To My Gentle Dictator – Chapter 008
Sasha’s memories of Ulrich had always been the same. He never seemed to care, yet he was more elegant than any noble she had ever known.
The scent of coffee blended with cigarette smoke—an intoxicating fragrance that stirred up long-forgotten memories. For a brief moment, Sasha’s thoughts had frozen, but now they slowly began to flow again.
If Ulrich intended to push her into a corner and punish her like Vasily did, he wouldn’t have brought her to his home and started reminiscing about the past.
Besides, despite the madness of her begging him to take her with him, Ulrich neither mocked nor showed any displeasure. Instead, he simply sat across from her, drinking coffee together.
Did he just take it as a joke?
A man like Ulrich would never take her proposal seriously. His reaction just now must have been his way of brushing off her mistake as a joke.
That thought finally allowed her to relax a little. She lifted the fragrant coffee cup to her lips.
The sweet caffeine spread through her veins with a tingling sensation.
Still, I should properly apologize.
“Um, Yuri… Director.”
“Just call me like you used to.”
“…Ah, okay. Ulrich.”
Even then, it wasn’t quite the same as before. She wouldn’t dare call him by a nickname now.
Feeling slightly awkward, Sasha glanced around the room.
“Do you… live here all the time?”
“I’m staying in a government apartment for now. This place is just for holidays or entertaining foreign guests.”
“Oh….”
Sasha nodded blankly. She recalled hearing about the luxurious apartments where high-ranking Party officials lived—the famous hotel that had been converted into exclusive residences for the elite.
“Um, Ulrich. About last night… I’m really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose—”
“I’m pretty sure I already told you to stop apologizing.”
That wasn’t the right approach.
Ulrich met her gaze with an unhurried ease, then smiled at her, just as she tensed up again.
It was the kind of smile that could steal a person’s soul away.
“More importantly, tell me how you plan to take responsibility.”
“T-That’s…”
What was the right answer here?
Sasha desperately wracked her sluggish brain.
“Then… if you hire me as a maid…”
She had blurted it out without thinking, but it actually seemed like a pretty good idea.
The problem was that no one would hire her, but she was confident she could do maid work well enough. Even if she worked without pay, it would still be a far better situation than now. If she offered to work as his maid in exchange for borrowing settlement money…
“I-If you let me work as your maid, I’ll do my best.”
“Really? A maid?”
Ulrich muttered indifferently, snuffing out his cigarette. Then, leaning back and folding his arms, he suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter was so sudden and full of amusement that Sasha nearly laughed along like a fool, without even knowing why.
“…Sorry.”
Only when Ulrich finally calmed down and said that did Sasha fully realize he had been teasing her. Her face, which had just cooled down, flushed hot again.
“U-Ulrich…”
“I was just joking because you looked so serious, Shura. Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.”
Sasha lowered her head, replying in a small voice. But realizing her tone might have sounded a bit sharp, she quickly added,
“I was just caught off guard.”
“I see. Sorry for surprising you.”
Ulrich still sounded amused as he apologized.
Sasha suspected he was still teasing her, but she nodded anyway to show it was fine.
It was better than having him get angry, after all.
“Well, as an apology, you can have all the cake.”
At his unexpected words, Sasha slowly lifted her gaze to look at the plate he was offering.
“…Ah.”
The moment she saw the colorful, beautifully decorated cupcakes, a wave of hunger hit her like a storm. Only then did she remember—she hadn’t eaten for two whole days.
“Don’t just eat cake. Have something else too.”
Ulrich added kindly as he stood up.
Sasha had been staring intently at the cupcakes, but at that, she quickly lifted her head.
“What about you, Ulrich?”
“I have a breakfast meeting to attend.”
“Oh… Then, I…”
“Stay here. Until I get back.”
Ulrich smiled warmly at her wide-eyed expression and placed a hand on the top of her head.
Just like he used to when she was little.
Sasha fumbled, trying not to let her cheeks flush.
“B-But… is that really okay? I mean, if someone reports to the military that you brought me to your estate, you could get in trouble…”
“I am the military, Shura.”
* * *
The sunlight streaming through the window grew even thicker.
Left alone, Sasha stared at the food laid out on the table for a long time.
A warm bowl of borscht in a beautiful dish, an orange-hued salmon roe sandwich, and most of all, the colorful cupcakes.
‘Is this a dream?’
The moment felt so surreal, so disconnected from reality, that she doubted whether it could be real.
At last, her starving body moved before her mind could process it.
She carefully picked up a cupcake and took a bite. A sharp jolt shot through her head, like an electric current, and her stomach let out a desperate scream.
She forgot all hesitation, devouring the cupcake quickly. She reached for another, but then suddenly recalled Ulrich’s remark about eating other food as well.
Even the cupcake alone was an overwhelming luxury, but Sasha obediently followed his words.
As she alternated between bites of borscht and the sandwich, warmth spread through her body, and something that had been pulling tightly at the center of her chest, like coiled wire, slowly began to loosen.
And with that, an odd feeling surfaced.
‘This is… strange.’
No one cared anymore about things like Sasha preferring Aparsan coffee beans or her habit of filling up on desserts instead of proper meals. Even she herself had stopped caring.
The only thing people of the new era took interest in was how much cheap coffee she drank, how miserable her meals were—how wretched her life had become.
Watching a once-proud imperial princess struggle at the bottom was more entertaining than any circus show.
Sometimes, it felt as if she had to be as miserable as possible for the sake of the people’s happiness.
‘Has he really not changed…?’
Ulrich’s seemingly unchanged kindness could very well be nothing more than a fleeting sentiment, a momentary indulgence in old memories after returning home.
She knew that. She knew she shouldn’t let herself think otherwise. And yet, hope kept creeping in.
‘If I bring up my request… will he listen?’
The thought of borrowing money while being treated so generously felt unbearably pathetic.
But even at this very moment, Kiril was still locked up in that cell.
While his sister sat in a warm, well-heated room, eating a luxurious breakfast, Kiril was swallowing watery porridge in a prison no different from a freezer.
A gnawing guilt clawed at her, pushing aside the dazed feeling and replacing it with a suffocating fear.
‘If Ulrich refuses…’
The truly terrifying thing might not be the rejection itself.
Ulrich was a man of the military. If she told him that Kiril had attacked the Supreme Commander’s youngest son and needed settlement money…
‘What kind of look would he give me then?’
For a moment, Sasha was relieved that Ulrich had left for work. At least until he returned, nothing would change.
‘Has Vasily gone to my apartment…?’
The moment she thought of Vasily, the warmth in her body drained away, leaving her cold. Her heart pounded violently.
Sasha jumped to her feet and began pacing the room anxiously.
Vasily had a key to her apartment. He came and went as he pleased. If he had found the place empty…
‘Calm down. Right now, saving Kiril comes first.’
⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ✩ ﾟ｡ ⋆
☕ Hi, friends! Your support means the world to me. If you’d like, you can buy me a star here: Click the link on the image! 💖
Thank you for keeping me inspired! 🌸
⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ✩ ﾟ｡ ⋆
