Changing the Keywords of the Dark Lords (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
“It’s those five! Just five people brought down this entire empire!”
The Helium Empire had always seemed destined for eternal peace. But in recent years, the empire had been utterly consumed by chaos and ruin—ever since Ashud, once the Crown Prince, ascended the throne.
Ashud was tyranny incarnate. He crushed anyone who opposed him, no matter who they were, and relentlessly plotted wars. From the moment Ashud became emperor, not a single day passed in peace for the empire.
“The mansion…!”
“My lady! You must flee!”
Commoners and nobles alike lost their homes because of Ashud. Outrage from the nobility and the people surged like a tidal wave. Yet Ashud didn’t so much as blink. Instead, he systematically eliminated every dissenting faction. Terrified nobles began packing up their mansions and fortunes in the capital and fleeing into exile in other empires.
It was slaughter and war without purpose. Thus fell the mighty Helium Empire, once famed for its towering prestige. The empire’s streets too lay desolate.
“The mansion, the mansion…”
Delina murmured emptily as she watched her burning mansion. It truly happened in an instant. All the memories and stories painstakingly built over so many years vanished into ash in a single moment.
“Hey! Snap out of it! Are you just going to stand there dazed?”
The one who cut through Delina’s hazy vision was her older brother, Gideon.
“Hurry, get on! Hold the reins tight!”
“Brother, what about you?”
“I’ll hold off those coming from over there. You go first.”
Gideon swiftly lifted Delina onto the horse, then clicked his tongue as he saw the bandits approaching from afar. Their numbers were staggering at a glance, and Gideon’s hand tightened around his sword. Blood was slowly seeping from his side.
“No! You have to come with me!”
“You fool. With this horse in its current state, if we both ride, we’ll surely topple over. That’s why I’ve always told you to lose some weight.”
Fearing Delina might climb back down, Gideon firmly held her in place and faintly lifted the corner of his mouth.
“You know, it’s funny—you never once called me ‘brother’ before, and now you finally do.”
“…”
“When we meet again, be sure to call me that. Just try calling me by name again. Honestly, you never listen.”
“Oh…”
“Go now.”
No sooner had he spoken than Gideon struck the horse’s rump with all his might. The horse bolted faster than anyone else could manage, and Delina’s cry rang out alongside the sound of galloping hooves.
“Brother!”
At that very moment, one of the bandits—who had silently crept right behind Gideon—swung his blade toward Gideon’s back. Gideon turned and blocked the strike, but immediately dozens more bandits swarmed him.
Under their assault, Gideon collapsed to the ground, bleeding. His body lay utterly still, trampled mercilessly beneath the bandits’ boots. Tears streamed endlessly from Delina’s eyes at the horrifying sight of her brother’s fate.
“!”
Yet Delina herself couldn’t get far either. A spark carried by the wind landed on the horse’s rump, startling it into thrashing wildly.
“Aaah!”
Delina was thrown from the horse in an instant and crashed onto the ground. Soon after, she heard the sound of her own horse galloping away. She needed to catch it and ride off again, but her body refused to move—as if her bones had shattered.
Breath… my breath…
The street burned fiercely. Though the flames advanced toward her, Delina could do nothing but cough dryly.
Even her vision began to blur. At the same time, she saw figures standing far beyond the fire.
Emperor Ashud…
Seeing Ashud’s blazing golden hair, Delina instantly recognized those standing beside him.
Calix, Noah, Bansent, Zen…
The tyrant Ashud and those who had stood by his side, plunging the empire into ruin and chaos, stared emotionlessly at the streets being consumed by fire. Delina’s breathing grew ragged as she watched them.
How… how did it come to this…?
Unconsciously, Delina’s fist clenched. In her hand lay the scorched seal of House Floren.
I only ever wanted to protect my family and my people…
But all that remained in reality was her dying body and the charred family seal.
“…Just once more, just once more…”
Please, give me a chance.
The utterly ash-covered streets and her vanished family—this was the final sight Delina saw before closing her eyes.
“Huh…!”
The suffocating air, thick with fire and smoke, suddenly shifted. Delina’s eyes snapped open at the change in atmosphere, and she hastily sat up.
“Where… where am I…?”
Only after rising did Delina notice how light her body felt. Though drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily, she realized she was in a place vastly different from moments before.
“My room…?”
Precisely—it was the room she’d used as a child. Startled by this astonishing sight, Delina hurriedly tried to get out of bed.
“!”
But even that proved difficult. Misjudging the distance, her limbs flailed through empty air and she tumbled to the floor.
“Oh dear, my lady! Are you alright?”
Someone, having heard the commotion, rushed in through the door. Recognizing that familiar face, Delina’s eyes widened as she lay sprawled on the floor.
“…Lily?”
“Yes, my lady. Are you alright? Goodness! Did you have a nightmare? Why are you drenched in cold sweat?”
“You—why are you here…? Didn’t you get married and return to your hometown? Wait, actually, why have you grown so tall? And your face looks younger too…”
“Huh?”
Delina frowned in confusion at the face she hadn’t seen in over ten years.
“My lady, are you unwell?”
Lily asked as she helped Delina up from the floor. Watching Lily lift her so effortlessly, Delina instinctively turned toward the mirror.
“This… this can’t be…”
It wasn’t just Lily who looked younger—Delina herself was too. Staring at her clearly youthful face in the mirror, Delina tentatively touched her own cheeks. Looking around the room again, she noticed it was filled with dolls and toys.
Could this be a dream?
She’d heard that one’s life flashes before their eyes at death—but such a vivid dream? Delina immediately pinched her cheek, but the dream didn’t end; only a dull ache remained.
“We really should call the physician, shouldn’t we?”
“No, no. No need for a physician.”
Worried by her mistress’s strange behavior, Lily asked again, but Delina only stared blankly at her reflection—the pinched, reddened cheek and her younger face.
This isn’t a dream.
Everything she felt was intensely real. It wasn’t a dream. Which meant…
Did I really come back? To the past?
The chance she’d desperately wished for in her final moments—now granted before her very eyes—left Delina speechless.
“Lily, what year is it now?”
“Right now? Imperial Year 417.”
Then I must be twelve years old…
Delina finally understood why her body felt so unfamiliar. Yet still unsettled by these strange sensations, she clenched her small fists and wiggled her hands and feet. Just then—
“Hey, pig! What are you doing?”
Lavender-colored hair—distinct even amidst towering flames—caught her eye. Its owner, also with a youthful face, grinned at her. It was Gideon.
“Oh…”
“Did you roll out of bed again while sleeping? No wonder there’s an earthquake in the mansion! You pig…”
“Brother!”
Delina immediately threw her arms around Gideon. Both Lily and Gideon stood with their mouths agape at the sight.
“What—what’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”
“Brother, brother… thank you so much.”
Though Gideon squirmed in embarrassment, Delina ignored him and held him even tighter. At this, Lily turned pale and dashed out of the room in alarm.
“We really must call the physician!”
She cried out as she ran, causing a commotion down the hallway. Meanwhile, Delina kept clinging tightly to Gideon, sobbing softly and refusing to let go. Eventually, Gideon gave up trying to escape and simply ran a hand through his hair.
“You broke something of mine again, didn’t you?”
“…”
“What is it this time? Spit it out.”
Hearing Gideon’s suspicious tone, Delina gradually calmed down. At first, she’d wondered if it was just a terribly painful nightmare—but it was far too real, far too vivid for that.
Moreover, there was one more thing proving this wasn’t a dream.
“…Brother, can you see this?”
“What? See what?”
Delina asked Gideon as strange words suddenly appeared before her eyes, but Gideon only widened his eyes and looked around, confused.
“You’re deliberately avoiding the question, aren’t you?”
Ignoring Gideon’s words from beside her, Delina silently stared at the window. At the same time, her tightly pressed lips twisted fiercely.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Chapter Comments (37)
Inline Comments (53)
“Right. He arrived this morning. It’s about time the kid woke up, after all.”
Omg omg Omg he is actually back! I forget where he went but I’m interested to see how he could have possibly improved his skills. Looks like he still unhealthy, sleeping in so late. I think he is on the smaller side compared to the MLS.
At the voice, Mernin froze. The noble ladies and gentlemen who saw his face bega
I wonder if it is Noah, it could be Ashud. Idk id really want to see NOAHas the ML instead of the typical crown prince~ but I’m a fan either way
Celine’s murmuring about the heat gave Delina a glimpse into the terror she must
Del is so observant and really smart to notice the reason! I wonder if Celine had anything to do with her rewinding time. Honestly where did Celine even come from?!
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
I wonder how well Zen understands Del’s speech. Also does the Duke think of her fondly? Does he even know how to laugh?? He calls her Jester so he definitely thinks she’s like a clown. I also wonder how the OG FL is like, the one everyone was obsessed with. And the girl who was Gideon’s lover, I wonder if she had a unique power that gave her a second try
I wonder how well Zen understands Del’s speech. Also does the Duke think of her fondly? Does he even know how to laugh?? He calls her Jester so he definitely thinks she’s like a clown. I also wonder how the OG FL is like, the one everyone was obsessed with. And the girl who was Gideon’s lover, I wonder if she had a unique power that gave her a second try
The kids are really cute!! They are only 12, but they still have childish tendencies while still being powerful. Truly good luck to Del, especially with the Duke having an unusual fondness with training the kids. Cause what do you mean your trying to X a child??