CWEGDH - Chapter 1

1. A crazy wife entered the Grand Duke's household

Consciousness slowly rose. Her eyelids lifted slowly, just as a body that had been sinking heavily barely floated to the surface. The light seeping in was excessively soft, and unfamiliar patterns were engraved on the high ceiling. 

As she inhaled, a sense of weight surged through her entire body. A weight she had never felt before, an excessively unfamiliar one. 

"Your Highness?" 

A faint, trembling voice came from somewhere nearby. 

"Your Highness, have you woken...?" 

When she managed to lift her eyelids, an unfamiliar face was close by. With round eyes dotted with freckles, the face was scrutinizing her carefully, its lips pressed shut as if holding back tears. Dressed in an outfit that looked exactly like a maid's uniform, a white apron layered over a black dress... 

No, before that. Did she just call me Your Highness? 

She was dumbfounded by the archaic expression, the kind one would only use in the Joseon Dynasty. She frowned hard, but the woman stood still, staring at her. 

'What is this...'

Her bewilderment was brief; she was soon captivated by the breathtakingly luxurious background. In the absurdly spacious room, cumbersome lace curtains hung from every window, and the walls gleamed with excessive gold ornamentation. 

Moreover, the bed sheets were so soft... almost to the point of being uncomfortable. She let out a small sigh, wondering what madman had indulged in such useless luxury. 

"Where on earth am I..."

A hoarse voice escaped her lips. The woman's eyes wavered slightly. 

"Your Highness, this is the Grand Duchess's bedchamber..."

'Grand Duchess, bedchamber, what is she talking about?' 

"Excuse me... who is the Grand Duchess?" 

The woman's expression froze for a moment. 

"What? Your Highness, aren't you the Grand Duchess?"

She placed her slender, white hand on her forehead. 

"This is a dream, right?' 

It felt so natural that she almost believed it was real. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this scene would vanish.

Ah, this is truly an excessively vivid dream. 

"You're alright, aren't you? You were unconscious for three days..." 

Whether or not she sensed the uneasy feeling, the woman gently shook her as if to wake her up. 

"Ha..."

Wait a moment. That familiar phrase, that strange title of Grand Duchess. And even this room. For some reason, she felt a sense of deja vu. None of this was obvious, yet she had a bad premonition. 

'Surely not?'

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed her mind, and an inexplicable sense of unease washed over her. She pushed away the blanket as if throwing it off and hurriedly sat up. Her breath was short and cut off. Her heart pounded. 

"Your Highness! You must not get up yet!" 

She raised her hand to stop the woman and stepped out of bed. Her feet touched the cold floor directly, but she had no time to care. Her gaze was already fixed on the full-length mirror placed in one corner of the room. One step, then another. Her footsteps quickened.

"...Ah."

Standing before the mirror, she felt as if her breath had stopped. A face she had never seen before was taking her place. Her softly flowing hair was a vivid red, and her skin was white and smooth. The red hair wasn't just a simple red; it shimmered faintly as if gold had melted into it. She had a delicate appearance, as if she would be hurt by the slightest touch, but her eyes were a different story. 

Subtly upturned eyes and vivid emerald irises. Within them was a power that seemed capable of overwhelming anyone in an instant. 

Just as if looking into her own eyes... She slowly tilted her head. 

The woman in the mirror mimicked her exactly.

"...Is this me?" 

She muttered softly, raising her hand. Her fingertips touched her cheek. A cold, distinct sensation. It was undoubtedly reality.

"Damn it." 

Her mind was racing. Surely yesterday- 

She had ended up reading a web novel, 'The Day of the Grand Duchess Sunshine,' which she had reluctantly started reading at a friend's recommendation. She couldn't figure out what was so appealing about it; it was a mass-produced web novel that seemed to have absolutely no demand whatsoever. 

She fell asleep before even finishing the first chapter because the introduction, which should have been the most impactful, just went on and on about the female lead's background. 

Hmm, so... it seems I have been possessed by that web novel character... What on earth is going on? 

Possessed by a character from a novel. It wouldn't have been strange at all to be shocked enough to faint. No, even screaming and panicking wouldn't have been enough. Yet, surprisingly, she remained calm. They say that when a person is too shocked, they actually become numb. That was exactly how she felt right now. 

She crossed her arms and stared at the mirror. Grand Duchess Sunshine. She ruminated on the word that popped into her head. 

"That doesn't quite seem right." 

She muttered unconsciously. The woman with the sharp appearance in the mirror didn't look like that at all. The Grand Duchess Sunshine in the novel she had read clearly had brown hair and clear blue eyes. Moreover, she was described as an attractive woman who exuded healthy, bright energy and brought a smile to one's face just by looking at her. But no matter how she looked at it, the woman in the mirror did not look like the 'Grand Duchess Sunshine.' 

Her heart sank. Her lips were parched. This was undoubtedly the former Grand Duchess 'Sienna Bertian,' the hopeless character she had just forgotten about, the one who died right from the start, the one who had to pay homage to death and step down for the sake of the narrative of the Grand Duchess Sunshine. 

Sienna Bertian. A tragic character born into a fallen family who never received anyone's love until the very end. Furthermore, far from tending to her appearance, Sienna Bertian possessed a body so frail that she would collapse at the slightest provocation. Her personality was also quiet and passive, so she never easily opened her heart to anyone nor took the initiative to approach anyone. Since she stayed cooped up in her room, it felt only natural that she received no love. 

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that she was transmigrated into a web novel. But why, of all things, why did it have to be a one-line character with a limited lifespan!!! 

"To think I'm playing the role of dying." 

The corners of her mouth twisted slightly. 

'I have to wear a predetermined fate? It's ridiculous.' 

Sienna bit her bloodless lips tightly. 

"You... isn't your name Nia?" 

She pulled out the maid's name from her vaguely remaining memory. Nia nodded a beat late. 

"...Right. What can be done?" 

But- 

Sienna turned around. She strode down the hallway. With every step, the sharp sound of her heels echoed through the corridor. 

'The idea of me dying is absurd.' 

As she reached the end of the hallway, a long staircase came into Sienna's view. She stepped toward the stairs without hesitation. 

'The life of a Grand Duchess, wasting away until death-I would rather die than live like that!' 

She descended the stairs one step at a time, pounding and venting her rage. The space grew larger as she went down. A much wider and more opulent interior unfolded below than what she had seen from above. 

Sienna paused briefly at the top of the stairs. The central hall of the mansion lay before her. The soft light of a chandelier flickered from the high ceiling, and the marble floor reflected that light coldly. The orderly columns and the wide-open space were so excessively orderly that it left her speechless. 

What is this house, which is nothing but vast and utterly tacky? 

Sienna's thin, light eyebrows curved. 

Wait. It is a fate like a snakehead fish that could just burst into death, but at least the fact remains that this expansive house is mine. 

An undeniable sense of anticipation flickered in Sienna's eyes. 

The only thing weighing on her-no, now her husband and the male protagonist was the 'Grand Duke of the North.' However, she recalled hearing that the Grand Duke rarely showed up at the mansion due to the war. This meant. 'Is this the right time to go all out?' 

A thrill welled up from deep within her chest. A grin escaped her lips. Only now did this world finally look beautiful. Sienna made a firm resolution. Since things had turned out this way, she would become the madwoman who enjoyed such extravagant behavior. 

She immediately lowered her gaze. The long train of her dress trailed, and the suffocatingly tight corset. The thick lace and decorations snagged everywhere with every movement, making it incredibly annoying. 

"I need to do something about this outfit that's been getting in the way for a while now. Who dressed you in this?" 

Sienna picked up the hem of the skirt and lifted it slightly. Could she even walk properly in this? The wide, flared skirt looked as if she would trip over something and fall if she let her guard down even for a moment.

"Why do I live wearing this?"

She frowned and roughly let go of the hem. 

"That is... Your Highness's usual attire-" 

"No. It's uncomfortable." 

It was short and clear. She looked around and spotted a pair of small decorative scissors on one wall. There was no hesitation. 

"Your Highness!" 

Ignoring Nia, Sienna picked up the scissors she had spotted.

Swish- 

The sound of fabric tearing echoed clearly through the quiet mansion. The surrounding servants held their breath in unison.

"Your Highness! That-!" 

She silently cut the hem of the dress. The long, trailing section fell limply to the floor. She tore off the bothersome lace and cut it as if rolling up a sleeve. 

Swish, swish.

Her hand movements were without a single moment of hesitation. Nia looked up at her with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

"Your Highness, th-what is this..." 

"Ah-it feels a bit unfamiliar, doesn't it?" 

She added as she tore off the remaining decorations. 

"I'm going to live differently now. You'd better get used to it."

Cut scraps of fabric scattered across the floor. The dress was no longer elegant. Instead, my body felt much lighter, making it easier to move. Sienna shrugged lightly.

"It feels good." 

If I don't know the ending or my fate anyway.

"I might as well just do as I please."

Bang! 

Suddenly, the sound of the mansion's main gate opening echoed from afar. The entire mansion stirred as if waking up. 

Tap, tap, tap, followed by firm, steady footsteps cutting through the hallway.

"His Highness the Grand Duke has returned!"

A shout rang out. At the same time, the sound of servants scrambling in a rush followed in succession. 

'What? The Grand Duke is appearing now?'

There was no room to escape. I could only stare blankly ahead from where I stood. 

Soon, the heavily locked door opened. Cold air rushed in all at once, and light cut a long line across the floor, seeping into the mansion. A man stepped through the gap in the door. His massive, dark shadow seemed to engulf the entire mansion. He was a man devoid of any human warmth. His gaze stopped at one spot: the severed fragments of a dress covering the floor and the half-dismantled dress barely draped over her shoulders. 

At that moment, no one dared to speak. The brief silence felt suffocatingly long. She raised her head to face the man standing at the doorway. At the same time, she met his black eyes, filled with nothing but chilling coldness. 

"...What on earth are you doing?"

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