Changing the Keywords of the Dark Lords (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
If Delina had been as tall as an adult, her head would’ve been severed with room to spare. Hurriedly pressing her body flat to the ground, Delina ran her hand once over her own neck.
“What on earth is wrong with this mansion?”
She’d heard rumors about the ducal house, but experiencing it firsthand was far worse than she’d imagined. Lowering her posture completely, Delina crawled on all fours to inspect the wall beside the main gate.
She didn’t want to touch the wall.
She worried that if she made another mistake, a double-bladed axe might come flying at her this time.
Unable to decide what to do, Delina simply stared at the massive gate and the wall. Yet she had to investigate the wall—because a secret passage into the mansion lay right around here. This was one of the secrets revealed only after the ducal house’s downfall.
‘Wait, it was definitely around here… Hmm?’
Just as Delina lay flat on the ground searching for the secret passage entrance, she spotted the lowest brick in the wall and brushed it with her hand.
‘The texture feels a bit…’
There was a subtle difference, noticeable only upon close inspection. Instinctively, Delina wriggled toward that brick. She swallowed hard and pressed firmly against it.
“…Was it just an old brick after all?”
She’d wondered if it might be the brick that opened the hidden passage, but astonishingly, there was no reaction at all. The moment Delina, looking disappointed, tried to pull her hand away, a drop of blood from a finger wound—gained while crawling on the ground—dripped down and seeped into the crack between the bricks.
“…Huh? Wha—what?”
Immediately, the brick, which hadn’t budged before, sank straight in and began forming an opening. Caught off guard, Delina tumbled right into the passage.
Delina spun around and around inside the entrance tunnel. After rolling for a long time through the deep, dark passage—so long she couldn’t even tell where she was going—she finally came to a stop.
“Ugh.”
She retched before she could even realize where she was, thanks to all that rolling. Covering her mouth briefly and sitting still, her senses slowly returned. Only then did Delina look around.
‘A room…?’
It was too dark to see clearly, but faint silhouettes of a bed and furniture were barely visible. Delina slowly rose to her feet. At that moment, a low voice spoke from the darkness.
“Assassination methods have become rather unusual these days.”
“!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Delina whipped her head toward the sound.
Moonlight streamed in at that instant, revealing the man’s sharp eyes. Moments later, the moon fully emerged, bathing both the man and Delina in bright light. Seeing his features clearly at last, Delina inwardly gasped in admiration.
His eyes, hidden beneath thick black hair, were red and blue—one of each color. He was a man with heterochromatic eyes. Even at Delina’s unexpected appearance, he showed no surprise, calmly rising from the bed.
“…”
His eyes were utterly bored—not the look one gives an assassin. As if this weren’t the first time, he smoothly drew the sword resting beside his pillow and, gazing down at Delina, gave a slight flick of his hand.
“…?”
“Come here.”
In the hand beckoning her, a cold blade glinted. Delina swallowed hard. Realizing what the man had mistaken her for, she flattened herself to the ground.
“I’m not an assassin!”
If she stayed still, his sword would surely cleave her in two. Delina cried out.
“My name is Delina. I came seeking His Grace the Duke’s patronage.”
Black hair, heterochromia, and a man inside the Wolfirim Mansion… There could only be one such person.
Bellion Wolfirim.
Outside, he always kept his eyes covered, so no one had ever seen them directly—but after his death, the secret of his eyes was revealed: he was an odd-eyed man with one red eye and one blue.
“I’ve long wished to receive His Grace’s patronage, which is why I came here like this—”
“How did you get in here?”
Ignoring Delina’s introduction, Bellion, who had been glancing to the side, asked. His gaze ended at the hole in the wall through which Delina had entered.
“I pressed a brick at the base of the wall beside the main gate and came in. I actually know a few of the ducal house’s secrets.”
“…”
“I’m quite skilled at gathering information, so you won’t regret keeping me close. Honestly, I don’t even need patronage—just let me work for you.”
She’d assumed the secret passage would lead at most to a mansion corridor, but of all things, it connected directly to Bellion. Delina silently swallowed her tears. For now, she could only hope Bellion wouldn’t strike her with that sword.
“…I’m sorry for using the entrance so carelessly. I never expected it would lead straight into a room…”
Worried that her reckless use of the entrance might have offended him, Delina bowed deeply while watching Bellion’s expression. But Bellion still looked displeased, his eyebrows raised slightly.
After a brief silence, Bellion pulled a cord beside the bed. Soon after, the door opened.
“Yes, Your Grace? You called?”
A green-haired man with his hair neatly tied in a ponytail strolled in leisurely, then looked down at Delina and asked.
“…Who is this?”
“An assassin.”
“Huh?”
“…Or rather, someone denying she’s an assassin.”
At the word “assassin,” the green-haired man looked even more puzzled.
“Oh, so since you’re not sure yet if she’s really an assassin, you’re planning to imprison her alive instead of killing her?”
His cheerful tone contrasted chillingly with his words. Terrified, Delina shouted.
“No! I truly am not an assassin—I came because I want patronage!”
Hearing this, the man looked at the entrance behind Delina.
“You came through that passage?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh ho. That entrance opens only with blood… And this child knew that?”
The man blinked in apparent surprise. But Delina was even more shocked than he was.
Blood—it opens with blood!
It seemed the ducal house’s secrets hadn’t been fully unraveled, even after all this time. Delina did her best not to show she’d been unaware, and looked steadily at the two men.
“Yes. I know many other secrets as well. If you keep me by your side, you won’t regret it.”
“Why would I?”
Despite her words, Bellion remained indifferent.
“It’d be simpler to just kill you and silence you for good.”
“No, no, wait!”
At that moment, seeing Bellion actually take a step toward her, Delina panicked, flailing her limbs as she scrambled backward.
“I’ve already arranged for the ducal house’s secrets to spread immediately if I die!”
Her words had an effect—Bellion’s eyebrows, which had remained expressionless until then, twitched slightly. Seizing the momentum, Delina pressed on.
“So my request remains the same: please let me stay here.”
“…”
“I’ll do anything. Please.”
This was the only place where she could meet all the masterminds up close. That’s why Delina was even more desperate.
“Your Grace, might I suggest letting her stay for now?”
The green-haired man, who had been observing the situation, spoke up.
“It would be wise to investigate her first. There’s no need to decide immediately.”
“…Fine.”
At those words, Bellion nodded and lowered his sword.
“Lock her up.”
“Understood.”
At least her life was spared. The green-haired man gestured to Delina, who was still lying prostrate—but he held a long rope in his hand.
“Well then, shall we tie you up quietly?”
“…”
‘At least I’m still alive…’
As the rope wrapped around her wrists, Delina let out a small sigh. While tying her up, the green-haired man added,
“I’ll bind you gently. Though judging by your movements just now, I doubt you’d cause trouble even if left unbound.”
“…”
“Oh, come to think of it—you’re quite knowledgeable. So you must know my name too?”
“…Felick. Felick, aide to Duke Bellion.”
“Oh, correct! Well done! Don’t worry too much about the prison—just think of it as my personal cell and rest comfortably. And since you got it right, I’ll even send dessert with your meals.”
“That’s… truly tearfully kind of you.”
Amused by the situation, Felick chuckled softly. As he did, Delina’s wrists were fully bound.
“Enough idle chatter. Get out.”
“Yes, yes.”
Bellion cut off their conversation. Only then did Felick rise from his seat, and Delina quietly followed behind him. Even as they moved, Felick asked what dessert she’d prefer, and Delina had to answer each question.
In any case, she’d achieved her goal of entering the Duke’s mansion. For now, Delina decided to be content with that.
‘I’m really here. At that ducal house.’
Finally, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the mansion’s interior came into view. Delina quietly swallowed hard.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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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??