"Hey, Mom, I'm done. I was just having a talk with Grandfather," John said as Irene entered the room, her face showing surprise as she saw Gerrard looking at her with a bright smile.
"Come in, come in. We finished talking anyway. He's a smart kid, you've done a wonderful job raising him," Gerrard said with a beaming smile.
"Th-thank you, Your Highness," Irene replied, bowing lightly with a look of surprise.
"Well then, let's meet at the banquet then," he said as he walked toward John and whispered something in his ear. "Be careful. You may have agitated the empress, but be aware that there are consequences for one's actions." With a swift nod, he left, closing the gate behind him.
"What did His Highness want to talk to you about?" Irene asked with a concerned expression.
"Nothing really, he just wished me a happy birthday, that's all," John said with an innocent smile, though in his mind, he thought, "So she'll send assassins after me, huh? It would be best to discreetly send Mom to the banquet with the guards first, just in case."
"Mom, can you do me a favor?" John asked, his expression innocent.
"Hmm, go on," Irene replied, curious.
"Can you please go to the banquet hall with Father? I'll arrive on my own later. If you talk to him and say that I asked for it, I'm sure he'll understand," John pleaded.
"Johnny, you know that could put your father in a tough spot, right?" Irene said, looking at her son with sorrowful eyes.
"It's okay. He'll understand once you tell him I asked. You don't have to if you don't want to," John said, looking saddened.
"Haaah, fine. I'll go talk to him. The banquet will start in an hour, so be sure to arrive in time. Since I have to talk to the emperor, I won't be able to tell you when to come, so keep that in mind, you get me, Johnny?" Irene said, bending down to John's level and looking into his eyes.
"Yep, I got it," John nodded eagerly.
"Great, I'll be leaving then. Take proper care of yourself," Irene said, smiling as she left the room.
"Now, time to look for someone to escort me... Hmmmm," John mused to himself, leaning back in his chair before jumping out of it.
"I think I've remembered just the guy," John said with a wide smirk, running out of the room.
"Your Highness, where are you running off to?" one of the maids asked.
"The training room," John replied as he rushed through the hallways and straight outside the castle.
"Sir Joseph, are you there?" John shouted as he barged into the training room.
"How may I help you, Your Highness?" Joseph, who had been practicing his kicks, asked as he stopped hitting the red pad that had sunk in from his kicks.
"I need you to escort me to the banquet today, and while you're at it, I need you to use your illusion ascension ability to create an illusion of my mother coming with us," John said with a serious expression.
"May I ask why, Your Highness? While I have no qualms escorting you, creating an illusion of an imperial is a grave offense," Joseph said with a serious look on his face.
"Don't worry about that. I'm giving you my consent, so it won't cause any issues. As for the 'why,' you'll find out on the way."
"Well, it's not like I can refuse the order of an imperial anyway, so it's not like I have a choice," Joseph sighed lightly. "So, how do you want this done?"
"Fifteen minutes later, come to my room, where you'll create an illusion of my mother, and then we'll go together to the banquet," John instructed as he walked out of the training room, wearing a satisfied expression.
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Exactly fifteen minutes later, Joseph entered John's room with an exhausted look on his face. "Well, here I am," he said as he entered, dressed in an azure blue coat over a white light armor.
"Perfect timing," John said, getting up to fix his suit.
"You know what to do," John said with a sly smile. Joseph proceeded to create an illusion of Irene standing behind John.
"Let's get going then," John said as Joseph and 'Irene' followed behind him.
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Just as John was leaving for the banquet, Irene arrived at Eric's office, and they engaged in conversation, the atmosphere between them somewhat awkward. "John wants me to go to the banquet with you. You don't have to take me if it's too bothersome," Irene said to Eric with a troubled expression.
"It's okay. You can come with me. Let's go. It was time for me to leave anyway. I have a couple of people to deal with, but they won't cause any issues. Will it?" Eric said casually as he got off his chair and looked at Irene.
"Ah-yes," Irene replied, following Eric as he walked out of the room.