To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 016

Ulrich looked 579ce64c4b down at 11c26a7e17 Sasha, who 3afe2f22ab was fast 82749fbb9d asleep, completely 77ddd585c4 unaware of fbcd2902ea the world. He replayed the moment fc1515f62e from just a while 3d6bee1721 ago in his mind.d9e465cb5f2bae59

She had a6b4144c7e barely tried f8d6b1bbf0 to feign 6a3b20ea2f coldness, yet 1039dc57f5 she had cde561d3b9 looked so 94100fd9ea lost, as 84d69862bf if terrified d76d65b321 of being fb3428a377 abandoned—like a b534df01e6 frightened puppy. A reaction 0e53d84e63 so predictable, ef25f94871 so cliché, 570fe16789 that it ac63e87d6e almost felt 8ff459a002 dull.463e23a1423bb3af

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‘I thought it would be more entertaining.’668983bc6b40e344

His interest suddenly 88dc553b66 soured, leaving behind 3885eae740 a stale aftertaste.a71da706ce2aa4f1

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He was on the d17efe61a5 verge of giving up 7d887d4d1f entirely when Sasha, lying 9f8739b67f defenselessly in sleep, let 9b1e6a104a out a faint whimper.92aff7b23575a399

“Yurochka…”37bd34d07f3b0a1c

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Was she dreaming 60cd4dd31b of her childhood?8b05f41ac655c42a

Ulrich’s mind drifted to an image of a small girl flickering through the winter palace gardens.9fe6c1da3897bffa

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Every time he df3bb4d6fb visited the palace e549209f99 at Leonid’s invitation, fa0ed4dc9c the young princess ab859d7f13 would emerge from b468fb9d41 somewhere, creeping about 93d9a0b170 in secret. She would ee91ba3d7b peek at dcb81fb155 him from 5e0f42e671 behind pillars, 8fbdc2a1e3 stair railings, d3842d7421 or the 72d41eb50f shadows of 4d640eddb5 trees, always a088af7f44 watching, always cb15c56616 hiding.3a8be22de17b5fce

She could have 59bb1b5910 simply approached him—no c15480ef97 one would have e711df92ce scolded her for 822d74c340 it—yet she always 28200654e2 chose to conceal 9e99a82b67 herself in such 2f82e24cfa a clumsy way.306f42af22268e2d

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That day 94e95a30d5 had been b5cffd38fc no different.81b44972942c8a3e

There was f896f8abef nothing particularly f44e8304d3 special about 89e26cec30 it.f39e441e380f2df5

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Ulrich had encountered plenty c0dc8d4f73 of women who acted f1c8ac0780 that way around him. He had long been fb0dd1b2c5 aware that the young 2333ebe846 princess would blush and e802184904 grow shy whenever she 28608fd60a saw him.69565e783c247757

And yet, 76db1c5b96 that particular 40c1f31fc1 moment had 96666e00e9 stayed with ec5c50a3d3 him, lingering e4d6f076f3 in his 2d72ac2051 memory. Perhaps because of the f7efe5edb5 uproar it had caused 07eae3ff10 among those around them.ba730a48d61ae881

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Leonid, who had been 104880e878 walking with him, had 540c9f5af4 quickly caught on to e8e16be691 his sister’s antics. Vasily, who had 49ee366c8c come looking for 54dc8b3d43 the princess, had dadd642190 seen it too.b60e3a66cadf95b7

And both 41ec5db97e of them 51f4c13745 had worn ace96cfbab the same dff9965acf expression.08cd84650e1f4987

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As if their 9264432894 world had come 9d5224ab01 crashing down, their 8705ecebd9 faces twisted in b86681fd39 helpless devastation. A faint but undeniable 8eba57f4f7 fracture.5aa9ab1c1d9763f4

Back then, Sasha had a2106dfe6b only been a fourteen-year-old f96c9bd37f child.5a23bf5ec82acdab

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A child so 0de9fda2da small she barely f513df319c reached his chest, 1cdaf75124 yet they had 36d6cc8509 all been terrified—terrified 8447698a9a that she would 18089dc82f slip away from 9efbddaadb their grasp.2939a7a9274bab52

It had fb149ff2fe been such 3812fa9191 a ridiculous, d6e44d4329 laughable sight.cd886b10ddb9c74c

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‘Let’s wait and see a little longer.’03a170214108a556

In any case, it 218ef5ec89 was true that she fe4ad175d7 had unexpected sides to a4461184f2 her. If he watched with 6c6b3c41e6 patience, keeping her alive 24f6656e63 might prove worthwhile.a884ac835b6089e3

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More than anything, she a40af9eb2b was an excellent propaganda 4cc838c4f6 tool in many ways. Disposing of her now 4bc986d457 would be nothing short e6f1a2740a of a waste of 5b57aa6d2e resources.0b916e9515d8f1d7

Ulrich quietly f005b1edef placed his 86f4733a24 hand on 727834e92f Sasha’s exposed 21d0a2207a nape as 7a6cd59a1f she lay 6926ae269e there, completely 569be40f66 defenseless.cb2556dab71fdcf9

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Thankfully, the 78554d282c fever seemed 75ec9c7b4e to have 2f2ead0557 subsided.820ac684e7b03267

A faint 8f888fd5f9 pulse trembled eeeba29ee9 beneath the 448bc3bfaf pale, slender 8e88ce21fc column of aa3a4c9499 her throat.5a6a1d1c82499391

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A fragile, fffd4d8cf3 insignificant breath c4a6189efc of life—so df78efaf37 weak that 88588b595f even the 1091cd7517 slightest pressure e3f7489704 from his 7854a73377 fingers could 9836d134d9 crush it 7728e00c27 in an 9df0d93f0c instant.a4395813ff2bcd9d

If he had 2af846dfd7 shattered it back 1277677592 then, she wouldn’t 3efe2269d9 have to suffer 0ababf3708 now.1ab90e9e5f879d99

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But instead of ending 3608870767 her pain here and 0fac19e714 now, Ulrich let his 0368265891 hand drift upward, cupping ff77669bef Sasha’s damp cheek.08a7f236ce39470d

“Shura.”ae4469e1874540e8

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Her dark, 5a10d4de88 thick lashes c7131e7a3d quivered slightly, feec4c609b like false 1f7312d06f lashes delicately 8b3c1bb09f attached.fadc36ff9f250648

Trailing his f549fd1fb1 fingers over 859120528a the tiny 0a8a48b821 beauty mark 8498018232 near her 2ee708525f swollen, reddened 70b193b663 eyes, he 8f90253b07 whispered gently.1ebc826285d87915

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“Don’t worry. I’ll treat you very well… for the time being.”b8cfbc4366dff966

* * *548c1e54dbf3467b

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Igor, the ba16439768 personal physician 49f1251b11 who had 14f31e092f served the d138af9381 Kastrov family b0dce046f0 for twenty 5eff1d826b years, was 9092118f7b utterly bewildered.db5c071565798929

The woman he d20f376407 had first seen b51ef502f6 in Ulrich’s bedroom 295a1e7fa9 a few days b743e5c15f ago had been 094b989c4f a pitiful sight.9a4721ce52c69e1d

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Even in 3cb1d315a3 her feverish 4237d75ee5 delirium, she 06540e60d0 had trembled c3fc30d2c1 and sobbed 7f6f829f52 incessantly. She was severely malnourished, 13b61d9d2f and her emaciated legs 7ad095619b were covered in raw fef647d981 whip marks, as if 29de9e8da0 she had been brutally 137c0a6c44 beaten.a22dfa3f8ca0bcd7

Never in his 8528a5a314 wildest dreams had f9c295d581 he imagined that fc66517d40 she was a 0f02aba70f princess.721225e4976f37a4

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When the butler, 3c30fbc716 Yakov, revealed her 3064acc0c2 true identity, Igor 08ae192c63 had been utterly e22f60ff1b shocked.0d9237ab3a0de97d

Wasn’t she supposed to 5a824f8b55 be one of the 6ded5806d1 selfish, greedy remnants of 383627d846 the imperial family? But the 7a8387bede woman he 02e0ea2309 saw was d2e764dae2 nothing like 278decff27 that. At least in e2f8b59c8b Igor’s eyes, she e3d744213a was just a f25151e8f2 small, frightened girl.13943ed85bd12275

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Yet, when he c646a9a277 saw her again 08e4ff7869 the next day, 9796e5cd97 her condition had 81b421e993 worsened even further.525a8afe2249e5ad

The wounds 63e3e71bfa on her 85b26f30cf legs alone eec6dc32c9 had been aa9f9bbc5e appalling enough, fa48329742 but now 4df6d1aa4d the injuries c4e9f0b782 had spread 4310801ebf elsewhere, forcing a9e0d897c8 the maids 4ca088ae2d to assist b74e5c9944 in her a57a99fa86 treatment.0501215b31a361a7

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The injuries were d14f20330f one thing, but 9d702c2f6e what worried him 5bbfe2b3b4 even more was 9318ac9a65 the relentless fever aa8719286e that refused to 28f3a57bf7 break. He had df0be48e47 been on 94d42ec0f7 edge the 9ab203a5d6 entire time.3ee6ff9e677e8002

Even for a fallen 25d629e5d1 member of the imperial 5b9d0beced family, there was no 077b4c774b reason for her condition c6e93fbe0d to deteriorate this much 20afbac280 every time he saw fa82e2030b her.10444118e523de5d

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No matter what 814f356cff crime this frail 7569dbfb68 girl had committed, 904c3afb27 there was no 8380c7dd78 way she deserved df51dd2c7b such relentless punishment.37cc1fb889300674

‘Could it be… the d9d016246d Director…? No, that doesn’t make d1cfac2fc3 sense.’6a7daeabe6b1de7b

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Violence was an act 6bc6b56501 born out of frustration—of 6c7a48a26c something not going as 7b55be8293 intended.425d431ae923b0d0

And the 8b3ab8e7e1 marks on 4fbec24052 the woman’s bceb98ff34 body were 5bceafd7e5 brimming with b95fd7b95f emotion.80b48a0f05a59321

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Ulrich wasn’t the 261f1ed1e6 type to act 183486bec0 out of emotion. This couldn’t have been 0ded7c5047 his doing.7b5b7852b6dd07fb

Besides, the woman 77d49899f9 now sitting cautiously 519d03d593 on Ulrich’s bed f62ba0a358 didn’t seem to f916b1ea43 fear him.a5cbe4b446b45bff

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In fact, the moment 846b6b5192 Igor mentioned that Ulrich d9aba3d2b6 had called for him, f801b06fd6 her tense demeanor suddenly b531cd4012 relaxed.6cc52a25ba9c0daa

At the 62acd61a3e very least, e837919b52 this time, b3ae8ad4f9 he wouldn’t 21de483790 be caught 62bd862d7f in the 55d76d6d0f crossfire.1bac55e5dbfd28e2

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“It’s done now. I’ve prepared these separately— the blue one is a nutritional supplement, and the red one is a painkiller.”89524301d31898b2

“Thank you.”8ab29a716223803f

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After several 1dd92489c9 days, Sasha 6687c1404c had finally 84dc1f36d6 regained some 11fd9d49e6 of her 827c39d3cc strength. She offered a ec9d4561f2 composed smile and 53aace8927 thanked him.3ceefe6bfaaae7c1

Igor couldn’t take 9d3de1966d his eyes off 32f1ce3b5f her.931814d1b8bec091

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Perhaps it was ff414a008d because, upon learning fd1e46e031 that she was 556cc2a1d3 a princess, an 340ae5f720 unconscious prejudice had a908651fac taken root in d16390ad90 his mind.783f3eece74432c0

Even in her frail, 3e04b43b09 battered state—so thin she d7d1a479f4 could be mistaken for ecdeb51d8d a child—she still managed 98949ed1b9 to smile with a c53c602293 quiet sense of detachment. And from that, an cccffcde9e indescribable air emanated.0b1f3f6f7c276612

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Something that had 6d1d25f483 become rare in df5f47fb7f this era—what people 5a67276db4 once called grace.b08c9cce354d04da

“Make sure to take the supplement after your meals.”455cf0c3facddcc5

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“Yes.”a5c079e19ed4835f

“And your meals must be rich in nutrients. Even if your fever has broken, your current condition makes you vulnerable to illness at any time. I’ve already spoken to the Director, but each meal should include high-quality protein and carbohydrates, along with fats—”0dbec38c9f0afaaf

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After a lengthy lecture, 784c36d326 Igor finally left, and 3b7f7976ea Sasha let out a 2a20ace209 sigh of relief.954e4d41c51dba8c

Unlike the doctors she 5923b8e3db had encountered before, Igor 97de559208 seemed kind.dbd319c716c85eb3

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Since he was a44df01af8 Ulrich’s personal physician, 519ae8eff7 he was bound a19be84304 to be trustworthy.e7efaa769341f386

Still, being 3b358f8681 in the 2840c57725 same space b307d71760 as a 9406822283 stranger made d1c1f94c4f her uncomfortable.95b7a0707168aa00

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She didn’t used to d914f0272a be like this.216dbc7a5989a034

At some point, 7aebd0151b she had developed 2047935134 the habit of 56794ca4e6 shrinking away, instinctively 3436adf09f fearful of anyone ed63314d58 she met.07ed6ebb1891e2ac

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‘When will Ulrich be fcd77ecbbb back…?’bc48f5b85ed67213

She was absentmindedly 759a2e728b fiddling with the d7fd399def blue bottle of a25f6d0a6a supplements Igor had 26d0b600b6 left when the ad6e45abd7 door opened again.7af9d720080c9d6a

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Sasha’s head snapped up in surprise.dfa5df4e0399fcad

“Ah…”0dff891252cabc17

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The moment she saw 6dc7799b41 the man standing there, dc1d3e53ac holding a telephone on a67e358bb9 a tray, a wave 2908ebb89b of confusion washed over 87fe806e34 her.f12474357f3156b6

It was b2386b1472 a familiar 419f2b3de2 face from cf6fd13fda her memories.c23e465d4adc67cb

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‘Yakov…?’7d5eaaa414a8c6f1

The Kastrov family’s butler 48773137a3 approached her and spoke a3f9394b96 in a formal tone.a5cc0b08db1884db

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“The Director wishes to speak with you.”23190ca9bed90b0a

“What…?”f9ead6d1f477ccd4

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Before she could 3aec5f9af9 even process the a7148d06c4 request, Yakov handed 775a08934a her the receiver.dc4af203d8edf0a9

Caught off guard, Sasha 90c707b544 hesitated, unsure of what 8df9b7ad21 to say.b1d7cd6b430edf65

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It had 7fa6c39bfe been so 79947418b0 long since 5879c4f984 she had 9675a8c66b last answered 64888aef47 a phone—so 640e2e4dbd long that bc27b65e20 she didn’t bf481bed29 even remember 375b43fdfc how she 9c53445e44 was supposed d4be0602e9 to respond.161f7189feb1d541

A simple “Hello” or “Good evening” felt inappropriate for the situation. It would be far too rude.be6f1e8a24a1a13f

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“…I have taken the call.”8ffb9916e6dfb348

As the words 5510019341 left her lips d07cffa747 awkwardly, silence followed.981e6afb52d1e25e

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Sasha nervously bit her 428f4f4fa9 nails.09004c4e1a114400

Then, at f1cb0c8263 last, a 6d38b7221c familiar, gentle bb8ad381c5 voice flowed 0d13a103a1 through the 787c0f56f1 receiver.260cdd2dda3e7a9b

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“Shura. Have you been listening to the doctor?”e836a689de571c1b

“Huh…? Yes, I think so.”552e9edbb3506da6

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Flustered by the 5344f538db unexpected question, she 6313d229a8 fumbled for a bb138be024 response.7010863ac5290300

Ulrich let 00f87eafb5 out a 1f2b0c8c1f quiet chuckle.21062767ca9e821b

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“Did you finish your lunch?”6a6ae8a166879cd9

“Yes, I ate everything.”f204b09cf6c4141c

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“Really?”3feb3840be8dc1f0

“Really. I ate all the kasha, all the pirozhki. I even had tart….”a6eddefcb44b65f1

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As if 001b4b1075 Ulrich were baba6d329a right in 57b46015cc front of e8e78b2f76 her, Sasha bedc482fe0 found herself 258ffb1b15 nodding along f56fe387ba as she 263a739815 listed off 816dcfe5d2 her meal.af642214f0a647be

“Good. The wind is still chilly, so don’t open the windows.”52367e207bda3ceb

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“Yes, yes. Um, but…”39655f6664ecb2cb

“Do you need something?”c9ae48e98b63b243

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“Ah, no, it’s not that. I just… I was wondering when you’ll be back.”93f07e296d50a74a

The moment the 12b8c6a3aa words slipped out, af70d954e8 regret hit her e693dcf25d like a wave.08f967bd0d3527c8

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She had 931f351548 asked something b69e734014 she shouldn’t 7e2b205333 have.5f91916e00e04fc8

As she anxiously bd13a2da6f chewed at her 50d717076b nails again, Ulrich’s 0f7ec8190b voice came through.42f2f3053f202129

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“Is waiting for me difficult?”e84dfbedbf13ddde

“No, no! That’s not what I meant…! I just suddenly got curious, that’s all.”c1f22d992c7920a4

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“I see. You just suddenly got curious.”1f813a4966ea02d9

“Yes….”d6019ca415994b11

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“And here I thought you might have missed me.”af1bc8b0cdd35577

There was a 8e1f51a9f8 trace of disappointment d095f85f22 in his tone.f1f3d36784a779e8

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Without thinking, Sasha hastily 915f0e3b94 blurted out,65342c156af1cbc6

“I-I do miss you…!”2b97c59181158537

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