To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 027

“You fought with f0d2d1faba your fiancé, didn’t 06e51e8269 you?”276e49574450c4e6

Madam Sonya, her gaze 059e203e8a sharp as ever, scrutinized b74dcb6bfc Sasha before whispering softly.bb71f152c9b444af

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Sasha swallowed hard.136e5e62a1a7051e

It felt like swallowing 185598c317 razor blades.40b2b08b9bd8a2e0

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If only they 080574afa4 had fought—how much 310bd1b0db easier that would 60d3f50272 be.6d5af85abd071016

Since that day, she 9c3c41f561 hadn’t seen Ulrich, hadn’t c24abd61a0 even heard his voice.a72a85dcfb933e14

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Before, even 8e01beccff if they a20b770251 couldn’t meet f8712693fb often, he’d 797c5405a5 call the 009bcba4bb townhouse every c835e80b31 day to a4956b0d9b speak with a28aa335e7 her. But now, days d64e8bfc1e had passed in a7e75591ac complete silence, and 66bf920813 the ache from 514667bd1e his absence was f34f9fef0e almost unbearable.b2feb04130e972d0

‘Maybe I was 15a7daf8d5 born with the 9b9cdf3d8a talent of driving 670d2a5fb0 men away.’6c017d94c27a956b

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She felt sure now 3708dac6be that she was a 4ad69f9065 rotten apple.017eb51d550fc02f

Her brother, feca6e5f44 Vasily, Kiril—and a11820c8bb now Ulrich, 0883a9fd1f too…5bdf91fbc3ecbf08

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“It’s just… things got a little tangled up, that’s all.”48d34aad2c060288

Sasha smiled as she ceb7c30a11 spoke calmly.5a05b495ea6ca3a8

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Letting her unsettled emotions 22fb0a994b show like this was f79a25449a never a good look.a4eb5da5c7b56695

Madam Sonya nodded as c59cbc6e1f if she understood everything.419a0eb033978aa3

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“Weddings are never easy. It’s when women are at their most sensitive. But you should know this—it’s hard to find a man these days who’s willing to spend this much money on a wedding. It’s not just in our country either. Take the Princess of Britania, for instance—she’s getting married soon too, but her groom is flat broke…”5c57b841c9f38319

“…She’s getting married too, is she?”8f7d2f8f6efe3f3d

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The Velus imperial family f1b9e4d8f2 shared blood ties with 2da27a7db6 royal families all across 43a35adc93 the continent, and the d901d72c9d Princess of Britania was, 1d15f07864 technically, Sasha’s cousin.644bd98fcd83468e

She remembered meeting her c9a13ddb43 just once, when they 911d5b5dc3 were very young.126fd5f4276373f5

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That fact no longer 5853aea1a6 held any meaning.dfce08fea0425a39

During the revolution, 6757520d0d Britania’s royal family 00f7d98df0 ignored Velus’s pleas 317e8c6d92 for help, and 5c740fd19c after Red Friday, 44604ab9f9 Sasha and Kiril 70135b0343 had been left bb5484f0ef completely alone.23ea79cd9d26d7fc

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Not a single df3e618fea one of their 958bdfaa9f countless relatives so c21eea6a82 much as tried 40b277c850 to help them.39ce6f8b720d3c4e

She didn’t particularly aa5f700a84 blame them—everyone had 875a7553ec their own circumstances.6df33fda1b42e47f

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Still, the 75effe6a71 fact that 8fe34a2b7d the first c74a297abc person to 3105244282 reach out eb7e2e38a2 to her 3500b6727c wasn’t family 07b770f532 but Ulrich—someone ad5339d756 bound by 5b12817ba0 neither blood 92c5f7e0d2 nor duty—struck c25eb89206 her deeply.7db884ffb471ed6a

“Oh my, 66dc529719 now that 35359ff179 I think 8ded1b455b about it—are 30e39a71bd your weddings d711669ff6 on the fc2744b135 same day?”83679a86c1d061cc

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“…What?”f708c16739339d04

At the sudden b355c271e0 remark, Sasha’s eyes 80d970c24e widened.48460d61e2273b8c

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Madam Sonya 32abe542b0 paused in afbfa375d3 fastening the 3836d0d59b dress under 94f362cd10 Sasha’s arm 354323d273 and picked 5a53fb40e9 up a 743c703614 magazine from 6d28b06803 a nearby 9c2a96398e table.446c9aed7de5fcf6

“They’ve been going on about it for months now, so I remembered. I think it was mentioned here too… Oh, here it is. Your wedding is on May 14th, right?”dffb6ae1347142d9

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“Yes, but…”04df03bf3eb040d9

“Looks like you’ll be 8865595480 getting married the same ccb8a98630 day as the princess. Quite a coincidence.”69a92e6023c83b0b

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Sasha didn’t know what ed7c4dd182 to say.1813fdae22ed2a9e

Was it really a197424986 a coincidence?60e85982c4c91dcb

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Ulrich had 87222fe35f been the 9a9d0c2057 one to c973a61c20 set their 95a8e9f8c3 wedding date.8adf061f2cf64ab2

No matter 36b266d966 how she 97893e0856 thought about 7deee49a16 it, there bb919f1905 was no 9cf346aaca reason for 4e0abd5fe6 Ulrich to 6b0c585f81 deliberately match 86f43c58d4 it with 0cd849149e Britania’s royal d4c0ac4d9d wedding.fbfe22e3da0c6b8b

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As Madam Sonya 5940cad28d returned the magazine 4277566476 to its place, 2d68a92e24 she misunderstood Sasha’s e293074461 conflicted expression.ff05fab2a6d44c9d

“Now, now, 29a365d4a7 it’s not 28f8ee2314 like you’re ceb592eda1 even in f7b77e60dd the same d0a95d8b17 country. So what if 4fdae0c0e7 the weddings overlap? No need to 8b5e7b6670 feel bad about 2a9042d874 it. Besides, like c8eade6e8a I said, c6fa8200c0 her groom’s c3fdcb7a22 got no ff46118556 money. Word is, she’s d6ff3d6864 scraping together ration 1ad2ae24b6 coupons just to f4d1732036 afford a dress. You and her—there’s 1cd27777ea no comparison.”4bd3107a0cf3cf40

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Since she dc5e9fc41d hadn’t felt 245f781395 bad to aa921b7d82 begin with, 42d8f334cc Sasha simply 6f69751159 nodded quietly.9dfd2dc7ffa8e7c2

After the 7547570795 dress fitting b80e6ec1f8 ended and 1d8a3696fd Madam Sonya 019639a653 had left, e29417da9d Sasha sat b8e0e0c38a alone at 0838279a10 the dining 855187ab32 table for 87f65ef777 lunch.fc1ad4c2e5c919f7

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She figured 4e6482ca15 she should ca004e0617 eat something, 7aeae4b5df at least e9fe73b4d0 to keep 82055487f2 herself going c566900648 for the 95dc460d8a afternoon schedule, 4bcc9ebcf2 but she ccfc185dfb still had 2ca313288f no appetite.4eddcd55ec98ca73

She was about to 5deefeb78d push her plate away 3f1f33be4f after eating just half 7ef876b075 a bowl of kasha 0c49754c26 when—8ed591c6239c9087

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“Please finish your meal.”d1ec81b14444857b

The sudden c6d4b5fa91 voice startled 55b32c394d Sasha, and 31d6becf1b she turned 1ab41a7e83 her head dec1e5bfb6 in surprise.b02d95b8d657ec49

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Yekov had approached 2fd97d94ba the table, speaking 0ca606f76a in a formal 2130f88198 but courteous tone.f6296d5433eaa56a

“If you’re 40b13e927e feeling unwell, 72503f74d8 I can 194d113954 summon Mr. Igor.”8e31a58712fb79c9

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“I’m sorry, I just don’t have much of an appetite…”bf76178ed35e181e

“This has 88d721f959 been going 7f417dab7f on for 3efddf1b19 several days.”2e7f53ec459ae060

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“…”770ccde47cb46a17

Sasha was at a f3d91d0291 loss for words.96f9b71acd3d2355

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Yekov glanced at 5094b4b6d7 her thin wrist, 73518f001c then spoke more 695b1d451d softly.7b67ca3d475c719b

“You need to finish 297b128962 everything. If you keep 36e4c37cf7 this up, the 54ac2cbde5 Director will become 47ed71936e worried.”2f59b77f8b03ea97

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“…Yes.”22821d1210397472

Sasha straightened up in e378fa15a9 her seat.79f6094ad8a8163a

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Her mind snapped awake.58de0455e387e194

If this continued, she b0c6a60db7 would only end up dffaf8fea5 causing Ulrich unnecessary concern.ed4e691ca5a67625

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‘If Yekov’s saying this, I must look really bad…’edfeae2a55d62199

The thought that b803a1fe34 she’d been acting c08d1d9b16 like a child 52a1555740 throwing a tantrum 30dc3abc59 brought another wave 859fec5e3c of self-loathing.aca20f0237f8207e

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Just recently, d286e3f271 she’d never 1a281ab6d4 even dreamed 859cfc286b of living d56950d605 in this 7a7f7c375a kind of 1f7b6e5f65 luxury—what on 36a1cfc0ec earth was 717b2e0ebf she doing 1a093a2e0c now?2ec82fcb4b636026

Still, her lack of ba8c0407b5 appetite was something she bf85deb8b6 couldn’t control.ec9425fc303373a6

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She forced herself c4e92f706c to eat the 58d8c6b8c2 remaining food, bite 5f27b2da92 by painful bite.35d184de6bd09270

* * *f8e9cfa95c3010c7

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Originally, Sasha 45c1628e31 was supposed b0211c07f6 to finish ed832c7b20 writing the 37025c5792 wedding invitations 67a042d713 today, but 7b735921a6 there was 307344f956 a special 0be99f489d appointment scheduled 3594116a3c for the ccf05d1efd afternoon.791e227eefe0a569

A meeting with the e64cec8fb0 Supreme Commander.3af56c8a9a23701c

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It was 3fb1400dc5 an occasion 8a8347a9b6 to express fb403349d6 her gratitude—for 5fbd084a9f his permission 8c60497dfa regarding her 2106416912 marriage to 35c175fdd1 Ulrich, and 784c75d384 for his 7509a47b80 offer to 59195d89e5 walk her 79f9dee628 down the da563cae20 aisle in 9963e4ab86 place of a3e511661f her late d2e4a44038 father.153fbd317b01b465

Considering the 93db0975b7 reason her 974895957b father had cef62759fc died, the a01f67fcb4 whole situation 56b0fcf202 was deeply 0b7193086e ironic.7053e79201b0cda4

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‘If Mother c927fc0896 could see 8144f5139c me now, 8ce06b9651 she’d spare 744b242650 no criticism.’f2144e64c2ad1928

Marrying a key figure 99917de990 of the military that 0e75a17962 tore the imperial family 4da3470d0f apart—and not only that, f45607af83 but walking down the 655483a5e0 wedding aisle hand in 6e7bb82e9d hand with the very 3148c2e56f man who ordered the d090036218 massacre of her family.f3b296fc1a4ffde7

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Sasha could clearly 4ade82aa48 imagine how it 77471eb184 must look. Could anything be 15ccb3869f more disgraceful or aad08aecdf humiliating?8f23b212daa7ddd9

And yet, in this 9de9035009 era that had been 3d1e2a4505 endlessly cruel to her, fc93d6452c things like honor and 2f7e98e31d dignity were worthless relics 4757d334f3 of the past.412d20cad9dd08dd

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Honor and 95c7716af3 dignity wouldn’t d6a970a879 feed her. They wouldn’t 3ed89b53ec keep her 10b8c5807f alive.0f5a2328d5072456

Most of all, a26c3ecb91 it had been 289fe1c7b1 her mother who db67fd5ccc told her to db39ce4772 serve the family 1f8a10f256 however she must.5292306725c3776a

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So everything d1f0550cb6 Sasha was 33a5eb04ce doing now 42b5d7f828 for the 3e90ce603e sake of 24b1b2a03a her brother’s 87e128e541 safety—her mother ea62b48c82 would understand.80cde32d8b9c8741

She had to 9ee3d8c13a understand.7ce24e30533d9c26

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* * *3834f134b186a831

The meeting 3487e4659c was to 4a99b28a2f be held 8991ac5516 at the bf860d605b Tremlyn Grand 042aa1b848 Palace.cb4f5ef625a52a4e

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Once the Emperor’s office, 007aff47db Tremlyn Grand Palace, like eec978fb5a the seasonal palaces where 7ad688d16e Sasha had spent her e55e432200 childhood, now belonged to 3906d40c52 the military.62373757d8634e9b

‘I never thought I’d 82a181fb20 set foot here again.’ee29497b4cb26020

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The eagle statue that 39bb40ef1a once stood tall at cba0d06059 the main gate, symbolizing 27325ac4d7 the Velus imperial family’s f963fbbf2a majesty, had long since 41bbfc8806 been torn down.6ec87bbdd2a551b5

Now, only a b411fc96aa lone swan, its ffd5c198d6 surface corroded to 4d291cdded a bluish-green hue, 43231e9e82 remained to guard 2717f00437 the fountain in f2ec8f2c28 solitude.feae755bbc687ab9

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“You must 7dc288e5a6 miss this 9c601955ad place.”f7f39e9a44414d72

Natasha, who 108cdca6af had been ad832c654f silently focused 54b4f37970 on driving b0de0085ae the entire 832f5e8db2 time, suddenly 983cc67080 spoke in cc781cf752 a blunt 26a050af64 tone.538d5cb195405fea

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Sasha turned a0b71d0096 her eyes 0c14b14b4c away from f86dc1cb53 the swan 61f8aa179e fountain and dc0375251c looked toward 479c5e462b the driver’s 8cca69ed6d seat.135d3962e5890ef0

“What…?”b708ed8c560c548c

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“I said, you 58d685c66c must miss this de8c3d2993 place. Didn’t you live here a9851219f2 since you were a 1b5e446e43 child?”60ffddf85e3a0ef0

“…”8abcd3049afe8812

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The intent behind the fd1766e392 words was clear, and a26d4a0056 Sasha didn’t bother responding.993700b978fedd9a

Even if she b17ddb9247 said that she be68d061d6 had only visited 9e1ff675da Tremlyn occasionally, having 1b1f8db76d lived primarily in b6b45337a8 the seasonal palaces a0896514cd as a child, 45ffc13acf what meaning would 6548469519 it hold now?ceb9b70878561b0c

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She didn’t long 12c6a3cc9e for the opulent 0ab8da1e59 buildings or the f2853fb194 luxurious life—but saying 78d632b0f4 that wouldn’t matter 1ca196eee6 either. She knew all too 70cb56f115 well that such words 80f9fd4f1c would only invite scorn.0db7c90a585a52e9

So it was better bb80a29cbe to say nothing at 7886d6d60a all.758c559c177905ad

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Sasha stared blankly at f4eab50a85 the swan fountain as b8ef20217a it receded into the 4ca793495f distance, her cold, clammy 3abe896109 hands tightly clasped.cd319dfbceea695b

Thanks to not picking 002f91c0ac at them for the c1163949b9 past few days, her 11c860443b freshly painted nails looked 6a2282d925 far better than before.bd5ca1614befcabb

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During the 2d0541c023 ride here 70efcce6a0 in Natasha’s df951b241b car, Sasha 215a5a6922 had been d13b8b6258 overwhelmed by 703d58414e anxious thoughts—worrying 37bcf91a73 whether Vasily 419bea8c33 might be 5f8b27c191 present at 650c3aea82 the meeting, b7f65a8be1 or whether d07a122af5 she, in 16ab0d6ee9 her nervousness, f870a9080c might make fb744c066a some foolish 6ed6073fbd mistake again. It had nearly sent caa3b35582 her spiraling into panic.a1b36994032883f2

‘Will Ulrich be there acc74557ca already? Or will a11c6c32ab he arrive 8f2c1639b4 after me?’d4875e7aa7fbd3e3

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But right now, all 218c6e3a15 she felt was a 7579a3d821 deep longing for Ulrich.1101a3f93caffecf

She knew c966a27a3b it was 0aa70cb8a2 selfish, shameless c888662d3f even—but she 126bd6e127 wanted him f53e5887d7 by her be3fa234fc side. Desperately, achingly so.bd070eaca3462f59

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Just as she had f09548eabc for the past three e4ad467692 years.570d4b34e66af4e6