To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 031

It was 0e43435f30 a picture-perfect 75ebe1108b scene—at least aaf09e2e0c on the 07d6e5ebb7 surface.ec596d9a386fc39c

The restaurant was a 6e13c06424 two-story building that, even ce4298f7a0 at a glance, looked 7227be6749 quite formal.4d91926a7fbc91d6

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Unlike government-run c3400ffbff establishments, the 5af03e1a73 interior decor 05147b6bfb and atmosphere 14a09bc01a were exquisite, dc1fb4a8be and the 42b2ab0839 fact that dccd0f5732 not just acc67c8d2a anyone could 9f692265ee dine here c06cb427e3 made it b7d80500f8 all the e9a9b6659d more exclusive.0f2b2438be4230aa

They were led c8e4753885 to a terrace 10e05d9e2a table with a c46ba609e6 clear view of 3620d92a03 Nebroski’s landmarks: the 7ea2857d6f ballet theater and 82681a4fce the museum.db63aece5bb6d910

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While Ulrich b609c7da62 took care 47872dab27 of the 27aaeb9f5f ordering, Sasha d5c3a0b039 had to fc07356e23 summon every c8a0272dc7 ounce of 4e5f115ab4 strength not bcc1eafe40 to be a03d257d06 overwhelmed by e366a401bc the stares 8f2be95dc0 of others.35bddc8e64a8aed8

‘It’s ridiculous to assume everyone recognizes me. They’re probably just looking at Ulrich.’04e221589df5c205

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And of course, they ef0e13df2a were. It was 319a4bd1b7 obvious that ed343d79df no one 4c610f2fd8 could look ef7e9c846a away from 514a8ad8a5 Ulrich.3255e88b1a464bb3

Even the waitress 247812b583 taking their order e1ba9f94b7 seemed so dazzled 954f3f55c1 that it was 66ac7b7f66 doubtful whether she df39459aca was writing anything c5c965c237 down correctly.76cc82e7d69cf65b

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Women at 05d2d8636e nearby tables 5c7f5a3a5a were glancing cf8b684fe6 over at 52dac90668 him with 3013b7b712 slack jaws, 9821157820 not even eebf7cdc3a trying to a0b76c6e7f hide it.a2057fc8c99159a2

Ulrich, on the other a7c5eee1a1 hand, seemed entirely oblivious 662732e4b3 to everyone around them.1a7cc88acde42bcf

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His cool badf509cda blue gaze ba196be8c9 had been c822081033 fixed solely 43d3fe30fa on Sasha e4ee05cb18 for a 511179e04a while now—and d8075bad5c the same 6c349f80d3 was true 54f23b8f7c of Kiril.a1d97dfbfa2ac50a

Ironically, Sasha didn’t 84e0e7e9f9 even notice the 9b670a87b5 two men’s unwavering 6cdaa4bc6a attention on her.4aa7d8bf75d5db5a

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Her mind was d9e345e81c spinning in sync 355642201c with the urgent a5d25c8be9 tempo of Vivaldi’s 59e1eaa498 Summer, third movement, 1fcca13748 flowing from inside 04fc6b1933 the restaurant.49223804e1550794

‘Will Kiril be okay in a place like this? I hope he doesn’t act rude again just because he’s nervous. Am I acting natural enough? That person at that table looks like a foreigner—maybe from the embassy? Or a foreign journalist? They’ve been glancing over since earlier. Did they recognize me? Even if they did, so what? More importantly, what will Ulrich think of my table manners? I’ve probably gotten rusty. I might’ve been fine back at the townhouse, but this is a public place with lots of eyes…’085e6fbf6f2f1e02

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It was a 43630d683d curious phenomenon.388aa4104babacdd

Everything was going 8f12122cd4 well.
Ulrich had clearly 95128cd452 planned this date 13f89ce9f5 in advance—probably as b0d4b405f3 a makeup for 2f9255990a the one they 82da0a736d missed before.
And the fact that 7a1614cd47 he’d even invited Kiril 69cb95ee68 meant he’d forgiven her c969a09389 to some degree.
Even the meeting 62eec6d41c with Kryuchkov had e04383a8f4 ended smoothly.959cf20aba3d9ca6

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So she 24a3cedbc3 should’ve been 2a44d51ae5 happy.
And in truth, 3768995a51 Sasha was very 7dd63f689e happy.63633b8059df364e

But the more her 530eb88452 relief and joy swelled, 72109102a1 the more her anxiety 4ed4377f40 and tension crept in.
She worried she might 8dadab25bc make another mistake—or that 67aa4ba46c something unpredictable might ruin aebeeee620 this good moment all 224e6bc726 over again.062c9a467fa4335f

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“You better 6f62ff5f85 be careful, 1bd736a050 sis.”fd8659e30648e91b

As soon as cab84aa15d the dawdling waitress c3798ce04e finally left, Kiril 678090df69 tossed the comment 85636d06f5 out bluntly.1267347e74aaeaaf

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Sasha turned to him, 468828c96c confused.88abcd84c5e291db

“Huh? Careful of what?”769436c58a5b465b

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“Of the 9fb513d2d1 Director, obviously. That waitress was d0efc32338 practically drooling over 55a040a594 him. You better watch bfff5be4d7 out if you 2689b1fa4e don’t wanna lose 876422e8fa your boyfriend to 9608a233f1 someone else.”9968ef37357f623c

Kiril muttered 50a2ecef7b the line 168105237a with a 600bae037b crooked grin, 61a87247c7 his tone 0a462cd8b8 making it 65529bd35f hard to 1135c0d000 tell if 3103799d0b he was 7429fae7de joking or 16f4a0f030 not, and 718fb85049 grabbed a a4f23a4ec3 piece of 0cdd05674c bread from ef15fa770c the basket.bcc6b7908578e574

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It wasn’t the dark, e8dbca1cb8 hard rye bread they’d daa8730aa9 eaten to death over 2ab1f9894d the past three years—this 0611fa9cf5 was soft, white bread b21748c369 with plenty of butter.fe50fab33971cce7

“Stop saying ace37b8c78 weird stuff. You’re too 4a28e7774c small to 2a439df178 be talking dd71cf5446 like that.”87676b1b54ce0443

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Sasha scolded him with e47be8cfad a voice that pretended b2fe22b08a to be cheerful, her 74038e29f6 gaze slipping from the 29733bcbcc breadbasket.3b1efe05713184f2

After all, Kiril had 403d18d904 no way of knowing 73929d1e66 the truth: that there 3d21a9cb13 was nothing to be 1bd8be8eb9 taken from her in c6db359a2c the first place.5857f5c192ad8aaf

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‘He must just be nervous.’2f724bb99816db35

From Sasha’s perspective, Kiril ecfd01ca8a was clearly tense, even 57663e601e if he pretended not 445454339f to be.
It was obvious 85a4bba765 that being in 6a8013b37d a place like ea68aaf770 this—a place he f0658eac70 hadn’t been to 81004449ce since he was 99bfafc41f very young—made him b062da5d04 feel awkward and 5a67565947 out of place.
That must’ve been efdea1e10f why he was 34c797d1fa blurting out whatever 6397601309 came to mind…821722aed04573b0

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“Who’re you f3625fb41b calling small? I’m taller than 3a7b4d5b29 you now.”a37a4e61cd25d734

Kiril puffed up beff072360 his cheeks with 4e8393b636 bread and glared 4a75b0a3f7 at her with cb443d6088 mock fury.0925f338e05f9f0b

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Sasha was at a b22cbbd7dd loss for words.1fed7d34b566d1e5

Even before it 6c9054ac3b had just been 15148db0bd the two of a4052cc7a9 them, Kiril had 8c245a013c been more or 3302636848 less like a 3bb97798f0 child she had bc990e3daf raised herself.b773c2339708159b

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By the time Kiril 25f4ff86b3 was old enough to 5f94da5c49 desperately need their parents’ 84dd46ec53 attention, the family was 4543a77587 already falling apart. With everyone focused solely 5eefeef9a2 on treating the eldest ea61b746e4 son’s illness, everything else 21d99c4cdd was forgotten—and caring for 2a62f5cb82 Kiril had fallen entirely 9449eb5090 to Sasha.1a3ed0e66b11077a

Back then, 86b7aee620 Kiril had 58466fc409 been truly 048bf32389 adorable.b3aca60cbf42a24d

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He loved his sister 7f848e76d9 so much that he 3c5845ab8c constantly clung to her, 6e46579213 to the point that f7307f51cb people around them found 46bad8e063 it annoying.c6d2c6673fd18692

But now…06f8d877213b4393

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“The one who should be careful is someone else.”b51c6bdbc9b66ba0

Ulrich cut in with bee153c871 a smile, placing his 7f8b2baa0e palm lightly on Sasha’s 99bb16281e knee. The motion e9c0fc2116 was smooth 39c72bea23 and effortless, 0e27d791e5 as natural 2cbbc4c80b as water.4210a2d0c4d3f165

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“Kiril must not realize how beautiful his sister is, since he’s her brother.”0ae1692e1ed13903

“My sister? That’s just the Director seeing through rose-tinted glasses—”f5f7c8b85260fd04

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“Shura was very popular even as a child. During the hockey season, the cadets would secretly duel for a chance to sit beside her.”f328f5f8859cb009

It was a 91dd9f8076 story neither Kiril 209d267eec nor Sasha had c1f4ff06b2 heard before.d0579a69021310e6

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As far as she e868aeda47 remembered, the ice rink d0fdb6037e always brought chaos during 7782afa62e game season—but she found c6a290bc9a it hard to believe 4dff265707 that she had been 832e4db70b that popular.de4931bfe083aaf3

‘Did he make that up just to take my side? After all, we’re pretending to be a couple right now…’899890512f4eb403

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“Come on, Yuri. They were probably just betting on the match and got into a fight. It wasn’t because of me.”1b11fe94a53f7953

She replied fbb8135e96 playfully, trying fc2094b2d0 to ignore 706b59ea51 the feel 0c06e1d2da of Ulrich’s f6c3cfc44a hand resting 5e32ecc50c on her 5ebee9c119 knee.3b5415e4762b946f

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‘We’re a couple. That’s our act. I can’t let Kiril suspect anything.’c4456e142c756177

This kind 404c3d389d of skinship 084658dbfd was natural 92d241b498 between lovers.e28827898aba7517

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They’d already held hands 77721805f5 multiple times, he’d kissed 5d20132e9c her on the cheek, 3e31816c1f and earlier she’d nearly 257b5f42b4 been pulled into an 5712e7279d embrace—so a hand on 6ce5e5c742 the knee wasn’t a ad7dd4c30d big deal.8f8918a0e7c9fda6

Ulrich wasn’t 481a1c9576 doing it 8223351d8b just because 1e7aa2b016 he wanted 1c8690e97e to.a3aed63663835d71

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If Kiril started b8bbcb079e questioning their relationship, 89fac833e4 the one who’d f7de63bb85 be in trouble 9c45bf5458 was Sasha.7ce625ede92b1a6c

Ulrich was playing his 0b0d5eadd5 part solely for her 7e8cef302c sake.af7f4964575f3763

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‘I have to act properly.’04cc29aaac250a24

Rather than guilt abf842483c over deceiving her a49d051415 brother, Sasha’s mind 88419e9e17 was filled with 536b18c1e9 one thought: she edfffd2403 couldn’t risk making 149c3b45df things harder for cda99bfad5 Ulrich.9456a7f65f909435

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Contract or not, Ulrich was someone she was genuinely grateful to. Just look at how different Kiril was now…1eeebeacc79cb12a

Thankfully, Ulrich soon a5b039a5a8 lifted his hand 611165ce4d from her knee 41e6c47f29 and pulled out 2a6f54bc4a a cigarette.6cc6568dc38362c5

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Sasha quietly let out 06f532d493 a breath of relief.494bac14b4fbcdfb

“…Guess all those guys must’ve had bad eyesight.”2c5a57b32158c61b

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Kiril, who’d been 611cadf973 staring at her 5ef0811f5c knee, muttered gruffly.78ba8ec9ea39a023

Then he ba5690a36d lowered his f184cf292d gaze and bea8fd4978 focused on e85b02b84e devouring the 3099bd2dbc bread from d375017f81 the basket.55c03f38f626fcd5

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Before long, the signature 01890925cd dishes and drinks began d37c6dffee to arrive.6fcd5c6fbba8f262

Seafood salad, 94ba60a325 veal saltimbocca 14cba99171 with prosciutto, 66abf3c604 lemon cream c0ddfb60f9 pasta, and 4a2d19c34e spinach frittata 6d2d60d145 were all b6be2a835b served one dc171c8b36 after another.6fc149c75133da93

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Just as ed6e834e64 Kiril finished ab1115803f off the 52fa40cd81 breadbasket and 866b896614 began inspecting 2d7bcbdba7 the plates, 233e7c3175 he blurted 24c712ad00 something out 6dd953e50d of nowhere 423444eaae again.afd424f71d5f1ea1

“You don’t like eggs.”6501a47f8c5b12e1

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Sasha turned to him, 28e75f72c4 startled.797c738c32e1d7e0

What kind of a8ea5b0611 sudden remark was cf24ed730c that?d1cfbc2c91236212

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Ulrich quietly 567f59537d ground out 40c1bdcf81 his cigarette 50e6f8dd6d in the 68700af69e ashtray and 70faa0be62 looked at 903df02ad6 Kiril, a e90ba0efc6 flicker of ec54ff8b47 amusement in 157d4f7219 his blue 5230d973aa eyes.05a62ead8117ed81

“Shura doesn’t like eggs?”4f989b1b6789c0e9

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“Yeah. She never touches them. You didn’t know?”cc32a3124a7fa5b7

Kiril replied casually, completely 9ba833c97c unfazed by Sasha’s startled 7a9e66d293 expression.3d500ab36085147e

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“Is that so…? I’m not sure since when Kiril thinks that’s the case, but the Shura I knew used to love omelets for breakfast when she was little.”d5513da2277c64c1

Ulrich turned to 45dc9300ce Sasha for confirmation, aa1cec0ccf his tone calm e8525d0895 and curious.56414513f8beb90b

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Kiril, too, stared 3c6510f3cc at her with 219b33e572 a ‘that can’t b49ad6aabc be right’ expression.0b4274e53b3d32f1

‘What is this even…’f45c883fe201d2ef

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Sasha’s mind thudded with f041e78c1d confusion as she faced 998bf5d3d5 the unexpected dilemma.b5a28c5ae711eabc

Ulrich’s statement wasn’t exactly 0c92ec4d07 false—but she couldn’t say dcbae5dc4a Kiril was wrong, either.be96f09a6d79f8c3

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Back when the 4cc31c7a72 siblings lived together 8de640514b in that matchbox 8c4d310dd4 apartment, eggs had 556885901f been a luxury.5e7f522c3a6452ae

And it wasn’t 095103b0db just about price. Even if 6e4e6af23a they scraped 5acc269045 together money a89b4f8b66 and lined 6580691eda up at dcf0af2845 the market 712e5dc749 at the f2466b93cf crack of 9da46308dd dawn, they 0e3cb950c6 often went 40defae2ed home empty-handed.657958be9a842f14

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The black market didn’t cd80788aa9 require lines, but there 2a05777062 was no guarantee those 5e4b06a7b0 eggs were even real.adbfada9633d148f

 0935989c96f3137b

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