Together, the family members entered the mansion and headed to the meeting room, with Ava and Amy each holding one of Alex's arms.
When they entered the room, they found Anna, who had just set up chairs around the table in the center of the room.
Upon seeing them enter, Anna bowed her head politely and said, "Good evening."
It was Ava who replied, "Good evening, Anna. How are you doing?"
"Fine, Madame," Anna replied, her voice carrying a hint of respect and admiration. It was only natural since Ava had raised and trained Anna since childhood after discovering her talent. For Anna, Ava was like a teacher.
Amy, on the other hand, detached herself from Alex and went over to give Anna a hug, saying, "Hello, Anna."
Anna returned the hug and replied, "Hello, Miss Amelia."
"Hush, none of that between us," Amy scolded playfully. She didn't want Anna to speak to her so formally, considering they had lived together for a while, and Ava had even trained them in combat together. So for Amy they were friends.
After the greetings were done, the family sat down, with Alex, Lilia, and the girls on one side of the table, and Ava and Amy on the other.
Sensing that what was about to be discussed was likely important, Anna decided to leave but stopped when Ava said, "Stay, Anna. What we're going to discuss concerns you as well."
Anna was puzzled by what Ava meant but complied and stood behind Alex and the girls.
"Can you tell us now why the others won't be coming until next week?" Lilia asked.
"The reason is due to the theme of the upcoming family meeting in a month."
When Ava said this, not only Lilia but also Alex became serious, and he asked, "What will be the theme of the meeting?"
"At the next family meeting, the heir of the Eswald family and one of the future dukes will be decided ."
When Ava finished speaking, there was a deathly silence in the room. Everyone fell silent upon hearing this news, which was undoubtedly going to affect them in a negative way.
It should be remembered that the goal of Alex's branch of the family was to obtain the position of family patriarch, which had long been held by their branch of the family. In this context, they were taking their time to prepare for their ascension to this position. However, they were not ready, so the news that the heir would be decided at the next meeting was definitely not good news.
"Why have they decided to elect the heir so soon?" asked Alex, with an expression that looked like he just ate a pile of shit.
Alex's reaction was shared by Lilia as well because it was generally not how things worked in the Eswald family.
In the Eswald family, the heir or heiress was only decided if the current patriarch could no longer lead the family or if something unfortunate happened to him, which was definitely not the case with the current patriarch.
"We don't have a definite answer, but it's clear that the current patriarch wants to have his son elected, which is why he decided to speed things up."
Hearing about the current patriarch, anger filled Alex's face because even though he had no proof, he was sure that the patriarch had conspired with the royal family of Fiore—the empire where their family resided—to eliminate his father.
Seeing her husband's angry expression, Lilia interlocked her fingers with his as if to reassure him. Feeling Lilia's hand in his, Alex calmed down, gently squeezed Lilia's hand, and returned to his usual smile.
A moment later, Lilia asked, "But what does this have to do with the rest of the family not being able to come until next week?" By "family members," Lilia was referring to the members of their branch of the family.
Ava glanced at Alex for a moment before replying, "Because next week, we have to elect the new head of our branch of the family."