I Want to Stop, Duke - Chapter 1

Episode 1. For You

Today was different from other days when only a long wait was repeated.

Delcia was waiting for her lover Edwin with her indigo eyes full of excitement, and the maids were also busy preparing to greet Edwin.

Finally, this moment has come.

Today was the return day of Edwin, who had gone to the western border for the war against the Polta Kingdom. And Delcia was scheduled to marry Edwin a week later, who returned safely from the battlefield. She was confident of becoming the happiest bride in the world and believed that it would actually happen.

Delcia had to prepare a lot from waking up. It was a very important day to reunite with Edwin, who had been away for more than three months, so the maids worked even harder to dress her up.

Delcia has been doing well while Edwin was away, and although she had stayed up all night worrying about him, she didn’t skip meals. She wanted to show that she always kept what Edwin asked her to do.

Delcia with her ivory hair braided looked worried as she walked around the bedroom.

“Do I look good?”

“Yes, yes. You are very beautiful.”

“Thank you even if it’s empty words, Ella.”

Delcia smiled broadly at Ella, the maid who nodded her head vigorously. However, no matter how much she dresses up and how good she looks, she couldn’t erase the thought that it may not be enough.

According to the letter from her father, Edwin, who had departed from the battlefield, would not arrive in the capital until this evening. It was still early lunchtime, but Delcia was excited because she couldn’t control her nervousness and excitement.

“When Edwin comes back I have to hug him, tell him he had worked hard. Brother will be sad if I don’t do it to him, so I will hug him as well.”

“Good idea, miss. Duke Adelio and the master will surely be delighted!”

“Really? I’m suddenly worried. Edwin may feel awkward because it’s been a while since I saw him. Since childhood, Edwin was very shy……”

“Uh…… you’re the only one who sees Duke Adelio like that.”

Ella giggled and babbled.

It had been about three months since Edwin left for the border, so Delcia had no choice but to worry. She hadn’t seen the shy Edwin in three months, so she was worried that Edwin might feel awkward seeing her after such a long time.

Of course, Ella and others didn’t think so. It wasn’t that Edwin wasn’t shy, it was because he drew a line with everyone except Delcia.

“Ah, miss!”

At that moment, the door of the mansion swung wide open, and an urgent and desperate voice rang out. The voice was so loud that the workers who worked diligently in various places in the mansion were surprised. Hearing that voice, Delcia, who had just left the bedroom and headed downstairs, suddenly stopped.

The main character of the impatient voice was Rento, the mansion’s errand man.

“Oh, miss…… ah.”

Delcia, holding the handle of the stairs, opened her eyes wide and looked at Rento. The moment she made eye contact with Rento, he fell down.

With a surprised face, Delcia quickly walked to the front of Rento, who was slumped down. Rento raised his head and handed a paper to Delcia with his trembling hands.

Delcia, who was handed the blood-soaked paper, asked with a worried voice.

“Rento, are you okay?”

“Oh, the urgent news for you miss……”

“Hey, Rento. Can’t you speak properly without stuttering?”

“It’s okay, Ella. Rento must be tired because he came in a hurry. Right, Rento?”

Delcia comforted Rento with a warm voice and slowly opened the paper in her hand. When the blood-stained paper was completely unfolded, she could see the letters that seemed to have been written hastily. The letters were mixed with blood and were so messed up that it was impossible to read at a glance.

Delcia’s mouth opened as she narrowed her eyes and read the writing on the paper. Soon, her pupils began to tremble.

“……what does this mean?”

Delcia asked several times as if she could not believe what was written on the paper. Delcia, who took turns looking at Rento’s face and the letters on the paper, licked her lips.

A reality she couldn’t handle, a reality she thought would never come, and a nonsensical reality that left her mouth wide open.

Her hand holding the paper trembled.

“Rento……”

Suddenly, Delcia, whose face was blue, called out to Rento.

“I’ve already done the custom of wishing for a safe return.”

In the Petia Empire, there is a tradition that everyone practices regardless of status. In order to wish for the safe return of the family from the battlefield, we write a letter in red water and burn it. Most of the letters included the name of the person being prayed for and the words that the person was killed.

It was a long-standing tradition that had been practiced since ancient times to avoid actually receiving blood-stained letters. The Ferdo County, who sent Arnold, Delcia’s brother, and the Adelio Duchy, who sent Edwin, had already practiced this tradition.

“Rento.”

“Miss…… uh, what should I do?”

Rento looked at the crying Delcia.

“……it’s not true, right?”

“Oh, miss.”

“How did Edwin…… Rento, it’s not true, right?”

Delcia just wanted to hear that it wasn’t.

All of this was a joke, a small prank that played to relieve her tension. She just wanted to hear such words.

However, contrary to Delcia’s hope, Rento’s head shook from side to side. Delcia’s indigo eyes, which were looking at Rento, lost their light in an instant. Delcia, who was struggling to stand, staggered.

“Ah, miss!”

Ella hurriedly grabbed Delcia’s arm. She supported Delcia’s trembling body helplessly and headed for the bedroom.

Delcia, who was wearing Edwin’s favorite purple dress, was still holding the paper in her hand. Upon arriving in the bedroom with the help of Ella, Delcia sat on the end of the bed and slowly took a deep breath.

Her heart was beating fast. She was out of breath like when she ran a long distance along with Edwin when she was a child. It was hard to tell whether she was breathing properly or not.

A sob came out of Delcia’s mouth, who could barely hold it in while trembling.

“hic…… hic.”

“……miss.”

Even Ella, who had not yet checked the contents of the paper, was sad enough to guess. Ella, who was hesitant about how to comfort Delcia, soon opened her arms and hugged Delcia.

“Sob, what should I do? Hic…… hic. Ella, what should I do?”

“Oh, miss……”

Ella hugged Delcia who was crying desperately.

As if she hugged the misery of the whole world.

Ella hoped her guess would be wrong. She hoped that Delcia, who noticed her guess, would scold her to stop thinking such terrible thoughts.

However, Ella had no choice but to accept that her guess was right.

“Oh, Edwin. Edwin…… hic, hic.”

Delcia’s lips trembled.

Delcia’s lover, a person who is precious enough that Delcia is willing to give her heart. The noble Duke Edwin Adelio has died.

It was written on the paper that came as an urgent report.

On the way back from winning a long battle, a warlock who he thought was dead appeared and tried to use a wide range of magic.

Just before Edwin, who had blocked the magic alone, delivered a blow, the warlock’s quick magic was directed at Delcia’s brother, Arnold. Edwin saw this and gave up the blow and received the magic instead of Arnold.

Delicia’s whole body trembled as she recalled the contents of the report. Delcia could guess what Edwin was thinking when he got the magic instead of Arnold.

He must have thrown himself at the thought that she would be sad. He thought her heart would break at the fact that she lost Arnold……

“Hic, Edwin. Hic, hic……”

However, Edwin could not protect Delcia’s heart. His death broke Delcia’s heart.

Edwin Adelio is dead. Due to the opposite of black magic with divine power, Edwin died. And his death was kept secret, known only to the County of Ferdo and the Duchy of Adelio.

The death of Duke Adelio with the Holy Sword was sure to shake up the Empire. However, the imperial family decided to shake only County Ferdo and Duchy Adelio.

Delcia wept and cried out Edwin’s name. If she ever fell asleep, she mumbled Edwin’s name and talked in her sleep. Then she woke up again, shed tears, and fainted repeatedly.

A mess. It was an unfortunate two days that could be called a mess. It was a hellish two days spent only by Delcia, County Ferdo, and Duchy Adelio.

“Hic hic.”

Delcia had never experienced such a painful sorrow that she could not breathe.

Even before she knew the feeling of sadness, her mother and her beloved cat Elly died. She only found out the feeling of sadness when she grew up. No, actually, she just found out. That this kind of heartbreaking and painful feeling is what people call sadness.

“Ahhh hic…… no, no!”

Delcia ruffled her hair and screamed.

This is not reality. This miserable thing cannot be the reality of Delcia. Yeah. All of this is a dream. Everything. Everything is a dream.

Delcia wanted to think so.

But she couldn’t. Because everything is so vivid.