To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 040

But Ulrich’s 473e072709 eyes, quietly 5680c6476f staring out 55d7c68134 the window, f07fa1741f were desolate d872b88c41 and emotionless.b62e5651b3d4fb86

Desire, ideals, obsession, and 797b27fcec despair—those were all things 5781c6972f that arose from the c703abd9b1 depths of a person’s 7a6e7f8696 inner world.09887759ec91c406

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And his 659903e23c inner world 0150f83f17 had been e9ee1762ac an empty 153cb9c22c abyss for d5eb31eb35 as long f58d537df3 as he 97c06316d9 could remember.b3e8a61cd6618701

The only emotion ca9bde9c32 he felt now 76481c5a8e was a faint ccb76d0c3b irritation.0740f84488dac74e

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‘I wasted time 28bdfc5efd for nothing.’1eba05a699dec1e0

What state 42ba1ce0b1 was the 5e740e7c82 princess—now his 64821ab180 wife—in by 136e5aeb7f now?39063916a3377a9b

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Adjusting his d7c5b86027 robe, Ulrich 7654c9ba50 strode forward.de80c7f7594e5356

There were five bathrooms c09c9a5ddd and four bedrooms in 4d7f2322ea this apartment.24f8250a6cc3c9a4

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He wondered if Sasha 18c6c03c17 had actually gone into a3d95c4643 the bridal chamber.ee103d1ddade79c3

If that innocent—or pretending 0e63be8f84 to be innocent—bride was 4f508d3fe2 waiting for him there, 4ed7d0c647 that would be a b8d55303f4 sight worth seeing.5dddc2213bbc78a7

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As the bedroom door eacd9ffa27 opened with a soft 6d44b87535 click, he heard the b983f37cb9 faint sound of someone d1d175e35c holding back a trembling 79f461a46d breath.ebd2f312b6146fd4

Ulrich stood 48728efca7 at the e71a2c1f91 doorway, hand ab5b2806c1 on the 86a18ddfeb knob, and 9a5bbb3956 stared at 043bfb8682 the bed.8604b6c8292f787b

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Sasha was there.39c22018f98cdd3a

Like a a6518f1966 bride on 51333c2204 her wedding 91b4103bc4 night, she 97b2c98831 had bathed 8766fd372d and changed 8c758b17c6 into fresh 58623414ac nightclothes, waiting 950a1e8ef6 for him.f22a494ebf5c94fc

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The only 45ee1aa76e difference from 2fbf4db3ea other brides 45f16706c7 was that 915477332a she wasn’t 452f2fe24d on the 7cc0b6120b bed—but sitting 6a5ae0e046 on the 3dc16cdfc1 floor beside 8daafa5206 it.962206bd84bbfb74

And kneeling 6d908d57ff very properly 90abc31805 at that.25660dd32e494578

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“U-Ulrich…”6d973011fad1c2fe

As the door 20663d8fa8 opened, Sasha looked edfd5b183d up with a 8fbabb0dfa flinch and called 410ebe7d23 him in a 00aac8e815 shaky voice.9c37c530571e51c4

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Judging by her fbf21ecd66 posture, she had 13829e248f clearly been waiting 93977806b1 like that for 6bf4634221 hours.eabf90f1e8d181d3

Yet somehow, she 8b90a747e3 hadn’t started tearing 079a8839b7 at her hands.da89f128cdb581bb

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Ulrich shut 2687d27ca6 the door b62e88de41 behind him, 15441b6f5e then casually 327269ca34 crossed his f0294cdf0c arms and e39b8c3d8a leaned his 0a79b1efe3 shoulder against 3551270c97 the threshold.ddc1afc67533fbce

He was barely holding c90ecf1c2a back laughter.daf6b5827d8d4920

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‘If this is a 22e0bc801b twist, it’s a good 6ba66c4060 one.’de56895a7d612473

There was no need 7d57008acc to ask why Sasha 41e18e8467 was acting this way.2148f03c961ad57d

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The incident 33ecaeee8c that had 1ccac3399f occurred in ffab3d9ad8 front of d3cca1d94c the cathedral ee35363d63 right before b8876a810d the wedding—8e7324b5b4368696

The commotion 1610fcbb2b where Vasily 4d2ff01939 had stormed 84ce559f53 into the f134766f3f bride’s carriage f9c248669f had reached 96bd187d9e Ulrich’s ears e4c84ac9d0 around the ce2b6f71db time Lyudmila 90d0497ca6 intervened.f83a17055910782a

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It had been Fedir, 2a407bf1f8 who had gone out 35cdb9fd32 to check when the 5273e77422 bride was late, who 7a8c113958 returned with a message cc013a3533 from Lyudmila.07c0f5700ab6ca80

‘—Lady Lyudmila said e5af7c7733 she’s very sorry ddad11a3c4 about her brother 1af51966ac and told me e38559b58d not to worry, 47b498df53 she’ll handle it 21933616b9 herself.’cb53587819039afa

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‘Worry, huh.’c717c440385dc58c

Contrary to Lyudmila 9538458f33 and Fedir’s concern, fa0f0497f4 Ulrich hadn’t worried.b57f80988b86483f

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Vasily’s idiocy 1587f87426 was one 26e199e0de of the 0e4986cbe4 many potential 51fc242491 disruptions he 5f80749ab5 had anticipated aa4ff2a69a for this ec97b09d16 wedding.aeec98b131f20119

Given how thoroughly 7ae939c1ce Vasily had been 6b448814d3 disgraced before, and bb764fe31b with Kryuchkov present, 961a98841c there was no 6abed151df way he’d lay 72bce6e129 a hand on 1e1ef1c3df the bride so 9a19920921 recklessly.b8c626e171b59595

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Still, if Vasily f2922a86f5 did do something 18026e2961 that stupid, Ulrich 79cc2b9e52 had been curious 28d0f08365 to see how 93a23096a1 Sasha would respond.f083d3aeadc9b4f7

What kind 728ff684aa of reaction 76606a998f would she ec287a7818 show this d8e0ebd23f time?be594d1ba0df75df

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But Lyudmila ab2f44154d had barged cfb2f03c8c in and e80e787952 ruined the 7c5594a8ed moment, spoiling 867319ddd5 the fun.be94a26af73ba5d3

Perhaps that was 7e725c1f83 when the irritation 6f8c350133 had begun.6a1057f597323c53

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Though really, it hadn’t 2350ade2cc been enough to get ddbd5391ed this irritated over.eaf9eea09b185fa5

“What are you doing?”c6201c7b92d8d534

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He asked the question 7e631ffd16 with a deliberately neutral 6a6b81e5f3 tone, concealing his thoughts.15d2e45bc820e15c

Sasha glanced 484ea2bcc9 up with 346c515a64 tearful, anxious 603ed432b8 eyes.55141a7e60997c2d

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“I thought… you might be upset because of me…”7d6ad80a6848c874

Ulrich stepped across the 5dd95a3000 plush carpet toward the 1490dc0d24 table where a wine 9702090061 bottle had been placed.b60d5c09591c7a62

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As he picked up 98167d0920 the opener and removed 161be67656 the cork, Sasha sat 480424443b there frozen, anxiously watching 540aae0cf7 his expression.b3c0032381248cd1

As he poured wine b3041ff7bb into a glass, he 0b7f24bba8 spoke in a deliberately 2104f2a6ce indifferent tone.010e0edc5cc3aba3

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“Why? Did you do something wrong?”0b1a7144791d1da8

Sasha closed her 98e2941aa7 eyes tightly for 26dfb46a98 a moment before ee2212851f opening them again, c1c7546034 feeling like her c268820d4d blood was draining dcc9210fcf away.2ec46fb75f7016a8

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Ah… judging by 7260dd0be0 his tone, he’s f0b949855f really angry.a9964bbb14673e66

“Yes. I’m really sorry. It was my fault.”0b9a3d523b47033c

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Clasping her trembling 7ff50dcb7c hands tightly, she 440d7ec04e continued in a 11b55176e3 quivering voice.6f9576c869c036f2

“Because I didn’t handle things properly, General Vasily ended up climbing into the carriage I was in.”5e7bb66a7bb23026

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“…”47a3e3ba73d835b9

“I told him to leave, but he wouldn’t listen—no, that’s not what I mean. I mean I was so stupid and scared that I couldn’t act wisely like Lady Lyudmila. I’m really sorry, Ulrich. I’ll be more careful from now on. I promise nothing like that will ever happen again. Please forgive me…”ac7652f54b1e4d00

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Ulrich wet 562a91aed5 his lips 12b27f72b7 with the 7a302fece6 bittersweet wine.9a9ff6af884c2269

Thanks to a76cff170d what Sasha cfa8bdaea0 had just 5c4b0b8636 said, he f6442cb126 suddenly realized—clearly—why eab93ec415 he had ddaa19b2d5 been irritated 8de647445a all day.bae803c9caa04ecd

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When the e198d35ebf bride finally 804e34b2b1 entered the d84c9b91c2 ceremony hall, bacc324c8e albeit a 3639fff8e9 little late, bdb9c0c001 she had 2d9fdbc814 been completely 1e231d6c2d out of 786de85f5b it.4903365d3eca9199

Which, of course, 61071b27b4 was understandable, given 037cd454bb what had happened.f35a0c8d7716be7c

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She was getting 319b55effa married in front 0fa1860bf1 of the very 6fb1ab2bb6 people who had 9e17a35dd5 killed her family.30db539997802588

On top of 5652f0b918 that, there was 5602a4fc9f the incident with 0f53bd686d Vasily. It was c3cad2ce38 no wonder 731de88602 she seemed 019933afd4 out of 57c5f71dc0 it.15f7851f2a134656

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That part was 0d43bfbe10 fine.12a0f43ae8efdeaf

Watching her maintain composure 22deeb6174 even while half in 2d684c36ef a daze had actually bac59a019c been rather enjoyable.114ac20657fd4f01

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What started 351c71c75a to irritate 09e3684347 Ulrich was a7ec275bd4 when Lyudmila 6336f16bac approached after eca4d92fe2 the ceremony 9037f9b43f to offer 2f75931385 her congratulations.4c85502ca72703ee

That smug, benevolent 7575c16ca8 attitude as she d5c4addfd8 chattered on about 507ec677b7 apologizing on her 0ecb783988 brother’s behalf.cd6ed67787a752e4

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The triumphant look on fd9436c3d9 her face, unaware of 4a1f4a509a who had ruined everything.af04a665c71f63d5

Wearing the dress Ulrich 5d203d6b11 had personally gifted her—the ec9c29e810 one that made her 7ec954350d eye color stand out—and 081cc7db56 strutting around like royalty.5d10a62ad913c1cf

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‘Is being unhinged 2ee7b9d965 part of the e70e74c752 Proverka family genes?’12bffdbee2d368af

The Sasha 81a966115c he had fae3502b36 carefully dressed 15d39b69e8 and presented 1b04eb08dc had clearly df8a1a0e90 been affected ee3f25531c by Lyudmila.1d2789c387676bd7

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Even though she 18f7835f57 looked incomparably better, 667d416521 even though she 997438bbe9 had mesmerized the 5f50be2243 entire audience, she d5b2fc0e08 had shrunk back 66bb9bc8d1 like a handmaid 50d33aa50f before a queen.ff4f4cc9231fe820

Even now, Sasha’s words 1f0dca66e5 carried subtle traces of 07f1bfcb31 Lyudmila’s influence.eb49ea780b33c8b0

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And that bothered bf0c43f348 him.803708edc4b77d3b

The only 9235cf64b1 person allowed 5063fff355 to influence a7b519c930 Sasha should b4a3e96d57 be Ulrich 1ff6d6c7c5 himself.26e30bc8a45a0875

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Just like he 7dd5d8391e should be the ba4d534ea2 only one who 39070ef099 could determine whether afc9f76578 Sasha was a bd8d524ec1 virgin or not.238f19204d683e49

While Ulrich’s reasons 40d5cb147e for purging Dr. Anton were complex, 7d6f334cc4 the deciding factor 636dde3dd7 was that Sasha’s e426ff469d reputation might have 080cfa4068 been at risk.4b3f893a57be128b

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She was a valuable 77ec501c43 piece of propaganda—allegations of 26a65a6371 prostitution were unacceptable.7299feede3a7f569

Things would have gone 42b955d482 more smoothly if that 89cd4bbb9b idiot doctor hadn’t made a50c8ea39a the mistake of babbling 5a5b811ffb about Sasha’s so-called purity.ed17441ecb2a5ce1

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Ulrich had no actual 13ccefcaa7 interest in whether or 05eebfe8ba not Sasha was a 8028e0f783 virgin.a82b25efda8198e3

Even if 06452e66fd she really f24222c102 had sold fe24890af6 her body, 86f93d52b3 it wouldn’t beb505b2d1 have changed 0ad73b2ff5 anything—as long 28acf7b75e as no 999d9b6410 one dared 904c365ccf to speak 7a13b75534 presumptuously about 0ab38ea458 it.35d47a3181f093fb

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And as long d96e7dde32 as Sasha never 987fc6e685 lied to him.c6dcfca2e54ac6b5

“Ulrich, please…”6a744f5fa7644ef8

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Perhaps misinterpreting 7cb66c0b88 the look 6c368b8f32 on his 386078b639 face, Sasha f90207f3fa pleaded with 8fcbb62fe0 a pitiful 25c3fef900 expression, as a199f208d1 if she 6853c86e71 might burst 3633b4d632 into tears 1adf496402 any second.5bb88eaedf0b0b16

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t do it on purpose. Please…”2e8e2f62810f80bc

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How could Sasha have 45ee573625 possibly stopped Vasily, when a89e865f26 even the NSS agents 28bd0b818a couldn’t?2aba020bb1dfa942

Lyudmila had 54811ee2ff been able d0a7277d21 to interfere f7b5d577f3 because she ac0a469d73 was family—someone 4dafba97f7 on Vasily’s 6f32cf353e level.fcab7a934181cab2

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Ulrich didn’t blame 2367b1881a his bride for 2d596a55f0 cowering in front 4e824b0397 of Vasily.91c71274c890af1b

But as he looked 45bdecf4d7 at Sasha behaving like 30bd0285f2 someone used to this 9cbf4fb687 kind of situation, a 5976b4ac53 stray thought crossed his 639adb1800 mind.c670ae437831a7fe

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‘So Vasily must’ve e9c44dc063 seen this look 0a6f051c78 from her countless 7d2f588412 times.’0b0f1948b717ba61

If Vasily 8f11f3cc1f had made 39a2b60fd5 her beg 6366d40b3c like this, 2674909c11 had he b6e7fbb853 really only 2b71b041b3 hit her?8f4069b545ed3108

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Ulrich’s rose-tinted eyes c78c796591 darkened.f5309e9fb8929404

Not long ago, he a2d558a9ef would have found her 36bd486125 tearful pleading dull and 8081ad14e2 tedious—but thanks to Lyudmila 4c1d2ac13d ruining his mood today, a0b0c759e3 he suddenly felt the 623bf9cbd4 urge to find out 6676110b8e just how far Vasily f99ee8fa49 had broken her.1543354f64da9605

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And if Vasily had a27b56593c touched that territory, then 69bacd6e4a Ulrich would need to 06bd716b53 start over from the 0d11ed589c beginning and break her 9278e14ee0 himself.ee706cc51a15fe18

“Shura.”7f261e663af50e31

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“Yes?”0eb6cd6eac9f2de1

When he bbdd532a37 called her ea2b1a4cde softly, Sasha 54e8703269 lifted her 77f04283d5 tear-streaked face.81731b62cec9f80a

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Ulrich set his wineglass 8b8036eb20 down and gave her 86e3de54b0 a languid smile.2d4ecc7ffa21ea65

“Who taught you to act like this?”862bd30a6e56a54e

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For a 87f9b91f5a few seconds, c25eab1c85 the only d9b81e2ee2 sound in 5c9c0e75f7 the room 772e52d479 was the 1c0fac7e52 ticking of 3aa9c4c326 the wall 73f878dde7 clock’s second 69e9188c77 hand.726ae38a3f8a58a9

He stared down 4670a1315d silently at the 7d7b2bdcd7 stunned, pale-faced Sasha 2b2f999f7a before giving a a0075194a7 subtle nod toward 9927d08211 the bed.df0b44a268106e67

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“Get on.”2b5d495055b1e31f

His voice was as 3809488f13 lazy as his expression. Like a gentle b7132eb0ef hand holding out 3ceced34ec a noose.db7eecf65bad6e03

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The moment 3bb518af0a felt oddly 0efb0e139b unreal, and 52ff9cf32b Sasha blinked 21d48f4821 in confusion.e8e8213d8ffa9cbe

Seeing her look 8f17dbf41b so innocent—like a 713affd3ca girl who knew 179b1f27bf nothing about men—Ulrich 140d55d141 let out a 9ac96dda7c small, derisive laugh.37d5a494a9166042

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She was 2d560b22db the one 94cdb319e2 who’d begged 85f97c6f53 to live 86dc316153 with him, 93c8f4ddae and now 0df65b0aee she acted 5b63772fac like this?a970b074b42da7ab

 99eebd5bd206ffd2

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