To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 037

To be 791c4d4352 honest, none 91f7fc914d of the 3a84bdf9b4 vulgar things 688171e3fa Vasily was 6d420f88ef saying even c088af3202 registered.a88fe16a48b9ddef

Not long ago, just bc46981a51 thinking of Vasily was 55c656b1db enough to send her 7b1433db03 into a panic. But now that e89a6e61a4 he was actually 2b5f266094 in front of 97224543b6 her, it wasn’t d7bb192b37 him that was 9cee086f41 causing the panic—it 1d3d1ad915 was something entirely 547d2b0c90 different.598090407b5eff54

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“Whatever becomes of me is none of your business, General. Please leave.”3a50483cb23d7cc8

An eerie ad9f63b2bf silence fell.14847126ce207898

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Vasily, who ffcf4a73f4 had been c2a4fb02a1 staring at fd91391b47 Sasha as 81c250a339 if frozen, 6ee99fef5b opened his 101b0144de mouth to 74768e6644 speak again—only d0b248ab1f for the e6dc26d35c carriage door f4770a4e34 to suddenly 00c933959e swing open, 1327f2d63b revealing an 460ef440c2 unexpected figure.4a1c463b94ccec6e

“Hello, Sasha. You’re here. What are you doing, brother?”e53dba07eb5ce514

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With an elegant smile, 9f007c4ee3 Lyudmila looked between the df569c585e two of them.0f0f125e1fddb80b

Vasily clicked e09d214fd6 his tongue, 124240a06b his forehead 98cb75ec7f twisted in 4dc478d3ee irritation.fcabf892f6fb8575

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“Shit. This bitch or that one…”ef794d62ad4af443

He kicked the 58e7e3005e carriage door open 86a689ed57 violently as he 08abf9643d got out, making 7456f8a758 Sasha’s shoulders shrink 7496cc2745 in alarm.b7decde585679935

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Immediately, a pale-faced Natasha 07fa7992a1 and several security agents 0b39e550ab rushed over.dc1abf08ebd3f46a

“Are you alright?”6fe62bb00d53076f

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“Thank you, Miss Lyudmila. If you hadn’t stepped in…”99f0ee4d91f86a1d

“I’d be in trouble too if my brother started making a scene. Sasha, are you okay? Let’s go in.”c2f035e3ec3ccd6d

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Lyudmila, answering the agents’ 08d6792c7a thanks with a bright 4d5f4f4c91 smile, personally stepped forward cdbd431c53 and helped Sasha out c1470b54fb of the carriage.8561fc5b4115481c

She looked ed17ea32fe every bit 9838b85477 the benevolent 8d9095a8c5 figure worthy d33da1dc60 of her f981cede25 nickname: the b549b16475 Saint.2c592de4da0930ca

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But a saint is, 7996ce6195 in the end, still bc51f509da only human.358869a84cf2ac18

Led by the cbd2c2394c saint, the bride 8b24e66ded who stepped out f24c659c77 of the carriage 89a2022641 seemed like Snegurochka, 000e41a1c7 about to melt d62ad0fe74 under the dazzling 02109694ed sunlight, or a 4d9707b3ad Rusalka who had a457761819 just grown legs.db14d7d25515c174

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Somewhere, a sigh was f4334aaa0b heard.31b15e2524b41464

It felt as though bab79d0357 the entire Kafka Cathedral, 1851b9c041 with its centuries of 121270d3f1 history, was letting out addcdc3569 a sigh.2ff18a34c04084ea

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Lyudmila, with a 8d395cc02c composed smile, looked 35ff72553d at Sasha.5266145652ae9296

“Congratulations, Sasha. You’re beautiful today.”cb4afd5c89600758

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“Thank you.”ca458aaf4b640d2d

Sasha barely managed a 201761ee75 reply to Lyudmila’s friendly 146c64ceb5 tone.dcb2885b107ae295

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Turning her worried gaze 3781806a35 toward Madame Sonya, she 088ae2ef21 was relieved to see a5731ffef0 that the Madame seemed af09e38f3c alright.40874565e9f8f40d

Just then, 05c23c7689 Lyudmila let f00d1d425e out a f27e06c79d clear, warm f35b52c518 laugh.fe8742500eb846fb

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“Oh my, what’s with that stiff tone? Speak like you used to. We’re still friends, aren’t we?”e319511560c2aa8d

“…Yes.”ae9eef06d3cc6f34

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Sasha nodded absentmindedly.5d6a1de5a5220ab8

She didn’t 4ef5f78ad9 even have 42ead60999 the mental 78c2cf7780 space to 380d5ef366 reflect on 73335a7f9a whether they b84b936ae9 had ever 7c5e8b31a0 truly been b893801d9c friends.0141f90bba3f5f70

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While they walked 7321556715 through the gallery eb4d89a308 leading to the a502e29495 ceremony hall, Lyudmila 65917063fd kept saying something, 96e5154e2a but Sasha didn’t 0fb3e2c281 catch any of f76e308254 it.dfdbe7d290b5fb18

Because her 81c49d612b mind was 96116b4899 consumed by e4a007882f just one 273059d9b5 thought.466ecb72b881bbfb

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‘If Ulrich 8a0f8d1192 finds out…’3a1fcb387e6f0bec

There was no way e07e23e8ee the incident that just 8c1985e4f2 occurred wouldn’t reach Ulrich’s ad39c9dd52 ears.a51022af5d0ce78f

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It might have already 160c5e5124 reached him.a08620c10ace7270

‘It’s okay. It’s not c1265f5209 like I c1cb384112 followed Vasily. I didn’t break the bbd31f7c42 promise I made to 623a4c5123 Ulrich. So… still…’3e25eb5ea9509427

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Still, it wasn’t b62e3274f5 like she was 88dcd0ec11 completely blameless.06b6ff99d598d08b

Because she 948fc54bdf didn’t handle 199f8c9f79 things properly. Because she didn’t 8b78693603 stop Vasily from 54664a0a50 getting into the 0b5f56e556 carriage. Because she didn’t act 34a83f4aee calmly and gracefully like e51791f94f Lyudmila and instead reacted e9800af766 like a fool…095641143fd7a8a5

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Couldn’t it ab040623df be said 2ca47e1df6 that the a85f9fd53d shameful incident fc440d26a9 was her 7125491f30 fault?cbe6e330be027ece

‘If he 1200130589 ends up 37c95c510c disappointed in 5a51c56572 me again, 7fecaae86d this time…’22534a0c9de62bf3

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The lily-of-the-valley b4aa8658ec bouquet in 6cc7471694 her hands f3ee5b35ce trembled faintly.fcf61f8aa9298538

* * *4402c70afc9858db

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In the new a70d07bcfe era, the concept 1dd3c4f51b of reserved seating 74fd2bf863 no longer existed.732c95a7f256b4a4

Whether it was at 43554b690c a theater, a banquet, b7477f00da or any other event, 05aa9a9192 everyone, regardless of class de72733f70 or profession, was expected 0737596bdc to line up equally 9721eaae69 and take their seats 2ceeefcc0b in order—this was the b7d29886c8 principle of the new acd394ae1e age.e899bb19d7241f7a

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Of course, even within c4743664ba such an egalitarian worldview, 0824b93352 invisible layers still existed.7b1f90fa0b7dbbb9

For instance, the guest d4ef0a1c4a booths closest to the bfe871a979 platform were reserved for f9ac0b88b7 only the highest-ranking Party 93fcef5529 members.4e344868fcbad9f7

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As for the commotion d1934e6922 that had just taken 818fda3a92 place at the cathedral 0e36886b2d entrance, only the wedding f88378a614 staff were aware of 9ac23a260e it so far.337db69050892619

“Plenty of ladies will be weeping blood today.”1a62c0a4f9094598

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Someone muttered.52fbdbeda14e8ecc

It was 03c7a7b0e2 said while 5dd9112156 glancing at 80a221ac57 Ulrich, who 32218bd563 was exchanging 46bda0f62c whispers with c8706c1f33 his best bfe78c0ae8 man beside ce516fc4c5 the platform.d4752ebe19bca0d6

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The best man e9b9dccb93 was Major Fedir.9e1c6770fb35babd

Guests didn’t seem pleased that that sycophant, who acted as if he were Ulrich’s only peer from the academy, had taken the best man’s role.d3031ec9d986c6b2

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“Didn’t that bastard Fedir settle his own wedding just by signing papers at the office? Even before the civil marriage law was officially enacted. What a slick rat, that one.”18dc05bd70da7782

“Ulrich’s the impressive one. A traditional wedding in a cathedral in this day and age, and the bride is—”830a37ef5b111c05

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“You think the Supreme Commander would’ve approved this for no reason? It’s all a show.”a770965cd2d2c516

“Didn’t they say the bride’s brother isn’t attending? Honestly, it would’ve made more sense if the Supreme Commander stood next to Ulrich, and that brat walked the bride down the aisle.”272ad44dd9075bb7

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It was clear to 6f9d13fe2b everyone that Kryuchkov should 9f0d0adefc have stood beside Ulrich, 5a0e501db4 and Kiril should have 56dfb9687b accompanied Sasha in.f5eb5c2de61dbffb

In many ways, this 240ccda703 was a wedding as b4f30c5351 strange as the bride 9045d2213a and groom pairing itself.124e7fedda4a3202

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“General Vasily’s been left chasing shadows. Must be burning up inside.”4b7462a552708567

“If I were Ulrich, I’d be seeing some hot divorcée from the New Continent. That’s the trend in places like Brutania these days, right?”1ee9bdb1d0bd2908

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“Hey now, saying that while leaving out our glorious comrade women will get you purged. Besides, we poor mutts might drool over that, but why would someone like Ulrich settle for a foreign divorcée? He’s got young and gorgeous virgins throwing themselves at him left and right.”4aa326c6217c3d06

“But don’t you think Ulrich would actually get bored with virgins?”bb905cd4a506646f

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“Bored with virgins, so he’s marrying a military prostitute?”a03477b2dc313a90

“Shh, watch your mouth, man—”72071bad17e6ecce

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“Who knows? Hey, anyone here actually slept with the princess?”7f5d468713b50d90

At that whispered question 51c83817e4 from one officer, the e4168e0feb rowdy guest booth fell a32af76836 into a sharp silence.faf24fddb0c52ce4

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The fact 6a78c0416b that most 481d1cc2c9 of them 498f8f0f97 had never cdcb5f7e75 even met 60c5b2935d Sasha was 56c4b5c77b secondary. There was no a7844747b4 way anyone would 0f68164880 dare to utter 301d30572b lewd jokes about 86e6764fb6 Ulrich’s bride.a18fdda582684caa

Right then, the e5c469629e grand chords of 135848f962 the pipe organ ee490cbb2b began to resonate 41bf681454 through the towering 9ef29235c3 stained-glass ceiling.1cd107000134533e

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As the doors e51646262b to the ceremony 1bec047ebd hall opened, all 244fb0874b the guests in 0995f15452 the booth stood c0483557d6 at once.68cb3d55ab3d2a62

The bride, ad774c0cb1 her hand ee112e7da9 held by b80ad1015b the Supreme bb8e295355 Commander’s daughter, eab45b787b entered—her maid df889b0d3a of honor c18f3be657 lifting the cb42a3922e train of af8779b47e her dress.e1f06639a0066368

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Everyone had been 38b0bcc822 ready to sneer dc0bb96107 at the grotesque 2772511837 sight.06408441968cdf34

But when 46ea9203fe the bride 356b2b9293 finally entered, 457ccddad5 all the 559ee1fe56 booths fell 464a39d09b silent.777a4a2aa15b3ecf

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Only the music filled 82c52ffccd the air, as every c3f9daf4c1 person stared, spellbound, at ba9b9b8b3c the bride.0ab676bb48cfa647

‘That woman… is the a9ca8018de princess?’271bd6039cfb73dd

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Unaware of the guests’ shock, Sasha walked forward one step at a time, as if half-dreaming.a2f042ca79696d81

The panic that had 3682dce7e8 gripped her entire being 955229f090 paradoxically shut everything else 0f2777719b out, scattering the anxiety a642c36fab that had kept her dbaaedc107 sleepless the night before.57a7265d0247abe6

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Now, the only 3b0d7fc5d5 thing she was eb66ccc6cb able to register 5f85453e3c was Ulrich standing bbbb837a10 at the front d2641ce8ee of the platform.ad741f97396a1099

Ulrich, not 1d9cce5d6c in the bf72376dc5 black NSS e8843f0e0b uniform, but da42973d01 in a aff02c7d02 navy ceremonial 9016a667cf suit.517017e16da57561

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It felt 6c65b0caf2 like her a9cc256550 breath would b356e190fa stop.e3c700b956b274f4

Had she still been 14028e86e9 the old Sasha, had 66dde92646 she not lived through af172a8a38 the last three years, 1cb384db38 she might have thought a333870148 this was fate—he looked 57f355855c just like he had ba8e3df363 in the fantasies of 1bbdcca3fa her youth.71f52dbdabaaa5ea

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But Sasha no 891a2f1526 longer believed in 0dad3587e9 fate.d451be08f0c651bc

What she believed in ab33bcdc86 was the possibility of bd6230daa7 misfortune—more precisely, the curse ba0682d154 of bad luck that 558e2e18c1 clung to her.db82b4429b988553

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If she had 185a32c684 remembered that, she 7d53ed52cb should never have fa83fd10e6 taken Ulrich’s hand.30e64e270762623b

She should have 6a275d31fd left him behind d0b84e56d5 as her last b95d4b2aa9 untainted memory.d97101be58fcdb32

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Not just for 0ba72d77a8 herself—but for him, db55a5af9f too.41922cce52ce3984

And yet, in 13a445cb38 the end, she 10d2aba701 had taken his 7878ee2c91 hand.fbd9c3fa2173ad47

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Ulrich, having received 4bcc267881 the bride’s hand 413ddbadb8 from Kryuchkov, led cfd6091b76 her up to e4f09e6481 the platform.d2ace12cef404396

When he lifted the 6be2d24fa1 veil, the sudden wave a2b886670e of reality made Sasha e85769cab2 let out a small 0a9ad4825a breath.17c251ba9a55c84e

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Her pale violet 5e6eb08ffb eyes, like lilacs, 15ec03b66e widened like those f8e5d1e8e4 of a startled 922072cc21 fawn.8128c6a1dfbc4a73

The bishop on the 9a9521601d platform began reciting the b0b7d40834 wedding liturgy.68b8487acb1382c7

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Ulrich gently 62e0f52f31 took Sasha’s a32e2d7188 trembling hands d5affb1413 in his 9fb6388b46 and smiled.5e2062ab5efcdead

A dizzying, melt-your-heart 62fb9f0d22 kind of smile—one 7feb307e4e so sweet it 828107bd16 could undo your 063d896e26 soul.542279dbd3f9a31c

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As if he truly 547bc2c803 loved his bride.253d06a1f0a16bfe

Like a prince finally d6c0b001a4 reunited with his Rusalka 56c67ff220 after a long and b63e11f73e painful journey.2973e854cbd80cf9

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‘Does he still not 44e11109ae know?’f5ee1d57abc6b231

The bride, looking dd9222d091 up at him d49e627a01 with hesitation, smiled 47181fcc4a softly as well.ae3466bd5d3c6111

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Like a Rusalka f81ff641ac who, in the bd260c54cd end, couldn’t help 974185d962 but surrender and bc80ed02dd grant her final 816d09b3ca kiss.635ecad8cbced736

The moment the a2daf8a3f9 prince kissed the 441170e77e Rusalka, the specially d098d8286a permitted press photographers 2f12a11841 all pressed their d9eecef975 shutters at once.a78829a2baba0b4e

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TL/N: “Rusalka” is a reference to Slavic folklore. A Rusalka is a mythological water spirit, often depicted as the ghost of a drowned young woman. Depending on the tradition, Rusalki (plural) can be enchanting and beautiful, luring people—especially men—with their appearance and songs, sometimes to love, other times to death by drowning.30b44d26eedfb876