The Male Lead Is In Charge Of The Successor

Chapter 10

Eisel groaned inwardly at Bahidman’s eyes, staringl at her as if he were looking at a capital offense. I’m guilty of hurting my precious grandchild. Eisell wondered if he should apologize first. But it was Bahidman who broke the seemingly unbreakable silence.

“Ceballos burst into tears when he saw me.”

“What?”

“Raven peed on herself.”

What does that mean? Eisel shook her head at an angle, and Bahidman raised his mouth corner.

“You’re not scared of me, are you?”

“I’m scared.”

I shouldn’t be scared of someone who could wipe me out like a mouse or a bird at a moment’s notice. However, Eisel’s eyes were clear as bells. Bahidman remembered how children and adults freeze when they saw him without anything to do. And now there he was, a man who, unlike his daughter, was full of insecurities and worries.

“And yet, you don’t cry, and you don’t run away.”

“If I cry, will you send me back?”

 With his back buried in his chair, bahidman tapped the armrest. No matter how accidental his grandchildren are, the child who caused the nosebleed of the Basquiella family called out in wonder. Bahidman smiled slowly at Eisel’s appearance.

 “Do you know Aspencer’s origin?”

 “no.”

 “Aspencer is collateral for collateral. Today’s Aspencer is the birth of an illegitimate child by collateral who ran away from Basquiella. In other words, you and I are so distant that it is hard to believe we are related by blood.”

 What does it mean, eighth cousin of in-law? Eisel stared at him, not knowing what to say to Bahidman, who suddenly explained his family’s origin. Bahidman rubbed his slick beard and twisted his mouth corners.

 “You hurt my grandson, who is Basquiella blood. What do you think? Do you think I should look after you?”

 “Let it go, Your Excellency!”

 As his face and voice gradually became bloodier, Beoric hurriedly approached him and bent his knees. Bahidman’s gaze, which touched Eisel, shifted to the side. Beorik lowered his head with his fists clenched.

 “If you punish me, I will take it. So, Eisel… … .”

 “How can you be punished for a crime you did not commit?” No matter how young you are, you must learn to take responsibility for your actions. Don’t you know how irresponsible it is for a father to take care of his children?”

 “It is not. However, Eisel is still young… … .”

 “Being young is not an indulgence in all sins.”

Bahidman stood up and walked to Eisel. Eisel’s head tilted as she followed him, and she stared at him as he approached her.

Amused by Eisel’s refusal to avert his eyes in this situation, Bahidman gave him a stern look.

“What punishment did you think was appropriate?”

‘It’s lethal. Is Grandpa stepping out because his grandson’s nose bleeds? A man of power who is said to be the most powerful in the empire is narrow-minded and childish.’

“Do I have to take it?”

“Is there any reason why you shouldn’t?”

“There is, but I’m not telling you because I don’t think you’ll think it’s important.”

“Ah, Eisel!”

Beoric exclaimed, distracted by Eisel’s blunt response. Bahidman chuckled at Eisel’s blunt demeanor.

‘I’ve lived long enough to see all of this.’

Bahidman stared wordlessly at Eisel, who did not avert his eyes, and turned away.

“If you refuse to inform me, you will be punished.”

“Let it go, Your Excellency!”

“From the sounds of it, my grandson didn’t do well either. I’m sure there’s some reason you don’t want to talk, so I’m determined to give you the same punishment as Raven.”

“What punishment?”

Bahidman pushed his mouth corners back.

“You will write a reflection. Two pages are enough. Bring it to me and we’ll leave it at that.”

“Re.., reflection?”

Beoric, who expected a more severe punishment, was dumbfounded by the unexpected words. Bahidman lowered his head to look at him.

“By the way, how long will you stay like that?” Bending your knees in front of your children is something a father should never do. Get up.”

The harsh expression was removed, replaced by a soft voice. Beoric slowly rose from his seat, looking uncomfortable. Bahidman pulled his gaze away from Véoric.

“Were you afraid?”

“A little.”

“Haha, is that so? Well, you have to be strong enough to touch Basquiella’s veins. I wanted to see how strong-hearted the kid who made my grandson bleed in first class was. That’s all.”

Bahidman slowly leaned his upper body back. As he leaned back in his chair, the sunlight from behind bathed him in a soft glow. As Eisel stared at him, she suddenly realized that his name and appearance were strangely familiar.

Eisel had heard the names Bahidman and Basquiella many times, but couldn’t think of anything in particular. But not now.

 ‘Ah, that person.’

 Eisel lowered her head to inspect her battery, then looked back at Bahidman.

 ‘Then what’s in that sack… … .’

As Eisel’s head turned, Bahidman gestured for him to leave. Beoric looked like he’d just returned from the dead, bent over at his waist, and reached out to grab Eisel.

It was then. Eisel, who had been standing still, moved up to the package, untied the straps, and looked inside.

The bag was full of small barrels.

“Eisel! What the……?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What are you doing? I’m sorry, Your Excellency. Eisel, you can’t do that. You shouldn’t touch things. Come on, come here.”

“Ask.”

Unlike Beoric, who panicked. Bahidman was nonchalant. Eisel took out a small canister and sniffed it.

“Is this gunpowder?”

“Yes, it is gunpowder. But how do you know it’s gunpowder?”

“I can smell it.”

“Smell?”

The barrels were tightly closed, so there shouldn’t be any odor. But no matter what Bahidman thought, Eisel sniffed the other barrel and shook her head.

“Yeah. It smells like sweetness.”

“Sweet?”

“Yeah. It smells like sugar. Is this gunpowder?”

Bahidman frowned, and stood up. Picked up the barrel and popped the lid. He put his nose to it and sniffed for a while, but then shook his head, unsure.

“I don’t know.”

“Is that so? Why do I smell sweet?”

“…….”

“Eisel, stop it.”

Beoric interrupted her, unable to stop her from sniffing. Eisel downed the barrel with a rueful sip and glanced at Bahidman.

Bahidman died before the story began. He was caught in an explosion.

Basquiella imported gunpowder to expand their munitions business. To save money, he imported a substandard product that used sugar, which was cheaper than saltpeter and sulfur. This made it less stable, leading to a sudden explosion that killed him.

Bahidman’s death was one of the factors that led to Basquiela’s infighting and left the Empire unprepared for war.

“I apologize, Your Excellency.”

Beoric bowed stiffly, then quietly withdrew, taking Eisel with him.

“Do you understand?”

Eisel turned to look at Bahidman, who was still sniffing gunpowder.

‘You’ll figure it out.

Ignore the child’s words and live or die.

***

“Uh, how did it go, was everything okay?”

Lancia asked excitedly as she turned to Eisel in second class. She didn’t use the dialect as the first time, but with a more awkward pronunciation, which made Eisel laugh. She’d rather use the dialect. Lancia blushed at the sudden laughter.

“Is that weird?”

“You can use your dialect when with me.”

Eisel smirked and put the book down. Lancia followed suit and sat down.

“So, what happened? What did he say?”

“What?”

Lancia’s eyes scanned the room as Eisel shook her head, then she spoke cautiously.

“You’re there to see the Duke of Basquiella.”

“How would you know that?”

Eisel asked, startled by the unexpected words. Lancia rubbed her cheek and explained herself. As Lancia explained, Eisel realized where Bahidman had heard Raven’s story.

“You told your dad, and he told the Duke?”

“Uh, yeah. My dad was close to Duke, and he asked me to tell him in case he called you in and scolded you.”

“Oh, so…….”

“Did I do something wrong, huh? Did I get you into more trouble?”

Lancia clasped her hands together and looked like she might cry at any moment. Eisel stared at her, then shook her head.

‘She was nicer than I thought. I’ve only met her once, and I’ve only heard of her. ‘

Eisel smiled at Lancia.

“Thanks to you Lancia. I didn’t get into trouble.”

“I’m glad…… I was worried I had done something stupid again.”

Eisel smiled back at her as she breathed a sigh of relief. Did she mention she had an exam today? Eisel thought back to the days when she had to scrimp and save to get to college on a scholarship, and she instinctively prepared hard. Still, the book was thick and she couldn’t read half of it.

“Did you study hard? Did you finish the book?”

“Ugh…… book? No. I didn’t even make it to chapter 10.

“You didn’t read 10 chapters?”