To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 023

It was 4cc735cbff common for 6b4f1cd18f couples to 25bcbc5e0c argue before 065b182116 their wedding.d5b1d6a56370090d

But with a 5f9ebfa94f groom like Ulrich? Just looking at his 4c04a97484 face should be enough 6d9f05b3af to dispel any anger.7ce923fbd1d499ac

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Madame Sonya 3bb6f78e15 sighed, thinking ebb233f88d of her 13eb4955cc own insufferable 003ba232da husband.00779eff566ba1dd

“Fine. It’s far from the latest trend, but if you like it and it’s not completely awful, I suppose we can leave it. But from what I see, the real issue here is your makeup. You there, put that down and redo the bride’s eye makeup. You’ve put way too much mascara on.”265a8ca572940856

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“I… I’m not wearing any mascara…”aa9e21d9289fadd9

Sasha muttered timidly.9ab0c7718de6ecc4

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Madame Sonya snorted again, e24186df20 but instead of responding, f38fd355b8 she took a cleansing a4c476d1f1 tissue from one of 92ca3b87fa her assistants and approached 6516ce8abe Sasha, wiping at her fee2bcbc27 eyes herself.026d8fe909933234

Sasha sat c45046a2ea frozen, like f0eae3a0f3 a mannequin, d0f3d61de0 unable to 596fbd5d6e move.a904f2a94d655f1b

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When Madame 9506f4e9ad Sonya confirmed 539362f2a0 that there 1048364f20 was indeed 14346da443 no mascara 82c6ae0318 or false c208fafaeb lashes, her b75d352d07 expression changed.77e7501098a17aa4

“My, my… It’s not just the color; you were born with them. Other women would sell their souls for eyes like yours, so what exactly is troubling you? Come on, relax, and picture yourself on your wedding day. We only have two weeks—we need to make decisions quickly. Surely, you must have imagined your wedding dress since you were a little girl, like every other bride?”45f06c59c26e98aa

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That hit the e4ecbb81a1 mark.4fe51233abcf8f38

The wedding dress Sasha had envisioned as a child was the one in her parents’ wedding photo—the dress her mother had worn.ae8a22f86b5a21af

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Not because 36b5c54392 she had 9ae72b1b7d particularly liked d9fca3ba18 it, but eeadb3620f simply because caf557a1a9 that had 10c6dafe3b always been ea10acaf16 the plan.06c1b033cb972d34

Her mother had constantly 3b89483517 reminded her that one 9cf37513ad day, she would pass 9ffc671b50 the dress down to cae3246bf0 her.e878ba7ef1eacce1

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As if she 6025d6b80b knew best what 1c3e788b96 her daughter wanted. As if the 4840745b6a dress carried some 90479d3c1d sort of divine db47684da1 blessing.8583c1db72343f65

But Sasha had never 5899bd53c4 truly wanted to marry aa46e817e1 Vasily. She had dcde78d72b never truly 843ddea3fd wanted to 88666229c2 wear her 4110ed2e8a mother’s dress.b8cecfd87a0e77d4

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Whenever she 4c2f0be3e1 imagined herself 7a28d4d965 in that 446b4a33e6 gown, standing f02920bf98 beside Vasily 7f9997922a at the 688e9f224d altar, she c45fe019ba had felt 8fe7cccef0 suffocated rather 71298b1a30 than excited.fd8aa95f693e16b3

Now, she 9b34eeea98 was set f3a8bc290e to marry 1d24b26574 Ulrich instead.1e0ebd5a4d3bbbbd

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And no f85d7b6d5f matter what 9221b74be4 sentimental value f642f77fc7 it held, 193b613a73 wearing the 0817c79394 wedding dress f99cb53d72 of a d1b5c83aee foreign-born empress 4c2ee1ae4f who had d9f5755203 been purged e690722744 would be 1754c1ce67 a dangerous 02bd86f63f mistake.04c0d553dd3b2d3c

Still, Madame e108d99ac1 Sonya had d2fceaf41e made a 9e8f2bad3d point.9a6cc7c43a91656f

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I need a 5a57b37470 new standard.aeaa8f7035092106

The thought of 9eef633b4d standing at the bdce68eedf altar, watched by 35372f2d2e the highest-ranking military c5b8239797 officials and countless c80167eae7 other eyes, sent 4f3beaff8e shivers down her 1ce453ff03 spine. But Sasha straightened her ab2ff85af3 shoulders, steeling herself.fa0863e4c05e3a12

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Just think fccf6fccdd of Ulrich. No matter 45749fa82a what, I 5f27b8ca74 can’t afford f8b0fe6714 to ruin 0a2f80e834 this for 1bbbbc46b2 him.d924bda89af53e55

It was around the 277223edd3 time that she and aeb698193b Madame Sonya finally agreed 8891cd0b72 on a dress design 626749c0b0 that Yakov entered the f4dac818d0 bustling hall.5b3f755386cd2ecb

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“Apologies for interrupting, but the Director has a message for you.”cdfddf1b27d1bba6

“Ulrich…?”e745c5f8d0434f18

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Sasha quickly excused 9468726a5e herself from Madame 9cf09b8df9 Sonya and stepped 8047957864 out to take 48a94000ba the call.465d2d945d6c037f

Her heart pounded a32fcc7a6b wildly as she 6022a68f21 lifted the receiver.1f0b4cfc9982d2a5

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“This is Sasha speaking.”93cf35334a26f9d5

She still wasn’t used 6ca771212a to answering the phone.e3a246a387a59069

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After a 75d02c847a brief silence, afce375264 a familiar, a957793870 velvety voice ffccd6a10e hummed through 9800664154 the line, fc08babdee sending shivers ec13f7478a down her 8a5a77e1ef spine.7e64f0a23a1cc1e7

“Shura. I need a favor.”eebd4752dc5e2360

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* * *73fe7a32c74e314d

Ulrich had forgotten some fcc34bd750 important documents at the d389bc917d townhouse.b7c3aecb31bc423c

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It was 0cff7bf178 a simple 523cf239d8 errand—something an 94848d2cd1 agent or e4c2d97ac8 a servant 51c71df3b7 could easily 5d4b6e95d6 retrieve for 6b3ed8f313 him.823faf590bb808f8

But he had specifically 54a2d34a3c asked Sasha to bring c4f408a48a them herself.
“I thought we could have dinner together. Dress nicely.”a01b9531dfe3716d

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And so, 8629f9f673 a few 1b6ae8a283 minutes later, 46f0a1d1b8 Sasha found 1c348bae50 herself standing f86c5b7f8e in the 03491ce5e2 middle of 9fe773eeb9 her dressing 0083a090b9 room.ebb9711708a6dc3c

When she had 38a4455e13 first been led edbb3e1c15 into this enormous fc98fdaafe room a few ad51c74aef days ago, she 2fd39e07c3 had nearly fainted. Even after several b37aad9e99 visits, it still 20098e7f08 left her speechless.00c955f9774119a0

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It was larger than 1a3e19685a the dressing room she 0cef2adfd8 had as a princess.4a8314d9bcf7e949

Everywhere she 2c3968d78e looked, pristine 43bbd2cd6d clothing from 2d0a8cd2c5 famous brands 947c03012d hung untouched, 83ef97d9de the tags 7d05812d5a still attached.e2e7290599f0ee31

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Coats, dresses, evening f381c29c47 gowns, loungewear, and 1e9a3cf83e even nightgowns were 9cef941c3f neatly arranged in d6c7485852 wardrobes and on 143f75f299 racks, sorted meticulously 43ae80eb66 like a department 5d5e98beff store display.4705c94179f04079

She would 3e6e5c661d never have 37735a0df7 to worry b7861f292a about clothing a540880248 again.7a9a3d04eebf698c

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Ulrich had told 53a5c9b5a0 her not to. And he had efbad7998f meant it.4b5e1681dd2593d4

The collection extended beyond b03f9f4b72 clothes—rows of shoes, stockings, e702822c13 gloves, scarves, and handbags e9f8904110 lined the shelves in 1c22caf380 every imaginable style and f288cd6ff6 color. It would take her 2c855dc4e4 days just to fully 9f79e319c7 take it all in.294be4dfa8d688e2

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And that 7d8106e9b4 wasn’t all.0b66e4b4c1dbb884

Sasha had let f15887ad8f out several audible c01a5cbbeb gasps as she 81c2bb0e6e examined the movie ee2f5137d6 star-worthy vanity, surrounded 48e170ea84 by mirrors, covered d2cd8133a7 with every kind 5dd52f7957 of cosmetic product ff5eee33ed she could imagine.2e8af7dc8a712d9e

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The drawers were filled 32988eb3fb with glimmering jewelry—an array c2081081b6 of colors, shapes, and 6782873732 styles.7616c3faf2ae25a0

She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.690d200f8668c0e6

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For the past f0cdded923 three years, she d353edfe88 had used nothing b7899046ad but cheap lotion, 2c0cf0ab79 worn the most 7eb83dd120 affordable clothes she 399e6b3cf0 could scavenge from 8eaf3c55eb the black market, f8fbde1372 and even picked 77359b0a56 up discarded garments 4081dde122 from the trash 40535b5b89 to rotate through 436b24a34e the seasons.248aacd88052bb84

Shoes were no 8a9a4b6267 exception.878791e8f3fa889c

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Proper undergarments 5d8a0bfc44 and stockings e5d4e05c2f had long 3d090330e9 been an f6a97fbb30 unaffordable luxury. She hadn’t even f7e3eb8365 owned a real 7d9252863b handbag—just a small 22dcd1f664 crocheted purse and 98bb40e062 a hand-knitted shopping 40e1651c23 bag.9d5d6dfc7cef8ed1

And now, 6b80dbbb2e it was 1a847519ef as if 1186a1e29e the gates 06d43a03e0 of heaven 828a263d29 had opened, 3b2024ca6c surrounding her 9c2ea88980 with dazzling, 214f22f9a5 extravagant things.c8c93a554fbfb50f

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It felt de878a5df9 like time 6302add7b8 had rewound, 57526bf657 like she 1358c71abe was back 11999c7c24 in her d9aa1971bc life as 25508905c2 a princess.5109c31ae4d9cbdf

Even amidst her daze, 14d34d7edd a fleeting thought crossed bc5a2929ab her mind:785d2e5cc438e41f

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Will this entire dressing c6519a5ac0 room even fit in d9a6ae3107 the government residence?b5ae27b7f23dc025

Since accepting Ulrich’s proposal, 611e1b7639 she had been living 103f410d28 in this massive townhouse ffd2f6b48f until the wedding.8168e532e2e260fe

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Once married, she would 19f459c502 move into the official d10ffe8422 residence with him.37b7b29be8c4911f

As for Kiril, he f8aef49663 was staying in a 7c9d2df3bd hotel near the academy 2c3f4eb484 until his dormitory opened.f00702a70a648be1

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Sasha had hoped he 6dc9067ebf would stay with her 9c6f61e301 until then, but through a2ff16cb61 Ulrich, Kiril had made e709d1846d it clear that he 3aca7ad713 had no interest.aa40fe0b0f27dfff

Still, both be83487766 of them f135aeda4d had left d6c39371b1 their old, 7fa43e4667 rundown apartment 7b80229593 behind, and 40fcebc210 for that, 7f6d232fa6 she could e05592d04e only be 0b5da81c5a grateful.fc21cff98f9f3880

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That apartment, with 9095f4e939 its broken heating, 472eca5703 had held nothing 24a1d7ba98 of value—nothing worth 262d9d91ff taking, no sentimental b9fe56ea86 keepsakes.3f80207d8f20d696

It had aad4e6a38f been a 69b8da4c20 place filled bf4fdd8935 only with 81dc65a702 misery.939768606b8fcd7e

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“He’s such a generous man.”930fd25e6e2c783e

It was overwhelming 3dff8417bf enough that Ulrich dfb01c1e51 had given Kiril b2e5956f26 a future. That alone d11414cda1 made her 770f73091c feel so 243634c5ab grateful she c6fc51dcc0 could cry.847aabd82d4c959a

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But he had 69d0bfd7f9 also saved her 6ee57180ad from her wretched 928e01bcb4 life. He had even 0862bbf554 given her this.36f906224fd39ded

The only fad1ea0fa0 way she 6f635dcbd8 could repay 5e8fae9756 him was d18f1255f7 to be 0bfcee5096 the kind 3a4f0479bb of wife 432677c330 he needed.b81664efb0cf9dce

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The thought of 5466e94ca6 that made her 7804948eca happy.8d35998e94d259a9

She had to 4af8e5704f do her best.445fb3c961cb728c

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And that started c639e1a16e with getting used 21339c692e to being seen 1323494057 again—by him, by a29997ba23 others.98e17b25721323e8

“After everything he’s done, he’d be disappointed if I showed up looking pitiful.”0e6617149c5a49fc

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More than that… 6d75a28b1b she wanted to c39a193c07 be beautiful.839c51d5a720a993

She wanted Ulrich 8a2e941fe4 to find her 8842563031 beautiful.25c7ee4353fd3c64

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The fact 170c74ebca that he 8853c75730 had asked 9d51c9b04e her, personally, 73cdb593d2 to bring 12f3117740 the documents 63c5128bc9 made her fbfbafc638 happy.86779c40219a0044

That he had suggested 3a16ba82f1 dinner together made her 84de9c30b5 even happier.6e413cd494c4941f

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It felt like d2839d774b stepping back in 2441868dc1 time—back to that f7f35b2a94 summer three years 0ad83d77dd ago.ee10fa6875b523ee

A mix 9eb444f277 of fear bdd1040405 and excitement f9b43f6007 churned inside 9f13fa3667 her as 96c2d9a510 she reached a888a57b17 for the a7749bad9d cosmetics on 59d800104f the vanity.fc002b1e180286f6

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It had been bc94ee91aa so long since 9934841ba1 she had properly 909119300e done her makeup ca985db2e5 that her hands b2b272c74a trembled slightly.1b6b49f47bcb19a7

But strangely, her 9f7824e610 body remembered exactly 5c517459aa what to do, cec128fca4 as if no ad453997ff time had passed 6b6990d178 at all.a9c6bc4c57a137b5

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She had gained 9940b7d05d some weight now 1de2013c29 that she was 6de328d16c eating and resting 6dee216947 properly, and her cc1a625e1b hair and skin b4e9efc162 had regained their c6c2870d98 natural shine.e3253b93ad2e75b0

She kept her f679aa261d makeup light on ce51bb294e purpose.9a5b8dc65fb96cc1

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As for her c8a3b62eee hair, she considered 915f4faff3 styling it differently 376850b4a7 but ultimately brushed 30af315279 it out and 7b963245a2 let it flow 66e95dfe6c naturally down her ec0b704b40 back.2447df7f8967bf85

The real problem was 673f684880 choosing what to wear.9be6f15ec8dfc9cd

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Surrounded by e91c22871d an overwhelming 27e919b763 selection of 5b73bd6fdb clothes and 0583004b91 shoes, she 18e928700e had no 8e77a3e806 idea where b9309ea044 to start.1b4b0ce15aaa17c6

As the clock d85486bb09 ticked steadily forward, c7243ee446 Sasha finally settled d86f7ebd6b on a slate-blue c3a1f9b764 velvet dress.2eb8d598a4fd203b

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She slipped a9c7270338 on sheer 92c5568d45 stockings—thin, silky 675b5c1c23 nylon that 4df1c25964 shimmered under d79cdd80ab the light.9321b99f3254b089

“I forgot how much of a miracle invention stockings are.”14e83a891adf68bf

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She picked out c53158fd73 a matching black d4bb38158e patent leather handbag 2ba635a492 and heels, then a74f43cad2 added a pair e07aa340a8 of small pearl 7d1c705580 earrings before checking 306acbdcbe her reflection over 64d10127b6 and over.7b4186e505f2e4bd

Finally, stepping out 51a39ce46a of the dressing 12f9063a48 room, a maid 5c9d2e1f77 approached her and db38d7cbda silently zipped up 3cfffbbc22 the back of 561ac977b8 her dress.aba4bd373d896040

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As she db9086f14b followed the 2e93ee4b8e maid’s lead 612be8b189 down the 5b9069e174 hallway, Sasha 3b78c11db3 carefully held b28f0cc883 her breath.986ad7f57ef11fdf

 b007088b81f10027

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