“It doesn’t seem likely that we’ll meet the deadline, but I wanted to be certain anyway. I’ve wished for a long time that I treated you better when we first met.”
“Let me do it, too.” I took Ari’s hand, touching the diamond ring. “I release you from your life-oath.”
“Appreciated, but unnecessary.” He kissed my hand. “I haven’t been sticking around for the oath for a while now.”
I flushed.
“One last thing.” He took off another ring and slid it onto my finger. “This has a shielding power. It can create a bubble around you. Physical objects will bounce off. Nearly no magic is strong enough to enter or exit the bubble. Oh, except this ring.” He pointed to another emerald one on his right middle finger. “This ring can create a blade that cracks the bubble. I’m keeping this one, since I need to be able to reach you if you fall unconscious.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. Are you sure you want to give up such a valuable ring to me?”
“You might need it more than me,” Ari said.
I winced, struggling to argue with that one.
“You can turn the ring on and off with a thought. You need to be touching it for it to work. Give it a try.”
I pictured a bubble. A glowing golden sphere appeared around me. “Whoa.” I looked at Ari. “You’re inside the bubble.”
“Because I was standing next to you when you activated it. You can fit two people inside. It’s useful if you want to protect someone,but if you’re not careful, you could also trap an enemy inside with you.”
“I’ll remember. Thank you.” I let the bubble drop. “I feel much better now.” A little better, at least. Physical attacks didn’t scare me nearly as much as being stuck as the Blood Duchess for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to accept the consequences for everything I’d done while running around pretending to be her. I definitely didn’t want responsibility for all the crimes she’d committed before we’d even met. Also, I wanted my own body back.
But I’d made my resolve to sacrifice myself for my shitty, impoverished, dragon-rejected country and the people inside it who I cared about.
Ysabel burst into my office, her hair wild around her face. “I have a plan. If we fake the little queen’s death, we should be able to take her out of the country and avoid a war. As for saving Arahasnor … I’m still working on that one.”
I turned around. I wore the duchess’s signature red dress and all her jewelry. “You don’t need to worry about it. I’ve decided to stay as the Blood Duchess.”
Ysabel took in my serious expression. Her face collapsed. “Bora …”
“You can’t talk me out of this. I didn’t make the decision because of anything you said. Don’t blame yourself. I have my own reasons. I have something that I have to protect, even if it means sacrificing my body and my identity. You can’t change my mind, big sister.” I smiled, an expression tinged with melancholy. “Time to become the villainess I’ve been pretending to be.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
My heels clacked on the wood as I strode into the courtroom. It had no windows, but high stone archways had been painted with bright floral patterns. The gray walls suited my bleak mood. The Saint of Justice and numerous past judges glowered at me from portraits leading up to the judges in front. Cardinal Augustin sat on a slightly raised seat, with half a dozen lower seats behind him. I recognized most of the nobles as people whom I’d recently thrown in jail. I winced, then attempted to use my fan to hide my un-duchess-like expression.
There had been a long argument about my outfit for the trial. Araceli thought that I should dress to look my best. Ysabel thought I should wear a serious, modest costume in contrast to the real Blood Duchess. Her reasoning was that everyone already knew I was a fake, so it would be better to seem like a more stable, serious ruler. Araceli insisted that it would be a sign of weakness and accused my sister of wanting to make me look like a good puppet. Ysabel said there was nothing wrong with appearing to be a puppet as long as you yanked their strings back.
In the end, I’d cast the deciding vote. I picked my favorite low-cut scarlet dress, with a tall matching hat decorated with cloth roses. The largest rose bloomed as big as my head. My sister had taken her defeat in good grace and immediately switched to teasing me about caring what Araceli thought of my looks. Then she and Araceli had gotten into another fight over who would do my hair. In the end, they worked together to create a jeweled spiral bun and apply my makeup.
I kept my chin high as I walked down the stairs. With jewelry covering nearly every bit of exposed skin, I no longer felt less dressed than Duchess Hedri, sitting in the pews in her scandalously skintight black gown. (Though I had to admit, she looked so good being me, it was making me think maybe I’d been too hard on my own looks. Maybe confidence did have a lot to do with it. Maybe I’d always been pretty, and I’d just never let myself see it.)
I finally felt strong and ready to take on this farce of a trial. The dress ruffles kept anyone from noticing my knees shaking, anyway. As the defendant, I strode to a podium. The real Duchess Hedri sat in the pews, surrounded by her Gifted Knights.
A formal trial in the Holy City was typically very, very short. The high concentration of Seers among the Church made it easy to deliver a verdict. Typically, a Seer would take testimony from related parties and easily discern who was lying and who was telling the truth. Only in rare occasions would one party exercise their right to call in a second Seer. If the two contradicted each other, then the trial went to the jury. We fully expected that to happen this time. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. My overly heavy hat made my head nod over.
Ari stood next to me, dressed as my bodyguard. He gave me a small nudge that restored my fading confidence. Sitting next to my sister, Queen Antonia waved.
Now that I’d gotten so close to the Blood Duchess, maybe it would be easier for Antonia to use her magic on us? I mouthed,Can you swap us?
Antonia’s small smile faded. She shook her head vigorously.
I sighed. Even though I’d mostly given up on going back to my own body, it would have been nice to have the option. Since I’d clearly upset Antonia again, I regretted asking.
I touched the protective ring that Ari had given me. I drew strength from it, not just the potential for protection but also the reminder that I had someone watching my back.
A middle-aged woman in a black court official robe stepped forward and held out her hand. “Please take my hand, then give your name.”
