There are no Bad Transcendents in the World

“Daniel?”

“…”

When I called again, Daniel didn’t look at me.

I’m dying of awkwardness.

It seemed that I wouldn’t be able to endure the long travel time. Even if we teleported using the Grand Duke’s magic in between, it still took hours.

So, I decided to break the tension with a joke.

“Or have you changed your mind about skipping the wedding night?”

Then Daniel, who seemed to be frozen, glanced at me.

“Not like that.”

It’s an embarrassing answer, but….

Seeing his face slightly turned towards me, along with the stiffness in his honorifics, I had no choice but to swallow my dry saliva. His immaculate skin was red as if it had been exposed to the hot sun. The bottom of the two eyes that were coolly open was bright.

‘Are you doing this because you’re shy?’

From his reaction, anyone would think I was talking about high-level obscenities.

Daniel’s face was like a blush.

No matter how much he is a man whose keyword is #no interest in love.

‘The word ‘wedding night’ could make him blush, yet he wants to keep a promiscuous image.’

I held back my laughter and asked teasingly.

“Daniel, how did you end up with two children out of wedlock if you blush at the mention of the wedding night?”

“Princess Frey, I believe that’s a personal question.”

“Respond or not, do as you please. But I hope I can meet the two children soon.”

Building a relationship with them was crucial.

Daniel said firmly, perhaps noticing the subtle obsession in my voice.

“That’s not possible.”

“The children would be disappointed if they couldn’t see their stepmother’s face. They may feel left out.”

“Stepmother?”

“Yes. Since the ceremony was held, am I not the Grand Duchess?”

The more I spoke, the more his expression hardened.

By the time I finished speaking, he furrowed his eyebrows as if he had heard an absurd claim.

“No matter what beautiful woman you have or private way you raise them, they are like my children.”

Why? His eyes flickered for a moment.

He seemed to think briefly, then replied.

“That’s true, but not all parents will have a positive effect on their children.”

So, this…

‘If the new Grand Duchess has nothing to offer, it’s better not to expose the children to her.’

Do you mean that?

“Well, I understand what you mean.”

I decided to back down for now. Guardians always desire to show only good things to his children.

‘You don’t even know what my previous job was!’

Since I was serious about taking care of the children, Daniel’s reaction seemed unfair.

“Daniel, in time you’ll see that your suspicions about me are biased.”

“If that happens, I won’t ask for anything more.”

“I didn’t live a noble life in the past… Well, everyone lives by repenting their old mistakes, right?”

“…”

“Besides, everyone matures when they get married. I got married and gained two sons at the same time, so I will grow up faster.”

When I insisted on it, Daniel ended the conversation with an exasperated face and said, “I hope so.”

It was late in the evening when the carriage arrived at Grand Duke Prause’s residence.

Click-–

As I got off the carriage with Daniel’s escort, the employees of Grand Duke Prause bowed their heads in a line.

“Greetings to His Highness the Grand Duke and Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”

A polite greeting.

But there was no sign of respect in their eyes as they glanced at me.

Soon, the butler who had been in the carriage bowed his head to me.

“Your Highness, Grand Duchess. I offer my formal greetings. I am Baron, the butler.”

“Ah… Nice to meet you.”

“It’s getting late, so I will briefly introduce you to a few vassals and servants.”

The elderly butler introduced about ten people.

The problem was that their eyes looking at me were brutal.

‘Are they protesting as a group saying they don’t like me?’

I forcibly took the naïve grand duke and made him out of stock, so they wouldn’t like me.

However, the dissatisfaction in their eyes seemed to be quite deep.

At this point, there was one thing that bothered me.

‘…Did I do something unfortunate to the Grand Duke Prause and then forget about it?’

It would be good to find out about this as soon as the day dawns.

‘I am well aware that the employees don’t welcome me.’

Anyway, I had no intention of accepting their evaluation without question just because they didn’t like me.

It was a completely different matter when employees openly showed resentment against me.

I straightened my posture and looked at them.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

Since it was late, it seemed that the tour of the grand duke’s residence and the introduction of detailed employees would be postponed until tomorrow.

“Then, let’s retire for the night, Princess Frey.”

Daniel spoke politely.

It seemed that he had no intention of calling me the Grand Duchess.

“Yes, Grand Duke. Shall we go?”

“Baron, guide the princess to the grand duchess’s bedroom…”

I interrupted his words as he naturally tried to separate us.

“Wait. Shall we talk privately for a moment?”

“It’s late, so it’s better to do it tomorrow.”

I followed Daniel as he headed to my bedroom and tried to speak with him.

“Daniel, even if we skip the first night, we should still stay in the same room. Who would follow a Grand Duchess who was ignored by the Grand Duke from the very first night?”

“That makes sense, but-“

“I know very well that you have two children out of wedlock with an unknown lover, so I am fine sleeping without holding hands.”

“…”

Daniel was strangely ashamed of the rumors about his promiscuous private life.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the proper sound effects and direction.”

“What the hell are you going to direct…?”

He frowned as if recalling a nightmare.

It seem that he had received the minimum amount of sex education to pass on to the generations.

I pushed through the gap.

“I heard that in the North, a marriage is not recognized if the couple stays in separate rooms on the first night.”

“It’s just an old custom you don’t have to care about.”

“The employees of Prause may think so, but the general territories do not.”

If rumors spread that the princess was rudely beaten by the grand duke, it would become an obstacle to business in the future. In the Prause duchy, where the Grand Duke was like a king, no one will partner with a woman the Grand Duke hates.

After explaining that, Daniel reluctantly changed his words.

“Then I’ll see you later in my bedroom.”

He didn’t use the word “our” bedroom.

However, I had no reason to refute it because it was comfortable for me to share a room with him.

* * *

“Ah… good night.”

As I soaked in the hot tub, a voice like an old man’s came out.

It seemed I had been nervous without realizing it during the carriage ride with Daniel.

‘It would be better if I went to sleep like this.’

Unlike my past self, who used to revel in personal revenge, Daniel was someone who knew how to set a good example.

The room he prepared for the Grand Duchess was quite luxurious.

It wasn’t as extravagant as my original room, adorned with jewels and handicrafts, but it had enough dignity.

‘Looking at it now, simple furniture is fine.’

Puff-

Just when I was about to throw myself on the bed as usual, Lina raised the frame of her glasses with her fingertips and spoke to me.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

“Ah…”

Right. I’m now a grand duchess.

Grand Duchess Prause.

I hadn’t been conscious of the employees looking at me as a stranger, but when Lina addressed me in that manner, I felt it.

“Lina, what’s the matter?”

When I asked, Lina spoke analytically, like a professor on the day of a research presentation.

“I researched in advance what items were needed for the wedding night and prepared them.”

As she said, Emma held out a large box to me.

“Princess Frey, anything would suit you!”

-was what she said.

‘It’ll look good on me?’

Feeling ominous, I opened the box.

Just as expected.

‘What is all this?

The box was filled with thin slips that Daniel Prause would be horrified to see. Maybe the fabric was a little short during the production process, but it looked like it could be blown away by the wind…

‘No way.’

If I went out wearing something like this, it might give the impression that ‘the promise to get a divorce was a lie, and I’m actually going to seduce you!’

What about Daniel?

He would be terrified and do his utmost to kick me out.

Considering my situation where I had to stick to the palace of the Grand Duke for at least two years and seven months, such net-like clothes were absolutely forbidden. Whether they knew what I was feeling or not, Lina and Emma had proud faces.

“We comprehensively analyzed Your Highness’s hair color, eye color, and body shape to deliver designs that would suit you.”

“Yes, that’s right! I’m the one who ordered the clothes. Thanks to the job you entrusted to me last time, I had some extra money.”

No, the gold coins were meant for you to buy something delicious to eat…

“Also, after analyzing the preferences of His Highness, Grand Duke Prause through the rumors, the corresponding outfits match the taste of His Highness by more than 90%.”

“The Lady of Baron Holt did a good job analyzing it.”

No, I wonder how diligently Lina had been gathering information to include such details.

Was it AI? Artificial intelligence?

‘Daniel, how much effort did you put into spreading rumors about having a taste for sexual pleasures?’

What happened to that naive man?

Now that I had to choose one of these net-like garments, I was desperate to ask him.

* * *