Groggily sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes and tried to adjust to the sunlight poking through the curtains. Yawning, she looked at one of the maids and skipped breakfast, instead spending her soon to be rare days off heading to the sanctuary.
Rosalyn had worked her to the bone with etiquette even after the tea party, insisting that all she did was the basics as everyone fawned over her for the time being. There's no guarantee that would always happen, or if anything would go awry.
First things first, she took her bath and thought about how to raise her beasts to be a bit more vicious and dangerous. What was the point of raising them if she couldn't make good use of them, other than them being completely adorable.
The diet she gave the majority of animals were pure meat, there were no real herbivores within them, but she wasn't exactly convinced that just feeding animals meat would make them blood hungry. Maybe she had to simulate a way for them to hunt for their food? She'd been too focused on collecting beasts she'd read about and asking Isaac for them that she never really thought about it too hard.
The majority of them were not exactly docile in the wild and yet they allowed the maids and siblings who dared to enter her sanctuary live, she's come to be raising house pets and not beasts, she thought. Finishing up her bath and changing, she rushed down to the sanctuary, dismissing all the other maids.
No one would barge in during her training, she hoped while entering, knowing everyone was busy. From this day forth she'd have them act more beast like even towards those in the Argyris estate, they only needed to obey her.
Walking towards the middle she already felt their eyes staring her as Theron approached her, the other beasts slowly stalking her in the bushes before coming out, licking and nudging against her. She had a lot more work to do than she'd thought.
"Down," She ordered as they sat down, watching them for a minute. "Stay," She gave another order even Theron was forced to obey, leaving and walking around the sanctuary a bit until she was quite a distance away. "Come," she whispered but none arrived, she needed to work on that, there must be a way for a beast tamer to summon beasts at will, right? Otherwise what was the cool name for.
"Come," she repeated louder but still nothing, they only came when she yelled for them. Baby steps, she'd need to work on getting them to run by her side the second she even said the word come, even a thousand feet away. She weren't sure if it were possible, but she was going to try.
She'd have to get them to come running to her when she called, save her when she was in danger, and act more aggressive towards anyone that wasn't her. Tapping her foot she tried to think of ways to install the training to make more powerful beasts.
On the opposite side of the country with skin turning slightly blue and hands shaking lightly, a boy with bright blonde hair and a silver eye arrived at the Elyas' estate. He'd wanted to send a letter but one could never be too sure if everything would be a secret.
He'd switch coach drivers to his usual, taking no guards with him as he came to speak to the head of the household himself. Unlike the Argyris estate that felt eternally cold from a lack of love and happy children, the Elyas estate was simply covered in snow, layers upon layers of deep snow that one could easily get stuck in.
It was a miracle he made it inside, taken in by maids and led to a waiting room with a large fireplace. He didn't act like he was cold but his body was suffering the effects of it. Taking off his eye patch, he folded it and took out a spare, the other one about to be wet from the melted snow.
The door swung open as he turned his head, putting the eyepatch on, standing up and greeting the duchess. "Isaac Argyris greets Duchess Elyas." He gave a bow while she dismissed the maids, telling him to skip the formalities while they were alone.
"You wouldn't come here over something small, let's cut to the chase." He really did like her as a business partner. Straight to the point and looking at him as though she could see through his every lie if he'd ever told one.
Arms folded he leaned back in his chair. "The Duke of Argyris has decided to support the third prince, for reasons I'd like to specify after giving a warning and invitation." Out of his coat he pulled out a letter he'd been keeping. An invitation to Theia's very first tea party she was holding to her youngest son.
He didn't know why but the duchess chuckled looking at him after taking the letter, reading it. "I hope my sons get along as well as you do with your sister." She put the letter invitation aside, not commenting further as she urged him to continue with his warning.
"The first prince is favored by the king, the second prince is favored by the people, while the third prince is favored by the Argyris family." She knew what he meant, no matter how much the people or king pushed, the third prince would win so long as they still had power, something no one could strip from them.
The Elyas family supported the first prince, Vasilakis and Leventis supported the second. If they were smart, all of them would refrain from making it difficult and simply pull out their support. But this wasn't all the warning, she assumed.
"The third prince's mother is someone to be weary of," her expression changed but he did not care for that. "I have only given you a warning so I hope you'll look into it yourself and at your own discretion."