Overview
Baron Leonard Thomas Dublin (レナード・トーマス ダブリン Renādo Tōmasu Daburin) better known as Baron Lenny Dublin (レニ－・ダブリン男爵 Renii Daburin Danshaku) for short, or Alexander Brighton, Viscount of Belfor in the anime, is one of the British nobles in charge of the countryside region of Durham.
Appearance[]
Dublin is a stocky, elderly man with thick gray hair, including a large, distinctive beard, with similarly gray eyes. As is fitting for a noble, he is always seen wearing expensive looking black suits.
Personality[]
Being one of two ruling noble families in the area of Durham, the Baron is widely disliked by the commoners whose lands fall under his governance. Like most other nobles shown in the series, he is seen to be a cruel, arrogant, and self-serving individual.
He sees the lives of his people as nothing but livestock and is indifferent to their conditions. Believing their loyalty to him should be natural regardless of his heartless treatment. His self-centered behavior and cruelty are most notable by his indifference to the death of a child he could have saved. Not only by ignoring the pleas of the child's parents but also threatening to fire the father, Benjamin Burton, who serves as Dublin's groundskeeper, if the family didn't leave, showing no remorse for his actions.
Biography[]
Dublin was the Baron who governed over the countryside region of Durham, though he suffered from a heart condition that he needed to regularly take medicine for. One night his gardener Benjamin Burton and his wife Michelle visited Dublin, asking him if his doctor can look at his child as he has a high fever and that the village doctor is not available as he is away for his daughter's wedding. Dublin refused to help, indifferent that the child would die without the proper care. Dublin even threatened Burton that if he continued to disturb him, he would lose his job as gardener. Benjamin's son died shortly after, an event that the Baron held no remorse for.
After hearing of the arrival of William James Moriarty, a renowned university professor and noble, Dublin invites the Moriarty brothers to his estate for dinner. During the dinner, Dublin reveals that he has heart problems and takes quinine medicine, originally a drug meant for malaria. He also explains that the quina plant (cinchona) from which the medicine is made, is grown in his conservatory. After dinner, Dublin invites them to his conservatory to show them all the rare plants he has collected and that his gardener Burton is quite skilled and takes care of the whole garden.
Having learned of Dublin's actions after meeting with Benjamin and Michelle Burton, the Moriarty brothers visit the Viscount, having brought a gift, a snack made of grapefruit marmalade. Dublin is surprised how good it tastes as he didn't knew grapefruits were for eating and likes the bitterness. They recommend him to try juice of a fresh squeezed one.
Dublin calls for Michelle and Benjamin to squeeze some grapefruits. While cutting them, Michelle sees an opportunity and attempts to stab Dublin, but Benjamin stops her. Michelle reveals her hate towards the Baron and states she will kill him. Dublin, overwhelmed by the sudden attack then feels pain in his chest. William gives him his medicine while Benjamin hands Dublin the grapefruit juice to swallow it.
Infuriated by Michelle's actions, Dublin fires the Burtons and orders them to leave his territory, but not before he has Michelle punished for attempting to murder him. As the Burtons leave, Dublin starts to feel faint. William then explains that the furanocoumarin in the grapefruit has influence on quinine's mechanism of action, and causes blood pressure to drop sharply. Dublin asks them to call his doctor, but William reminds him of how he refused to help Benjamin and Michelle. Dublin then realizes this was all a set up. As Dublin dies, William tells him that this was his divine punishment for his cruelty.
Trivia[]
- His full name, Leonard Thomas Dublin, was shown on the contract he signed with the Burtons in the manga.[1]
- Dublin is the only character whose name was changed in the anime adaptation, despite his appearance and role in the story staying the same. The reason for the change, including changing his title from Baron to Viscount, is currently unclear.
References[]
- ↑ The One Grapefruit Pie page 59