To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 016

Ulrich looked down at Sasha, who was fast asleep, completely unaware of the world. He replayed the moment from just a while ago in his mind.

She had barely tried to feign coldness, yet she had looked so lost, as if terrified of being abandoned—like a frightened puppy. A reaction so predictable, so cliché, that it almost felt dull.

‘I thought it would be more entertaining.’

His interest suddenly soured, leaving behind a stale aftertaste.

He was on the verge of giving up entirely when Sasha, lying defenselessly in sleep, let out a faint whimper.

“Yurochka…”

Was she dreaming of her childhood?

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

Every time he visited the palace at Leonid’s invitation, the young princess would emerge from somewhere, creeping about in secret. She would peek at him from behind pillars, stair railings, or the shadows of trees, always watching, always hiding.

She could have simply approached him—no one would have scolded her for it—yet she always chose to conceal herself in such a clumsy way.

That day had been no different.

There was nothing particularly special about it.

Ulrich had encountered plenty of women who acted that way around him. He had long been aware that the young princess would blush and grow shy whenever she saw him.

And yet, that particular moment had stayed with him, lingering in his memory. Perhaps because of the uproar it had caused among those around them.

Leonid, who had been walking with him, had quickly caught on to his sister’s antics. Vasily, who had come looking for the princess, had seen it too.

And both of them had worn the same expression.

As if their world had come crashing down, their faces twisted in helpless devastation. A faint but undeniable fracture.

Back then, Sasha had only been a fourteen-year-old child.

A child so small she barely reached his chest, yet they had all been terrified—terrified that she would slip away from their grasp.

It had been such a ridiculous, laughable sight.

‘Let’s wait and see a little longer.’

In any case, it was true that she had unexpected sides to her. If he watched with patience, keeping her alive might prove worthwhile.

More than anything, she was an excellent propaganda tool in many ways. Disposing of her now would be nothing short of a waste of resources.

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

Thankfully, the fever seemed to have subsided.

A faint pulse trembled beneath the pale, slender column of her throat.

A fragile, insignificant breath of life—so weak that even the slightest pressure from his fingers could crush it in an instant.

If he had shattered it back then, she wouldn’t have to suffer now.

But instead of ending her pain here and now, Ulrich let his hand drift upward, cupping Sasha’s damp cheek.

“Shura.”

Her dark, thick lashes quivered slightly, like false lashes delicately attached.

Trailing his fingers over the tiny beauty mark near her swollen, reddened eyes, he whispered gently.

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

* * *

Igor, the personal physician who had served the Kastrov family for twenty years, was utterly bewildered.

The woman he had first seen in Ulrich’s bedroom a few days ago had been a pitiful sight.

Even in her feverish delirium, she had trembled and sobbed incessantly. She was severely malnourished, and her emaciated legs were covered in raw whip marks, as if she had been brutally beaten.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that she was a princess.

When the butler, Yakov, revealed her true identity, Igor had been utterly shocked.

Wasn’t she supposed to be one of the selfish, greedy remnants of the imperial family? But the woman he saw was nothing like that. At least in Igor’s eyes, she was just a small, frightened girl.

Yet, when he saw her again the next day, her condition had worsened even further.

The wounds on her legs alone had been appalling enough, but now the injuries had spread elsewhere, forcing the maids to assist in her treatment.

The injuries were one thing, but what worried him even more was the relentless fever that refused to break. He had been on edge the entire time.

Even for a fallen member of the imperial family, there was no reason for her condition to deteriorate this much every time he saw her.

No matter what crime this frail girl had committed, there was no way she deserved such relentless punishment.

‘Could it be… the Director…? No, that doesn’t make sense.’

Violence was an act born out of frustration—of something not going as intended.

And the marks on the woman’s body were brimming with emotion.

Ulrich wasn’t the type to act out of emotion. This couldn’t have been his doing.

Besides, the woman now sitting cautiously on Ulrich’s bed didn’t seem to fear him.

In fact, the moment Igor mentioned that Ulrich had called for him, her tense demeanor suddenly relaxed.

At the very least, this time, he wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.

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

“Thank you.”

After several days, Sasha had finally regained some of her strength. She offered a composed smile and thanked him.

Igor couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Perhaps it was because, upon learning that she was a princess, an unconscious prejudice had taken root in his mind.

Even in her frail, battered state—so thin she could be mistaken for a child—she still managed to smile with a quiet sense of detachment. And from that, an indescribable air emanated.

Something that had become rare in this era—what people once called grace.

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

“Yes.”

“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—”

After a lengthy lecture, Igor finally left, and Sasha let out a sigh of relief.

Unlike the doctors she had encountered before, Igor seemed kind.

Since he was Ulrich’s personal physician, he was bound to be trustworthy.

Still, being in the same space as a stranger made her uncomfortable.

She didn’t used to be like this.

At some point, she had developed the habit of shrinking away, instinctively fearful of anyone she met.

‘When will Ulrich be back…?’

She was absentmindedly fiddling with the blue bottle of supplements Igor had left when the door opened again.

Sasha’s head snapped up in surprise.

“Ah…”

The moment she saw the man standing there, holding a telephone on a tray, a wave of confusion washed over her.

It was a familiar face from her memories.

‘Yakov…?’

The Kastrov family’s butler approached her and spoke in a formal tone.

“The Director wishes to speak with you.”

“What…?”

Before she could even process the request, Yakov handed her the receiver.

Caught off guard, Sasha hesitated, unsure of what to say.

It had been so long since she had last answered a phone—so long that she didn’t even remember how she was supposed to respond.

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

“…I have taken the call.”

As the words left her lips awkwardly, silence followed.

Sasha nervously bit her nails.

Then, at last, a familiar, gentle voice flowed through the receiver.

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

“Huh…? Yes, I think so.”

Flustered by the unexpected question, she fumbled for a response.

Ulrich let out a quiet chuckle.

“Did you finish your lunch?”

“Yes, I ate everything.”

“Really?”

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

As if Ulrich were right in front of her, Sasha found herself nodding along as she listed off her meal.

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

“Yes, yes. Um, but…”

“Do you need something?”

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

The moment the words slipped out, regret hit her like a wave.

She had asked something she shouldn’t have.

As she anxiously chewed at her nails again, Ulrich’s voice came through.

“Is waiting for me difficult?”

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

“I see. You just suddenly got curious.”

“Yes….”

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

There was a trace of disappointment in his tone.

Without thinking, Sasha hastily blurted out,

“I-I do miss you…!”

 

 

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