The third prince's mother, a person she did not want to meet. She was one of the people everyone in the country would avoid if they were given the choice. Her eyes glared into her's as she wore an arrogant expression, fanning herself as she looked at the guests.
This woman had some connection to Rosalyn for sure, that was why she was so confident. Did she even notice the Duke of Argyris, or cared he were there? It would probably be an ego boost if the Duke himself talked to her while she was here, she thought.
It was annoying to feel beneath someone, but Rosalyn had told her to endure her attitude. "Arkadios Elyas greets the third prince and Lady Selene Giehl." Following after her was Arkadios, prompting Rosalyn to sit up and give her own curtsy, giving her greetings, followed soon after by her guard up until everyone else was doing so.
The woman looked satisfied at the crowd's reaction, she would of vomited if she could, she reminded her of Penelope, maybe they'd be a better mother and daughter pair than her actual son. Could she perhaps force Penelope into a marriage with him instead of her? That would be an ideal outcome. No matter what this woman and Rosalyn schemes, she was never going to marry that walking red flag of a prince.
"Rise." She ordered as though she were actually someone with power. It didn't take long for the woman to look comfortable as she was guided to her table and seat beside Rosalyn that was mingling elsewhere. Despite being her technical guardian, Rosalyn never actually looked after her and chose to sit elsewhere.
She smiled and acted polite about the untouched gifts and soon dismissed herself as she made her way back to her table, not able to hurry faster. Pulling out her seat, Arkadios looked at the Duke briefly before the table soon begun chattering amongst themselves.
"Duke Argyris, are you close to the third prince?" Duchess Leventis asked, though her tone was chirpy it had a hint of seriousness to it compared to earlier. Even her son that was just wagging her tail happily seemed invested in what his response would be.
The Duchess of Elyas hadn't bat a single eye at it but instead seemed to enjoy it. "So that's your answer? Breaking their neutrality, the Argyris family will be supporting the third prince?" Duchess Vasilakis cut to the chase quite quickly as her son glared, niece twiddling her fingers not quite understanding.
The Duke was expressionless as he turned to her. "Report to me after two days time." He pulled out his pipe and lit it, gathering the attention of the people around him as he silenced them instantly with his sheer presence. Compared to earlier when he was just sitting, it was overwhelming now as everyone could feel it.
She was quite curious about what he meant by reporting to him, did he want an official paper on her time hosting the tea party to see if she fulfilled his order, or did he merely want her to go to the Duke's office in two days time? She might ask Rosalyn a little later just what exactly he'd meant.
"As the Duke of Argyris I have come to a decision," his voice rang out throughout the quiet room, she could barely breathe as he turned himself in the other direction, making his declaration in front of everyone attending.
"Worthless." He huffed, wiping the blood off his chin with the back of his hand, retying his hair after the hair tie came loose from a knife's tip. His hands were soaked in blood, the same color as his hair as he wiped off the tip of his spear with his shirt.
He hadn't intended to kill anyone, it was just a little accident out of force of habit. "Whoops." He muttered as he stepped onto the corpse, heel digging into it as he walked by. He didn't need his fingerprints all over them, having wind magic would of been convenient at the moment. This would be too much of a pain to frame someone else, he thought.
After a few minutes, he had started a fire and dropped the flamed piece of wood onto the first man, pressing it against his neck thoroughly, watching the fire spread as he did the same to the man next to him. He didn't bother putting the fire out once it begun to spread, that was someone else's problem now. It was just his luck to run into lowlifes on his way to the third prince's residence, how bothersome to deal with.
Traveling by foot was much longer than traveling by carriage, it was also annoying to rinse out the stench of blood in small ponds and rivers nearby, but he finally made it to the capital. Sniffing himself, he didn't think he smelled too much like blood, or perhaps he'd gotten used to it at some point that he couldn't notice. Covering his cloak back over his head, he wore a mask on the lower half of his face.
It was afternoon turning to evening soon, if he were fast enough he'd make it a little after nightfall. Scaling a wall, he maneuvered through the shadows of the outskirts, making sure to stay as quiet and far away from others as possible. As long as no one saw him, he didn't have to wash the blood off of himself until he were done finding what he needed.
Little eleventh would be having her tea party by now, the third prince's mother would be there. Time would tell if Rosalyn were right, is she really useful? He also wondered just where exactly Isaac was now and how he was doing. He had always trusted Isaac, but he wasn't too sure he'd make it at this point if he hadn't returned yet. No matter how hard he tried, it would all be pointless if he couldn't make his way back to the Argyris estate at the end of his journey to find that.