Changing the Keywords of the Dark Lords (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
At the sound echoing through the stairs, Zen bared his teeth and began growling. Delina quickly turned toward the staircase as well.
“My lady!”
The one who appeared with footsteps was Felick. Surprised by the unexpected visitor, Delina blinked.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yes! Your debutante dress has just arrived, and everyone’s been searching for you!”
“My dress?”
Hearing the words “debutante dress,” Delina’s voice rose with excitement.
“Yes. Let’s hurry and try it on. It’s sure to be absolutely stunning.”
At the mention of the dress, Delina sprang into action. Of course, she didn’t forget to say goodbye to Zen.
“I’m off now, so make sure you get your treatment, alright? Next time, I’ll bring cake!”
After bidding farewell to Zen, Delina hurried up the stairs. Felick, following behind, smiled.
“You two must’ve grown quite close already? Close enough to share cake, even.”
“Share cake, you say? He just licks it from my hand… I still have a long way to go teaching him.”
Delina let out a small sigh and changed the subject to the dress.
“By the way, where’s the dress? Is it in my room?”
“I only saw it arrive a moment ago. It’s probably been moved to your room by now.”
A debutante dress—she finally felt the reality that her debutante event was truly approaching. Delina’s heart pounded. She dashed to her door and flung it open. Two people stood inside.
“You’ve arrived.”
Betty greeted Delina first upon seeing her. Beside Betty stood Bellion.
“…Your Highness?”
Even if Betty being there made sense, seeing Bellion in the room too widened Delina’s eyes in shock. Felick spoke up in her stead.
“His Highness designed your dress himself, so we called for you.”
“My dress?”
“Yes. Traditionally, debutante attire is a gift from one’s guardian. Since His Highness is currently your patron…”
“I see. I didn’t know that.”
“It’s common to surprise the young ones without their knowledge, so most don’t realize it. Shall we take a look at the dress now?”
Felick sounded oddly more excited than usual. But Betty’s expression wasn’t so cheerful. As Delina looked at Betty in confusion, Bellion stepped forward.
“I made sure it suited a jester.”
“Oh… yes…”
Unlike Bellion, who seemed strangely confident, Delina felt uneasy for some reason. True to her fears, when Betty brought out the dress, Delina’s mouth fell open. Even Felick appeared thoroughly shocked.
“No, no, Betty.”
“…”
“I asked for my lady’s dress—not a pile of gemstones.”
“…It is the dress.”
Even Betty, who had brought the dress, stammered. It was that shocking.
The dress itself was beautiful. The problem was the enormous gems attached all over it—on the arms, chest, neck, waist, legs… Gems were densely packed everywhere. Delina’s eyes darted wildly in shock as she stared at it.
“Your Highness, surely not! Just call it the ducal house’s brand-new gemstone armor instead!”
“Who wears a dress to war?”
“Then is this truly the dress meant for a debutante?”
Felick squeezed his eyes shut as if he’d rather lose his sight than look at it any longer. But Bellion remained nonchalant.
“Jester attire is supposed to be flashy.”
“…”
“This dress is flashy too.”
So he’d ordered every single gem available to be stuck onto the dress just to make it flashy. Delina silently mourned for the poor dressmaker who’d had to create such a disaster by hand.
“Do you dislike it?”
Bellion asked, looking at Delina. Still reeling from shock, Delina’s lips trembled.
“Am I… am I supposed to perform a jester’s show right in the middle of the imperial palace?”
It was an outfit impossible to wear unless she actually performed a jester’s act. Yet Bellion wore an expression that plainly said, “What’s wrong with that?”
“If you don’t like it, we’ll choose another.”
“But there’s no time to place a new order now.”
Betty’s words plunged Delina deeper into despair.
“However, the dress design itself is excellent. If we remove some of the gems, it should be fine.”
Hearing a glimmer of hope, a faint spark returned to Delina’s eyes.
“That’s right. If we just remove some of the gems… Then I’ll handle the redesign. I’ll create the new design, and Betty can reattach the gems accordingly.”
“Felick, you’ll design it?”
“I may not look like it, but I do have some expertise in dresses. My ex-ex-ex-ex-lover was a dress designer, so I’ve seen every kind of dress imaginable on our dates. Don’t worry.”
“Then I’m counting on both of you.”
Determined to somehow fix that disastrous dress, the three exchanged solemn looks. Left alone and isolated, Bellion quietly murmured, still gazing at the dress.
“It’s good.”
“…Your Highness. Now that I think about it, didn’t you also design Calix’s outfit? Where did that go? Surely not…”
“I made it equally extravagant.”
At the news that Calix’s outfit was just as outrageous, everyone’s faces paled. Felick and Betty put their heads together.
“Is it even possible to fix Calix’s as well?”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee we’ll meet the deadline.”
“…Well, Calix uses a sword anyway. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just tell him to wear armor.”
Imagining the catastrophic outfit now heading to Calix’s room, they silently mourned for Calix, who would have to face it alone.
After the shocking and horrifying dress incident, Delina collapsed onto her bed as if all her energy had drained away. The dress was now in Betty’s and Felick’s hands. Delina sighed softly as she stared at the spot where the dress had been.
‘What kind of thinking could possibly produce a dress like that?’
While everyone else was in chaos, Bellion had maintained an oddly serious expression—which only made it more absurd. It was already outrageous enough that he genuinely saw her as a jester, but that extreme dress design was even worse.
Surely he didn’t actually plan to make her perform a jester’s show right in the imperial palace.
Just as she wondered whether she’d have to breathe fire from her mouth if things got desperate, Delina’s thoughts returned to the debutante event.
It was really happening soon…
Since this was the occasion where the identities of no fewer than four masterminds would be revealed, she needed to be cautious. It was fortunate enough that she’d somehow secured the patronage of the Wolfirim Grand Duchy, but there was still much left to do.
First, she needed to get somewhat closer to them before she could even attempt anything.
At this rate, it would be lucky if they didn’t outright tell her to get lost. Moreover, after that shocking and terrifying incident with the giant dog man, she hesitated to use her abilities recklessly.
If they were going to give her powers, why not something proper instead of… this?
Sighing deeply, Delina lamented her jester-like ability. Though she had mountains of unused abilities, she had no desire to actively use any of them.
‘Anyway, I need to focus on the debutante event.’
No matter what, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. As Delina quietly pondered the approaching debutante, one person came to mind.
‘He probably can’t come this time.’
In the past, only Jake and Jane had attended debutante events. Knowing Gideon couldn’t be there either, Delina couldn’t help but feel bitter.
‘Especially since I’m participating this time.’
Though her attendance had been accidental, it still left a sour taste in her mouth. Delina murmured to herself.
“Maybe I should ask His Highness once…”
No, never mind.
Delina shook her head vigorously. If he’d given her such a dress just for being a “jester,” how much worse would it be for her “jester brother”?
Besides, Delina knew well that despite Bellion’s seemingly indifferent demeanor, his temperament was as sharp as a blade. He might very well force Gideon into an exam hall again, claiming he needed to take another test.
‘Since I’ve already secured the Grand Duchy’s patronage, I shouldn’t rush things.’
Niel and Charlotte were hiding their true selves while living in the Floren Barony, but it wouldn’t be long before they revealed their nature. Capturing them both would be Delina’s task afterward.
‘Right. For now, though…’
The debutante event gathered every noble from the capital and the provinces, and even members of the imperial family would appear. She needed to focus on that. Especially the relationship between the current emperor and Bellion.
‘They definitely don’t get along well.’
The Wolfirim Grand Duchy, wielding power strong enough to found its own nation, inevitably clashed with the emperor. Moreover, Bellion was raising exceptionally talented youths. Hearing rumors of this, the emperor grew anxious, wondering what schemes the Grand Duke might be plotting.
‘Come to think of it, even I assumed the Wolfirim Grand Duke must have some sinister motives when I first thought of him.’
Furthermore, the emperor had once attacked the Grand Duchy, interpreting its actions as rebellion. Bellion had died in that war. Yet rumors later spread that the Grand Duchy had never actually shown signs of rebellion.
‘But that might actually be true.’
Remembering Bellion’s utterly serious face as he regarded her as a jester, Delina suspected his reasons for raising those children might be nothing grand after all.
‘Anyway, I’ll focus on the debutante. I’ll be careful there, and those masterminds too… Hmm… I’ll just have to get along with them…’
As Delina thought about the debutante event soon to come, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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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?!
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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??