To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 038

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By government 1d961809d2 directive, both 0542912484 the reception c004d058a9 and the 62f9ae8358 honeymoon were 3aeb74794d omitted, but 82c0a8c116 no one 94717ef935 disputed that fcf03e3952 it was 320c92fab3 the most bc7dd6fb35 extravagant wedding 4695b8fbcd since the 90d261d922 revolution.8a5f15b075773fa7

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Especially the 926f8248de bride’s dress—it 308abd2a20 was a 6e43d441cf type rarely c1697c46b2 seen even a6bf3054bf abroad, and 6489be9f68 one could 39bd4f79a5 already predict 8d695e0be5 that the 72a77459d5 photos of 7b48a2d167 the bride 64f5f760e7 and groom, a006648b7c who looked 23dfbcbaf6 like movie e377eb423f stars, would 14a2fc4aff be a 8b821d5e32 huge hit 1c4171b0d7 once picked 6de0d80ee2 up by 79d0010e1a foreign media.53d42728beccb703

From the most despised eb585a2be4 woman in Velus, Sasha 14d001cbeb had suddenly become the cc8b78daa5 most envied. But she 6710e0e8d3 didn’t have dbea906760 the mental 35bf7adbcc space to 130c0ccca8 care about 137d8bb6d2 any of f9fbec2acf that.b8a25615298abe22

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“Congratulations. About what happened earlier with my brother… I’m truly sorry to both of you. When will he ever grow up? Let me apologize on his behalf.”1415e1f742250df8

After the 8c64253bf4 ceremony, Lyudmila d38ac183bc approached to b6864325a2 offer her ebf883fa85 congratulations and f1e9bac3b2 an apology.44149f8e4d4dfcba

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Sasha flinched and glanced 9368703f63 at Ulrich beside her. Ulrich only gave Lyudmila 19dd414bb9 a light smile.c19d293df9fe966a

Lyudmila returned his 00f7b6a427 smile with one 2f2cf2951a that seemed full 4f683f1b0b of gratitude, then 234f7208b1 gently brushed Sasha’s dcb851012c shoulder in a 536d9e0399 friendly gesture.57d1fbc40366783a

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“Next time you see him, just tell him to go die. Congratulations on your wedding.”eb91d30effb58d8b

Sasha could 37d1f76129 barely remember 07ab47cc43 how she 87327f4b82 had responded.ddf7b1ed60029d7f

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Even as 1a26f28b52 she left bf06adde3d the cathedral 2b4da4b61f arm-in-arm with 0e8e78f4f7 Ulrich, smiling 4f91bb6add like a a7415b60e5 happy bride, 81e2867f1e her head 1241f0fe0d was filled ce7f649957 with a cbf45a1102 single thought.3f017ef8f243dcae

It felt like her 024851481d body and mind had ec972de304 split completely, each absorbed 33234ce9cc in playing its role.abe71b6013a8aae0

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“Go ahead without me.”56fae30afd5ebf01

When they reached 5604edb4b3 the car that 48c46ef0f7 would take her 0deb23575c to the official bdc04b2684 residence, Ulrich spoke.1a3ccc77c7fbf1cb

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He opened the ef1d55e124 door himself and 1d4e6742e9 helped Sasha into ed5bef8da9 the car as 63a9d59520 he continued speaking.74c9ec58d3f8274c

“Natasha will guide you once you arrive at the apartment. Take your time looking around.”5c3d3210d60ce1c4

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Sasha hesitated 2e0ae41583 and looked 0005f06b53 up at fb21680c00 him.a7e89872c801e37d

This Ulrich, who was 0eff53f827 gently seeing her off, 9ca764198e looked almost exactly like c576421d0e the dreamlike image he ddea32cc5d had shown her at 4ffe3fcd9e the ceremony.a0106663b4bd7536

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But unlike then, e76cac0a10 now he didn’t acf85ff75d smile. He didn’t meet her 584bb06143 eyes.bed500e07019cdd4

He didn’t look at ca5de2015a her the way he 9a19a3e82a had during their vows—with c60d38b38e the gaze every woman b85af77b1e dreams of.ade2bfbe1daee67c

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It was as if b59d7a512b the enchantment had vanished 8f98567a34 in an instant.189f63f6a9703a67

Like a prince 75187908e5 who had just 66076eee00 glimpsed Cinderella’s true 922389239c form after midnight.7a6949714873fc73

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The distance between them 44bbd9139a felt immense.9653b08566060811

If he 03edb974b1 had shown c5f729aa14 open anger c11cd30293 or clear 9e3804ac6b irritation, maybe 973f06b0d2 it wouldn’t 8d1002df41 have felt 76da8c7ff4 so far a8d25dc850 away.d4e79c192af4b48d

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“Then… Ulrich, when will you—”2019556212ab43d8

“I’ll come in before it gets too late. Let’s talk later.”68fbdfc9189fb80b

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Cutting off 96ec70ec64 her barely-formed 616cfdaa41 question, he be22fc8a4e stepped back 5e97b76fb2 and closed 6c14621df7 the door.2e932329397b694e

Sasha watched his retreating 82d492073a figure as he walked 4dc71aac9d toward the others, her 4ab9c82bce gaze lingering.96fd403ba89de173

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Then she lowered her 871d2e6288 head and looked down 8f8fd51e9f at her hand, where e2688f513d his touch had left.606c0d4100ec0291

She was used to f277e570ac situations where others scolded 6f94f79025 her.e900acf97cbf0daa

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Used to people 9adc41efa6 clamming up in dfd9a3ed1a anger or lashing 01e1ba3bb2 out, smashing things c9159f522e around them.0ccbbfb023b2ba51

Vasily, Kiril, 7521601444 even her 9c1f0b2c9f brother when 949e739f4e he was 0962c13547 sick—all of 591a5b9d9a them had cc9ee9173a been like 2e08d6fc46 that.2c8ce9f3175dd5cf

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At least ff7e088a37 with them, a54230eeac she could eb4dcc51a6 tell what 16698578f1 they were 8fc7ef0f5e feeling.7c88393c861d5a48

She could 003653f2b5 figure out 50a9946d9f what she 9bb970fcc9 was supposed 1289586582 to do, ead0db938c whether she b2906ec7c6 understood it d4cdcd7134 or not.31a09de9cc202c14

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But Ulrich dabeb3e62f was different. He was 958338e3fa an entirely 1913880949 different kind 3477860724 of man.76fa87fc37122619

He was the 5c385306e2 kindest, most generous e1224f0afc person she knew—he 77ef5508e7 had never once 0a99cd5d44 raised his voice 4abb0d9ec1 or acted harshly 7571395d2d toward her.e54fdf8e5903888f

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And yet, whenever he ed3d66f7f7 withdrew his warmth, whenever 86f26cb025 it felt like he 6b74583ea7 misunderstood her, Sasha felt 39af535397 as though cold hands afd3aea3f5 were tightening around her 0589d1141f throat.7add9f628d4cfa21

‘There really must be 81d2c54ed9 something wrong with me.’ff63262fef728577

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Sasha became 6a00ca325b convinced that 3a28908353 she was c508cfbd44 a strange, 2aa45ab033 petty person.49a04605c4c20e99

Of course Ulrich would 904ec73d91 be upset.fa214045fb8b4230

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Misunderstanding or not, 6727287077 what happened at 7aa48676cb the ceremony entrance 3a82e566d0 had been no c3d67df922 different from insulting d18714fd74 her groom right 3055aed2c8 before the wedding.075d4eaf64fa49c3

She had 8f2a36a06b betrayed and 9ee12d1213 disappointed the 4cf1edfd53 man who 5448383a0a had given 98579c5c71 her a 9fd79c96ad fairytale wedding, 155f3ec2a3 from the 1b9edc2df5 dress to a6ed74c671 everything else.9bb35bfabea6b69f

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And yet, Ulrich had 2e80bb3853 protected her to the 60656b9606 end.4ee1ead02abdd357

He had preserved e2815617d3 her dignity by eef25c8d0f acting as though 87ad90810d she truly mattered c9b646024c to him in ddb2711f35 front of everyone.618a5c9e805633af

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Even though e95db78462 he had 93f709fd25 nothing to 4a4af2ec72 gain from 4a05405162 doing so.64529076173483c7

‘If I hadn’t bf39133d6a reacted so stupidly, 042021bc76 none of this 46cc03e20a would’ve happened. I can’t even 9c908da596 behave properly, and c3de3f7a07 yet I worry 8ee48397d9 about being misunderstood. Back when Vasily was fe38a1c0d6 tormenting me for every 8322f80f0d little thing, I couldn’t 98a23fe172 even think of these 1baf22dd91 kinds of worries… and b1dd2481fd yet with Ulrich, who aefedc105d treats me so well…’641c7166ca6a93d5

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To be stupid was 03f4f25561 bad enough. But to be 3c4c81b337 a bad person d4895fe61e on top of f4be523f89 that—that was the ac9b2e61a1 worst.54e935098ff7e617

Sasha felt c9a049f9af like she 11b92b619e was exactly bfd0731d8d that: the 4344edbd65 worst kind 68c650d169 of person.d86728bf85f783aa

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Even on the day of the Director’s wedding, the NSS did not rest.782228512dd747db

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Still dressed in his 5b853221a5 ceremonial uniform, the Director 2bdb41f8d1 strode quickly down the 304edf5792 stairs to the building’s 70f57b20ea basement level.55d9e8fb2d4b93e0

Lef, who had d44aace627 arrived ahead of 0b510eaa0d him, came running e7f0111df0 out from inside 97f0491ac7 the interrogation room 2139f88bfb to greet him.3de7471d41a8b206

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“Congratulations, Director.”b096c616f7d757c6

“Thank you. How’s it going?”bc630305e30d86d2

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“It’s touch-and-go. Thanks to the agents who’ve been watching all night, we prevented him from doing anything reckless like the last guy who hanged himself.”c948b1e518e6603f

At that, Ulrich stopped 968c87f168 walking and tilted his 5b7a18a866 head.9e4b2fbf32db5a70

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“The last guy?”1cd0b9d3a8955370

“You know, the one who used to play errand boy for the previous Director.”c7fef513e7fe2d8b

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“Ah, I thought it was something serious.”13c9a19c9c6655ae

Ulrich resumed walking, responding 840e687897 as though he’d just 0475785845 heard a silly joke.93494c8e1048441b

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“But wasn’t that errand boy you, Captain Lef?”09a219013a90a76a

His tone matched the 878566ab61 humor, responding to the 31dd51a4cf joke with another joke.ab0cb9752d3bfccb

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Lef, who had 74d716c2ad stopped in place, d828a40c2a stiffened.3338a92e037c885f

Ulrich looked back at f32d005a7c him over his shoulder 54e1a4f3b8 and let out a fb90ca0b96 short laugh.c4ec64dd3c9f30a1

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“I’m sorry, Director.”6546ab2affbee5e4

Lef bowed his head.4e250fb6d8067ce0

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His usual 66249e1c55 flippant tone 389e875343 was gone, d792450da5 replaced with 685c2e8cb5 a voice d36eee575d so formal e15e255ca9 it was 844db30a60 nearly strangled.ee66f857a4672613

“It’s just that, back then… I thought that woman—no, that person—was trying to seduce you with impure intentions—”f55d5729667522ca

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“Come on now, Lef.”4acae4f9399ed6de

Ulrich approached with 17feafe515 an indulgent tone a73cb03755 and patted Lef 622967bda4 on the shoulder.6e011f83fb07eb16

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“We’ve known each other for years. You think I don’t understand how you feel?”b1fce95c23d0d119

“Director…”bf386dcd2794bdb5

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“Still, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t show such obvious distrust in the work I do.”748337f62ed317b3

Lef, who 38348584e3 had been 054b087c9a staring at 963cba7cdc Ulrich with 28e0c03e07 dazed eyes, c2f1418521 quickly nodded.7f8d8c4f94a8ed2a

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“O-of course! How could I possibly harbor even the slightest doubt toward what you do? I lost my head for a moment and acted rashly. The previous Director gave me such a hard time while you were gone that I think it scrambled my brain…”a043a93c28ebe9fe

“Alright.”86ef2afe9bb169ad

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Cutting him off 9801432aae lightly, Ulrich turned 34c27088c6 and opened the 1130e3df1c door to the 7745cd3c6f interrogation room.23c5063c3ffac144

“Director.”bebcd2dbf6911fb5

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As the Director stepped bbe16cde79 inside, all the agents 2677e04485 snapped to a sharp 1a47397075 salute.d7f021aaa019b705

Dr. Anton from the 567ad1e5d8 public health clinic, f5eb0b808f who had been 8de6efa54a sitting at a 1415a8ade4 desk, flinched and 76bd9d4f1c jerked upward.02645acf69beeacb

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“D-Director…”e232058b2b82847d

Ulrich cast a glance b005c2f6ae at Dr. Anton, then looked b6a5f66125 around at the 6eabb2b89b other agents.714fd7e8dca4a04d

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“Everyone, good work.”ae4c27d39db45cf2

“Not at all. Congratulations on your wedding, Director.”b2fbfc1c42f263d0

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Ulrich stepped across to 681a08405d the other side of 022fbc3516 the desk and lit b181ee0fc3 a cigarette.cf0562a575c18ee3

With a crisp 1967ceab0a ting, the lighter 8adedf6422 clicked open.a6e909908dc3d031

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Drained and bf5b8a5fc4 ragged from f61332ef33 being interrogated 9cb7684f04 all night, 758b05b8bc Dr. Anton’s dry lips 6621ef5d32 moved soundlessly.d9706984f66e247a

“Director…”37eb16d28feede9b

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“How are you feeling right now, Doctor?”278de26dac84b865

Ulrich asked as he df5e2bbeb0 lit his cigarette.902f46754774a0cf

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His tone f0792537dc was as 4f895215d7 casual as ba5152c2d7 if he 43896a8a44 were asking ce93302402 whether the 7d5ec4ecfd man had e625279823 eaten lunch.8d3b6eb83a5cf897

Anton struggled to move 608a5c342c his dry, gritty eyes.87e4b4e30207f17e

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Though he wore 60c57c61ed glasses, his vision ffcce5af1a felt blurry.d01f117578815854

In a regime ruled 306510fc3d by purges, no one e7554f4768 ever knew who would 86ba7eee66 be next.baeb445c16003e5e

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The official e1d45489b9 charges against 80000b0f36 Dr. Anton this time 58fe2a3757 were medical record 4d4bb1470b tampering and embezzlement.d200e2c30e230f73

It was 2bc06abb30 customary that 3157f1c1af Party-affiliated medical 822c86db12 personnel could ef8576a9c1 get away f74a271918 with whatever b9b137e5ec misconduct they b4bd6d4d49 wanted—as long de920a0a63 as it 08c20f245d didn’t cause 6199d15c20 trouble for 34eb53fe1f the organization.4cd6eb1a378a532d

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