If You Devour Poison / Doku wo Kurawaba Sara Made

Chapter 11: The Elderly Butler Thomas

After loading Julieta’s trunk full of personal items, I placed it in the baggage area and then climbed into the carriage with Julieta. She was holding the bouquet given to her by her ladies-in-waiting. Together we headed to the Asbal mansion.
The Asbal mansion was located only a certain distance away from the royal castle, within the capital’s residential area, which was known for housing the upper-class nobility.
As the Prime Minister, it might have been better to set up residence within the castle’s vicinity. However, as the basement built under the Asbal mansion also served as an emergency shelter for royalty in the past, this was the better choice.
When the gates to the mansion came into sight, the coachman called out to me, “My lord, it looks like there are guests”.
I slid a finger within the gap of the window curtains and opened a gap to look outside. Standing at the mansion’s entrance was the butler Thomas, my son Sigurd, as well as the Knight Commander Jolga.

“Again, it’s exactly as expected.”
“...Father, who are the guests?”
“It’s Sigurd and the Knight Commander. Julieta, it’s been a while. Feel free to act spoiled with your brother.”
“Oh my.”

As I was being comforted by Julieta’s giggling while she hugged her bouquet, the horse carriage reached the mansion’s entrance. Thomas opened the carriage’s doors, dipping into a bow with a “Welcome home, my lord”. I generously nodded in return and reached out a hand to Julieta before Thomas did. Sigurd had a slight knit to his brows as his gaze landed on Julieta’s leg in its cast as she climbed down the carriage half-carried by me. The lady he had a hand in pushing into hell. The enemy of Nasha, for whom he harbored feelings that could not be voiced. However estranged they might be, she was still his sister. Perhaps, he was already starting to feel some guilt? Such naivety will only bring him regrets in the future.

“Lady Julieta, welcome back.”
“Thank you, Thomas. I’m home.”

Thomas’s expression faltered for a brief moment at Julieta’s kind reply. However, as expected of a butler employed in the Asbal family since the previous generation, he regained his calm demeanor in an instant. After ordering the footmen to bring in the luggage, he smiled gently at Julieta.

“Milady, you must be tired. Your room has been prepared, would you like to take a rest first?”
“Is that so? …In that case, I shall heed your suggestion. Father, may I be excused?”
“Yes, go ahead. After all, I seem to have guests.”
“...”

Staring at me as I chuckled quietly, Sigurd and the Knight Captain’s expressions turned sour. It seems like before our carriage arrived, the three of them had not been able to reach an agreement.
The elder butler, Thomas. He was the Head Butler of the Asbal family and was also a supporting character in Prime Minister Anderheim’s heir, Sigurd’s route as well as the route of the hidden capture target, the Knight Captain Jolga, who appears after capturing Sigurd.
Thomas lamented at the suffering cries of the commoners under the Asbal family’s heavy taxations and had reported them countless times to both the previous lord and Prime Minister Anderheim. However, all of them were heartlessly dismissed.
In despair, Thomas aided Sigurd, who had been troubled by his relationship with his father, with entering the Knights’ squad. Thus, after Sigurd built a close friendship with the Crown Prince and stood on the side opposing his father with the Sacrificial Priestess Nasha as the core, Thomas became the spy that leaked the Asbal family’s movements to the Crown Prince’s faction.
...What a convenient existence.
That is, of course, to [me].
After seeing off Julieta and her attendant, I invited Sigurd and Jolga and headed to the parlor with a fireplace.
As soon as he sat on the leather sofa opposite, Jolga immediately requested to appoint Sigurd as an escort. On paper, it was to guard and observe the recuperating Julieta. In truth, their aim was probably to keep an eye on me and to search the grounds.