He was always busy these days, Isaac thoughts to himself. He had a lot of work to do before he could kill the Duke, but the most annoying part of it all was leaving both his mother and Theia behind for long periods of time. Arkadios Elyas was his best bet for now, the best bet to be able to guard Theia at the moment. Despite her being a beast tamer, she was still far too young to be left alone.
All he wanted was to see his mother healthy and happy, along with Theia. The Duke couldn't even bother the bare minimum of trying to help her, rather letting her sickness consume her than search for any sort of medicine for her, he was truly disgusting.
Once he inherited the title he could finally get rid of everyone and everything. All of the staff to every other sibling and their parent that weren't useful to him could simply die that night with the Duke. He had zero sympathy for any of them, just as they have always had zero sympathy for him. It was an Argyris tradition at this point, it seemed, to die by the hands of your child. Like father like son, he would continue the tradition of slaughtering his own father and succeed him.
Even if he couldn't predict what would happen in the meantime, the day that will paint the Argyris estate a crimson red by his blade, along with the music of people's screams and pleads as their tear pricked eyes roll to the back of their heads is drawing near, he was very sure of that.
Drinking her tea perfectly, Rosalyn gave her praise for the first time in forever. "You've finally learned how to do it right, sister Theia." She smiled, but it sounded more like an insult. Gracefully getting up from her seat, she smiled in response bringing her fan to her lips, giving a polite curtsy.
"It is only because sister Rosalyn is such a great teacher." She had become a mini Rosalyn before she realized it, but she had to admit she was definitely more graceful than before. Earlier everyone would gather around her because of her title, but now Rosalyn assured her everyone would surround her because of her natural charm.
Clapping her hands, the maids brought Rosalyn her parasol, time for their walk. She always expected etiquette training to just be manners, but Rosalyn did go above and beyond in just a month. Every night before bed she was expected to follow a strict beauty routine, and every afternoon after their first two hours of lessons they would take a "break".
The afternoon stroll was not, in fact, a break, but rather a way for her to walk more gracefully and only show her good side in public which she originally found ridiculous. How does Rosalyn manage to plan every single step she takes to be the most optimal? Regardless, Arkadios followed her and guarded her just as Rosalyn's guard did to Rosalyn, following his example as he too, was roped into the lesson.
A guard must be as perfect as the lady he protects, she claimed. "Did you do as I asked?" Rosalyn questioned as they made their way through the gardens, her hair flowing in the wind she created subtly around herself. Nodding, she had thought about this long and hard.
"I know who to bring," she replied. It was a difficult choice, but she decided it would be her very first beast. "I'm choosing Phius." Because she was a beast tamer, Rosalyn allowed her to bring only a single beast with her during her tea party or else the guests would be scared. For now, this was a first impression.
Phius would also help with crowd control, she'd been working on him recently. He was good around people within the family such as Isaac and the Duke, too afraid to attack them, but he was quite hostile with some people weaker than him. If someone got too close, he'd likely scare them off.
"The iridescent snake? I'll allow it, then." She heard Rosalyn hum. Another reason Phius would be allowed was due to his beauty. Compared to regular snakes, he was extremely beautiful with scales that shone in the light in all sorts of nice shades. He'd compliment her, two beasts with an elegant appearance that you should admire from afar and not get too close to.
Fanning herself, she gave Theia some advice. "If needed, don't be afraid to sink your fangs down into your prey," It was the classic Rosalyn style, after all. Let your prey feel safe before catching them in your trap, just toying with them until you watch the life ooze out of them slowly until there's nothing left inside. "If you do well I'll give you a present."
That was the first time she heard of a present, but she wasn't sure if she wanted it. Was this present a family of nobles Rosalyn had been tormenting, or just something like an accessory? It was always hard to tell with this family. "What qualifies as well, sister Rosalyn?" She asked.
It was that cunning grin once again. "At the end of the tea party everyone should know just who you are." That was a bit of a simple request at face value. Everyone attending the party would likely know who she was, but what Rosalyn's condition meant was to make a grand impression of herself. Rather than being known as the youngest Argyris child, she would have to be known as Theia Argyris, the beast tamer of the Argyris family, not a pawn that they could manipulate for power just because they were invited.
There would always be someone who believed they could manipulate someone else, so she would have to establish herself as the hunter during this tea party, which meant being able to put people in their place if necessary. "Sounds fun," she replied, looking up at Rosalyn. "I look forward to getting to show off my Phius."