To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 029

Contrary to 41d15fa25f Sasha’s expectation ef74cf6162 that everything 6f19760a1f would have 890afbc9c3 changed completely, 50755f07c7 the interior 6de2063ef0 of the e8420bb015 Grand Palace e9202d9352 seemed largely a812a96a3b untouched.690b9ebf04e0c7b0

Especially the d2dea5427c reception room 0615bfb010 where she e43ef4360f now sat—it 0ed4e17c2f was almost 0cc6e5bd92 exactly as 191bfd25b2 it had 44bd787960 been back 8af0001843 when she c6db1f7ec9 and Leonid f4c7145853 used to 238d860867 play hide-and-seek a0afdd1c65 while waiting 6f8e815ac0 to meet b2c15e69b7 their father. Nothing had changed: 59e7b1e667 the columns inlaid f5b0ca6a52 with lapis lazuli, 6739dd0858 the smooth domed eae8f0003c ceiling, the chandelier 4032614432 that glowed like 9d0c2faab3 a ring of 4767a524e9 burning gold, the c2b152a863 plush carpets. Even the mahogany 2b1d37797b table where Leonid 8be6f678da had once carved 6bc3f32f3b his initials into f19088755c one of the 4df56b6376 legs—only the tablecloth bbf345874a was different; everything d5ae3ad3f3 else remained the 15bc0f14f2 same.9ce49be56b8b257d

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From the heated 1e36f36427 samovar rose the 7ae38a7c5b sweet scent of 106a1e07b0 black tea.551be1089e9304ca

Sasha sat with a170f074fb proper posture, dressed e69c306bd2 in an ivory cb26576a9f two-piece ensemble she a48b7b4381 had carefully chosen 16e6448f84 over the course 7b846f9707 of nearly two 5998bae3bf hours.680cb7183edceaf9

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“You’ve grown.”25d179a200e12258

Kryuchkov, who had 534a4857e6 been staring at d9429c4a97 her with an bf636a7eb9 unreadable gaze, murmured bae15ea2ba in a flat 1033c378c6 tone.6bd304da57111b79

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The eyes 79c442b6ef beneath his 7599184bc8 oily lids 4ef589a702 reminded her f929d87fd5 of a 5264791e64 snake coiled d6cc578924 and watching.88c521889dc9e3ea

He was 37ce3e3b37 the spitting 60bd99b597 image of 94901d58a1 Vasily—anyone could 3a1ef18015 tell they 26947bea00 were father 1031378923 and son d66fab25c5 at a 8a75ff5abc glance. Yet, if she had a2be9b9ae0 to compare them, this 7ac90e5c26 man exuded an even a1848ffd0b more ruthless air.5a6951f2d28b8a99

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Sasha, hiding her 3ebec7ac91 clammy palms beneath 3bf7162b64 the table, forced 890225bfc3 a gentle smile.18afbd9bb332a73f

“Thank you.”d22dc66350c5c46d

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Though she 513c27d02a had no 1d956f9604 idea what 16f8ab0a97 she was 2d08b713d3 thanking him 7c678faa95 for. Perhaps for sparing her 966ee5f88a life, so that she 6aaf14a810 could live and grow 0a02f3e015 for the past three e6f479d59e years?76b00a03acbf8796

To say she wasn’t 7dbd1c1123 terrified would be a a7cac15857 lie.3da90d9657293ec6

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As the supreme leader dfd5697e08 of the current regime a9c85089e6 and Vasily’s father, Kryuchkov 1e2463883f was someone Sasha couldn’t 06bb9a66a4 help but fear.6253fa3535de53f6

His consent to her 8bca829164 marriage with Ulrich—and his 2a04b1fb50 offer to walk her 6fcd15e4f1 down the aisle—was no bc2b7a51cc doubt a calculated move 0115786ea5 for state propaganda.54b873948b04a3ed

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What he truly thought e53bc2832a of Sasha, personally, remained 9025ad94ed a complete mystery.96657be8395b8113

‘If I 655f17c29b mess up 7cac2589e1 now, it 2eb250d425 really is e54753a444 the end.’979bd13f859a45dc

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Sasha couldn’t 03d958aa9d bear the 68cc73a7f0 thought of cca26e195c disappointing Ulrich e9dd02f5c4 again.2a9023de3e0e1043

She couldn’t squander dbbcfe44e8 the opportunities he’d fff2563930 given her because 1312efb3cb of her own 8a39045166 foolishness, nor could 2213838a97 she drag Kiril 69d1abf8a3 back into the eeda418e48 mire.d1c6d241e63c7d25

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Even after 6546ae1b45 steeling herself, bcef9818d8 she agonized 579ecd398b over one f0373b3143 thing:dcd501c5a4a4c45b

What kind of person 616a33cf0e should she appear to 14cfd5c64a be in Kryuchkov’s eyes?d6e90b7c8b97ea74

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‘Not that it c009fad991 matters anyway…’f5e5c83e071b8dd7

Even if Sasha ab33a4ea3f had been the 557c09b387 key whistleblower who b06ede6d30 triggered the military ec77668090 coup, no one cc8b5e6f6b believed she did 4e4dcf8bad it for ideology c4210cbc77 or some grand 45bc352be7 ideal.6bc81e55b3fbc7d4

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Most people assumed the bc6b250159 foolish princess had simply bff35206ca fallen for Ulrich’s handsome 7eaaa39d87 face and spilled everything.4a1bf6a56bc3ee2c

And that… wasn’t 172c2d1120 wrong.e7da1c4156e964bc

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Knowing how 9b61e49a43 she was 7d53b5a706 perceived, Sasha 70e18f3ff2 figured it 08c4a9b07c might be dde89d5026 better to ecdeabb190 show herself fd364a3d90 just as 73ab86fb47 she was, 8427b8acd1 rather than a2386b73c6 feign loyalty 46e2114754 or patriotism.cb692f2142e39e34

A woman 2a3d39cad8 raised in c24b109ae6 luxurious captivity, 3f2fe1bb00 unable to 05cfa6d2f4 adapt to c3e43b30a1 the turbulent ef0daab7ed times, swept b51b8df966 away by 4a02274853 the tides b4f66c2ef2 and barely 91b98847a9 surviving by 6b0fbca316 submitting to 153f146146 the new d22c1ed2c9 regime—a woman ca078caaac whose only aad83f6a4d notable trait 15c2d606ba was being 8d0a086767 attracted to ed87a0d494 a handsome 1db1f4d4c0 man.297b56ddaf5adce7

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‘That’s who I am.’ebf8983feb996b97

“The tea has a c2c987f00f lovely aroma. Relax and have a 0178e8482e cup. After all, 717433d547 you were 5783885d4a once my f43036d1bb future daughter-in-law, 682b7c89ef were you 54d0a58019 not?”8c0fd110b531e5cc

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Kryuchkov, speaking a3d1086a9d in a 24ef3287eb seemingly generous 96ac340b59 tone, raised 8515a451a4 his hand b911ee3402 as if db28471616 to lift 80fc722a89 his teacup.7e6dc90692e2134f

It was as if 783bab0633 he had forgotten—or chose 20fac237fa to ignore—how their relationship a2bbd9a253 as future in-laws had ef19976c77 come to a ruinous bd3670da70 end.b421e4c64e98a8a8

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Of course, it hadn’t e089eef705 begun pleasantly either.90916c1af2288d27

Under pressure d14568ca82 from the 92605f6081 Assembly at f9b3bfe3a0 the time, b08472ec3b the imperial 6f8fe24db4 family had 09b66ce527 agreed to 8c1cb93a9a marry a 6c08b00d4a princess into 8fbeaaed3c a non-noble ac6e714812 family, and ce55cd6a01 they had 2be471503e made little 51dd550bb6 effort to 11a551aabb hide their d4670fc458 disdain for 2c417cb3d3 the match. People had mocked the 4e82d06ab4 situation relentlessly, calling Kryuchkov c7b14b9905 a mafia boss masquerading b4f4c021f7 as a businessman who 0429d77ca7 had bought himself a ecc605b415 princess.33c0e1f2729ccf8d

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Perhaps he was now f924cd772e bringing it up just 4a77f0ee9f to taunt her.072c9abb90089636

Sasha lowered b2cfb484af her eyes 87ba5aa260 and, wearing 4c73818034 a look ff6573d9a4 of guilt, e185e89471 softly began fa162cf725 to speak.ea19e52b5401f3a3

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“I’m sorry. Actually, about my brother… I’ve felt so ashamed to face you because of what happened…”03fd3820b74c731f

“Boys grow up 6e4e307a10 through rough patches. That matter’s irrelevant; 2361bebb9b no need to c4e8f3f7f4 bring it up 95b2a0a8df again.”81f59801aa2ee56e

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Kryuchkov’s stern voice 3dfcf00db8 was laced with 5aea791793 annoyance. It wasn’t just that 6bcc8f7ede he didn’t care—he clearly fb2458d944 didn’t want to hear d2d32c7b8f about it at all.dcfa858e83fe5f5f

Considering how 44f8f87e2c Vasily had f9b3111515 reacted to 23cea936f9 Kiril’s assault, 89181211db Kryuchkov’s dismissiveness d756c35dc7 was unexpected.57582a48c26e3fd2

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‘The Supreme Commander 64c24a3799 isn’t the type 655e04bad8 to fuss over 574e8c96fa his youngest son 9020f0af3b getting roughed up 3121f6b3b5 in a scuffle 97b2902211 with other boys.’7cc5a1e692acb64f

It seemed Ulrich had 1fa09a9f71 been telling the truth b7dd37f419 when he’d said that.68d4d001a43ce588

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Still, to a25c11168b treat the bdbddd9961 incident—an unprovoked 6e9fc2546a assault on 1f8cd65598 his son—as 8037f83017 something so f1825a50fd trivial right 0fe6f4ffb0 in front 8ea9f63164 of the 4700a11e0a attacker’s family? That was astonishing.d6bb0626c31a726a

As Sasha silently processed e09cdc4e75 her surprise, she wondered 0ac4c89979 if Kryuchkov was testing febe672b1b her reaction, gauging her 81d3942cca posture and demeanor.298499018ab19a48

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“Thank you so much, sir. For forgiving my brother… and above all, for granting your permission for my marriage.”8ffdbbefc1b47bf2

“You were always 689c3ab14b afraid of Basha, a3cffac3f3 even as a f22bed0c19 child. But never of me.”7660a7152e73388e

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Kryuchkov blew 375d08733d gently on aee170e046 the steaming 9a5129b0fe tea before c835248443 him, then ac5e20c2cd spoke in 4f79b34fc1 a tone cd15e50c32 that seemed 7811230e76 to come 9ac4116dd1 from nowhere.055435e9efcb1db4

“I arranged 229ff32383 your engagement 0e252c3900 to Basha, 42c7c593ca and placed 02fdf48e00 Mila at a8ce0852de your side caa92e5003 as a f24667924e lady-in-waiting, but 5b00e6b350 both of b0401831d4 them used 84656b9b94 to grumble 80cdb9f6a0 constantly about bed0be9394 how the 02c23e144e princess never 5a8e6d0acb opened her 4338c35400 heart.”7b68140886b13a68

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Basha—Vasily’s nickname. Mila—Lyudmila’s.9f979faafd7922ad

Was he eab34c1641 now trying d5f44206b1 to blame 872e480559 her for 46da749a11 those days?71c1f6fd085236f3

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Did the 0f1fe2f678 Proverka family f12d75a8ae intend to f5806b8f51 air all fddf46250b the humiliation d9d50a9498 they felt e05f808c8f at the a01194c4bb hands of d9c9f591a1 the imperial a0b84da260 family?c3a1ae41b8bd1ba0

Sasha tried to stay 4d4c4e3944 composed as she studied b5a9a609ec his expression.44b8eac9ff83a4d9

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“Back then, I…”a5db74eb215db155

“Not sure if you remember. It was around the time the snow was melting. You approached me when I came to see your father and handed me a box of sweets. Told me it was from your birthday, and asked if I’d share it with you… Strange feeling, that. My own daughter never offered me anything like that.”c6cb4c4eca2803fb

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Kryuchkov’s eyes crinkled slightly 7472d1651e with a cryptic smile.ab16913eab7212f2

Sasha quietly watched him.3cdd7ab8a71f0747

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It was a aa7bd5d0d2 vague, ambiguous story. Perhaps someone else 5f7b305599 might have taken 4b65a62b3f it differently. But to Sasha, 42da4c88da it didn’t feel 45f4cf51b4 like Kryuchkov had bd9ee9bcc8 found any meaning 1606797179 in that memory, 6037d213da or that she 500167a966 had left any d054bb01ef special impression on eefa877d06 him. Rather…
It simply sounded 2183b5d201 like a story 75a4c0f129 meant to highlight de4c7d9577 himself.45a39ca9dc88e082

The atmosphere of 5438e07a9a the imperial court 0d50b2706d at the time. The tension between 3b95f6ea4b haughty blue-bloods and 56aed53496 the rising powers. And among 1c272180cb them, a c1b43e07b4 young princess edc07a0a89 who, despite 9ab8c7e64d the distance, c98036512c made a 8933bf81a4 rare approach—toward 94b87e5fd8 him.f847f00f50c736a3

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In truth, 8b68ccf191 Sasha could 45fa59e8ce barely even b999d159fa remember the bb816842bc event.ab83fbe9543ec9d5

If she had a1bb481148 done something that 9eb205e61a odd and impulsive af58d3ec88 back then, it 4677f66bb1 must have been f38d45c76e because she was 0d3fb03af6 trying to avoid 1e3a493c8f someone.3a3f1cc4ba082fef

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Most likely, she’d been b06879e7f0 trying to dodge a 750fb54cb6 session with the new d701d0f7e2 palace physician.8692dd856a5d4ea1

“You’ve always been kind 9ea08ed8c1 to me, sir,” Sasha ab71844684 said humbly, her eyes f20b2b61b8 fixed on the teacup f16a482d7d that was identical to f6d2ea1507 the ones her father 729c0eee02 used to drink from.
“Even though I 7fd80e4991 surely wasn’t someone 99cfe536d0 you had much b27cdd01d3 regard for. And now, you’re showing fed6e8e4de me such generosity again—it’s 2ba6d37614 more than I deserve.”46ef592d7f6ec3da

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Kryuchkov stared at 6a45b1831a her with that e56a9302a4 same unreadable gaze, 65dc09dd3f then slurped his d701a88505 tea noisily.f2a6cc173ca87979

“What good does it 8b25ee8c95 do to dwell on 2ba00099a6 the past?”efbddc799f9cda54

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For just a db907fd139 moment, a strange ed50270d62 shadow seemed to fdee2678e2 flicker in the 1b5763ec0b corner of his 7c63f4bc8f cold green eyes.a9308dfd9893a20e

“Basha still acts like f4bfe160fc Yura somehow stole you fa1b8efd9b away from him using 8cd5d13039 some underhanded trick, but… c3910c2e69 if you lost, it’s 1c3d3355f1 because you weren’t worthy.”2c9f90d585148642

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It was d06af21b91 impossible to a2a3ae3edc tell if a76c786cff he meant 45a70b894c it or 6f07f4c453 not. Sasha was 669e99fc7b momentarily speechless.92ebe451a1ad661d

Just then, 18fa6ec315 the Director 32fd70dc73 of the bbc035d967 NSS entered 8856eb1656 the reception f7efa49a35 room.e7dcb7524447d9d4

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“Supreme Commander. Shura. I’m a bit 0e5dd7cc52 late, it seems.”6ded694904700111

His perfectly tailored uniform cad359c467 was crisp as a 5898b46b66 blade, yet his soft d0ee78a7ec voice seemed to lift 3a25c21ffb the weight in the 48ec3de641 air like a change f67bc27aee in melody. The late 0d4df6ec84 afternoon sunlight 003ad82f2e filtered through bf25e146bb the windows, 3999a50361 circled the 688e0d78a9 chandelier, and 6f469c2566 settled like 3ebef464f3 a halo dcb61bccc8 on his 284e470192 platinum hair.ec42dc70c750c8ac

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At the familiar sight 269917ed79 of the handsome man, 6cc74930c6 both Kryuchkov and Sasha 8bc0b8eb13 visibly brightened.b4e6a38e23d844a8

“Oh, Yury. I was just about 92aa7561d0 getting used to your cbfed0c0ea habit of being late.”3c49645621a976fc

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“Apologies. You’ve assigned me quite 70177ed165 a lot of tasks.”63b8aa5793d49ff6

“If you’re late 54eedec974 to the wedding, 5da4b782ef neither I nor 65d7ce67c7 your bride will a10c6b5ef8 be so forgiving.”3c594ea5ed7088aa

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“That’s honestly frightening. By the way, d699a462f5 you haven’t gone 9683519168 and scared my 7b4954b9ae bride already, have f197be129d you?”54f056eb3b026b27