Chapter 189: The Truth of the Main Family

 Chapter 189

The Truth of the Main Family

“Don’t you dare point your finger at a member of the main family. This time, I’ll forgive your ignorance, but if there’s a next time...I’ll order someone to cut off the fingers of those who are so insolent,” Athena said in a calm tone.

 “D-do you dare? If you do that...”

 “You want to report to the branch family? Want the branch family head to be punished as well? I don’t mind. Actually, the ones at fault are those who have taught you wrongly,” Athena smiled wearily. She set her teacup down, her eyes showing that she was serious and wouldn’t let this go as she had in the past.

 Everyone was surprised by Athena and Aya’s demeanor this time. However, they were accustomed to disrespecting the young ladies of the main family for their own satisfaction. So, even if the attitudes of the two had changed, it wouldn’t easily alter the thoughts of the other young ladies.

 “Don’t be rude. Pointing fingers at the young ladies of the main family is inappropriate. After all, they are used to wielding the power of the main family. We, as the branch family, must yield no matter what.” Sara was wise, sensing that Athena and Aya wouldn’t let today’s issue slide. Though she didn’t know what had provoked them, she believed their day was only today.

 “Oh, it’s great that you understand things so easily. It’s fitting for the daughter of the branch family head. If you were as foolish as the others, believing that the branch family is the great support of the main Setter family, I would truly be disappointed in you,” Aya laughed wickedly like a villainess. She knew she couldn’t play the role of a proper lady like her sister, so she embraced the role of the villain instead.

 Aya’s performance was quite good. Her words angered many of the young ladies who believed their branch family was superior and that the main family was merely a parasite.

 “Just people from the main family living comfortably off the hard work of the branch family, and yet you dare call us fools? What you heard is right. The main family relies on us to be as great as they are. Do you think you would live as well as you do without us?”

 “Exactly. The main family has sacrificed countless lives from the branch family, using us as shields, making us fight for their comfort. As descendants of the branch family, we will not allow ourselves to be bullied, even over something like this.”

 “Yes! We should have equal rights. Why should you have more? Did your parents die fighting for the main family? That’s ridiculous.”

 Each person spoke out, countering Aya and Athena’s insults. They genuinely believed what they were saying. Their parents had drilled such ideas into them since childhood, telling them that the main family needed the branch family, that they were more skilled, that they were behind the main family’s greatness. It was all rooted in envy towards the main family. But deep down, they knew the truth well.

 If left to grow up with these ideas, one day, they might eventually realize that their beliefs weren’t entirely correct. However, they had all been raised with these prejudices, and it was no surprise that they would pass them on to their own children.

 Even today, the heads of the branch families believed they should lead the Setter family and fought for power. But deep down, they knew they couldn’t match the strength of the main family.

 “Is that what you think? If so...do you want the main family and the branch family to separate? From now on...the branch families won’t need to come to the main family. We won’t need to share our resources with you. And what’s that? You say you all fight and die for the main family? Is that true? Or is it because the branch families are too weak and end up dying?” Aya laughed, unable to help herself.

 “Hmph, do you think you can separate while the main family has taken all the resources of the branch family?”

 “Yes, every hunt, you take everything. If we were to separate, we, the branch family, would be at a disadvantage,” the other children argued persistently, holding onto their beliefs.

 “Is that really true? That all the branch family’s resources are taken by the main family? Are you all truly ignorant or just pretending to be? In every hunt, there’s a rule that those who perform the best get the most, regardless of whether they’re from the main or branch family. As long as you achieve results, you’ll be fairly rewarded. Is there really any resource hoarding by the main family? You should visit the library and see for yourselves who’s actually receiving the resources without doing anything.”

 “This year, with my eldest brother’s recovery, I checked and saw that everyone from the branch family received weapons from him. The amount taken by the branch family this year is so immense that even if you worked for a thousand years, you wouldn’t be able to repay it. Additionally, all the cities were seized by the main family, and those from the branch family working there were compensated. If anyone didn’t want to join, they weren’t forced, but they didn’t receive any share either.”

 “Or next time, should we consider hiring mercenaries as a favor? I find your thinking laughable. In the past, I thought since you share the Setter family name, we should strive for unity. But I never expected such a negative attitude from you.”

 “If you’re so confident in yourselves, and if your parents believe so strongly, why don’t you withdraw from the main family and settle this once and for all? There are examples of branch families that have withdrawn. Do you not know their fate? With your current strength, check how many capable individuals your branch family truly has. Even if you are strong, in 10 or 20 years, do you think your resources alone will match what you get from the main family in just one year?”

 “Living in the Setter family’s mansion, don’t you see how differently the main family operates? We train hard, fight hard. Even as family head or sons of the family head, we work tirelessly and don’t have time for leisure like your siblings.”

 “My second brother, when not at the institute, is constantly training and fighting. And what about your siblings? Even Sara’s brother is the same, isn’t he? I hear he’s about to take his 7th wife. Is that what you call hard work and risking lives?”

 "There are less than 10 gathers in a year, while the main family fights every single day! If you aren’t ignorant or biased, you should know that as a branch family, tasked with expanding our influence to other cities, you live very peaceful lives!"

 No one knew how angry Aya was to speak so much. However, her words pinpointed all the facts accurately. When she spoke about the lives of the branch family members who claimed they were being bullied and sacrificed their lives, it was clear that compared to the main family, which frequently entered the tower, the branch family faced far fewer dangers!

 Furthermore, the comparison between her own brothers and Sara’s brother was glaringly obvious. While Sara’s brother indulged in the company of beautiful women, Aya’s second brother had to fight battles every single day. Not to mention the eldest young lord of the family, who, despite recently recovering from illness, had single-handedly conquered many brutal and dangerous cities. Just this fact alone was enough to leave everyone speechless.

 "Of course, we respect those who work hard. And you..." Sara persisted, but Aya scoffed, cutting her off mid-sentence.

 "Us? Shouldn’t we also be treated fairly? Should we, the two sisters, have the same rights as you? Should we receive the same care as you? How is that possible?"

 "While you are surrounded by many siblings at home, my sister and I have been alone since we were young. Our father never took us to any shows because he worked tirelessly every day. All our siblings went into the tower, and even our mother was the same!"

 "The day when you have to live alone every day, seeing nothing but people working hard in the tower for the future of the Setter family, that is the day you can come and ask to sit in this chair. Then, I will consider giving you a place in the main family!!"

 Aya laughed coldly. Though her demeanor seemed malicious, the genuine sincerity in her fiery red eyes conveyed her message powerfully.

 Those who heard Aya’s words were all stunned into silence, as if a lump was stuck in their throats. They couldn’t even look Aya and Athena in the eyes.

 Seeing Aya and Athena handle the Setter family members in their own way, Ellie felt quite proud. She had believed they would handle it well, and they had exceeded her expectations.

 If Ellie had dealt with them herself, it would have likely resulted in lifelong animosity. However, for Aya and Athena, the branch family members were still important. Otherwise, why would they bother explaining things in such detail?

 The tea party ended with silence, lasting about two hours. Ellie noticed that everyone was lost in their thoughts and felt quite uncomfortable. So, she pretended to finish reading her book and announced her intention to rest. The girls took this as their cue to leave and rest as well, leaving Aya and Athena alone.

 “Relieved?” Ellie asked without looking at the two girls, as she walked ahead. They had to pass the same way to their bedrooms. Aya remained unusually silent, seemingly deep in thought after venting her emotions.

 “Some truths are frightening,” Athena spoke instead. She also sensed that everyone was lost in their own thoughts, even Sara, the group leader, had gone quiet.

 “But some truths help people understand each other better. Now, we’ll see if the Setter family’s bloodline is as courageous as rumored. If they’re not brave enough to accept the truth, then there’s nothing more we can do.” When Ellie finished speaking, Athena stopped walking. She watched her future sister-in-law’s back, realizing she still couldn’t keep up with her thoughts.

 For a moment, Athena thought that Ellie couldn’t possibly be just 17 years old, but she pushed that thought aside. It seemed she had much to learn from this woman.

 After the day Aya and Athena lectured the branch family children, no one attended Ellie’s tea parties again, including Aya and Athena. However, Ellie occasionally checked on the two girls, noting that they had increased their studies. After classes, they spent a lot of time in the library. It seemed that day had not only taught the branch family a lesson but also made the two girls more aware of their status in the main family.

 The responsibilities of the main family members were different from others. They must train harder and strive more. In the future, they would need to support both the main and branch families. While their two brothers possessed many natural talents, they, who still didn’t know their own potential, must diligently acquire knowledge.

 Seeing the children working so hard, Ellie, who had been reading novels during the school break, couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. There wasn’t much time left before the new term started, and it seemed Nara was almost fully recovered. Despite having a bomb in her chest like the demonic toxin waiting to explode, or the subsidiary Pink Poison waiting for orders, and the secret monitoring device implanted by the Setter family to track her movements, Nara had still managed to get back on her feet. Truly, her skills as the heroine were something to be admired; anyone else would have perished from the demonic toxin alone.

 "My lady, the butler sent a message that someone from the village wishes to see you and the village girl, Nara," Selin conveyed the message brought by the Setter family soldier who had suddenly come in. Although she didn’t want to disturb Ellie’s rest, this news from the butler couldn’t be ignored.

 "Hmm? Someone from the village?"

 Ellie thought about it and realized it made sense for them to reach out. Previously, both girls had been invited to the debut of the Setter family’s eldest young lord, and since the party had long ended, they hadn’t returned to the village. For Ellie, who had no parents, it was not a big deal, but Nara was different. She had parents. It wasn’t surprising that they would come looking for her.

 “Yes, it seems to be Nara’s parents and a relative of yours. They mentioned being your aunt and uncle.”

 “Mmm, is that so? Then prepare some good food for them. I’ll go check on Nara to see if she can join us,” Ellie’s heart fluttered at the thought of someone coming to see her, not just Nara’s parents.

 Ellie knew how difficult it must have been for them to muster the courage to come to the Setter family. Maybe...they must have been very worried all this time...