Chapter 264: New meal rules.

Alessa’s face flushed red. It would kill her not to retort, so she did, immediately. "You nasty brat! If you weren’t sitting all the way over there, I’d smack the teeth right out of your mouth! Everyone, this is what poor child up bringing looks like. And at least I am settled in my marriage, not like you, changing husbands like energy stones in a car every other month. What’s wrong niece, can’t find a man that is willing to love you, despite all your wealth?"

Andrea’s fists clenched tightly.

"Come Monday morning, I will be sitting in the executive office," Alessa continued smugly. "And I like the fact that it pisses you off! Some of you little hatchlings are beginning to overestimate your positions in this family. It is time for the elders to remind you of how authority actually works."

Before Sabrina could snap back, double doors opened. The grand elder walked into the room, accompanied by Maverick, who looked like he wished he was anywhere else in the world but this room. With these people.

"You can eat," the grand elder grunted, taking his place at the head of the table.

The servants immediately stepped forward and lifted the silver food covers.

Sabrina took one look at her plate and let out a ear-piercing scream. "What the hell is this?! Apofia!"

Instead of the creamy sea food pasta and steamed vegetables that she had ordered, the plate contained a single, sad-looking boiled turnip floating in gray water.

The servants instantly stood in a neat line and bowed deeply, their shoulders trembling.

"Explain!" Sabrina shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at the plate. "Are you trying to poison me with this stuff!?"

Alessa raised her voice, waving her hand dismissively at the staff. "Ignore her. You do not need to listen to her anymore. You servants may go."

"Stay!" Sabrina yelled, slamming her palm on the table. "Nobody moves!"

Alessa stood up, her aura flaring slightly. "I am currently the head of the family household! My word is law!"

The grand elder watched with interest_ not intervening, so far Alessa had proven that she could handle herself.

The servants kept their eyes glued to the floor, wisely choosing not to get vaporized in the crossfire. They bowed once more and scattered out of the room like startled mice.

Sabrina turned her rage toward Alessa. "You instructed them to serve me trash!"

"It builds character, dear sister," Alessa sneered. "And clearly, your temper needs cooling."

Maverick leaned over to the grand elder and whispered, "Should I help, or just pass the fish?"

The grand elder slowly picked up his fork, completely unbothered by the chaos. "If anyone screams again during my dinner, I’m donating my shares in Apex to the local monastery. Pass the fish."

The entire room went instantly silent. Sabrina slowly sat down, glaring at her boiled turnip, while Alessa quietly took her seat, trying hard to hide her triumphant grin.

Alessa cleared her throat, smoothed down her floral shirt, and leaned forward with an insufferably bright smile. "The food was not a mistake," She declared, her voice echoing clearly off the high stone pillars. "Going forward, we will all eat the exact same thing unless someone has an allergy."

Sabrina’s mouth gaped open. "What?!"

"I am condemning this terrible habit of treating our household servants like slaves," Alessa said, resting her hands over her heart as if she were a benevolent saint. "Those poor people spend all day slaving over hot fires just because every single person at this table demands a different meal cooked entirely from scratch. We are wasting so much food.

Because one person wants a slice of pumpkin, a whole pumpkin is cooked, and the rest is thrown away or fed to the dogs. It is a stupid habit. There are low-borns staving all around the round. We are not some ancient nobles from the sixteenth century who could afford to eat lavishly. From today on, unity begins at the dining table."

Sabrina stared at her boiled turnip, her face turning a dangerous shade of purple. "Unity? You call a soggy turnip unity?" She violently pushed back her chair, the wooden legs scraping against the tiled floor with a screech. "I am not eating this garbage."

Andrea immediately stood up beside her mother. "Me neither. My energy will regress just by smelling this!"

"Sit!" The grand elder’s growl rattled the food sets on the table. A faint ripple of pressure washed through the room, making the air suddenly heavy.

Sabrina froze mid-step. She slowly looked back over her shoulder, her eyes burning with defiance. "Father, surely you can’t be serious_"

"If you choose to leave this table right now, you leave this house for good," the grand elder said, his voice flat and terrifyingly calm. "Sit down. If you do not wish to eat the turnip, choose something else from the table. If nothing here is edible to you, then you will stay and watch the others finish."

Everyone held their breath.

Sabrina’s jaw twitched. For three tense seconds, it looked like she might actually risk getting banished. But calculating the loss of her power against a single missed meal, she stomped back to her seat with enough force to crack a floor tile.

Alessa smiled, completely satisfied. She picked up her fork, took a delicate bite of her plain turnip, and chewed exaggeratedly. "Ah, magnificent! Chef Chad outdid himself today. The subtle earthiness! The crisp water content!"

Sabrina’s face twitched so violently her left eyebrow looked like it was trying to escape her face. Andrea sat beside her, miserably chewing on her lip, looking at Alessa as if plotting three different ways to poison her morning tea.

Before another argument could erupt, Alexander, the newly appointed head butler, briskly entered the dining hall. He bowed deeply toward the head of the table. "Grand Elder, forgive the interruption. Guests have arrived at the outer gate, they but are demanding to speak to you."

The old man frowned, glancing up at the tall brass wall clock. "At this hour? Who comes calling at this time?"

"It is Mr. and Mrs. Cowell, Elder," Alexander replied smoothly.

The grand elder’s bushy eyebrows raised slightly. "The Cowells? How unexpected." He placed his fork neatly across his bowl and nodded. "Take them to the guest lounge and serve them proper tea. Tell them I will join them shortly."

"At once, master," Alexander bowed and retreated.

Alessa took another smug bite of her turnip, leaning over to whisper to Maverick, "Pretend to like the turnip brother, your sister is trying to make a point."

Maverick choked on his water and took a bite of the tasteless abomination. He and Alessa smiled, while Sabrina looked like she was ready to flip the entire dining table into the lotus pond outside.