Everyone was taken aback for a moment, for none of them were the direct heirs. Although the number of direct heirs in various families was substantial, they were also the untouchables of each family. If something happened to a direct heir, it truly meant an unending vendetta.
This did not mean that the direct heir was of great importance to the family; rather, it was a matter of the family's reputation! If you didn't take action, then anyone would soon dare to target your family! Therefore, families didn't care about the person per se, but since it was a direct heir, it meant that you had a status, and what the family cared about was this status.
