To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 025

No one could ever know that their marriage was, in truth, a two-year contract.

In public, they had to act like any ordinary couple in love.

His suggestion to dine out together today was likely part of that performance.

“Why don’t you sit here and wait for a bit? I won’t take long.”

Yet, when Ulrich lightly draped an arm over her shoulder and guided her toward the sofa, his touch was so gentle that it left her momentarily confused.

Ulrich is naturally affectionate. He probably has far more experience in relationships than I do…

Sasha perched on the edge of the white plush sofa, pushing aside the stray thoughts creeping into her mind.

Just then, Ulrich, who had been about to turn away, hesitated.

His gaze locked onto her.

“Shura.”

“…Yes?”

She flinched instinctively, and his next words reached her ears.

“I get that you missed me, but could you let go for just a moment?”

“Huh? Ah…!”

Only then did she realize that she was gripping onto his sleeve.

She instantly let go, her hands snapping back like they had been burned.

Idiot.

Her ears burned with embarrassment. She had acted like a child.

Lev, who had handed over the file Sasha had dropped earlier, left briefly, then returned with a cup of cocoa, placing it in front of her.

Then, after offering a salute to Ulrich, he finally disappeared.

Was he easygoing or just shameless?

Sasha lowered her gaze to the cup of cocoa Lev had left behind.

It was the first time she had ever been offered anything to drink inside this building, yet she had no desire to touch it.

The office itself hadn’t changed much from what she remembered.

The high ceilings, the tall windows, the sleek rosewood desk—nearly everything was still white.

And yet, just the fact that Ulrich sat behind that desk made everything feel different.

“Captain Lev’s nickname is ‘Cocoa Machine.’”

Ulrich, seated in his swivel chair as he flipped through the file, suddenly spoke up.

“…Pardon?”

“You won’t regret drinking it.”

His blue eyes glimmered playfully.

Sasha could only let out an awkward, clueless laugh.

“You look beautiful today.”

“W-What? Really…?”

One moment, she had been stiff with anxiety, and now she was brightening up like a child being praised.

Ulrich stifled a chuckle.

At least this was better than her trembling and shrinking away.

He had never lied about his standards for a wife.

Sasha was a beauty who met his requirements.

Like a white deer wandering through the birch forests of Velus—she was a perfect symbol of its tragic imperial past.

A flawless tool for propaganda.

And though he had noticed it long ago, the way she walked, the way she sat—18 years of being raised as a princess had not been entirely erased.

“I mean it. Do you like the gifts I gave you?”

“Of course! I love all of them. They’re so beautiful.”

Sasha hesitated, fidgeting with the black crocodile leather handbag resting against her knee.

“Um… Ulrich. Thank you, really. I don’t know if I deserve any of this, but—”

“Shura, you’re my bride. Of course, you do.”

The word bride rolled off his tongue in that smooth, feather-light voice and embedded itself deep in her chest.

It was just a transaction.

A two-year fake marriage.

Sasha fully understood that dressing up beautifully was part of helping Ulrich.

And yet, her heart fluttered foolishly, betraying her logic.

Like a butterfly flitting between her ribs.

Like she had traveled back to the naïve days of her girlhood.

Back when just seeing Ulrich’s back from a distance had been enough to make her heart race.

Her brother, Leonid, had been the first to notice her childish infatuation.

Once he realized, he had stopped bringing her along whenever he met Ulrich. And when his illness worsened, he avoided going out altogether.

I’m just a bride for business. That’s all.

She struggled to rein in her thoughts, but a useless curiosity bubbled up.

He treated her so kindly, even though she was only a temporary wife.

Then what would he be like to a woman he truly loved?

What was it like to be genuinely loved by someone like Ulrich?

Not that she dared to entertain such thoughts.

All she wanted was—

To be remembered well.

For a while, the only sound was the rustling of papers.

Sasha cradled the cocoa cup in both hands, pretending to take a sip while stealing glances at Ulrich.

His expression remained composed as he studied the documents, one brow slightly raised in concentration.

Is something not going well?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Ulrich looked up, catching her watching him.

Delighted by his attention, Sasha shyly asked, “Do you always have this much work?”

“Always.”

Ulrich replied easily, setting the file aside.

“By the way, Kiril will be joining us later.”

“Kiril…?”

Her face, which had been dazed with daydreams, instantly lit up.

Far more than when he had called her beautiful.

“I thought it’d be good for us to have a meal together before the wedding. Would that be alright?”

“Of course! Don’t worry about it.”

Sasha nodded so enthusiastically she nearly bounced.

Her lilac eyes shimmered like scattered stars, filled with excitement.

Ulrich watched her intently, then suddenly changed the subject as if something had just occurred to him.

“Shura, there’s something I wanted to check with you.”

“What is it?”

Sasha, still smiling, tilted her head curiously.

“While conducting an internal audit, I came across old records from the infirmary. Your name was there.”

The room seemed to tilt.

“It showed you visited regularly. Would you like to tell me why?”

The question struck before she had a chance to brace herself.

Sasha blinked rapidly. A wave of nausea rose in her gut as the strength drained from her limbs.

Why hadn’t she thought of this?

Even if there hadn’t been an audit, there were still agents who knew she had frequented the NSS infirmary.

It was only a matter of time before Ulrich found out.

He’s not asking what I did there.

He’s asking why I was sent there.

The realization sent a sharp sting down her spine. Her heart pounded violently.

“Th-that… The former Director ordered it. He—he misunderstood something about me…”

“What kind of misunderstanding?”

His voice was quiet.

Too quiet.

Sasha’s anxiety worsened.

“He thought… he thought I was making money by—by selling myself.”

Her voice cracked.

“So he ordered me to be sent to the infirmary regularly. For… examinations. And disinfection courses.”

Her lips trembled, turning deathly pale.

To her, the NSS infirmary’s chief physician had been more terrifying than Vasily himself.

Vasily had been the one who ordered the procedures.

But inside that cold, sterile room, it was that doctor who had strapped her into the examination chair, treating her like rotting meat.

And it hadn’t been just her.

Every woman sent there had suffered the same fate.

In truth, she had been lucky compared to most.

Others had been ruined—body and mind—beyond repair.

Just the thought of those memories had nearly sent her into a panic earlier.

But now, the idea that Ulrich might misunderstand—

That thought sent her into full-blown terror.