Changing the Keywords of the Dark Lords (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“I am Betty, the maid assigned to serve you starting today. I look forward to your kindness.”
“Mm. I look forward to yours too, Betty.”
The room assigned to Delina was several times larger and nicer than the one she had originally lived in. Moreover, they had even assigned her a maid—Delina suddenly felt the reality of now living in the Grand Duke’s household.
“From now on, if you need anything, just pull the cord beside your bed. And at any other time, simply call out—I’ll come right away.”
She was a woman whose movements held remarkable grace for someone called a maid. Delina nodded at Betty’s words.
“First, I’ll help you wash up and change your clothes.”
After everything that had happened—and having been imprisoned—Delina’s body was filthy, and her dress was torn to shreds in many places. Betty quickly fetched water and thoroughly cleaned Delina’s body.
“There were no dresses available in the mansion, so I altered a boy’s outfit myself. I’ve already placed an order for a proper dress, so I’d appreciate your patience for just a little while.”
“Wow…”
Though Betty said she’d altered a boy’s outfit, the clothes she handed over looked just like a proper dress. Delina examined herself in the mirror from every angle, as if wearing brand-new clothes.
“It’s absolutely lovely. Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Taking things apart and sewing them back together is my specialty.”
“Oh, I see…”
Delina wondered exactly what Betty meant by “taking apart and sewing back together,” but somehow felt she shouldn’t ask—so she gave an awkward smile. Soon, Betty brought in an enormous stack of documents and set them down firmly on the desk.
“What’s this?”
“These are drawings of the interior and exterior layouts of the Grand Duke’s mansion, as well as the terrain surrounding the estate.”
“…But why do I need these?”
“Now that you’ll be living here, you must commit these layouts precisely to memory. Traps to stop intruders are installed everywhere.”
At the word “traps,” Delina recalled the axe that had sent a chill down her neck the previous night.
“You mean traps like the axe installed at the main gate?”
“Yes. Most of the traps are designed to kill intruders instantly.”
“Mm, I see. Then could you hand me a pen quickly?”
Suddenly, a strong desire to study welled up inside her. Noticing Delina’s scholarly enthusiasm, Betty pointed to a spot on one of the diagrams.
“To make it easier to understand, let me first show you where you are right now. The room you’re currently using is this one—the chamber reserved for the ladies of the Grand Duke’s household.”
“What?”
No wonder the room was so spacious and luxurious. Surprised by this unexpectedly generous treatment, Delina’s eyes widened.
“But am I really allowed to use this room?”
“There are no other ladies currently residing in the Grand Duke’s household, and His Highness has granted permission.”
Delina didn’t take Betty’s words lightly. It wasn’t that there were no women in the Grand Duke’s household—they simply didn’t live here at the moment.
Right. Once I come of age…
If my guess is correct, she will surely arrive in a few years. That woman—Celine, daughter of Bellion.
In fact, it was widely believed that the Empire’s true decline began around that time.
When Celine came to the Grand Duke’s household, five shadowy figures began following her every word without question. And now, it felt strangely odd that I was occupying the very room Celine would later live in.
‘When that time comes, I’ll have to move to another room… No, will I even survive in this mansion until then? No, no—focus, focus.’
Shaking her head vigorously to dispel another wave of negative thoughts, Delina refocused her burning gaze on the book. After working this hard, she had absolutely no intention of dying pointlessly in this mansion.
Bellion’s office was quiet again today. Only the sound of Bellion flipping through documents filled the air, when Felick, who had been silently reporting, suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.
“What are you laughing about?”
“Oh, it’s just—I saw the young lady a moment ago. She seemed to be memorizing the mansion’s layout, and the way she walked was just too amusing.”
Delina was learning where the anti-intruder traps were located, so with Betty’s help, she was stepping carefully down the hallway, one precarious footstep at a time. She looked just like a baby who had only recently learned to walk. Yet the serious expression on Delina’s face kept making Felick burst into laughter.
“She’s been memorizing the mansion’s layout continuously for several days now. She’s studying with remarkable enthusiasm.”
“…”
“Has Your Highness seen her too?”
“Report on the next matter.”
Though Felick asked, Bellion shifted his gaze back to the documents as if uninterested. Of course, Felick—who knew better than anyone how his master would react—stopped talking about Delina immediately.
‘Well, he’s never shown much emotion toward those he teaches anyway.’
Though it was kept secret for now, once the children’s true identities were revealed, the Empire would be thrown into chaos. After all, the children residing here came not only from the most prominent noble families but also included one of imperial blood.
Not even the Emperor knew that Ashud was currently receiving Bellion’s patronage and learning swordsmanship. In truth, relations between the Imperial Palace and the Grand Duke’s household were far from friendly. Rather, though never openly shown, both sides were constantly sharpening their blades against each other.
The reason the Emperor’s side always sent Crown Prince Ashud whenever there was a task was simple: to the Emperor, Ashud was expendable—someone whose life or death mattered little. Moreover, if Ashud were to die, it would give the perfect pretext to strike against the Grand Duke’s household.
Of course, Bellion was fully aware of the Emperor’s intentions—and precisely for that reason, he had taken Ashud under his wing. Ashud’s talent was too exceptional to be wasted in the political squabbles of adults, and Ashud himself greatly enjoyed Bellion’s teachings.
‘And then there’s Lord Calix.’
Though distantly related to Bellion, he was unquestionably qualified to be considered heir to the Wolfgrim Grand Duchy. He was especially a genius in swordsmanship, and his other abilities were outstanding as well.
‘And Lord Noah too.’
He was the next heir of House Diamon, unofficially known as the wealthiest family in the Empire. Perhaps because of this, no one could rival Noah in gathering information or wealth.
Though Noah was only twelve years old, Felick was certain he already possessed far greater assets than himself.
‘And then there’s Lord Bansent…’
He was a scion of House Elpisha, unofficially regarded as the quirkiest family in the Empire.
‘He’s always obsessively inventing something, and since the mansion is never without the sound of machinery, he’s called “the odd one.”’
Of course, Bansent was also the very best in his field.
In truth, the Grand Duke’s household had gathered figures capable of shaking the Empire itself. Yet Bellion merely continued reading documents with his usual inscrutable expression.
Out of boredom.
That was Bellion’s reason for sponsoring and teaching the other children. Judging by his emotionless eyes, it really did seem to be the case.
Still, Felick couldn’t understand why his master had brought back the child he’d met at the auction. The child had been terribly frail and looked as if she might die at any moment. Though puzzled that his master would take in such a person, Felick soon accepted it.
‘I don’t know what it is, but he must have seen some hidden talent.’
Bellion was exceptionally skilled at recognizing people’s latent abilities. Therefore, he surely hadn’t brought that child in without reason.
‘But I never imagined he’d present her as a gift to the young lady.’
His master’s unpredictable actions were entertaining enough, but Felick also found the newly arrived little girl, Delina, immensely intriguing.
“…Are you that idle? You keep smiling.”
“No.”
“Shall I give you more work until you can’t smile anymore?”
“I’ll respectfully decline.”
Only after Bellion’s rather menacing warning did Felick finally focus on the documents.
“The Imperial Palace debutante ball will be held soon.”
“…”
“You’ve decided to hold Lord Calix’s debutante ceremony this time, correct?”
Imperial Palace Debutante Ball.
Generally, it was a rite of passage for noble children aged twelve to sixteen, marking their formal entrance into high society before reaching adulthood.
As a major annual event of the Imperial Palace, most nobles attended the debutante ball. And Bellion, as Calix’s guardian, was also required to participate.
“This time, all four of them will make their debutante appearances—including Lord Noah.”
Noah, who had been kept hidden by House Diamon, was also set to formally reveal himself through the debutante ball. Bellion gave a small nod without saying a word.
“Understood. We’ll handle preparations later… Come to think of it, the young lady is also of debutante age.”
Delina, who was twelve this year, was unquestionably old enough to hold her debutante ceremony. While most held it at fifteen or sixteen, there were occasional cases of earlier debuts—just like the four children Felick had mentioned.
“Shall I go ask her?”
“…”
“I’ll go ask.”
Bellion gave no clear reply, but neither did he outright refuse. Felick grinned.
“But how can you possibly use that title for her?”
“What title?”
“The jester. None of your protégés refer to her that way.”
“A jester is a jester—what else would you call her?”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
At those words, Felick briefly thought of Delina and chuckled softly. Just then, something suddenly floated up outside the office window.
“Aaaaaaah!”
It was none other than Delina herself. The two men, locking eyes with Delina for a split second, quietly stared toward the window.
“She must have triggered a trap in the garden. Since there was no sound of her hitting the ground, Betty must have caught her well.”
Felick couldn’t suppress his laughter as he spoke, while Bellion merely gazed silently out the window.
Thus, once again, the Wolfgrim Grand Duchy nearly enjoyed a peaceful day.
“Aaaaaaah!”
If only not for the scream of a young girl.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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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??