I sat up straighter, my headache lessening slightly. “That would be perfect! Let’s make this whole mess the real duchess’s problem! Have you found her yet?”
Donya winced. “No, I haven’t. I assumed that she would head back to Sherda … but either I guessed wrong or she slipped past our guards. We’re still looking, I swear.”
“Oh.” I sagged back down. Although I told myself that I couldn’t swap back even if we found her, it didn’t assuage my worries. For all I knew, my body could already be dead. I was stuck in this palace and couldn’t even help with the search.
“I’m reaching out to all my contacts, seeking someone with a gift for searching for people across long distances. In the worst-case scenario, I suspect the duchess will come back to us at some point. She must want her body back.”
“I hope so,” I muttered, picking at the flab on my arm. I didn’t want to be stuck in this unfamiliar meat shell. My real body had my freckles and curly hair like my brother Calum. I wanted that connection to him back. “Uh … if she comes back, won’t she have a revenge plan?”
“We’ll have to handle that as it happens. We have a more urgent situation.” Donya folded her arms. “I came here to talk to you about the debt situation. You promised to pay off all the king’s debt to the citizens who prepared for the World Games, but we don’t have thatmoney, either.” Her tone held a note of reluctance, as if she didn’t like what she was about to say.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered.
“I told you, I’m not blaming you. It was the only way to defuse the mob at the time. I have an idea, but I need your help.”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Don’t agree so quickly.” Donya frowned. “This could be risky and difficult. Here’s the problem: Our treasury is empty. After the damage to the city due to the undead rampage and the unpaid wages after the World Games, the people can’t afford increased taxes. Selling your jewelry will only put a dent in the debt. We need the nobility to cough up the money.”
“Raise their taxes,” I said.
“That’s not so easy. Nobility don’t pay taxes, technically—they pay tribute. Though I’ve heard the terms used interchangeably by people. The amount is settled as a result of the National Games. Just like in the World Games, the monarch and the nobility each swear life-oaths to abide by the outcome of the competition. It can’t be changed until the next National Games. But you’re in an unusual position.”
“I’m a peasant pretending to be a duchess. I have no life-oaths.”
“Exactly! You can break the agreement between the crown and the nobility and demand a higher tribute. Because King Uctor fared so poorly in the Games, tribute has been low for a long time, and I know they have the money. Even though you’re not oathbound to anyone, the nobles are still bound to you, so they won’t be able to refuse. They can and will complain, but they’ll have to hand over the money. We’re in a unique position with you due to the body theft. You’re the only monarch who could become a total tyrant, because you’re not the real duchess.”
Slowly, I said, “Even if they’re suspicious, they can’t act against me without proof that I’m not the real duchess. They’ll complain to the Conclave of Kings, but that takes time, like you said.”
“Exactly!” Donya nodded. “We can take their money and use it to pay off the government’s debts to our citizens. Furthermore, because you’re not under the influence of any life-oaths, you can also threatenthe representatives of the other two countries who are planning to show up and try to take over our kingdom. I couldn’t attack a diplomatic representative the way you did today.” Donya touched her chest. “My life-oath would have killed me. The real duchess couldn’t, either. Butyoucan.”
Because I was a peasant. I’d never been important enough to swear a life-oath before I got swapped with Duchess Hedri. The delicate system binding together the power structure of this world simply didn’t apply to me.
“Then we’ll swap you back, and leave the Blood Duchess and Sherda to take all the blame with the Conclave of Kings. Sherda will probably renounce the duchess if she’s seen as going too far. We’ll kill the duchess before she can reveal anything.” Donya’s tone was uneasy when speaking of murder, but she didn’t shy away from the words. “We can let the Blood Duchess be the villainess while we do what must be done to save the kingdom.”
My fingers clenched around the blankets. “I’ll do it.”
Donya shifted. “Bora, I want to be sure you understand what I’m asking when I say that we’re going to make you into the villainess. You’ll threaten powerful people. You’ll have to commit high treason. Ideally, everyone will blame the duchess. In the second-best scenario, we’ll pin this on an unnamed imposter. But if anyone ever finds out that it’s you in there, then you’d be accountable for all those crimes. We’re talking crimes on an international scale. The Conclave would never stop hunting you.”
I understood perfectly. We didn’t actually have the duchess captured or any way to guarantee I could be swapped back. The plan was to leave the duchess holding all the blame in the end. But if anyone found out the truth first, thenI’dbe executed for these crimes.
But I’d been the one who put Donya in this position with my reckless decision to arrest Arrand and my promise to the mob to pay off the crown’s debt. I had no right to refuse to do what needed to be done to dig us out of this mess.
“I know.” I met Donya’s eyes. “I’ll do it. I’ll become your villainess.”
Chapter Eleven
My hands trembled under their pearl-covered gloves. I couldn’t do this. Confront the most powerful nobles in the kingdom and demand their money? I wouldn’t even be able to speak! I’d throw up all over them!
If only Donya had let me take notes. She’d given me an entire speech to present before the gathered nobles. I appreciated that. But she’d said it would be too obvious someone was puppeteering me if I read off a sheet of paper. The Blood Duchess had always made her speeches short, spontaneous, and filled with threats. Apparently even if pretty much everyone of power suspected the duchess was under mind control, we still couldn’t be obvious about it. When Donya had caught me trying to write on my hand, she’d made me put on gloves.
My stomach twisted. I stared down at my luxurious golden dress, puffed out with a hoop and embroidered with real gold. This wasn’t me. These luxuries didn’t belong to me. Even this body wasn’t rightfully mine. I was going to get caught.
“Are you okay?” Ari asked. He’d shown up at my door dressed in a guard’s uniform with his hair fastened under a cap, so I assumed today was a “he” day, but I figured I should probably ask to be sure.
“I’m just happy to have you along. Donya wasn’t included in the invitation because she has already agreed to the new tax rates. I nearly begged her to come anyway, but she has so much else to do. Besides, we can’t make it too obvious she’s telling me what to do. I’m grateful to have someone else at my side who knows the truth.” I tried to smile. “You’re Ari right now, is that correct?”
“Yes, I felt like that today. You don’t mind?” Ari tugged on his cap. “I’m scared that someone will recognize me and ask questions that might trouble you.”
