My Accidental Husband is a Billionaire！

Chapter 606  The Origin of the South Family

After confirming several times at the doorway that no one would overhear their conversation, old Mr. Martin approached Keira.

Seeing his solemn expression, Keira couldn't help but sit up straight.

Upon noticing her reaction, old Mr. Martin asked, "Do you truly not remember anything about the South family? Vera seems to remember everything. Weren't you all said to have spent time within the South family before age five?"

Keira didn't explain to old Mr. Martin about her sister, not wanting the elderly man to know that he once had another granddaughter who had passed away.

She said, "Well, I had a fever when I was young and forgot everything when I woke up. I only knew I had a Guardian who would send me news of the South family. My foster parents were servants of the South family, and they passed away when I was very young. Moreover, with my mediocre talents, I planned to live an inconspicuous life, so I rarely brought up matters regarding the South family."

Old Mr. Martin's eyes lit up. "So that's how it is."

Keira asked, "Do you know where the South family is? What kind of family is it?"

Old Mr. Martin said, "The South family is a very mysterious force. I only know that they have survived for thousands of years from the records, seemingly disappearing in the flow of history, but in fact, they have always been there."

Keira was slightly taken aback.

Old Mr. Martin continued, "The South family is extremely secretive; they prospered about two thousand-five hundred years ago..."

Two thousand five hundred years ago... that was a long history!

Old Mr. Martin said, "Their family is a matrilineal clan."

Keira was astonished. "A matrilineal clan?"

The matrilineal clan, also known as a matrilineal society, was from the very ancient times when people banded together for warmth, and due to primitive thinking and chaotic private lives, children only knew their mothers, not their fathers. Consequently, inheritance followed the matriarchal line, giving rise to this system.

As society progressed and productivity increased, this system was almost eliminated.

In the era of agriculture, men's physical advantage became apparent, and women needed to depend on men for survival. A patriarchal society gradually replaced the matrilineal society.

Even now, Crera people still thought that boys should inherit the family business, leading to the preference of males over females.

The South family was a matrilineal clan.

Keira somewhat understood. It was no wonder her mother's, grandmother's, and sister's last names were all South!

She initially thought this was just their family's unique case; after all, she didn't have a grandfather on her mother's side, so it was reasonable for her mother to take her grandmother's surname, and it was normal for her sister to be taken by the South family and also bear the surname South.

It turned out that all the descendants of the South family shared the surname South!

Furthermore, in a matrilineal society, women continued the lineage. Did that mean girls had a higher status in the South family than boys?

Seeing that she understood his point, Old Mr. Martin continued. "Their family inheritance is passed down by the girls because girls in their family are both precious and dispensable."

Keira was puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

Old Mr. Martin sighed. "They trust in bloodlines, believing that only girls can fully inherit their family traits from their mothers. Every hundred years, their family would produce a prodigy who would lead their clan toward a more glorious future. But... There are too many girls in their family."

That was to say, the South family was impressive; hence, their daughters were very esteemed.

For instance, Vera could command Old Mr. Martin around.

Yet, because there were so many daughters, it seemed that they weren't as important.

In the end, the most important person in the South family must be the head of the household!

That answered a lot of questions for Keira.

Why Vera competed with her; why she strived to grow her influence in Crera, to extend her connections, and to tightly bind the five great families of Clance to herself.

All of that was for...

"The selection of the South family's heiress?"

Keira asked.

Hearing this, old Mr. Martin laughed. "You're indeed very smart. You lost your memory, yet merely from what I've mentioned, you've grasped the essence... You're right. The selection for the heiress of the South family is extremely rigorous. The South family has accumulated wealth over thousands of years that's beyond our imagination. If the heiress isn't shrewd enough, it could easily lead to the decline and dissolution of the South family. Therefore, the daughters are taken to various places around the globe from a young age, commonly referred to as exile, and in the end, only the most formidable one is allowed to return home to inherit the family business."

Keira narrowed her eyes.

Lewis, who had been listening beside her, marveled. "What an impressive inheritance practice."

Both Keira and old Mr. Martin turned to look at him.

Lewis explained, "In this era, which is the information age, development is rapid, and new items emerge endlessly. Over the years, tech companies and real estate magnates have made a fortune...

"If the South family were to stick to the past or only focus on their own development, they would become isolationist. But by placing their heirs around the world and assigning them missions...

"They allow the daughters to meet and bond with the most powerful families in each place, forming strong ties with external forces. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"If every heiress with a claim to the throne were to bind themselves with the top forces of their respective nations, it's as though they're using the entire world to select their heiress!

"The final victor also brings wealth from the outside back to the South family, such that the South family is invariably profiting!"

As soon as he finished explaining, Keira understood. "So, we girls are all heiresses of the South family raised abroad?"

Lewis nodded. "It's as if the South family is using the world to breed candidates to a throne, and only one Queen will win in the end! Considering how powerful that Queen must be to overcome all these obstacles and fights to emerge victorious, no wonder the South family has survived for such a long time..."

Keira, however, frowned again. "But what exactly does the South family do? What qualifications do they have, or even what resources, to work on a global scale? Moreover, they're so secretive that ordinary people might not even know of their existence."

"That's something to ask Mr. Martin," Lewis said.

Lewis and Keira turned their gaze back to old Mr. Martin, with Lewis asking, "The Martin family has always been non-confrontational, so why are they now getting involved with the South family?"

Since old Mr. Martin had decided to form a marital alliance with the South family, this indicated that he must know something!