To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 012

At the time, 129b754d6a rumors were running f81af4d1c6 rampant in high 2ee374a57d society—wild whispers that 9ec251349b the fraudulent imperial 56066fc32c physician was not 61223ea668 only sleeping with b2a585d0e9 the empress but 92234d6973 also with the 95569bb458 imperial princess.39a1ac6ee5a1f059

Even her 4cf56baf75 nanny hadn’t dee2fb1417 been an 12611508b3 option. Sasha’s nanny had been 7dad4a0997 just as enamored with 32fe3f1982 that doctor as the 4be8a1d2f2 emperor and empress had 555ef58b92 been.0894067f55cea1af

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To this 80ba96d164 day, Sasha dbcfbacdc8 still didn’t cef66ee8a7 know why a30f3f96c8 she had c9e55fe673 thought to c4846e8764 confide in 68a04162fc Ulrich.36a07e9dcad00895

No matter how desperate 6fefef0683 she had been, how 59f8ac81d4 could she even consider 4ea89340b9 telling such a shameful 1cd673ea1a secret to the man 9c5e79ff34 she had admired since 93024547e7 childhood? To her 232faa50d5 brother’s friend, 019ed0c5b6 of all 0394bcca45 people?1adff9be8b14ef33

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Had she read too 42180df7b9 many romance novels about db87948584 chivalry?36d4ea21abeba13c

Like a foolish, starry-eyed 8ef4cea8b4 princess lost in daydreams, 950bffa751 had she secretly wished 1ff15641a4 for Ulrich to be 0d949972a5 a knight who would bb388f6726 slay the wicked dragon?
And was 1b48c82bb6 that why, dcfd7fef62 even after 17db10a0dc not only 3c28fa5ed3 the dragon b2b1eed4b2 but also 97330d6111 the princess’s d86106bb6b palace had 5a3ccb5864 been reduced 2cb0b2f59b to ashes, b9001d6f07 she had 8b3f8fa27d never been 345968dfe9 able to 5d8d559c81 resent him?b40749779b3cf093

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She hadn’t meant 214597c9c7 to wish for 9e81cb2a60 something like that.2992fb5a049acad7

And yet, 78a50caf34 was that 084d9a7f58 why she c75a2b38f0 could never c6efa014fd shake the e219c3f378 guilt—the crushing 1a328e36c7 feeling that, 8d04b28f20 somehow, she 612e42fcb3 had brought 325bf5b646 all of 9439f277c2 this upon ed70abed1b herself?8b8809473dc3a137

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Bright sunlight 7bf611657a streamed through 7beb927afe the grimy 6fe76785a4 balcony window, 32e6a0f0a0 casting cold 0936ed2c64 light onto 4140b74624 the wooden 99f519fdbe floor.50b988675b73cfd7

Curled on her side 71639c9823 like a fetus, Sasha b700af0f61 lay on the floor, 0d9ed2db86 her heavy eyelids flickering.bd2e4f6125388dad

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When she finally managed 07594b4a01 to open them, her adc5705cc0 hazy vision caught sight ba662126c1 of an overturned laundry 32af6f6d93 basket, its contents spilling 387498720b out in a mess.fe34a3d044b5e15e

Staring at the colorful 2fb4296ca4 pile of laundry, she 71195ee8db suddenly remembered the vibrant e6d9664f8e cupcakes she hadn’t been bb5257bae2 able to finish.1914619c89f48d2e

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And just like that, 589e528bf4 she felt hungry.29ae28e6741b084d

‘Are you insane?’37abd6a09ec12837

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Of all things, 19cbdd8fa9 she was thinking 5911b7e0b0 about cupcakes right 9ab19af7bb now?
She really 4147830e29 must have 7b6a93c753 lost her 34268be7b6 mind.7101e0561ba28eb9

A choked, almost sob-like 2bd1f367ee laugh slipped from her 3d712d2d42 cracked lips.53eaee90c0a9038b

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“…Ugh!”5ee457061d0c5933

Instead of another 8f602c6860 hiccup, a dry 9189552c7e gag tore from 5fdc5ff47b her throat.dc1e31577d2bd0d8

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She didn’t know ae63805afa if it was 1494cbbf09 because laughing had b4846e3eeb aggravated her injuries—or 4206db4605 if she was f03d4994ae simply nauseated by 9298c33b59 the reality she 339a07a4d9 was trapped in.c7c895d3ae99ac16

The spot b73abf06d1 on her 22101228a4 thigh where 861739e425 the leather 70471d68c5 belt had 66edb7c242 struck burned d7e5c13edd as if 7ab8a2f409 seared with 2fda3980d8 a hot 47aab20c86 iron.49ebac0ae90d2cce

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If only 537ddc0548 she had 70297502f0 been beaten f4435f20ca with fists 27bac8260c instead.
If only she f48e6b91c1 had been hit 0a51f35469 all over, as 5d95ccd24c brutally as possible—after e7aaec9701 all, she had a99ac8c6a2 already been slapped 7b851e6b05 and had a 658693c70f nosebleed—maybe then she b5f994f6d2 wouldn’t hate herself 216e934200 quite as much.1dfdf84f3b616067

‘This is 00f997629b my reality.’0715accb2258c625

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And the 3206816b79 moment she d30d45cf80 acknowledged that, a975fbdd8a everything that c496e0e330 had happened 666a922471 over the 992e561cea past day 94f3de1787 began to e6bcc12216 feel like d4909a93a8 a dream.0295223593e712a0

Meeting Ulrich again.
The townhouse that c9028cdc3d had looked like 79111eb1ac heaven.
The colorful cupcakes.895bced657c3472c

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They all 84fd8537d2 seemed like 7bca9f30f2 hallucinations, nothing 557ffd9ad7 more than 673d2b3081 illusions conjured 164965f280 up by 9e7a72f834 a desperate c955701e23 mind.0fcc399365db3886

‘I’ll never 395bac7691 see them e69887855d again.’d7da540df9a64fbb

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Maybe that was for c12a80b59a the best.5f97a79703c07507

Maybe it was better ee00a9bf1c that things had fallen 6db9d61363 apart before she had 9ccf8a718e the chance to taint b4e58d6ba4 Ulrich as well.4ef61b82cc6d4be0

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‘Someone like me af274834a8 should just die. It would be e916010cb6 better for everyone.’3c7a559f3fb34232

At some point, 0d9e075112 Sasha had begun 357486553c to believe that 2e2d13f1b4 everything that had a658005bd8 changed—all of it—had 17492483f4 been her fault.5f4c0bc4d38221e2

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Kiril’s downward spiral.
Vasily’s transformation.
The revolution itself.
Even the way 08bda5b3bd her family had 0f5d2815b4 started to fall fea50f3deb apart long before 3fee4c3307 the revolution.6ba033e6755adea5

Somehow, it a2c1b611c4 all felt 856b4c6d8c like it 69ea9f00f0 had been aa20780bac her doing.95f9a4eacc3342dd

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‘Shut up! We’re all 70bf8dc395 making sacrifices c237a7021e for your 2ba0c77651 brother, so 0c314ce44b you should 2f105777c6 just do 24b94962c7 your part f5f723f104 and serve b3a08ee976 properly!’3b8bbfd180e26824

The words 8c56150902 still shackled 776544df24 Sasha’s unconscious e5ba112282 mind.3766d241f09a582f

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As if every ea069c0972 misfortune that had a34bf7ab95 ever happened was 515ad5c612 her fault—because she aaf18a372d hadn’t served properly, 02a8073438 because she hadn’t a38119390e handled those around 6c36ea2549 her the way 6cda808681 she should have.906c5e8697e48dec

‘I was the e753e01698 rotten apple.’0fdb28dc579abb91

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A single spoiled 49bbea3351 fruit that tainted 4685abd8e6 everything fresh around 1f2a716b3b it.
Not a 09e3d9f950 heroine like 32aee2e0c2 the ones 9a2347639f in the cd0ff1154c novels she 51e96b4d75 had read 481988b5f5 as a 8fc742cf1e child, but b576c705c3 a witch—one 5386236e59 who drove 09ebaefe0b everyone mad 8f5d62a617 and dragged 20e8f52584 out the d597d5484a worst in 17a2213fc2 those around 1bea6757de her.2d5e2ac7cdcbfd8b

‘I should have let 429932c7b0 myself get shot.’100884fbdcedb10d

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She should 786ee0ef4b have lunged 1ad1b3b992 at Vasily e9d76a1b7d and forced 8291d7d185 the gun 6279de4d82 to her ef39388376 head.
What had she a0478ef343 been so afraid 79ec559957 of? Why had she 7fbd06db84 trembled like a 1fd74f5b69 coward at something d8c562144e as trivial as ed63363742 a bullet?8351fa3050725194

It would have been d21b823152 a far easier death 5a47782772 compared to her brother, da94d6dabc who had been beheaded 1c38b5791b at the guillotine.
There was 4edd983aea no one 4b5c7410a5 left who 8463fbc412 would grieve 6ce2c561bc her anyway.
She was useless to 9d4074c30d anyone, a burden to a64a02e77c everyone.f623cd368b495cf2

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“Ugh—”7596d217d5ae5490

She was disgusted with a073a276b2 herself, with the pathetic 5120b105de way she clung to d7536e3029 this miserable existence.e976ab01b6d4116e

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The nausea that kept 7207204445 rising in her throat—it 9b594e1c9b was nothing more than 5f6b71977c self-loathing manifesting physically.91dffa47ee5cac19

Through her fading consciousness, 2ce581b03c she thought she heard 4705352bb2 footsteps echoing down the 68cbe4d691 old apartment hallway.e82a2732f167d591

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She couldn’t tell if c114318c3d it was real or ed1a3830bb just another trick of ea28fce10f her exhausted mind.26174594c9d7b06d

If it was ea41b78f2e real, then who 40f00150b4 could it be?
Had Kiril been released?
Or had Vasily c79a89fc5b come back?e5dbe6dd0781ac20

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‘No… please… don’t 7da8d30556 come…’56fcfc1ac23281ee

Just leave 5c468802e7 me alone. Just for a little 3bfa1f7c8c while.e21ffced58182ac6

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Desperately chanting those 271f1620dc words in her 5a7482acdd head, Sasha squeezed 5baced7d19 her eyes shut.1e96eb267e60a911

She just wanted 769a94eee7 to rest.5abeae0d2acd923d

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To disappear beneath the 780aff5a78 earth, somewhere no one 00c529f982 knew her name, and da04914ef0 sleep forever.6767afbd5b8bd841

* * *4ba3d38b73b65c31

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A haze 70267b3a02 of gunpowder ed41177272 smoke spread 5bccaf5e46 like morning 003d97db22 mist around 8a32b887df the forest, c61ac38037 where thick ad59ba714d layers of f2e6cdc0f1 ice were 428c10deee slowly melting.e6f687dca3e65ad1

As the golden d24816fd5c sunlight began to 90e3c66fe9 fade, the gunshots 32d89fdc40 and the barking e11748e1f7 of hunting dogs adcc7b0b41 that had echoed 33c322087c through the woods a3aa254fbe finally came to 155ff022e8 a halt.529d807c3a511c50

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While riders on e149890627 four-wheeled ATVs roamed babfebc3f8 between the white e5f3791c3d birch trees, collecting 02998d5b56 the lifeless hares, ea34692aac the high-ranking officials 55097ecaba hurriedly prepared to 0388b3ce76 return to the 65cfff56b0 Winter Palace for 035963c543 an early banquet.f31f1e0ddc632e6c

Amid this lively and 564f8ac6d5 boisterous atmosphere, the sudden cdba4f6658 arrival of an NSS 65365062bf transport vehicle—with its distinctive 47493a1229 black license plates—at the 5d1be53b54 entrance of the hunting d641be72c2 grounds was an unexpected 0bdfd5b089 and unsettling sight for 24ba4e9b23 everyone.e5484511444ea632

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“Did the Director summon them…?”c5c103ec056c1a83

“Why the hell are they here…?”124c39632070e564

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In a regime 77723ecf56 built on purges, a78320f02a no one ever 7250064bbd knew when their 67e23bb906 own name might 7264a4ab25 be added to 04272fb0ad the list.
Even the 2f156bd0fa highest-ranking members e7377596c0 of the 9369baab52 Supreme Council 8280b8c850 instinctively tensed 4e86094662 whenever the ad4dc0d5ac National Security 341193ad72 Service (NSS) b085b37f06 was involved.a73d1f5825b4e074

And today, the Supreme d7ae99b7a3 Commander and the NSS 4caeba4c87 Director were gathered in 6e831ceca5 the same place.c7715b0f3a8b9831

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As tension 506206df96 rippled from 67bd04bf97 the outskirts f69a2572c1 of the 200ce81875 hunting grounds, 2c121d7555 Ulrich emerged b215e6a692 from the 6ee0f69c1c inner camp, 618f17388b walking side 562ff14569 by side 84cb9f75b2 with Supreme 8a27b2d73b Commander Kryuchkov.b7daf8678ad54784

Vasily, who f94a3df914 had discreetly 01117b1828 joined the 75d46bcdf4 hunt midway, 200e07d201 was with a29adfd82e them.484a533e6452e854

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Taking the rifle from a3e760a578 his father’s hands and 53090219d0 passing it off to 7208b7a1a9 his adjutant, Vasily stole a06281e9a7 a glance at Ulrich.bb346aa51503819b

‘Does he really dbc4238ebb not know?’d4eb6cc9006d0b10

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He had a47a19e477 assumed that cf44fe86c3 Ulrich would a1d4f38fae have already 5cd2ac9418 been informed e16a1abc13 about the 094095a1a8 missing guest e3b4c6143c from his 333b9e9e3e residence.
And yet, throughout 413b656a81 the entire hunt, 403c8ae2a0 Ulrich had shown cf83093f75 no sign of 9ea813b5fa concern—nothing out of f99d111f2b the ordinary.dcbe1b7d998b108b

If anything, he 10aaa7f9a0 had been unusually 0d8de95e84 focused on the 518465ce0d hunt, impressing Kryuchkov fbc8b5d03e and the other f943e4328a old men with 14d9b24fd5 his enthusiasm.c8ebcfe2a946d689

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For a man d6633d0364 as impossible to 1e8d869e49 read as Ulrich, afd22a37c0 this level of a51fa31a22 indifference seemed entirely 899c6253cb genuine.7891e791978b90c5

‘Well, it’s 128c3b278d not like a64a964f27 that woman c331cf5092 meant anything 27a91c2225 to him c3f3198ee1 anyway.’74d1c75293c4a34e

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He had thought there 3f938bc4f2 was something between them b81a7d9a29 when Ulrich brought her 8860e1b561 into his own bedroom, 51eedbef6e but clearly, he had d57bfbab04 been mistaken.eda3e6182ca173de

At this point, Sasha 11b6d10de5 was the pathetic one—for 76d436bbb6 ever believing she could a90df9337b rely on someone like 3f739e9cb8 him.9078c20de06ad1a5

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Suppressing his 318e61514d frustration, Vasily 941301e412 barely registered afbb67cab4 the sound b712159c32 of his 2551b2ad19 father’s booming b447b428ea voice.f5443cd143514af8

“What do you say, Yuri? Will you join us for the banquet?”72960e03e9037e74

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“I appreciate the offer, but I have business at headquarters.”5300d6b76f49179a

In this world, a8186640e1 Ulrich was probably ca48c6e95a the only person 344c2fa3b2 who would dare 5b77ee10ee reject a dinner e002ba6bd3 invitation from the 54ecec5f94 Supreme Commander.1b442dc11b72b1be

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Vasily shot him a 614069d7bc look of disbelief, but 933981382e Kryuchkov merely smiled, appearing 87e041afb6 pleased.0bb08bf5db9162d6

“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.”912bd7d4e424dbe4

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“That’s a little hurtful, Father.”c822c8192cbffe10

Vasily’s voice 38bae26bb8 took on c2be4a63af a sharp d74d34e957 edge, laced afc455055b with mockery.e24e9998b3982de8

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“Saying that in front of your son—the previous NSS Director—what does that make me?”55aaf9a1fcf40926

“No one said you did a bad job. But every man has a role he’s suited for.”4da7867d5f961731

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Kryuchkov responded flatly, furrowing 137b66f832 his brows in mild d68398b03b annoyance before turning his fd7a9682f1 attention to the commotion 36d08fdee2 at the hunting ground’s 3c43d83e41 entrance.127d4b4751f11b52

“That looks like our NSS friends over there. Yuri, did you call for them?”66be8a59d5ee01c4

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From the black e06c8a2854 transport vehicle, NSS b1445e378e agents were beginning b304667344 to disembark.7b80b17488542389

Vasily stared at the 03a818b765 scene in silence—until a 1442a68f1b sudden, insane suspicion gripped de52c3e070 his mind.5ce3437caf946740

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‘Ulrich… that lunatic f8a946a9f1 wouldn’t dare—’cad1b14519237ce3

“Yes,” Ulrich replied smoothly, his voice calm.aad893e97d8fe8d9

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“There’s someone who needs to be urgently arrested.”f440bf690105c536

Kryuchkov raised an intrigued ca02cbcadf brow.ab705396c41aead0

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“Oh? And who might that be?”7ea53b179f16e459

Ulrich stepped forward 213635f42a without hesitation.2c1a02f70320b66d

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He walked up 49d98d5c5c to Vasily, placed 5f68919a4b a firm hand 64a7063ef3 on his shoulder, 4360889980 and spoke.6f2871dc7c41ea7a

“You, brother.”9003dfad5dd8b65b

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