"Why didn't you knock?"
For the first time since this crowd arrived, I finally speak up.
They all stare at me in confusion, but my calm and frankly bemused expression tells them I demand an immediate answer.
"W-what are you talking about, little Javier? We were in a hurry to see how you were doing!"
"Is this how you respond to concerned relatives?"
"How can you treat us like this?"
"We came all the way here for your Coming-of-Age Ceremony!"
"Not even a word of greeting? How rude!"
They throw all sorts of nonsense my way, flapping their gums and moving their lips to utter words that don't even register as intelligible in my eyes.
I calmly stare at them with an unmoved demeanor, my calm face saying everything for me.
"Rude?" I scoff at my cousin, Dustin, who said that word in particular. "What can truly be considered rude… is members of Minor Families not knowing their place in the presence of a member of the Main Family."
My audacity stuns them, causing gasps to echo in the air.
I can hear murmurs spread, and the older ones are about to speak, but I stop them before they can say anything.
"How dare you… just walk in here without giving proper notice? I'm certain my aide was standing outside, but you suppressed him with your status and made sure he remained outside while you entered without properly announcing yourselves. What manner of disregard is that?"
Upon hearing this, some of their faces pale.
They have now realized that I'm not joking with them or being unnecessarily cheeky.
What I've done is point out a genuine problem.
Normally, my aide is meant to be in the room at all times unless I request privacy. As such, once I have visitors, he is meant to escort them inside and remain there until they leave. Not only that, but these visitors must also announce themselves before venturing in, and must obtain permission from me before they can enter—unless they are my parents.
Even my siblings wouldn't dare do this.
For those who have been authorized by my parents, they can venture in without my permission, but they still have to make their presence known first.
"You saw my aide outside, which clearly signifies my need for privacy, yet you barged in regardless? Have you all lost your minds?" I ask, pretending to be furious.
"C-calm down, Javier!"
"We're your family! We didn't think about all that…"
"We just wanted to have a family reunion!"
"We wanted to surprise you!"
"We were just so overwhelmed with concern that we forgot about protocol."
"Why are you making such a big issue out of all this? Why are you raising your voice? Is this really how you're going to treat people who care about you?"
On and on, they speak and try to justify their actions.
Right now, while they admit that they were in the wrong for barging in unannounced, they still aren't expressing remorse for their actions. The fact that they can still put on this self-righteous demeanor means I haven't pushed them enough.
"You there…" I point at Dustin, disregarding the rest of my family, who are still in the middle of offering their explanations. "Go and bring in my aide. I want him to stay in the room with me."
Dustin is stunned by my words.
His immature face is unable to hide the vitriol he feels regarding how I have just addressed him.
The lack of any ounce of respect in my words must be getting to him, but he does well to keep it in. Only a tiny fragment leaks out.
He looks at his parents to give him a signal on what to do, but I pick up on that immediately.
"I told you to do something, and you're still hesitating? You are in the presence of the Heir of the Aditi Household, yet you dare show such disregard? I was willing to forgive your earlier actions as a mistake, but your consistent lack of manners in my presence shows a very deep disregard for the family hierarchy and customs."
Dustin hears this and pales immediately. His parents chastise him for hesitating, and he promptly scurries to bring Leon inside while his parents apologize for their child's behavior.
According to them, he can be quite 'slow' at times.
"I see. I didn't know you were dealing with such an unfortunate situation. My condolences go to your family for your son's incompetence." I snort coldly at them. "It's not easy having an imbecile as a child."
"Our son is not—!"
"I apologize for the outburst." Jerome silences his wife and makes a strained smile, trying his best to correct me appropriately. "What my wife means by that is that our son is not at all an imbecile. He can just be distracted in meetings like this due to how focused he is on training."
"I see. My mistake then…" I smile, realizing just how shrewd my Uncle is.
If no one had denounced my statement, it would be an admission of Dustin being mentally disabled in some way.
This would automatically make him disqualified to compete against me for the Heir position.
'But because of how I'm criticizing their attitude, they couldn't afford to be too abrasive, else I would double down on them, lacking reverence for the Main Family. At the same time, they couldn't be too defensive, else it might seem like they were just protecting the image of their son, but my words still have validity.'
Jerome actually handled it best, using diplomacy to correct my words in a way that doesn't come off as irreverent to the Main Family, while protecting the prestige of his child.
He even came up with a perfect excuse on the spot.
'But that doesn't mean I'll let you off so easily…' I smile, watching Leon enter the room as Dustin meekly takes his place beside his parents.
Leon respectfully greets me and walks to my bedside, while keeping his eyes on everyone.
His expression tells me everything and is the final confirmation I need to fully identify what is happening right now.
'This is my father's scheme…'
Or rather, it is a test.
I was wondering why the Minor Families were allowed to step into my room without any form of restrictions, considering the danger they pose to the Main Family, but now I understand.
This situation is exactly what my father wants to see.
'Is he trying to confirm my intelligence by observing how I'll handle this situation? If that's the case, I guess I'm not disappointing him thus far.'
Right now, I've managed to take control of the situation and have suppressed the family members present to an extent. They are all reeling from shock, their minds unable to keep up with the changes that they are experiencing.
I'm certain none of them expected me to be so harsh and inconsiderate towards them.
'In my past life, I dealt with them rather softly and diplomatically due to my strong filial nature. I even overlooked some of their actions and excused their behaviors. Instead of seeing them as enemies, I wanted to impress them and prove myself capable of leading the family…'
It wasn't until I grew older that I realized just how wicked these people could be. That was when my sympathy began to die. Unfortunately, it was too late at that point. I had involved too many members of the Minor Family in the affairs of the Aditi Estate, and they ended up securing many benefits by latching onto my Main Family's benevolence.
It was too difficult to remove them from such positions after I realized what was happening.
'People are naturally selfish, after all. Going after their benefits will only cause them to resist with all their strength, revealing their true nature.'
I realized this a little too late in my past life, but I do not intend to make the same mistake twice.
As much as they are my family, I do not feel any sense of closeness to any of them.
I owe none of them anything.
"I would prefer it if you do not disturb me for the rest of your stay in this Estate. I appreciate you all attending my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, but do not pretend like you had a choice in coming or not."
As Minor Family members, they need to show regard to the Main Family.
That means attending the Coming-of-Age Ceremony of the potential Heir. This is even more so when I have pretty much been confirmed as the official Heir.
Refusal to do so could result in being charged with Irreverence of the Main Family, which usually ends in the Minor Family being removed from the Aditi Household and all their family assets being seized by the Main Family. Even if such an extreme measure isn't taken, such a Minor Family will fall out of favor with the Main Family and will receive very little—or no—financial aid and support of any kind.
Because of this, even if the Minor Family is dissatisfied with the Main Family, they still have to put up appearances and cope with the situation.
Such is life… the life of politics.
"That is all I have to say. Leon, escort these people out of my room and ensure they all return safely to their respective accommodations."
"Yes, Young Master."
Just like that, all my Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins get chased out of my room in the most shameful way possible. My aide leaves with them, and I'm certain he will be gone a while. After all, my specific instructions are for him to see to it that all of them return to their rooms.
This is a way to place pressure on them, but it is also a way to give an excuse for him to report to my father about it.
There is also a final reason why.
Not too long after Leon leaves with everyone, I hear a knock on my door and a familiar voice echoes out.
"I greet the Heir of the Aditi Household. This is Damon Aditi, your Uncle, speaking."
I smile.
"Please come in."
A man in his early thirties walks in. He has a strikingly handsome face, with jet black hair like my father's. In fact, he resembles him to a large extent, though this man is very slim and wears glasses. Most importantly, he does not possess the fierceness that my father embodies.
Instead, he has a meek, scholarly aura to him.
I recognize him well.
'My father's younger brother, Uncle Damon Aditi… the one who attended the Royal Academy in the previous generation.'
"It has been a while, Javier… or should I call you Young Head now?" He bows to me, and I quickly shake my head while laughing.
"No need to be so stiff around me, Uncle! You can just call me Little Javier as you always do."
"Haha! How could I possibly do that now?" The man laughs at me, and I laugh back at him, but the two of us know that our laughter is superficial.
After all, we are both well aware of the reason he has chosen to visit me today.
"I passed by your aide, Leon, and some other family members. Their expressions were sour, so I can only assume you chased them out."
"Indeed, they were too disrespectful." I give an irreverent smirk. "Leon will be away for some time to ensure they all have proper rest in their room, so we shouldn't be interrupted for some time."
"Ah, I see…"
I slowly nod and let my gaze pierce his.
This harmless-looking man is actually my greatest piece and the best card I have against my father at the moment.
In essence, he is my benefactor.