To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 036

Rather, other flashy jewels could easily ruin the unique feeling the dress gave off.

Only after placing the veil—where lace and appliqué decorations were harmoniously combined—over her head did Madame Sonya’s face finally break into a fully satisfied smile.

“Excellent, simply excellent. I can’t remember the last time I truly felt the mood like this. This might even be my final masterpiece.”

“…. Thank you so much, Madame.”

Though she was in a half-dazed state, Sasha spoke sincerely.

It was her way of thanking Madame Sonya for seeing her as just a bride, not anything more or less.

Of course, Madame Sonya merely snorted in response.

“Too early for gratitude. My job isn’t done until our bride finishes the wedding safely. Hey, where did I put the bouquet? My bag?”

Outside the studio, a carriage waited to take the bride to Kafka Cathedral.

Natasha was standing beside the carriage.

She didn’t need to drive today, but she had come for security purposes.

Natasha paused for a moment and gazed silently at Sasha, then turned her head away and spoke in her usual cold tone.

“Get in.”

Madame Sonya frowned at Natasha’s lack of reaction to her masterpiece.

Naturally, Sasha paid no mind to Natasha’s response.

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

An NSS escort vehicle with black license plates followed the carriage carrying the three women.

Not long after departing, Madame Sonya pointed toward the window.

“A good omen. I feel like something lucky is going to happen.”

At those words, Sasha also turned to look outside the window.

Though the veil made her vision hazy, the rain that had been falling in drops since morning had completely stopped, and the sun was now shining.

Whether that could really be called an omen, she didn’t know.

Still, Madame Sonya’s cheerful tone, the suddenly clear sky, and above all, the dreamlike, fantastical dress gave her a sense of hope.

Her chest still ached at the thought that Kiril wouldn’t be there.

The academy’s policy stated that once a dormitory was assigned, students couldn’t leave until the term was over.

From Kiril’s perspective, maybe it was better not to attend.

Holding the lily-of-the-valley bouquet carefully so it wouldn’t shift, Sasha prayed desperately in her heart.

Please let this be a good omen. Please don’t let me make a mistake. Please don’t let me ruin everything again.

“If you say things like that, it’ll have the opposite effect.”

Natasha, who had been silently seated across from her, suddenly spoke in a blunt tone.

In response, Madame Sonya let out a snort.

“So the soldier girl’s got some kind of jinx?”

“… Are you mocking me? Watch your mouth.”

“And you? Shouldn’t you be more careful with your words in front of the bride? If the bride gets upset and the wedding falls apart, are you going to take responsibility?”

Natasha rolled her eyes in disbelief at the huffing Madame Sonya.

“You’re Madame Sonya, right? What, is your life riding on this wedding?”

“Of course. Making the bride happy is my job. And I take great pride in my work. Unlike you, soldier girl, who clearly doesn’t even have that.”

“Did you just say everything you meant to say?”

Sasha looked vacantly between the two women.

As their voices grew louder, her heart began to pound violently, and the area behind her ears began to sting.

“Let’s stop, like someone said—there’s a bride present.”

Natasha, glancing at Sasha, backed off first and turned her head.

Madame Sonya also fell silent at that point.

In silence, the carriage arrived in front of the cathedral.

While Madame Sonya gathered the train of Sasha’s dress, Natasha stepped out first.

At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted outside.

There were sounds like several people speaking at once, and what sounded like a physical struggle.

“Please, no, you mustn’t—!”

“What in the world is going on out there?”

Madame Sonya frowned and asked.

Sasha shook her head to show she didn’t know. The hand clutching the bouquet trembled slightly.

It couldn’t be military journalists causing a fuss. Was it possible a group of people angry about her marriage to a national hero had come to make a scene…?

As Sasha swallowed dryly, a voice rang out, all too familiar, horrifyingly so.

“Just wanna talk for a sec. Hey, if you don’t wanna die, back the hell off.”

“General, aaagh!”

At the same moment as Natasha’s scream, the carriage door burst open.

Madame Sonya’s face went pale.

“W-what do you think you’re doing? The bride is—”

“You too, lady. If you don’t wanna die, get lost.”

Cutting Madame Sonya off roughly, Vasily stared at the frozen Sasha.

“Let’s talk.”

It wasn’t a request. It was a command.

Before Sasha could even respond, Vasily dragged Madame Sonya out as if throwing her and shut the carriage door behind him.

He was dressed in a deep gray suit with trim at the edges.

At a wedding where his father and sister were using the bride like a trophy, he showed up neat and unadorned, now sitting inside the bride’s carriage.

“Shit, those bastards are overreacting…”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he pulled a cigarette pack from his inner pocket and swept his cold eyes over Sasha.

The dress and veil looked like they were woven from snowflakes.

The mysterious bride, like the snow maiden Snegurochka from fairy tales, or a Rusalka from legend—beautiful and bewitching—overlapped with the image of the young princess he’d once been engaged to.

Back then, Sasha had been just a child.

Now, the bride sitting before Vasily felt like a completely different woman from the one he had once known.

Just like when she had been in Ulrich’s arms in the outdoor parking lot at Tremlyn.

None of the guests sitting inside would believe their eyes.

Who would believe that this captivating, lovely, even sensual woman was the same fallen princess who just months ago looked like a homeless beggar walking in and out of NSS headquarters?

Then again, she had been beautiful even in that state.

Even when she had been groveling at his feet and sobbing.

Even when her whole body was covered in bruises and she had cried her heart out, she was still beautiful.

He had thought that in doing so, he had marked her permanently.

That even if their broken relationship could never be fixed, she would never be able to leave him.

“Don’t marry him, Aleksandra.”

Vasily took a deep drag from the cigarette and exhaled in a low, resonant voice.

“Drop all of this and come back to me.”

“…”

Sasha stared silently at Vasily.

A cold sweat trickled down her back.

‘What the hell is he saying?’

She had expected him to come and threaten her.

To cut her down with crude, violent words like he always did.

But this—this was different.

“If you come back now, I’ll forgive you. Even if you already slept with that bastard, it’s fine.”

Spoken in an almost forgiving tone, Vasily reached out and touched Sasha’s veil.

Just as the veil began to lift, Sasha’s hand smacked his away with a sharp snap.

“Get out.”

Sasha spoke.

Her voice was barely more than a whisper—fragile, mournful, yet unmistakably firm.

“Get out, Vasily.”

Vasily stared at the hand Sasha had struck away.

His snake-like sharp eyes twisted in silent fury.

If only she had screamed at him to leave. If only she had trembled in terror and disgust, as if she couldn’t even bear to say his name.

Maybe then, it would have hurt less.

“What a waste. Leaving me just to end up being that bastard’s plaything. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve taught you how to use your body from the start—”

“Don’t insult Ulrich.”

Sasha spat the words, forcing her breath to steady even as it trembled.