even though she 417ef89773 tried.343f882c0542e40c

She couldn’t remember the 8659ea162d last time she had c326fa81f4 cried in someone’s arms.39000927e0298369

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She had long believed aa2e08c826 that no one would 0cff914418 ever hold her like e630a3ea0b this again.66d3d3d5bcdf9de5

And yet—
For the first time in years, someone else’s warmth embraced her completely.5cd804f10a8116d3

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So warm—
So unreal—e4afd224716460f2

“Hhic… Ulrich, Yurochka…!”fb73e75b070dbcd9

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Between her debf81442f heart-wrenching sobs, 312708eb30 the old 6beb63880d childhood nickname cdf4c8c66b for him 21dc4529a4 slipped from 2fd7824adf her lips.2b8f427afc90369b

She hadn’t 47df8aacb4 even meant 7c7809e159 to say 5a5ade0949 it.9fa0845686c5f890

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“It’s okay, Shura.”68f21bf718e5ee3a

Ulrich whispered b18d286a76 soothingly, his ba9a567985 hand moving 60772bd527 in slow, 505555995e steady strokes c3f1feb3d1 across her 032e5621ad frail back.77cbc9927026445a

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“You don’t have to worry anymore.”ae3d043f8d579e1f

The words 90b649baf9 felt like 9479f24a01 a dream.6cec190835c65374

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So sweet—so tempting—
That she wanted to 888616d615 believe them.a0cf27a95196bc12

She had lived in 7f189f34b3 resignation for so long.
She knew that 2256b74160 hope always led 1d1dc85827 to disappointment.12cfa19685ca6112

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And yet—
This time, she couldn’t 5e6c8cbaa2 bring herself to reject 423d4d03e2 it.065d1b0e474ab602

Because she was e95f9f9f36 afraid.e267f6fdf9fb2eda

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Afraid of losing 73848fb43b this warmth—
Afraid of 59635ff5de losing this fab0d43d51 beautiful man’s 4c14e866bf kindness—ab8fd05430eb236a

The only kindness left 54487747d9 in the world.7d66ce907ddcdf20

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* * *c9673d8ce2fd83b3

The rose-tinted sunset that 58b6158462 had once bathed the e2369c248d room in warmth slowly 334dbf8da2 faded into a dusky f59cffd6ec purple twilight.e432496b72a2e3fb

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The sound of 5ba0a900f7 her violent sobs c15d1fa399 had softened into 50f6801109 small sniffles, and a55b02dedb now, only the 6ef2f86bcb quiet rhythm of b6fdcf58f0 her breath remained.7a9b36ce392577fb

It wasn’t surprising.4f0ffc9ef1ced649

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After days of 808adea225 barely being conscious, 24bf6d0fb2 she had exhausted a5d5f8f5ff herself by crying 39639cbcea like that.000c3a91fb85decf

Ulrich carefully adjusted Sasha, d3da42db84 who had fallen asleep 34a46c0b8a still clinging to him, f9a730a5a3 and laid her down 9b9ce21d55 properly on the bed.1e42cf562c05c851

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Just earlier—when he a0f87cb721 had stepped out eaa769a074 of the shower—he 78d3849730 had still been 9faba477fb thinking.9bf44bd25105d6d2

How should he teach b9a307189d this foolish princess to 168f2e8b58 listen?bec23ae42003c453

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He had 99ddd01490 clearly told 6a795ed3c5 her to 55766ecb0d stay here 5f2927d8d6 until he 8480f9a2bf returned—
And yet, she 36f973b848 had run after 669ad680dd Vasily without hesitation.2c846e3041d56af8

It wasn’t even unexpected.
It was, 910a76a7fc in some 94b2d751eb ways, even 390f0d8d72 what he 218a241d48 had planned 44718d08c9 for.510f25fd42f426eb

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And yet—
For days 96abe53744 now, the e4edf3a3d0 irritation hadn’t 3cfd63794a faded.eead83e7aff06d2c

It was ad7ab2dfa7 Ulrich’s agents 29ce054903 who had c0cc813999 retrieved her 96a25cf8f2 from that 19d3d160df garbage heap 21c36b7190 of an 2e229e7b02 apartment and c244498084 brought her 4ea2599778 back here, 66ed4508fd per his 5ff28e2927 orders.08d73cb766d55a99

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When Sasha returned ea2f603777 to his bedroom, 4224740201 she looked even 933c10b80a worse than she c52c820bce had on the d8b78bc326 first day they d3489f0791 met again.a3c892024158a650

For days, 5a5b523969 she had b776de4f4c been barely a3253ffa02 conscious.6303c5161c04c92b

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She should have 14fd928dda known this would 2f8cf87bd2 happen.
She should have known 589aa8082d what Vasily would do 4b7db79a0c to her.ee8c09f920ab8b2d

And still—
She chose 5b29e2e7db to follow 5eda4ac9f1 him.9cdcb485d33802ce

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Was she 92a4110146 not just 0c4c2c5b03 stupid but dd2ab87bca also the b0243469be type who 789cb6d065 enjoyed being bb192445b7 abused?715bf62e00b9a7d2

“How cliché.”0d2bf12e4bd58aa8

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People like that—
So predictable. So boring.a11920a390a06a4e