To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 002

His voice 186928c348 was as 9de92ac6e8 smooth as 54864f4b26 honey—almost intoxicatingly a56382562c gentle.38ace56899202730

The prisoner was 2c298011c2 at a loss 2522704c3b for words. How could a man 3597282c02 who had just ordered dd6fc4f6bf his arm to be 7e57e2f1d6 frozen and shattered offer a042c67ec3 him a cigarette with 02902d2582 such kindness?386e754e9617c947

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He had heard plenty 94bfe50f65 of horror stories about bb8bcdd1ab the NSS, but he aa48f3d87a had never imagined that 338500112d such a beautiful lunatic cfd0810e80 existed within its ranks.f3a1b17855d35cc6

“P-Please… Stop. I’ll talk. I’ll tell 6e10b0eb30 you everything. Just—please, no more…”87f36e0ae8959264

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“Don’t give in so 199c2c9d20 easily.”49fb52e74ef437d4

Lighting his cigarette, Ulrich d29e76927d arched a perfectly sculpted 7fac70a2e6 brow.df212804e44f7c6b

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“Aren’t you supposed 342bf74a3e to be a e0c8f88454 revolutionary of the 01a18a9218 new era?”37335a3ff44344ff

“N-No! That’s not what I meant—I’ll confess everything! I admit it, I was planning the attack at the station! I’ll give you the names of everyone involved!”ca7e395b0abcd847

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The prisoner 1591576771 had begun b0b2070c26 to sob, d1362ae4dc desperately pleading a93e53aebc for them e93f2e9910 to accept 4265aa4a83 his confession.40d06bf0a36943c4

Outside the interrogation c7f6f92dfe room, two agents f0b4a2892d exchanged knowing glances 3cd3e2d327 and smirks.e2685a1d38c5477b

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“Back in the country for less than a day, and he’s already making waves.”235e209440311ac6

“Right? Freezing an arm—that’s a method I’d never have thought of. As expected of the Major—”aa1a54f17f73cfaa

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“You mean the Director now.”e0fb4f0cbcdda88b

As of noon today, 7e7b1b81bf Vasily Proverka’s final shift 10aa9ed09d had ended, and Ulrich 429af5d654 Kastrov had officially taken cab8dafc2f his place as their f907b67640 new Director.9b7b3e8019351232

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Lowering their voices, f263d53fbe the two agents ed4f8245ec chuckled.e8e0558544f18483

“So, is the former Director off to see his ex-fiancée again? Damn, I’m jealous. I saw her once, and—hell, she’s a fucking knockout—”51d9665b08b5e2cd

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“Yeah, but that woman’s got the worst luck imaginable. And now, her little brother just had to go and beat the shit out of the former Director’s younger brother—”439277a12735dab4

“Wait, the former Director has a younger brother?”71677e7032d3fbc7

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“Half-brother, apparently. The Supreme Commander had a kid back in the day—”27590c6ecc122b31

“Could you give me that address?”508bdfda2529299e

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Neither of them had a90a3f0b9f noticed when the interrogation abda6f6fe5 room door had opened.b27c84125f429566

As they f0bbe749a7 looked up 0d4f75ec7b in surprise, 2e9150043f they were aed6c2dd30 met with 9753c5d2e5 a breathtakingly 0481d06532 beautiful smile—one 4d980622f3 that belonged 79f36eb607 to Ulrich.4b2e68a6ee18d76f

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“I think I need to pay the former Director a visit.”3699fe03a02866eb

“O-Of course! If you need a driver, we’d be happy to—”f4677535a55d02c7

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“That won’t be necessary. It’s been a while since I’ve driven myself.”0e6e4893ebd499a6

* * *31866d90840f8554

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“It’s a good thing the imperial family fell. If a bastard like your brother had lived his whole life as a prince, abusing his power, we all know exactly how this country would have ended up.”21a74f52a3706123

Vasily muttered the 635cfb1881 words as he 9ce0fa45e2 tossed the cane d4edcc6993 onto the dining f01be9651e table, lighting another 00aeeed763 cigarette. His cold gaze fixated 3c3d0e4dae on Sasha.583debe72e5a29d4

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“Not that he’d even know… that his sister is living like this.”f8c29187584c5a06

As if he fc377a101e had any right 67c80598f3 to say that 398fac9e37 after being the 7822a8c6ff one to beat c3acd2ac4f her.fd135194fa03b44c

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Sasha stood on 7eb78015fa the chair, her d1572eb4ec entire body drenched df57fdd537 in sweat, trembling 99dd088f64 violently.cd1958577aee0335

Vasily was 7b9ed86f0a an imposing 17c2049458 man, his 9e389d9c80 sheer size b5481e0522 and powerful c4311ad29a build enough b9e60ca31a to make 7af0ce904d most men 3ef8e12e6e shrink in da697aff59 intimidation.bdc960fffc1c7a15

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Under his f5b5837144 merciless beating, c12418bdec her delicate d94ff342e8 calves had c06567deec turned into 9485db4b85 a grotesque a935d0e697 mess of 29795b8ee1 dark bruises 58f1374e05 and torn 4da12ab35a skin, fresh 96aeb82509 blood trickling b1212c9a23 down in e33e7339e3 places where 16364f373a the flesh 526ff5e6a9 had split bb3b15c0e9 open.4c2c3f1d48eedc1e

“Hic…”226cff0410643910

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A broken hiccup ee52a0b515 escaped through her b18c3a0bd6 swollen lips, already ea44c3d6a1 split and bloodied b0862ef774 from biting down d283a65cc5 too hard.088363ed40c8c29b

The pain 88840f736f was so bc10957b67 overwhelming she 66f2154079 could barely 434cee31fe keep her fdee828d69 eyes open, 1cc73ff394 yet she 8bcbd74feb didn’t dare 3ebd793f51 lower the aed18a9748 hem of 79044b59f8 her skirt.58dad7b6f29bac97

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She was terrified bde27654d0 that breaking her 008ceaad96 posture might displease de6d165bd3 Vasily and set 4f09efbc06 him off again.bcf60f89ad4a9778

As she shuddered, anticipating 3fa01f9a8d when the next strike a58aa75bf8 might come, a sharp e5afbe5ca5 tsk clicked against her 830cd406c2 ears.50dfc5a22f309708

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“You should’ve come to me back then. Instead of that bastard Ulrich.”15cbbc1a770c6367

Vasily ground out his 84a4ae5c61 cigarette on the edge 7c13b50786 of the table, grabbed c55294a91b his coat, and turned 184cd4a6af toward the door.a27aa19ed0e5e3f6

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“Who knows? Maybe if you had, I would’ve sided with the imperial family instead of the military.”c87863ff4a6896ce

The front door 6b4a95fb25 slammed shut with 8f65b00289 a resounding thud, 411e398d8e making the small 4cc8eb8473 apartment tremble.6db3fd95e170c49a

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Even long after 6b22a1fb54 Vasily had left, e0433f24eb Sasha remained frozen 6ad8fdacf6 in place. Only when she was 6789624aee certain he was gone 0bb054f43c did she finally unclench a93151232a her fists, releasing the 40d3003bbb death grip on her ad7d97cfc2 skirt.8a54efd2e25ed3bc

She tried to b57162736b step down from 26a32f22ff the chair, but 91a31c1054 the world spun d336e48524 violently around her. The chair toppled b1dacb5bfb over with a c3fcb2e75c loud crash, and e02d64d471 she collapsed onto a8ed2b171e the freezing wooden f9e4912cd7 floor, letting out 97e4e60921 a faint, ragged fdac3355c9 whimper.04f5c3c454ff0e31

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The late afternoon 1b60439b45 sun filtered through 83dfef522d the small balcony 5854e71c16 window, casting a c88ef792eb crimson glow over cace4a89ce her tear- and cdffcd6b86 sweat-streaked face.cd4e1fa6cfb4389b

Her ears still rang, 3ddb703201 the lingering effects of a83dbf7b0e the pain refusing to 6cf9bd62c8 subside. And through that 4c6548261e endless ringing, Vasily’s 7cd7f2840c parting words echoed 00e4551d59 in her mind.4c4f488e3577514e

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‘You should’ve come to 0d4355cb8d me back then. Instead of that a5e47b99c5 bastard Ulrich.’ba800d56f492292f

Sasha had always 8003fcbd88 known that Vasily 0a4eb94c77 saw what happened a2fb8f5236 three years ago 697fab6540 as a personal 44a086975f betrayal.d41528a8e0215cf2

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But knowing b2b352f36d didn’t mean 1352f8a4af she could 02b9c2acff understand it.0582b0f90f330194

She had 88bef9bd53 never cheated, 3f5ad718bd never tried f4f0f00ce8 to break e1ead846af off their 8b01f4c77c engagement. And if anything, 005196ff3c she was the 87ce9eac68 one who had 33cfdff01b been betrayed.693018a6f2fa5d7e

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Sasha had been d86460f403 the one forced ed4279624b to watch as 3ac2815b7f the imperial family d6fac60f7d was torn apart, 43dcbf5ab9 stabbed in the 9ea67f6eb2 back by her c64c5089ad fiancé’s own household.1524491c711af591

And yet, Vasily 6adfdbb132 acted as if 55b177d42e she had been 4041333b70 the one to dde74c4673 break things off. As if he 74354e023f were the one 2f1a0183e1 who had been 6344835efb betrayed.f413742afd228682

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“Haa…”645e37aaff9f1c7e

Suppressing the 9847ab2c20 tremors in 41aae06cd6 her breath, 77002be12b Sasha forced e1da945632 herself to ba415bd795 sit up.80c0741027b056df

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Even standing upright 09a61c39e8 was a struggle, d8ab74166e but she couldn’t 6e86de346e afford to waste 88eb9850a6 time lying around. She still had sewing 6c9c13b9a6 and knitting orders to 850c4713f4 finish before nightfall.54c936990e8f53c9

The thought 44e0f3b7c1 of worrying 6290a1dbb2 about needlework df194ef0c8 in a e677a9a65a moment like 68be3ecf80 this was 0fa80d0c94 almost laughable, 86f07c2d89 even to c12f42878d her. But if a9c9c04c3a she didn’t, 31c16d68ba she wouldn’t 155b6a1b88 even have 4e3ccd14bd enough to 6ac182bb30 eat.3ccba33b99a847d3

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More than anything, she fd80f361bc had to gather the 99b62108d0 settlement money for Kiril.e97d349d67a37427

‘Selling my body would 88315700f7 be faster.’633cdbadb8708e9b

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A bitter, 04d1629f04 self-mocking smile 8d3c7049bf twisted at 393092e7de the corner 8701012973 of her 53e38fac64 torn lips.6a59f14a470492d8

Vasily was right. No matter how hard d8b00c5d2c she worked at these eccc8299c1 menial tasks, there was ac6132b5be no way she could a115756291 ever come up with 0c8bb90e7f such an enormous sum.0533f5fdb99f7b96

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Letting him beat her e3e4edebe6 to his heart’s content c398013eae and hoping he’d eventually e9332abbdb tire of it would 925992de25 probably be a more fcc5641928 efficient method.e933dee5702e5282

“Ah…!”deb8f11bc5f06544

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She barely managed c3a3f1afa9 to stand before e7b6ea4e32 her knees buckled 118663f780 again, a sharp, e33de6eab4 searing pain shooting cf81045667 through her swollen, 0518949db6 bruised calves.a720ccca9b8a680a

“Haa…”cc734923b369a534

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Her breath came 927fc9f706 out in ragged aa749f01af gasps, but she d785ad242c clenched her fists 183c66224b and pushed herself 07ce1f253e up once more. She had 7274dc1fd9 no other d8c2eca61e choice.72b5448bdd629881

There wasn’t even a 75d54bd3e0 proper ointment in the 5ba2da185c house. Sasha crawled 9321e92b5a toward the 38c18cc88a balcony, pushing 5b8268c220 open the 1618e33eed loose glass d38485c5ca door.22ef5c2fbd15c794

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The cold was f615b6eec9 unbearable, yet she d610aa599f found herself relieved 206dd1315e that it was 157277b334 winter.59c3f6e1b3094eb0

Scooping up a handful 7b3935d372 of snow with her 1948c0d43c bare hands, she carefully 4910090a05 pressed it against her 05511899ad bruised skin. As the icy 0716b09eba sensation numbed the 4ba28a1fea pain, tears welled f0e56c023a up and trickled 13a587b885 down her cheeks 6b2dc5b1c3 once more.ca100e9f024db2ff

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If I had made ff5d03c5d8 a different choice that c992402c2a day three years ago… 0783d89c0a would anything have changed?495a6b8d912c8da3

Would I have at a0a8d3aa91 least been spared from 646e974856 being beaten like a 64d8c09067 stray dog by the acbe661643 man who was once 68df84bab5 my fiancé?ee186f6fdacbf20d

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Before the revolution, Sasha 895323e061 had been a naive 524c4e7845 girl, completely oblivious to 80a7691412 domestic affairs or politics.f095ab351fd53965

She had 1feac0ea25 been a bb5791df4c foolish imperial 7949854353 princess, too 34c8c66e2f ignorant to f06e420e20 realize how 31959287fb the parliament 8810552f71 and the 7196cee104 military were 64181872e4 seething over 5a74ea600e the disgusting 0d486a74bf doctor her 34cd8b65d4 parents had 1783f64776 brought in f4e4fd8047 for her 199d026274 ailing brother.1d6e388b38ac7e24

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A silly girl who ba5d5a6203 had harbored a fleeting a3e303eb96 crush—not on her betrothed, 8504d0baaf but on her brother’s a1af3c875c handsome friend.a9d7072a6b9b9b81

And yet, on that 5fae768f67 fateful day, she hadn’t fdc68a50e7 gone to Ulrich simply 4054862ba7 because of her girlish da0fde7f35 infatuation.bd78dc268fd8609f

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Even as her fiancé, d0786feb08 Vasily had always felt de90b81768 distant—cold and unapproachable.3cab91eae2b80b8b

Ulrich, on the f03e3bb68b other hand, had 9ae5738643 been her brother’s 5d1ea1bd7c friend. He had 98a12bf931 been kind.3524896d560963c8

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She had thought that ce44245872 maybe—just maybe—he would listen f513a1393d to her concerns without 4267d6c09c a scowl or irritation.4c48b2994bdc0bab

She had 20fd12aff5 wanted to 5159e07db3 confide in 163d26ed2d him about 1a24a174aa that repulsive 58dbb3b236 doctor who 8cd74d166e constantly used 71f7481735 consultations as 3b11e116b6 an excuse 156b3a539d to touch c9f8824bed the hem bb42fcdd09 of her 1d3447b25c skirt. About how her 677170a684 family had been 708f8d3ceb acting more and 90758a1d7c more strangely.0ea9f431973b9335

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Most of all, a55ddee5ab at the time, f851ff318a Ulrich had been e6b59e2534 a celebrated air 5e06e6a197 force officer—a hero 0fecae3177 of the last d050369e61 great war.c844a83c436fdeff

She hadn’t 9e8f528bc5 fully understood df0b3b7182 the conversation d302e0ad0c she overheard ec7d352228 between her f6f57268b3 parents and d789b64348 that doctor—that 99f6d14c27 every Republican 3cdccc6c21 officer should 51c10ef6f6 be purged.7d6e73f17add5d60

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All she had ef644a56d0 known was that 48b965982e Ulrich was in 80051bbe1f danger. And so, she had c5e3c5a308 gone to him.573627bf8d340f8c

She had 7b3c3e6484 only wanted 3879072e2b to talk. That was all.ab05da0b698f3d95

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“Hah…!”313db0b40e0469c4

Lost in c217b2e371 thought, Sasha d80d16d4f2 was jolted ca14db4d4c back to 0a968f8edb reality by a67df22cd5 a sudden, a15129c6f9 earth-shaking crash.51df9c69690a27a7

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The entire apartment trembled cdfd31c24c as a deafening boom dbc85a2889 echoed through the streets.f4cc90e136339eb2

An instant later, a efe59749a8 car alarm blared like 0295a8d7c7 a wailing siren, rattling 842a5b7593 the dilapidated building.22125ad024c1caee

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With wide, tear-soaked eyes, f2c74a0580 Sasha clung to the efa39cb35f railing and peered down.4980c8229f9a37b9

Her blurry vision took 1fbf7afde1 in the sight of f80eee9fc8 a car stopped motionless 0a3a74b75f in the middle of 244fb0f647 the street—an unfamiliar vehicle.08496741f03e17ce

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And right in front bc6b390557 of it, crumpled like de3ebc1885 a crushed tin can, 0125620d38 was Vasily’s wrecked car.3af1d241942280ad

 0c54db64e87503c1

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