I woke up with a similar dream and headache. At this point, this repetition was seriously affecting my sleep cycle. I hardly got four hours' worth of sleep.

[Seriously? Just 4 am...]

Vazer was worrying me. I was sure that he was hiding something, but, there was something missing that just didn't fit the puzzle. I called the Vet clinic from Landsort to look for new leads. The conversation with their reception was pretty much insignificant, except for the silent range issue. Apparently they never had any silent range problems, it was just the throne room that they couldn't contact back then.

This raised my suspicion, as the same was true for us. Throne room also didn't have any connection issues, it was just areas in Landsort which we couldn't contact.

I folded my hands in a praying position below my chin and sat on the bed, resting my back against the wall.

[So, we experienced a temporary connection loss specifically to Landsort: controlled jamming, coincidentally at the same time as the tachyons appeared. It can't be a coincidence? Or is it a coincidence?]

[Controlled jamming requires someone from within the castle to meddle with the reception. Who else could do it other than Vazer? Or am I biased here?]

While thinking about these, I suddenly felt like someone watching me. I wasn't sure who or what, but it was a terrible feeling. I made sure that no one was near my vicinity and continued with my thoughts.

[If an invasion or terrorist attack is really being planned, then my brother and Alyssa are in danger. I don't really care about what happens to this planet. But, I do care about them. Vazer is the one overseeing the plans of the military in searching the cities. So, if I go through the military plans, I might find more clues?]

I immediately set off to reach the Military headquarters. There was no direct access to the HQ but being a prince gave me certain special privileges regarding the super portal.

On reaching the HQ, I was welcomed by General Rudolf and was asked the reason for the visit. I changed the subject by praising their officers and their army base. If my assumptions were correct, then there was no guarantee as to what extent the military was involved in this invasion. Keeping my motives hidden was the best approach.

The information and logistics center was what I sought. Rudolf escorted me all the while bragging about their well-made plan for patrolling the cities and maintaining a defense in Noble's living quarters.

His assistant, a female, Miss. Irene explained to me their plan in a hologram. Explaining their positions, and how well-timed the switching of work was taking place, to ensure safety in the current Red-alert situation. And as expected, these plans were overseen by Vazer.

I augmented the limbic system of my brain and boosted my memory processing. Just an enhanced short term memory was enough. Within minutes, the entire map and strategy were in my head. I wished Rudolf luck and Irene provided me her tablet ID, well for security reasons I guess.

Throughout the ordeal, Irene was quite flirty. Even though she was attractive, I wasn't really in the mood for it, perhaps cause of the dream I had or cause I naturally tended to compare every person to Ice-Queen's allure. I rejected her advances.

***

The gale whistled through the night, making the frost-leaves fall like winter rain. The crickets chirped, and the trevors croaked in a symphony of nature. The hologram from my tablet showed 9:00 pm, forgetting the promise I made to Ice-Queen, I spent the time in the garden, analyzing the plans and every small detail that happened in the Shura forest, only to come up with nothing.

*̢̛̪͙̭̱̳̭͒͛̉̏̾́͟͜͠͞*̢̨̯̱̙̩̍̏̀͒̈́̔͟*̶̘̗̱͇̜̲͑͌͊́̽͞*̨̨̪͕̅͋̋͋͋̇̾̈́̂ͅ*̵̫̣̯̐͛͋̉̌́̾̚͜ͅ*̵̡̡̳͖̹͎̦̎̓̃̒́̈́͒̿̌͘*̯̟̱̲̳̽͋̊̽̃̕ͅ*̶̬̦̤̭͇̻̦̗̹̔̍͋̏̓͘*̡̛̝̟̤̫͛̏̇̓̐̑̉͢͢͡*̸̢̼̼͔̥͐̒̅̇̓̐̕͟͝ͅ*̡̪̜̤̤͆̇́̈́̑͟*̴͈͈̺̜̲̗͊́̈́̇̀̀̑̏͢͝͞*̵̡̝͔͎̼̹͖̜͉͕̊̃̎̿̑̀̄̓̅*̣͇̣̮͕̯̫͐͆̑̿̄̓̈́̀͂͘͜*̤̯̝̗̤̩̥͐́̿͒͆̐͜*̴̡̰͕͔͉̀͆̋͋́̈́̾̉̚̚*̵̢̹̻̻͕̲͖̭̬̑̾̏̚͡ͅ*̘̦̩̖̗̪̺̍̈͋̀͋*̵̭̟̗̬̠̦͎̓̄̓́͂̐̆̊͘͢͡*̢̛̹̱̟͉͓̳̂̑̾͌̌͝͝͝͠*̸̮̲̜̦͕̗̣͓̳̜̎͒̍̊̔̕͡*͉͕͉̝̳̙͗̃͂̋͠*̸̨̡̫̝̳̘̌́͂̈́͑͞ͅ*͖̥͍̺͗̈́̏̎̇́̈́̀͜͡*̪̜̮̼̭̀̄́̔̽*̧̨̹̫̗͎̜̈̃͋̄͘͞͡*̷̫̬̯̖͎̤͚̹̄̇̑̿͗̽̕*̦͖̱̺̣͚̯͙̯͑̀͌̀̓̍̽ͅ*̵̡͓͔̗̓́̃̌͑͛̽̄̚͟͠ͅ*͎̦̲̝̣̯̩͇́͑́̎̊̈́̾̓͋

"Charles, thee need to stay away from him. He will consume thee! Thee art evil. THEE ART EVIL," she said.

*̢̛̪͙̭̱̳̭͒͛̉̏̾́͟͜͠͞*̢̨̯̱̙̩̍̏̀͒̈́̔͟*̶̘̗̱͇̜̲͑͌͊́̽͞*̨̨̪͕̅͋̋͋͋̇̾̈́̂ͅ*̵̫̣̯̐͛͋̉̌́̾̚͜ͅ*̵̡̡̳͖̹͎̦̎̓̃̒́̈́͒̿̌͘*̯̟̱̲̳̽͋̊̽̃̕ͅ*̶̬̦̤̭͇̻̦̗̹̔̍͋̏̓͘*̡̛̝̟̤̫͛̏̇̓̐̑̉͢͢͡*̸̢̼̼͔̥͐̒̅̇̓̐̕͟͝ͅ*̡̪̜̤̤͆̇́̈́̑͟*̴͈͈̺̜̲̗͊́̈́̇̀̀̑̏͢͝͞*̵̡̝͔͎̼̹͖̜͉͕̊̃̎̿̑̀̄̓̅*̣͇̣̮͕̯̫͐͆̑̿̄̓̈́̀͂͘͜*̤̯̝̗̤̩̥͐́̿͒͆̐͜*̴̡̰͕͔͉̀͆̋͋́̈́̾̉̚̚*̵̢̹̻̻͕̲͖̭̬̑̾̏̚͡ͅ*̘̦̩̖̗̪̺̍̈͋̀͋*̵̭̟̗̬̠̦͎̓̄̓́͂̐̆̊͘͢͡*̢̛̹̱̟͉͓̳̂̑̾͌̌͝͝͝͠*̸̮̲̜̦͕̗̣͓̳̜̎͒̍̊̔̕͡*͉͕͉̝̳̙͗̃͂̋͠*̸̨̡̫̝̳̘̌́͂̈́͑͞ͅ*͖̥͍̺͗̈́̏̎̇́̈́̀͜͡*̪̜̮̼̭̀̄́̔̽*̧̨̹̫̗͎̜̈̃͋̄͘͞͡*̷̫̬̯̖͎̤͚̹̄̇̑̿͗̽̕*̦͖̱̺̣͚̯͙̯͑̀͌̀̓̍̽ͅ*̵̡͓͔̗̓́̃̌͑͛̽̄̚͟͠ͅ*͎̦̲̝̣̯̩͇́͑́̎̊̈́̾̓͋

I woke up from that same nightmare, with a terrible headache and disoriented. The fresh aroma of saffron leaves entered my nose, as I observed the three moon's vague existence in the sky, replaced by the brightness of two suns.

I couldn't move my hands; they were restricted by some kind of handcuffs behind. As I slowly oriented back to reality, I realized I slept off in the garden and two police officers were standing before me. They dragged me from the ground, asking me to comply with them.

"What kind of treatment is this? Are you aware of who I am?" I snapped and augmented my fists to break loose from the cuffs.

"These are the Ice-Queen's orders. Comply or we will have to use force. We don't want to harm the Bezereckian prince unnecessarily."

[Ice-Queen? Why?]

That's when I realized, I completely and utterly forgot the promise I had made to her. Yesterday night was when I was supposed to meet her. But, I ended up sleeping in this garden. 

[Fuck]

I deeply regretted missing the opportunity to get smashed by that Goddess. 

[But, such a grave action against that? It seems unnatural.]

Anyways, I complied with them, on the condition to be treated respectfully and without any cuffs. 

Ice-Queen was sitting in her throne and seemed quite angry and disgusted. Vazer was beside her and so was Kaizer and other military generals. One of the generals came towards me and held my hands behind. He forcefully bent me down and threatened with a gun.

"What do you think you are doing? I am the prince of Bezerekc, don't you dare touch me." I said while attempting to break free from his hold.

"Charles. I ordered him to do that." Queen said.

"Your Highness? But why?" I asked.

[She cannot be that angry over that promise? I didn't even think she was that serious? I am honestly confused now. I am being treated like a criminal here.]

She lifted her right leg and put it on her left, and rested her head on her fingers.

"I am honestly clueless here, Your Highness. Is this cause of what happened yesterday night? It was honestly a mistake. I didn't intend to." I said with my head facing the floor.

[Yeah, I honestly forgot about our promise. Otherwise, I would have definitely gone to her room. I mean, I was actually prepared to lose my virginity to her!]

Suddenly her expressions changed. Her nostrils flared, right hand fanned out. She stood up, stomping the floor, and with gritted teeth spoke,

"I can't believe you. You are accepting those crimes as if it was nothing? What kind of beast are you? I didn't want to believe it since you were Azmuth's son. But, now I am certain. Perhaps, this is who you really are. Perhaps, because you are like this, everyone in Bezereck's royalty hates you." Queen shouted.

[What the fuck?]

"Charles, Prince of Bezereck. I, the Queen of Ice-Planet, hereby arrest you for the crimes you have committed. You have been accused of raping and murdering Officer Irene, and that is an unforgivable crime, even for royalty," Queen commanded.

[Rape? Irene?]

I couldn't believe her words. This whole ordeal being a prank was the only logical conclusion I could derive. I couldn't even recollect who Irene was. But, before I could react, I got my back hit with the blunt side of At-98, a semi-automatic rifle, and he made me wear a Crystal-cloak. 

Crystal cloaks are made of magic crystals, a condensed form of mana. They have the ability to tone down and restrict all forms of tics and magic. They cannot cancel them, just water them down.

That cloak was the final piece which confirmed that this was serious. As it's a piece of rare equipment used for high-level criminals. There was no way a prank could be this detailed.

"Last night Irene's body was found in your room, brutally raped, disfigured, and life-less. Moreover, we found text-conversations where you lured her to your room with wealth. Even Rudolf saw you flirting with Irene. And now, you yourself agreed to your crimes." Queen's subordinate spoke, reading from a holographic scroll.

[I wasn't even in my room. I slept in the garden, and had left my tablet in my room to prevent distractions.]

"This is some kind of misunderstandi—" I attempted to speak but got hit on my back again.

My temples were sweating and my feet were shaking, unable to recover from this shock. The mental trauma I was receiving made me oblivious to the physical pain from the hits. 

"This was supposed to be a friendly visit, Charles. And you ruined it! How could you? All this innocence and charm you portrayed was an act?" Queen asked.

I tried to explain how it was a misunderstanding and what I was doing yesterday to prove my innocence, but it wasn't helping. Not only did I not have an alibi but my explanations were also ridiculous. I was perfectly framed here and the Queen was convinced I was the convict.

[What will happen of my brother now that I won't be around?]

Alyssa entered the throne room with her friends and she was startled. She couldn't believe that I could do something so horrible. She managed to maintain her calm demeanor but her dilated pupils clearly expressed her shock.

Perhaps, it was her fragrance or her aura, that my racing heart calmed down. At this moment, in this room, her existence was like the Lake which I loved to walk around. She provided my mind the peace which was required to help me struggle in this situation.

"Don't worry about your brother, Charles. I will take good care of him while you are in prison, atoning for your sins," Vazer said with a smirk.

The way I was before, I wouldn't have been able to think straight. But, Alyssa's presence helped me calm down. And helped me notice Vazer's subtle emotions. He managed to hide it immediately after, and my powers were also toned down. But, it was enough to understand what he expressed.

He expressed a sense of victory. He knew that now there was no one in his path to obstruct his plans. And to me, it was clear that I was framed by Vazer in this crime. Ice-Queen wouldn't believe me, so I couldn't rely on her. I had to figure this out myself.

I shut my eyes tight and focussed all of my remaining powers on augmenting my prefrontal cortex. Electrically charged neurons formed large connections to analyze every detail from the previous days at outstanding speeds, surpassing all my limits, as it finally came down to me.

['However, princess, I don't quite agree with your attitude towards the situation']

['But, worry not, I won't fall for their traps and will tighten castle security and improvise our plans']

['Judging by their excitement, I believe they wish to know about the Dragonlords, your highness']

['Time. Kaizer has the ability to slow-down time']

['Don't worry about your brother, Charles']

Vazer's words flashed in my head, slowly filling up the missing links of the problem I couldn't solve. His words had always resonated with my mind as if directly replying to my thoughts. And the fact that Vazer's emotions would immediately become unreadable whenever I observed him. And this situation occurring right after I attempted to investigate the HQ.

I was sure now. Vazer had the ability to read minds. I or others never suspected it cause we naturally assumed everyone from Ice-planet to have tics related to space and time. But, assuming Vazer to be a spy based on my father's reports, he doesn't have to be from Ice-planet. And that opens up a whole array of possibilities with him having any of the mental tics out there.

[But, how do I prove it? This is just a theory, and no one would believe me over Vazer.]

In fact, my conclusions proved that the situation was far worse than I expected. These claims of me being the convict were actually weak in the long run since the DNA results would prove me innocent. But, that would take time. Thus, the only benefit of arresting me would be an immediate attack. 

[Does he plan a terrorist attack? Coordinating an invasion?]

Whatever his idea was. The threat was lurking nearby. And I was the only one who cracked this. I couldn't afford to go to jail. That would be game over.

[This is dangerous for my brother. And what if UU6 was coordinating with Rehlasia? What if they use my brother as the bargaining chip after they defeat Ice-Queen?] 

The possibilities were getting worse the more I thought over it. A drop of sweat left my forehead as I clenched my fist with frustration.

I augmented my endorphin receptors and neurons within the lateral central pole with whatever remaining powers I had. At the pit of this helplessness, my tic was the only hope I could rely on. 

[What does he think of me? I am Charles Vi Bezereth, the next in line to the throne of Bezereck, and Azmuth's son. No one dares to underestimate my might.]