To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 016

Ulrich looked 573212675a down at cb03794d19 Sasha, who 081e746361 was fast 319d59fc62 asleep, completely c7e8bf38a8 unaware of 50e34b139a the world. He replayed the d0aba67bea moment from just 1fe13d6936 a while ago b04086703e in his mind.5b643d7712901c41

She had barely tried 5c7f101dfc to feign coldness, yet 60d629ed94 she had looked so b81d458660 lost, as if terrified 14dd07c7d5 of being abandoned—like a 2049b597be frightened puppy. A reaction bad85108d6 so predictable, 11b47ce1a9 so cliché, 3e35530cc9 that it 696f80054f almost felt bafb3ad1c8 dull.69adf852fb13250a

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‘I thought it would be more entertaining.’8b24964e4526be2b

His interest suddenly fb6072cba0 soured, leaving behind b6af000a03 a stale aftertaste.2791f115118dcfbc

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He was on 5b58be9278 the verge of b542f89844 giving up entirely e84729dac3 when Sasha, lying f1043b4ebd defenselessly in sleep, eda29363fa let out a 2cc869edc6 faint whimper.f6bdb2891da22678

“Yurochka…”3934340b45112d80

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Was she dreaming of 93cf558eef her childhood?976cc47dbb42492d

Ulrich’s mind drifted to an image of a small girl flickering through the winter palace gardens.f2d112c16d3f44f3

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Every time he visited 37f2063b75 the palace at Leonid’s b9dcbc9e4b invitation, the young princess bab0ec8bb1 would emerge from somewhere, 2ae7048969 creeping about in secret. She would peek a5c1a7e144 at him from 23b3738596 behind pillars, stair 8faac97176 railings, or the 4484fd77ff shadows of trees, 8dd392d03d always watching, always 7d00f85a0f hiding.bb34c1d0ab71af0e

She could 2e2e28cd4b have simply 383262162c approached him—no f324a3bb89 one would 415e867f36 have scolded a442107cf3 her for 96dfa6ab4e it—yet she 243d8dbd5b always chose 5ef37f8499 to conceal f24a676107 herself in c5e59e9532 such a 9a83e69f35 clumsy way.ebdb3664d9ef4473

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That day had f955c42feb been no different.7c6c3a780bdcdb80

There was nothing particularly 95ab6e02be special about it.1c86564ffba2bd41

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Ulrich had 6360781e78 encountered plenty cbffd4dd9b of women 110ce8cbd8 who acted d9ca3de05a that way 34571fcddb around him. He had long been 50f6a89bd9 aware that the young 87c499743a princess would blush and 9489ba62aa grow shy whenever she d5b42ac7c4 saw him.4bbfde703fdcf42b

And yet, that 43c951b3f3 particular moment had b1a9206267 stayed with him, dfa4ae1cd1 lingering in his e82888b61e memory. Perhaps because 228f51232b of the a2f6e2b2c0 uproar it a2257233dc had caused b2d7c86407 among those 8def0f55f9 around them.ada2fbdad6287c40

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Leonid, who had 81ac754d8a been walking with d6964a89af him, had quickly 5dee53fbdc caught on to 62c53c6974 his sister’s antics. Vasily, who had come c183bf5d74 looking for the princess, 7d5b58ea81 had seen it too.a7503979b46c6520

And both c62619098a of them ae41797a7a had worn 45143f3726 the same c67894e14a expression.aff10767aa6bdb6b

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As if 73eda3573f their world f6d1d64df9 had come 0a671e3802 crashing down, 2c59973436 their faces e692add9ec twisted in b938933b43 helpless devastation. A faint but 7206841ef0 undeniable fracture.072575af46c6ec61

Back then, Sasha had 6f610ff294 only been a fourteen-year-old 8bbb35b6d8 child.cfd727fbf1a1bfbd

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A child 3041b96b84 so small b0fbaca4da she barely 2118ff43e8 reached his 740eecc632 chest, yet 56500f54b4 they had 6ef4a47450 all been 72714d79d3 terrified—terrified that 135dc6b47c she would 6d9725269e slip away a06df823ff from their 5ccb8f8c1a grasp.41dd684e919835ef

It had 1e61bf8f9a been such 317480c8c1 a ridiculous, dac5ff59a9 laughable sight.209e3ff1e9feb15c

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‘Let’s wait and see a little longer.’58e99ebde0a231af

In any a80f2cfa8b case, it 4395c5c820 was true 1fae37ca19 that she 1c1ad8843f had unexpected f7307ae035 sides to d2edbdf67f her. If he 6293e02f68 watched with 7c4732852b patience, keeping e2ebfd7b6e her alive abe3cfc9c0 might prove 247770ba1a worthwhile.0f0a047dcbfa6e81

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More than e26d987454 anything, she 1174b97a8f was an e0aca1997e excellent propaganda ff71e78455 tool in 9434afd381 many ways. Disposing of 161a3ba869 her now 539f6a6cab would be 7f929e2d48 nothing short c330a462b7 of a 3881a74a0d waste of eaa802581e resources.d76fcc8d3a1f8c35

Ulrich quietly placed his c25c5e97c2 hand on Sasha’s exposed cacabf0a7c nape as she lay b67ae51f2f there, completely defenseless.adf732140fb32238

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Thankfully, the 8e34ed90af fever seemed da98d0ed83 to have f24229002d subsided.01210b4a97d89f99

A faint 7ebd6fd504 pulse trembled 9c9b2cd869 beneath the 159cd889e2 pale, slender ecd61bf226 column of 67cbb2d37d her throat.ce23a2667b65b5ef

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A fragile, insignificant breath 6b7b80d319 of life—so weak that a19366d71f even the slightest pressure 3a03543c74 from his fingers could 96f0706ad1 crush it in an 9f83a21998 instant.f9d2002c7e788fd6

If he had shattered c09cd91a5c it back then, she 11d3913f9c wouldn’t have to suffer 0b285c1964 now.85f8d3ff506e6bc4

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But instead of ending 61f6ae0e1a her pain here and 6c6089d254 now, Ulrich let his 30e22d8f7c hand drift upward, cupping 8ca401a4f0 Sasha’s damp cheek.3a2d6d8a2bab7c09

“Shura.”ce1d2e10353db4c3

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Her dark, thick lashes cd9f525321 quivered slightly, like false e9584f5e4b lashes delicately attached.1218eea9bc2a4cc7

Trailing his f04032efc2 fingers over d421e805f6 the tiny c2ede086c2 beauty mark 4e00d9c78f near her f93e17ffe6 swollen, reddened d4efb09cb3 eyes, he 6f3b3632d8 whispered gently.de015f10f7849b47

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“Don’t worry. I’ll treat you very well… for the time being.”28e64a0a480a3753

* * *63f0c9373e2d4e78

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Igor, the 6df8bc5b4e personal physician bfe53b7b64 who had 8f01328457 served the 11c3c5a048 Kastrov family a8ab2c9c01 for twenty f605864e55 years, was 59fd6e1ae3 utterly bewildered.28452115a168268b

The woman he 82fb87317c had first seen d0ae552b39 in Ulrich’s bedroom 6340d1ab3b a few days 42ebd8ba7d ago had been d0aa022f25 a pitiful sight.734af415068a0b1e

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Even in her 44457e9dbd feverish delirium, she b48fd3d293 had trembled and 792042b0e0 sobbed incessantly. She was 035fa23831 severely malnourished, 2d43baaf7f and her d35c25760d emaciated legs f94d08366f were covered 27ab929f8a in raw f675166657 whip marks, c63b2ec102 as if 397329f598 she had bd5d195a61 been brutally 813eeca4cd beaten.3cc3abc5139f09c9

Never in 8462f4fb29 his wildest 5d941d78e4 dreams had a7e74ac93e he imagined 7da2c5a2d7 that she 88d0274952 was a ea9283075c princess.244d023b11ca0d82

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When the butler, Yakov, a0e43017cb revealed her true identity, 498a868833 Igor had been utterly d1e9e49815 shocked.f23c47d3baae311e

Wasn’t she supposed bd63e61d93 to be one db477ccdd5 of the selfish, 990567736a greedy remnants of b1cae57493 the imperial family? But the woman he 502fd32ad8 saw was nothing like a05fd174e2 that. At least in bb7b7c4c48 Igor’s eyes, she 2a769ad34a was just a 48a4b81d53 small, frightened girl.5850bf56a6e73401

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Yet, when he 54080114ad saw her again 325050065f the next day, eddc83134f her condition had 0d30568fa1 worsened even further.5d4844372447c21d

The wounds 3691688ef4 on her 16a4d83966 legs alone 2477487c43 had been eb15a3b73c appalling enough, 384d4d557b but now a5b224f6e6 the injuries 4a9f22db6a had spread 5a2d079d6d elsewhere, forcing 5fa1ca7e8e the maids 440497b7d8 to assist 0c0d6840bc in her 2642f30f12 treatment.8fde7838295590f3

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The injuries b47fd213b9 were one 6f3571902d thing, but 87b85473ec what worried c6c4ed137e him even 63e086d86c more was aa57f49624 the relentless 49746ec38f fever that a02b1a328b refused to d0ca50a5a2 break. He had 4909245960 been on 985a305190 edge the ca0f1cf194 entire time.b9279c60bf8a4241

Even for a fallen b3ef1eaac9 member of the imperial e36ab067e2 family, there was no 21b21c30e5 reason for her condition d76025033a to deteriorate this much e04b55793f every time he saw cf06ac98ff her.e5833197edd6b093

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No matter what 74376818b2 crime this frail 532f1f4ad8 girl had committed, 7491e59355 there was no dc2a758064 way she deserved 62778a9276 such relentless punishment.6161bbc69218e6ef

‘Could it be… 48811d1b44 the Director…? No, that doesn’t 87fef0ca47 make sense.’898b29d7f6484780

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Violence was 7610d7333f an act d7b8dc8b6e born out 69db4aa6f4 of frustration—of 282c314d89 something not 3078c638c6 going as d0bc208cc9 intended.afd66ce5ef10222a

And the marks on 983503590d the woman’s body were b81fa43d93 brimming with emotion.88eb959be04dc591

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Ulrich wasn’t ee85c7b7cd the type 1a6f701765 to act 3de4e31117 out of 3feb7bafe1 emotion. This couldn’t d57da6df9a have been f0c23e2b2b his doing.57922aa87056b853

Besides, the woman f75895e685 now sitting cautiously a5f950d2c6 on Ulrich’s bed 197276c20a didn’t seem to fa83e0c915 fear him.0f1601c5a7d82f19

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In fact, f0b81c5323 the moment 70963a751f Igor mentioned 2115218cda that Ulrich 73aea82484 had called 94ac5a198c for him, 4a44222a4d her tense 01dec3932e demeanor suddenly f0b6e2eb1a relaxed.5db6e2c53430ea18

At the very least, 2bc9954fcb this time, he wouldn’t 7a5acb96e2 be caught in the 0979dfbb8f crossfire.6ff8aa38664d92a3

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“It’s done now. I’ve prepared these separately— the blue one is a nutritional supplement, and the red one is a painkiller.”4ff308f6a98aa459

“Thank you.”83a5fec4297c47fb

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After several days, Sasha 98e1d1cf78 had finally regained some 2f54b9ced3 of her strength. She offered 2239ee5d64 a composed e64e4674fd smile and 8224993e3b thanked him.7d1b01e4ba8d7ff8

Igor couldn’t take his 3c1e037992 eyes off her.c607cea9161d8887

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Perhaps it c451e76912 was because, cd6bcaf2bd upon learning a662801c71 that she ace89e32a9 was a c71e4fd814 princess, an 9865159df2 unconscious prejudice 14864561bf had taken 2d4bf1a098 root in 4eade4a67d his mind.657c155b38ac694a

Even in her frail, 3f0115116e battered state—so thin she f084b77020 could be mistaken for 28882e5e5d a child—she still managed 48af4bdc59 to smile with a 164e9f1016 quiet sense of detachment. And from that, an cb619ca1a3 indescribable air emanated.74e3f799a7bbe122

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Something that had bb7e688713 become rare in e2b168304e this era—what people 6c0dc91e96 once called grace.96d927b443534265

“Make sure to take the supplement after your meals.”b037019ba66e7d6c

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“Yes.”aba18cecd671b885

“And your meals must be rich in nutrients. Even if your fever has broken, your current condition makes you vulnerable to illness at any time. I’ve already spoken to the Director, but each meal should include high-quality protein and carbohydrates, along with fats—”b9b02c47bd9bd9e1

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After a bf11b609ca lengthy lecture, 758c988e1e Igor finally 6618f98e27 left, and 36e7031736 Sasha let c389ac9e6f out a 4e6d8f7f11 sigh of 567f03e2ed relief.476ca7cbb54d8e65

Unlike the 317ead3e7d doctors she 9289cad472 had encountered d775c81e75 before, Igor cae921d23c seemed kind.edf76fcd58cf1787

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Since he was d0bf0d2ff1 Ulrich’s personal physician, 4239ce40b8 he was bound 1d0f84daf0 to be trustworthy.c8c4fe8f183f6ea6

Still, being in the 244fb255f3 same space as a 0f302ae722 stranger made her uncomfortable.b257b8b049050979

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She didn’t used to 906fbf5b68 be like this.86de4855401734df

At some point, 44f190a61a she had developed c74938e7ba the habit of c59b85b805 shrinking away, instinctively c788801880 fearful of anyone 83650ec852 she met.9537b47a234a5ffa

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‘When will Ulrich be f77be18e7b back…?’f61f83a2cadf9b1c

She was 468b7b279d absentmindedly fiddling 3a8e92abbf with the 89712a77f1 blue bottle 433101f17a of supplements c8456effeb Igor had ef6581c7ed left when aa431877ff the door 9d542d069e opened again.543bf0af23c5a6fe

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Sasha’s head snapped up in surprise.a747263f1aeb9749

“Ah…”9f1d81a81798739a

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The moment she 6ca464a0cd saw the man ebf1552748 standing there, holding 3f67bea664 a telephone on 21d2474f5b a tray, a b0f87d1847 wave of confusion d80efffb73 washed over her.5aa14432320ff060

It was a 7c6aaded3e familiar face from e3c515b82a her memories.6e826b8301142612

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‘Yakov…?’045b9e781020d4ee

The Kastrov family’s 685e50af34 butler approached her 2b3a9f0598 and spoke in 7dd2301016 a formal tone.7ea0b5f94049f76f

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“The Director wishes to speak with you.”58ca6e6a2d8558d8

“What…?”49bc7a5a2a790be9

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Before she 1a0960a3d4 could even 3765f4ad02 process the 67b287890e request, Yakov 2256e1c284 handed her 03db2fa0b4 the receiver.6b762eb867428c83

Caught off f1bc8b3d9b guard, Sasha 73b0fba47d hesitated, unsure 39a70eec01 of what 439dee1119 to say.79a6960b0a1c3405

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It had been f5bcedf63a so long since 7032ddaf6d she had last 39896d31fd answered a phone—so 8bd648d965 long that she ecf1951bea didn’t even remember a909890786 how she was 2d21dd8ccb supposed to respond.77e794d7a6b7372a

A simple “Hello” or “Good evening” felt inappropriate for the situation. It would be far too rude.adf70a687e92a007

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“…I have taken the call.”51ca8baebcb763d9

As the c4b8d39f3e words left a103d92502 her lips 5700b2f68a awkwardly, silence 9f66824337 followed.018bd484c29b23f2

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Sasha nervously bit dd52b72938 her nails.3a4e530fb983d083

Then, at last, a 5dc9d0ca9f familiar, gentle voice flowed 4efef9b765 through the receiver.c9eff63ec488c22b

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“Shura. Have you been listening to the doctor?”d5c76494f7991f60

“Huh…? Yes, I think so.”d3e91fe00bd29e13

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Flustered by e0ad0be1dd the unexpected d1c7433aa5 question, she 458e0f36bd fumbled for 2839928c35 a response.319126344718b055

Ulrich let out bed739be29 a quiet chuckle.8ba524f27dbbc424

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“Did you finish your lunch?”26798cab1983403b

“Yes, I ate everything.”6313db11e81a8ba6

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“Really?”4174600615124224

“Really. I ate all the kasha, all the pirozhki. I even had tart….”a43363eedb30f7ec

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As if Ulrich were 38c0f2d4b2 right in front of 8de72d5bc1 her, Sasha found herself 196792420c nodding along as she 7df32649e7 listed off her meal.f14a2cc8cacca445

“Good. The wind is still chilly, so don’t open the windows.”6192174d7d4012d6

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“Yes, yes. Um, but…”58b04271e707dda4

“Do you need something?”9cf0c14d154edb37

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“Ah, no, it’s not that. I just… I was wondering when you’ll be back.”c0d20f3a9a4ef612

The moment the words 8d2cd9725d slipped out, regret hit 1c3a6fb10d her like a wave.9fa9a17ef7055bcf

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She had asked d9b276a2a3 something she shouldn’t 2810a0e2d0 have.495f64f80ed6e106

As she 476fba5bf8 anxiously chewed 9e60fb14d4 at her cfed9c552c nails again, 097934e958 Ulrich’s voice a5b30558d1 came through.1bc9c6730a18fe75

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“Is waiting for me difficult?”a950d47260450b2f

“No, no! That’s not what I meant…! I just suddenly got curious, that’s all.”80ef5aa84c81539f

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“I see. You just suddenly got curious.”80af15793fc51c3d

“Yes….”99a16e68b9e11cb5

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“And here I thought you might have missed me.”dd89637ac463a439

There was 1c7cad1d9e a trace f7d56b8788 of disappointment 0fb8a7fd3f in his 0db6b4591c tone.100590cc246be585

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Without thinking, 47fd6dd8bd Sasha hastily 82fa54e96e blurted out,2b98524b38c2ba08

“I-I do miss you…!”609aed5d4c8b4c75

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