I dont think I agree.
I see where she is coming from. The instructions are there and freely accessible, but apparently Molly never checked, and then when she tried to tell her Molly apparently shrugged it off.
So teaching lesson time; burnt hand teaches best et cetera.
Its especially relevant because the previous Winter Lady was Maeve, her daughter, who was the exact type of person to blow off instruction until everything blew up in her face and other people have to pick up the pieces.
Which was possibly a factor in why she ended up dead in canon.
So Mab lets her learn an object lesson, and critically, remains nearby to handle cleanup if necessary.
She's Mab, she has a thousand things to do. But she kept herself available.
Carlos is not dead, medical care nearby. Relatively controlled circumstances.
Much different circumstances than having to find out on a battlefield or during high stakes negotiations.
This is not an accurate characterization IMO.
Mab is not threatening Lydia, who has done nothing to her and hers. She is making no claim against Lydia herself. She does have an apparently justifiable claim against Arawn; I say apparently because we know none of the details.
She is going to dangle commutation of Arawn's offence/grudge if Lydia will work for her.
Questionable? Oh yes. But no more than a federal prosecutor offering a plea deal/reduced sentencing to a criminal if their child/sibling/friend will work for law enforcement.
And immortals often have a different view of legal majority than modern humanity, when its not externally enforced.
Squires and cabin boys used to get as young as 8 sometimes.
Empathy is an advantage as long as it does not result in paralysis. It allows you to get a feel for the limits of the people you are empathizing with and how far you can push them, and gives you some idea how they are likely to react to your actions and those of others. Its important in diplomacy for anyone who cannot rely on strength alone, which is everyone not working for big G.
Whether she actually empathizes with the Miksani, that passage leaves open to interpretation, but Mab makes it clear she feels responsible for them and their wellbeing. Responsible for Winter at large as well.
That our people bit was deliberate.
And its not manufactured; pre-apotheosis Molly was a sensitive to feelings and emotions. And Mab knew that because her handmaiden trained her. Mab would have been unlikely to take the risk of attempting to falsify her feelings in that regard.
The loss of trust would be longterm.
EDIT
I like to think of Mab as a nuanced antagonist.
There is some Becoming The Mask going on, but how much is left unclear.
Butcher intentionally seems to write her as varying shades of grey, and people like Uriel who should know treat her the same way.
Still, this is your Mab. I dont get to tell you how to write her.
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