“Kid,” I whispered. My voice sounded unfamiliar to me—deeper and richer. “Kid. You’re hurt. We’ve got to stop the bleeding!”
I ripped a curtain off the poster bed to use as a bandage. She flinched away.
“Here.” I held out the cloth. “Use this to stop the bleeding.”
The brown-haired girl turned around to reveal the same freckled features and pointy nose of the girl who’d fallen out of the royal carriage earlier this afternoon. This was theprincess? The Blood Duchess beat even the heir to the throne? Not that I doubted her capacity for cruelty, but I did wonder how she’d gotten away with mistreating someone of higher rank. I supposed in Sherda the princess had no one to stand up for her, and her royal brother had never cared about her.
Princess Antonia took the cloth from me and wrapped it over her bare shoulders. She gazed up at me with wide, anxious eyes. “Did it work?” she asked in a small voice.
I stared at her. “Sorry?”
“I wished for you to become nice, and now you’re nice.” A very small smile crossed her lips. Then she yawned.
I paled. “Kid—Your Highness—did you see a flash of light after you made your wish? And now you feel tired?”
She nodded. After her head fell over, she seemed to have trouble lifting it. She slumped sideways against the cabinet.
As I grabbed her, my heart raced. Carefully, I placed her down on the bed on her stomach to avoid aggravating her injuries. A body-swapping gift! No one had heard of one of those in centuries, but it had to be, because clearly I’d ended up in a different body. Given Princess Antonia’s young age, her power had probably only just appeared. How had the princess picked me of all people? We’d only just met at the incident at the carriage earlier that day.
More importantly, I had to get someone to tend to those injuries. I ran into the hallway and screamed, “Doctor!”
The door nearly hit a maid in the face, so she must have been about to open it. Stumbling, she curtsied. “Your Grace.” Her voice held a raspy note. A red curl poked out of her white cap. She had full cheeks and a distinctive jawline. Even with her head lowered, I could not fail to notice her beauty.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
The maid nearly fell over. She looked around as if trying to tell who had spoken, because clearly it couldn’t be me. “Did you say you’re … jolly? Delighted to hear you are in such a good mood, Your Grace.”
Whoa, did it ever feel odd to have people treat me with such deference that they didn’t even believe their own ears when I said sorry. I fought off an urge to apologize again. For what reason, I wasn’t sure. Existing? Accidentally glancing at her breasts so fast I hoped she hadn’t noticed? I attempted to sound commanding, but my voice squeaked. “I need you to fetch a doctor. The princess has been injured.” Or more likely, using her power had knocked her out. With such a strong power, I wasn’t surprised it was one use only.
“Yes, Your Grace.” She lowered her eyes, but not before I saw a flash of fury. If she’d heard the princess screaming, then she would have instantly assumed I’d beaten the poor girl unconscious. I must look like the worst scum in the world. How could I deny it had beenme when I was currently occupying the body of the one responsible? “I have already summoned a doctor.” She gestured down the hallway.
A short, thin man with a long face poked his head around the corner. He seemed to be trying to hide behind the high collar of his black coat. Sweat dripped down his crooked nose. He took a slow step forward.
I waved my hands. “Hurry!” I almost asked what he was waiting for, but it seemed obvious—he was terrified of the duchess. The maid had probably faked an interruption in hopes of sneaking the doctor in. At least someone in this palace gave half a damn about the princess.
The doctor rushed past me into the room. He gasped upon seeing the princess’s condition, then opened up his medical bag. The maid dropped to her knees beside the bed and took Antonia’s hand, murmuring something soft. The girl did not stir. I hoped this had more to do with her exhaustion than her injuries.
I stepped into the room. “Uh … can I do anything to help … ?”
Fury burned so bright in the maid’s eyes that she could not hide it. My cheeks heating, I stepped backward. “Or … not …”
The maid bowed her head, and her tone became subservient. “Your Grace, I came to fetch you. You need to hurry in order to make it to the execution in time.”
“Execution … Donya’s execution?Right now?”
Hesitantly, the maid nodded.
I’d been too late to bring help to save Donya! Damn the insane Blood Duchess! Wait a minute.Iwas the Blood Duchess. “Stop the execution!” I screamed.
“Your Grace?” She raised her eyebrows slightly.
I turned for the door. My borrowed, too-long legs got tangled up in my heavy black dress, and I nearly fell. How did the duchess walk around in a dress covered in gemstones?This thing must weigh as much as my whole body!I gripped the wall, panting. “Someone get me a carriage! Ugh, and someone help me down the stairs. Dammit! I’m going to stop the execution!”
The maid and the doctor exchanged confused glances. Slowly, the maid asked, “Your Grace, have you perhaps been drinking? Or did you try any new relics with possible side effects?”
I seized on the excuse. “Yes, I must have been drunk when I ordered the countess’s execution. Get me a carriage!”
The doctor cowered when I shouted. The maid leapt to her feet and offered me her arm. I noticed that she flinched when I touched her. Even though I knew this must be because of the duchess’s cruelty and not my weight, I still felt disgusting. A soft, poisonous voice, one I hadn’t heard in a very long time, returned to my mind:You’re revolting, a giant elephant, inconveniencing everyone.
