Because Lin Qi had been away this whole time, Anna did not spend the night at Lin Qi's villa that day. She returned home instead.
The enormous dining hall looked like a medieval aristocrat's castle, though its decorations were not particularly extravagant.
It resembled a place for gatherings. Long tables were arranged throughout the spacious hall, with a bench on either side of each table. The members of the Akiner Family all gathered here for meals.
The Akiner Family claimed to be aristocrats, so they also followed aristocratic traditions.
Everyone, no matter who they were, had to eat here as long as they were still at home.
That included Patu.
Patu sat at the central table, in the head seat. His siblings sat on either side of him, while people like his uncles and aunts sat at the other tables.
Those people were too old and had already relinquished the power in their hands. They had left the Akiner Family's center of power and naturally no longer had the qualifications to sit in the most prominent position.
At the same time, as Patu's elders, they were unwilling to look at a junior's expression even while eating. They had worked hard all their lives and deserved some rest.
Only those who held power were qualified to sit at Patu's table.
The other juniors sat at the table to the left. The juniors who received the most attention were there, representing the family's next generation. Once Patu stepped down as Family Head, these people would become the focus of the dinner.
The entire dining hall resembled a large cafeteria, filled with rigid and solemn conventions everywhere.
By tradition, only after Patu picked up his knife and fork and enjoyed that evening's main course could everyone else do the same. Before that, they