Ysabel swept back into the castle, calling over her shoulder, “I suggest you find an inn for the night. This isn’t your castle yet.”
Sitting in my office, Ysabel handed me a cup of tea. “I find this particular herbal brew calming for my nerves. It helped me quit the redleaf.”
“Thank you.” I blew on the cup. Staring into the liquid depths, I tried not to panic. “Was the duchess right about us not having a choice except to go to trial?”
“We’ve got a choice: trial or war.”
“Oh dear.”
“Realistically speaking, we can’t stall the Blood Duchess for long. She’s the representative of the Conclave of Kings. As much as I’d like to throw her in a dungeon until we figure out how to swap you two back, that would be an act of war.”
“Ah.” My shoulders sagged. “Then we’re in a lot of trouble.” I’d only just started to get my confidence back when the guards sided with me. Now it was gone.
“Actually, this may be an opportunity.” Ysabel tapped her chin. “It’s very, very interesting that the Conclave of Kings sent the Blood Duchess as their representative. If they’d sent a delegation of important people from various nations, that would mean they’re backing her claim. But they didn’t. They sent her alone.”
“My grasp on international politics is weak.” I took a sip. The tea tasted bitter. “What does that mean?”
Ysabel stared off into the distance. “I’ll bet Arahasnor’s neighbors didn’t like seeing a land-hungry nation expand next door to them. It sets a dangerous precedent, to let Sherda pull such a trick. Countries with traditional enmity to Sherda would oppose it. Of course, Sherda has allies, too. It must have been a split vote. This was a compromise option.”
I looked down at the steam rising off my tea. “They’re letting the duchess succeed or fail on her own?”
Ysabel smiled. “Exactly. See? You should give yourself more credit. You caught on to the politics right away. They sent the duchess here with her identity verified by their Seer and gave her authority to call for a trial. But they didn’t immediately rule in her favor.”
“We still have a chance.” I spoke as if trying to convince myself.
“In a sense, I think the Conclave of Kings has been using the Blood Duchess the same way our side has been using you—that is to say, as a scapegoat. If she succeeds, then they’ll accept her as regent. But if she fails, they’ll deny all connection to her. Either way, the matter gets settled without them needing to risk anything.” Ysabel bared her teeth. “I suspect a large part of their motivation is that no one wants to risk a conflict with my dear Kaine.”
I drank more tea. My tongue had started to become accustomed to the flavor. “The Blood Duchess is in the right. I stole her identity and her authority. How can we possibly win the trial?”
“A trial with the fate of a nation at stake won’t be fair or unbiased. Those with the authority to judge will be the cardinals and the nobility.” Ysabel smirked. “The cardinals hate the duchess for arresting the Head Cardinal, and the local nobility doesn’t want a foreign regent. They’re already biased in our favor.”
“But I’m not the real duchess. That’s a fact.”
“Oh, my dear naïve sister. I’m telling you that people don’t need to think that you’re real to vote for you. They just have to think that you’re a better option than Duchess Hedri. Frankly, she set the bar somewhere in hell.”
“Then do you want me to pretend I’m still the Blood Duchess?” At the thought, I shook my head. “It’s impossible. They’ll bring in Seers to detect if we’re telling the truth.”
“You can truthfully say that you didn’t steal the duchess’s body. The swap was accidental. Therefore, we just have to make sure the question is phrased how we want.”
“I can’t truthfully say that I’m the Blood Duchess!”
“Seers can be biased or bribed, just like noble juries.” Ysabel gave me an assessing look. “They’ll ask you questions about your past, though. Perhaps we should go with the amnesia route. It doesn’t need to be a convincing story. The Conclave sending Duchess Hedri alone is practically tacit permission. They’ll accept the outcome of this trial, even if it’s nothing but a convenient fiction.”
I slammed my teacup down. “Yzzy, I don’t want to be stuck like this forever! I want to go back to my real body!”
“Oh.” My sister frowned. “Of course you do. I’m sorry. I got carried away scheming. Oh dear. That poses a problem.”
I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. My love life depended on getting my body back. That was such a selfish consideration, I didn’t dare raise it. Nor was it something I wanted to talk about with my sister. I had plenty else to say, though. “Duchess Hedri is currently in my body! If you make her into a criminal, then how will I ever go back to being myself?” Up until now, I’d been content to do whatever I needed to inside the duchess’s body because I didn’t plan to live there for the rest of my life. If both the duchess and my real body became criminals, then I’d have no retreat left. I felt like a box was closing in around me. My breathing grew heavy.
Ysabel hung her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
That wasn’t the answer I’d wanted from her. I’d wanted her to tell me that she had another clever solution. “What will we do?” I asked in a small voice.
Ysabel fiddled with her teacup. “I’ll think of something.” Her usual confidence had deserted her voice.
“What happens if we tell the truth?” I asked.
Ysabel seemed to consider this. “You didn’t swap the bodies on purpose, and we could prove it. I could protect you from retaliation, using my own and my husband’s political influence. But Duchess Hedri would become the rightful regent of Arahasnor. She would take over the kingdom as she’d originally planned. We’ve even chased off the other challengers for her.”
