She held my shaking hand just as I was about to lose my composure. It calmed me, helping me recover from the excitement of our ride. Her ice-cold palm, soft and gentle, made me forget every other sensation, and I could only think of her at that moment.
The woman sitting beside me was Alyssa of Faymon, the sole daughter of the present Ice Queen and the heir to their throne. Today was my family and our military officials' annual visit, but this year, the political display was to portray a friendship between our planets.
Her curled eyelashes fluttered against her white skin, flushed pink with my gaze resting too long on her rose-red lips. As exquisite as her appearance was, there wasn't any trace of artificial enhancement.
She was dressed in a kimono, the official attire for this planet's royalty, as was expected from one elevated to a deity. Her mature bearing, that of a goddess, belies her young age of eighteen. I was riveted by her, to such an extent that I might swear fealty.
"Your staring is obvious, boy," she said.
A flush heated my cheeks at being caught ogling her.
[Not even a glance? Yes, I was staring too much. I couldn't help myself. Her beauty was entrancing. Wait! Did she call me a boy?]
"Are you even listening? I expected better behavior from the prince of Bezereck. Do as I say, boy. Face forward and smile."
Her tone was cold enough to penetrate my adoration.
"I am no boy; I have reached sixteen years. I assure you, princess, that my education is not lacking. I simply..."
[What am I doing? Talking to Alyssa in such a manner. I probably embarrassed myself. Who knows what conclusion of my character she has drawn?]
"I do apologize if you feel my assessment of your age is incorrect. I assumed by your behavior, that you were unskilled and uncivilized. I will continue to call you boy until you prove otherwise. Now, do as I say and look forward, dammit!"
"Dammit? So even deities curse?" I smiled, hoping this might alter the seriousness of the situation.
"Humph. That's why you will always be a boy, not taking your obligations and your position seriously."
[What is with her!! I only meant to lighten her mood, you could laugh a little... you know!]
I clenched my fist tight in frustration.
We didn't talk for the remainder of the public display, there was this awkward environment, lingering around us which I just couldn't bear any longer.
[Yeah, a perfect way to ruin your reunion with your childhood friend. Good job myself.]
Our ride was drawing to an end, as was this obligation. We reached the center of the Palladium, where the citizens had gathered to see the Royalties and greet them. The Horx landed on a circular platform that was hovering in the air where we stood for the rest of the recession. Our families also stood on similar platforms, and all these together made a beautiful spiral pattern.
We were surrounded by nobles who were sitting on hovering seats, and commoners were sitting on the seats fixed to the ground. Mini missiles were launched in the air that signaled the whole planet of our presence.
"Palladium is the name of this place. This is your first visit, I suppose? You should see for yourself how much my mother is adored. I wish to emulate her and take my place in the hearts of my people." Alyssa said. She looked down and frowned.
"If only I could live till the day of Distantâ" she broke the conversation.
[Eh? I felt like something was off about what she said.]
Her heart beat slowly; her breathing was shallow; her eyelids drooping a little. As she approached the end of her statement, her heart raced and pupils dilated!
The princess conveyed a deep agony, sadness, and fear under her calm demeanor.
I could observe these changes because I kept my tic in a semi-active state all the time. This helped me understand a lot about a person's intent. My tic 'Augmenton,' was from the Kshatriya family. It allowed me to augment all my physical and mental abilities. I can observe others' body language and deduce what emotions they were going through. As a prince targeted by assassins, my salvation laid in the truth behind the smiles.
[Why would she experience those emotions if she was simply speaking of her dreams? And Distant â what?]
While we were busy with our little talk, the Queen arrived with a grand entrance and stood at the center of Palladium, preparing for her speech.
"Bezereck and UU1 have been there for each other ever since our ancestors' times... The reunion of Alyssa and Charles, after eight years of separation, has been a warm one. Charles only had eyes for her throughout this recession, completely lost in her world! Look at their proximity and how their hands are interlocked, they represent how strong our bond is with Bezereck," spoke the Ice-Queen with her might.
[ [ [Wait... What? Did she just mention us in her speech? How did she know I was staring at Alyssa? What is she! A super stalker? This is so embarrassing. Omg, am I still holding hands with her?] ] ]
We immediately withdrew our hands. I looked at Alyssa only to find her blushing with embarrassment.
For my unfortunate self, this wasn't the end of my fears: my real danger was in the large open hovercraft floating above and on the left end of the Queen. There was a monster inside, staring at me with piercing eyes of jealousy, ready to prey on me and tear me apart anytime. It was none other than my girlfriend Beth.
[Damn!]
I clenched my fists.
"Don't take it seriously. My mother loves to tease me! She never leaves an opportunity to embarrass me in front of others; she is a sadist. She likes to play and have fun sometimes," Alyssa said in her calm tone.
[Geez, whatever.]
"Hmm, I am pleased she wasn't serious about it, but... it seems that others are not as understanding as I am. They are all cheering for us, I hope I get to clear this misunderstanding with Beth soon," I said.
"Beth? Who is that?" she asked.
"Ahh, I didn't introduce you to her. She is a colleague from my military training and the daughter of a noble from our kingdom. She is also my... girlfriend"
[So hard to say I have a girlfriend to my crush. Damn you, emotions!]
"Oh, you have a girlfriend. Hmm, young love, how lovely~"
[Just that much. No jealousy, anxiety, or anger?]
I threw a smile at her.
After the recession, we returned to the castle. Evening came down and Beth was supposedly waiting for me in the main hall of the guest palace. But I didn't meet her for my own safety and switched off my tablet to not let her track me.
Instead, I went to the Citadel with the intentions to sneak inside its royal library. Apparently, it was forbidden for outsiders to enter there and it held home to some of the deepest secrets regarding the legend of Dragonlords.
I augment my visual cortex and sensory association area and scanned the entire security system for every tiny loophole possible. It was a difficult and risky one, but there was one loophole that I figured could let me in.
If it wasn't for my tic, I would be nothing. In this world, your tic or magic aptitude decides your position in society. Even if you are the next prince as per bloodline, if a stronger tic user tries to subjugate your kingdom, you are doomed. And so far in that department, I have been quite lucky; after all, I am one of the strongest younger tic users on my planet.
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An eerie sensation grazed me as I heard those words. Feeling disoriented, I crouched down. My heart raced, and the pulsations in my ear blocked every other sound.
Was it a hallucination or was it real? I had no idea. A sense of horror shot into me like a bullet to your skin. I steadied my trembling voice, my breath short and unsteady. I shook and panicked, but I tried to take control of myself.
[What the fuck? Who spoke just now?]
After looking around for some time, I found no one lurking. A terrible migraine hit me when I attempted to recollect its words. Something was wrong with this planet.
Something malevolent was hiding here.