She was thankful the others left her alone, especially her brothers as she wandered around the garden with Theron. "You are such a good boy," she mumbled, scratching him under the chin and playing with his fluffy ears. "They're all only after one thing." They were obvious, and that's good for her.
She wondered for a bit if Rosalyn was approving of her behavior. A black haired boy was quite ambiguous, but he was someone allegedly important for her to note. If she had a look around again before speaking, perhaps she'd notice?
Being shorter than everyone didn't quite help, it was like a sea of giants. At least from afar she could see the heads and colors of people, finally spotting a boy in a corner with dark hair, the only one she'd seen so far with black hair, being crowded!
Maybe he really was important, she thought while making her way over to him, her tiger sadly following. Pulling up towards the crowd, it nearly sounded like they were making fun of the boy rather than complimenting him if anything. The crowd soon dispersed from him as the girl with a beast at her feet returned, staring at the boy.
"Don't worry princess, we taught him a lesson! How dare an illegitimate child sit next to you." One of the boys excitedly exclaimed, smiling at her. Perhaps the Argyris family weren't the only ones teaching their kids to be crazy, or maybe it was a noble trait to want to beat up people they deem as beneath them.
She thought he came from a viscount's family, likely the same girl as before that was getting on her good side. Ashy brown hair and light blue eyes, similar enough to the girl before. Maybe his own sister would turn on him, how thrilling.
If he weren't important but rather an illegitimate child, she could figure Rosalyn wanted to toy with his family. She couldn't see his face as he looked away, a bruise on his cheek. Rosalyn's tactics were simple yet efficient as always, so all she'd need to do was copy it to get him into her grasp.
Illegitimate child, that's what they called him. Another way to address a Duke's daughter would be princess, they were clearly mocking him as they'd call her lady before. "Move." she ordered the people, thumb brushing down on the leash as Theron growled, instead of heading to the victim boy she walked over to the bully.
Opening her fan she ignored their gazes, even if it felt like someone's eyes were burning into her from behind. "Did I tell you to hit him?" She asked, expressionless. Her glare were digging into him, causing him to shudder slightly but he swallowed and tried to talk his way through it since she was just a young child.
"That illegitimate child was not paying respect to you! He's not even a real…" before he could finish she loosened Theron's leash, a sigh leaving her lips as she relished in one of her first acts of being an awful person in public. Or rather than being awful, some would say she were amazing to defend a boy to get on her good side.
Theron immediately leaped towards the boy, him shrieking and alerting the grown ups who came running, her grabbing the end and tugging, causing him to move in time to avoid the boy and return to circling her feet. "I don't recall asking his status or whether he were respectful. I asked if I ordered you to do this?"
The adults around were relatively quiet seeing her confronting one of the older kids along with seeing the bruised boy. "I don't care if he's an illegitimate child or my worse enemy. Do not dare use the Argyris name as an excuse to act foolishly." She growled at him, followed by the actual growl of the tiger beneath her.
Closing her fan, she nearly hit him across the face with the back of it if Nyx didn't stop her. "And here I thought things were peaceful. How troublesome." He gently pat her head, smiling at the boy flashing his sharp teeth with a glint in his eye. Although he were the adopted son of the Argyris family, some would consider Nyx the same level as an illegitimate child if it weren't for his power.
Isaac was already by her side checking up on her not caring who looked, much more concerned if she had any bruises. "Annoying," he muttered, standing up with a hand on his sword hilt, looking at the boy that seemed his own age. "Which fool is making a mockery of the Argyris name and bothering my sister?" He questioned despite knowing.
The other kids quickly ratted on him changing sides in an instant. Some exaggerated while others kept it simple, but the majority were just shaking. "There's no need to make a big fuss of this. But I'm still waiting for an answer to my question." She interrupted at last, glaring at the boy.
He stuttered but at long last managed out a no. "But," he spoke up hurriedly trying to save himself, an instant mistake. "That illegitimate child-! He was the one mocking the Argy…" This time she successfully smacked him across the face with her fan, a small yawn escaping her lips as Nyx waved at the boy, pulling him by the neck of his shirt off somewhere else with her permission.
Looking at the children, she managed crowd control with them as Isaac stuck close to her side. She didn't quite accomplish what Rosalyn likely wanted, but it was close enough for the child to likely feel indebted to her.
As Rosalyn stepped up and worked on crowd control, smiling briefly beneath her fan at her, signally what she did was completely fine and didn't breach etiquette lessons.
Seemed like everyone was happy as the adults did whatever, Isaac guarding her as they returned to the table, nobody daring the check on the boy or the victim, even her. She got her approval, that was enough. She could see his eyes now were a red color, quite unique according to the novel which had only few red eye children, perhaps that's why Rosalyn wanted to mess with them. Either way, it's not like he mattered much.
Taking a seat at the table, she acted as though nothing happened. Once again a swarm of kids surrounded her and sat near her respectfully this time, due to someone with a sword and nasty glare, she was finally able to get some air and tea served to her.
Isaac of course sat next to her, but the boy with black hair from earlier never returned, she figured he was crying somewhere. Questioned about herself by the kids sucking up, she smiled and continued on, answering the fools around the table. She really could get away with attempting to maul and hit a noble if she just wanted to, couldn't she?