Shaking his head, he put a hand under his chin. "No, still no pressure." He commented. Even if she stared directly up at him and tried to sound like an exasperated Argyris, she didn't quite pull it off to instill fear in him.
"Have you considered the reason Phius is afraid of others is because you're not scarier than them?" She was still processing everything but he hit her hard again. Could it really be true? The reason her beast is so comfortable with her but cowers with others is because he views others as above her, therefore cannot go against them?
She felt a little insulted by the little guy if that were the case, but it were true. She was a beast tamer, and her beasts would only be as powerful as she were. "…What do you suggest?" She asked, averting her gaze, staring at Theron on the ground who's paw tugged at her foot.
"Sorry, could you repeat, my lady?" He asked, unable to quite hear her mumbling. Squatting down, she pat Theron on the head, repeating her question louder this time, still averting her gaze.
He crossed his arms as he looked down at her. "That's not something I can answer, my lady." He replied, holding his hand out for her to help her up as she thought about what he had said. Taking his hand, she did need help for it, it wasn't something she could do alone or ask any of her siblings for.
"Tell me, am I not worthy of respect?" She glared at him, only for him to glare back down at her. It was a few seconds, but it felt longer as he held his own with only his eyes, not backing down to her own gaze. "Of course, Lady Theia is worthy of respect." He replied, smiling.
Shaking her head, she rephrased it. "Am I, Theia Argyris worthy of respect. Not the eleventh daughter of the Argyris family." His mouth formed a frown, but he decided to answer her question truthfully, it would be better for her.
"No. Not in the slightest," it was an answer she needed to hear, but didn't want to. "From our first encounter until now, I won't deny my lady is smart enough to scheme, but that does not mean my lady is worthy of the type of respect she wants. Even now, my lady is being far too polite."
Was she, now? "Should I be more insulting when I speak?" She questioned, he shook his head, once again, helping her out as he gave her more insight of just what he meant by the pressure her family exudes.
"Lady Rosalyn is polite, yet no one dares to defy her," but she was quick to retort. "Isn't that because everyone know's she's a noble rose? And of her hobby?" While that was true, it seemed like she didn't quite notice the pressure her sister had.
"Lady Rosalyn's actions to her very words create an unforgettable impression, that spread rumors. Although beautiful, her words are sharp, condescending yet polite. Even her very gaze silences a person from across the room that even dares take a peek at her. That is why she is the center of the noble society and can get away with her hobby, because no one would dare defy her due to her presence."
Once again he made a good point. To say Rosalyn's success was due to her name being Argyris and being pretty would be a complete lie. "Compared to Lady Theia who's gaze doesn't put people in their place, but rather only her words, the answer is obvious."
He was right again. The kids crowding her at her first tea party was due to her name they wanted to get close enough to. They didn't even seem to fear her beast with her, wasn't it because she told him to be docile? She didn't pressure them with her presence that they still crowded her, only shutting up when she spoke. In the end, Isaac, Nyx, and Rosalyn were the ones who really made them back off. Telling people off was isn't enough to make an impression like the others around her.
"Why did you suddenly say this?" She asked, her curiosity taking over for a bit. He could of kept this to himself, just as Rosalyn were, it seemed. She gave her a subtle hint during their afternoon walk she failed to pick up on properly. Why would he care?
"I apologize if I offended my lady by speaking my thoughts," he let out a small laugh, he truly wasn't sorry at all. "I just had to speak my thoughts. If you kept at this, you wouldn't be able to achieve your goal of being the one who commands respect, that's all." She wasn't sure if it were sincere or whether he was still looking down on her, but he did give her some good advice.
She knew she couldn't change overnight, but she would make steps towards it from now on. She didn't have to be identical to her siblings, either, in order to be respected by others. Scoffing, her thumb traced the back of Phius's head, the snake rubbing against her cheek as she stared up at the man. "I'm not offended over something so trivial. If you want to make it up with me, though, you're going to help me. We don't have much time."
The smile was back tugging at his lips as he gave her a bow, not breaking eye contact either. "Of course, my lady. I look forward to being able to help you." She could almost feel a chill shudder down her spine, just from a single facial expression of Arkadios she felt uncomfortable. Just as she'd expect from the son of the Duchess of Elyas.
She'd be winning her prize from Rosalyn, and she'd be giving the attendees a nice gift for their hard work of coming all the way and attending. When Isaac and Nyx return, she'd also have to test Phius against them to measure how far she'd come.