"I take it you want to meet that little hero?"(G.Q)

'Starting with the tough questions already, huh? You think that'll scare me?!'

Ignavus psyched up himself while trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. He needed to control his body right now. He couldn't have it giving him away again.

'Just play it cool'

At first glance, it appeared there were a lot of options that could lead to escaping this situation... but that couldn't be further from the truth. Ignavus had very openly expressed his excitement when he saw White. Denying what he did could easily lead to a worse outcome. What he needs to do is not deny what happened but downplay the event. It would have been a simple task if he were talking to anyone but his mother.

She was anything but simple.

"W-well... I don't really want too anymore. Thinking about it... it wasn't such a good idea"(I)

'Simple start. Now I just need her to follow the order!'

Ignavus had formulated a plan. Its steps were simple, but its execution was complex. Now was the time to use everything he had learnt about his queen mother.

"Is that so? Why do you think that?"(G.Q)

'Right... time for the hard part'

Deciding to leave his already trampled shame, Ignavus mustered up the most pitiful voice he could imagine.

"Well... you know... I'm a very young Yalery"(I)

Ignavus took a slight pause while forcing himself to cuddle closer to his mother.

'This is for you White!'

"From what you and Auntie Cura said, it's very dangerous for me interact with their kind..."(I)

Ignavus let another short silence pass. Hoping against hope it let the words sink in.

"I-it's okay though! I didn't even really want to meet them!"(I)

This was Ignavus' grand strategy. He planned to prey on his queen mother's growing sympathies. It was an admittedly risky tactic. He knew firsthand how much she disliked displays of weakness, but this was different. It was a calculated risk. His queen mother only disliked displays of weakness whenever it went directly against her orders or expectations of him. Like when she made him climb a mountain or introduce himself in front of people. One was an order while the other was an expectation.

In this current situation, neither an order nor real expectation was given. That was why it was different. That was why it was special.

"I just want to eat a little something now anyways. Do you have something in mind?"(I)

There was the finishing blow. The last step within this grand strategy. A basic distraction that will refocus the whole conversation. It may pain Ignavus how the food was prepared but consuming it was a small price to pay for White. It also helped that he was actually hungry. Anything tastes good when you're hungry.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A light grumble escaped Ignavus' gut.

'Yes! Make my case!'

It seemed that for the first time in a while, he and his body were together.

As he silently praised himself, Ignavus waited for a response. Throughout his little play, he had slowly neared his body closer to his mother. He even buried his face into her stomach. All this helped increase the effectiveness of this clever tactic.

'What's taking her so long?'

A good thirty seconds had passed by as Ignavus waited for a response.

'Did she already see through me?!'

A slow panic begun to creep into Ignavus the longer she went without responding.

'N-no way that's right? Not even she's capable of...'

Instead of finishing that thought, Ignavus just clasped tighter onto his queen mother. He would learn soon enough anyway.

"So... are you scared of them?"(G.Q)

The words spoken by his queen mother sounded sharp. They seemed to carry a certain edge to them. One Ignavus hadn't heard for quite some time.

Raising his head to answer, Ignavus was greeted by a terrifying sight.

Eyes entrapped by a golden brilliance stared at him. A simmering anger was held in the eyes that seemed to boast untold amounts of power.

"O-0-only a-a l-little..."(I)

The words that managed to crawl out of Ignavus' mouth were quieter than a whisper.

'W-what did I do? Why is she so mad?!'

Ignavus quickly recalled their entire conversation. Searching for any mistakes... and finding none.

"I should really have just killed all those damn mortals. The audacity to make my daughter feel unsafe..."(G.Q)

'W-what is she saying!?'

Ignavus' plan appeared to have worked a little too well.

"Y-you d-don't have to!! I'm actually not scared of them! I was just... just playing around! So please don't!!"(I)

The words may have struggled to come out at first, but the more Ignavus talked, the more he realised what was at stake. He couldn't mince words.

"Do you mean to tell me that you lied to me?"(G.Q)

"Yes! Yes! I... I didn't want you to make fun of me for liking those.... childish things..."(I)

It appeared Ignavus would be taking another one for the benefit of others.

"Oh, is that it now?"(G.Q)

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again..."(I)

Ignavus had closed his eyes the moment his little confession started. He really couldn't look at his queen mother right now. Especially since all he was giving was empty words.

"You will need to try better than that to trick me, my little one"(G.Q)

The spoken words sounded light and amused.

Ignavus gradually opened his eyes and bit by bit came to face a smiling face.

'A trick?'

Ignavus felt somewhat relieved at the discovery and... a little hurt.

'Every time! How do I keep falling for her stupid tricks?!'

His queen mother seemed like messing with him and him only.

"Now, being honest. Tell me. Do you want to meet that hero?"(G.Q)

"Y-yea..."(I)

"Good, we'll have a short meeting with her"(G.Q)

'We...'

Ignavus had pretty much lost this exchange, but that didn't mean he would give up trying to get the best outcome.

"Umm... can I meet her by myself?"(I)

"Without me?"(G.Q)

It was pretty bold to request this considering the failed plan. So instead of answering, Ignavus kept quiet.

'Meeting White with her is pointless'

He wouldn't be able to speak with her properly. The meeting might as well not have happened.

"Very well then but Marie will be present to monitor your behaviour"(G.Q)

That turnout was surprising. The queen doesn't seem to even register them as a threat. It's not like she had a reason to though.

'Still... this feels a little too easy'

"Also, you have to do a little favour for me"(G.Q)

Ignavus took a deep breath and collected himself. It looks like he spoke too soon. This was it. The cost of getting some alone time with White. The predictable catch.

"No problem"(I)

The sound of the gates shutting bounced around the room.

"Perfect timing Marie"(G.Q)

The queen turned and faced Ignavus.

"After this, I will inform you of your punishment. This is not the first time we have talked about lying"(G.Q)

'Ah, of course'

Hearing that they would be consequences from his mother was no shock.

'But... I won, didn't I?'

The plan might have failed but the results were quite honestly the best he could have hoped for.

'I actually won!'

A small smile started to draw on his face.

"Understood!"(I)