Chapter 36
“It’s okay. Keep talking.”
“They say you, the young master, caused discord among the attendants and maids, tormenting them. Mari couldn’t bear it and took her own life. Jan believes that’s what happened.”
“So I was the perpetrator….”
Even though it wasn’t his doing, Asher felt an overwhelming guilt, as if he had truly wronged Mari and Jan. He buried his face in his hands, and Toms continued.
“But, young master, we found something strange during the investigation. The person who discovered the body was a servant named Sorta. A few days before the incident, Sorta visited a place called the Neo Guild.”
“The Neo Guild?”
“It’s an information guild. They deal in illegal goods, too, since they operate in the shadows.”
Poisons were often sold secretly, so it seemed Sorta had obtained the poison through the Neo Guild. Asher wondered if Mari’s death wasn’t suicide after all—maybe it was murder.
“Sorta?”
Asher asked about the servant he had overheard talking secretly with Jan. He hadn’t dismissed Sorta with Jan because he didn’t want to reveal he had eavesdropped. But if Sorta had murdered Mari, the situation was different. Asher decided to interrogate Sorta first and then clear up the misunderstanding with Jan.
“Is there any evidence that Sorta had a motive to kill Mari?”
“According to our investigation, Sorta and Mari were in a relationship. They were even engaged, but Mari broke it off because she couldn’t support Sorta financially. That’s when she met Jan.”
“Even so, how could he do such a thing?”
“It seems he couldn’t accept it. He poisoned her teacup and staged it as a suicide.”
“You must have evidence to say that.”
At Asher’s words, Toms pulled out a small plastic bag containing a piece of the teacup from his pocket.
“Fortunately, a fragment of the teacup was left under the table. We took a sample of the poison to the Neo Guild and threatened them. They admitted it was the poison they sold.”
Asher sighed at Toms’ words.
“So Jan didn’t know because they were secretly dating, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Asher’s expression grew weary as he lowered his eyelids. It was a relief that Mari hadn’t died because of the past Asher, but he doubted he and Jan could ever return to how they were before. Asher pressed his hands to his forehead, interlocking his fingers.
“You don’t look well, young master.”
“I’m fine.”
Asher coughed suddenly. He had thought he was recovering after his heat, but apparently not. He told Toms to leave and took some cold medicine from his drawer.
***
It was a night of thunderstorms. The room was filled with an eerie darkness, and Asher sat in a chair by the window, looking down at Sorta. A heavy silence hung in the air as Sorta, trembling with fear, shrank back under Asher’s gaze.
“M-Master?”
Toms had secretly brought Sorta to the room at Asher’s command. Sorta seemed to be hiding, knowing Jan had left the mansion. He finally broke the silence.
“W-Why are you doing this to me…?”
Sorta’s face paled, as if he knew he had done something wrong. Asher slowly blinked and opened his lips.
“I’m going to ask you some questions. If you lie, you won’t leave this room alive.”
“……W-What do you mean? I haven’t done anything wrong…”
Sorta stammered, his voice shaking with nerves. He seemed so tense that he wet himself. Asher looked at him dryly and nodded at Toms.
Swish—
The sound of a sword being drawn filled the room with a chilling tension. Every time lightning flashed, the blade gleamed sharply. The sight of death itself seemed to loom over Sorta, who quickly prostrated himself, rubbing his palms together.
“P-Please spare me! I only did what he told me to!”
Sorta confessed without hesitation, even though Asher hadn’t said a word. Asher smirked—it seemed the reputation of the old Asher, the troublemaker, still held weight. Being called a troublemaker wasn’t always bad, it seemed.
“So?”
“Y-Yes?”
“You said you did what he told you to. What exactly did you do?”
“Th-That…!”
Sorta hesitated, unable to answer. Asher smiled chillingly, as if he had expected this.
“So what did you use?”
Asher had investigated after learning that Sorta had poisoned his teacup, but nothing had turned up. Sorta hesitated, then banged his head on the floor, begging to be killed.
“Whether you live or die depends on your answer. So tell me. What poison did you use, and why?”
“I did what Jan told me! Jan said to poison your teacup… Please kill me. I shouldn’t have done it! Jan threatened my family, so…”
Sorta sobbed as he confessed what Asher already knew. But Asher knew this was only part of the truth—his tears seemed like nothing more than crocodile tears.
“So where’s the antidote?”
“Jan… has it! The poison originally belonged to Jan’s parents!”
“Is that so? Then one more question.”
“Yes! I’ll answer anything!”
“Then why did you kill Mari?”
Sorta’s pupils trembled violently at Asher’s question. His expression was clearly shocked.
“W-What do you mean…? Mari…!”
“I don’t like liars, Sorta.”
Asher’s calm voice made Sorta’s face turn ashen. He clenched his fist, as if resolving something, and stared at Asher.
“I don’t know… She was already dead when I got there.”
“You don’t actually think I have no evidence, do you?”
“……Of course not! Evidence…?”
Asher pulled out the prepared evidence, as if he had expected this. Only then did Sorta’s lips tremble, and cracks of fear spread across his face.
“I—I…!”
Asher knew he needed more preparation to resolve this. He had Jan waiting in the next room. He thought it would be better for Jan to hear the truth directly rather than having it explained to him. But Jan couldn’t contain his anger and burst in, shouting.
“You bastard!!”
“J-Jan?”
Jan lunged at Sorta, but Toms struck him down with the flat of his sword. Jan collapsed, glaring at Sorta.
“How could you…!”
“You betrayed Mari?! If it weren’t for you, Mari would still be alive, you crazy bastard!”
“What? Crazy bastard?!”
Sorta, who had initially looked panicked, now seemed to have nothing left to lose. His defiant attitude filled Jan with despair.
“……It’s your fault.”
“……What?”
“If it weren’t for you, Mari wouldn’t have died! If you hadn’t taken her from me…! We were happy! But now what? Mari is mine, even in death.”
Sorta revealed his true colors, laughing like a madman. Jan staggered, clutching his forehead as his lips trembled.
“This can’t be….”
“But what can you do? You’re alive while Mari is dead? That’s not fair. Since everything’s out in the open now, you should die too.”
Sorta smirked at Jan, who still couldn’t accept reality. He snatched the teacup fragment from Asher and lunged at Jan.
But Toms instantly restrained him, twisting his arm. Asher took back the fragment and handed it to Jan.
“This is the evidence that Sorta killed Mari.”
“I’m innocent! If it weren’t for you…! If only… Aaaaaah!!”
Sorta glared at Jan, still furious. Asher ordered Toms to lock Sorta in the Anest family’s dungeon.
Jan watched Sorta being taken away, then slowly sank to the floor, his face hollow.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
