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.”
No one who touched a Seer could lie. Seers themselves couldn’t turn off their gifts. This made it impossible for them to be bribed, so testimony while touching a Seer was sacrosanct.
However, this woman was no longer a Seer.
Years ago, Kaine had found her drunk and crying at a tavern late at night because her natural ability to force all her lovers to tell the truth while touching her had ruined yet another romantic relationship.
Kaine had offered to take her power. At the time, he hadn’t even asked for anything in return (to Ysabel’s despair).
My sister had been the one to point out how handy it would be to have a fake Seer in their pocket.
Since she’d be revealing herself as a fake with our blatant lies during this trial, Ysabel had offered a large enough amount of money to retire comfortably for the rest of her life.
She’d accepted, and we’d obtained our fake Seer.
I took the offered hand. “I’m Duchess Hedri of Southern Sherda, the Lady Regent of Arahasnor.
” I wanted to follow this up with some grand Blood Duchess-like declaration.
Something about how I’d have everyone hung up by their heels for doubting me.
Maybe throw some jewelry at the floor. But I couldn’t work up the will. I was too nervous.
The Seer inclined her head at me, then turned to the podium. “She speaks the truth. Do the ladies and gentlemen assembled have any other questions?”
Head Cardinal Augustin said, “We came here to determine if she’s a fake, and she’s not. The trial is over.” He sounded nervous. I didn’t think deception came naturally to him. He was probably only going along with it because the Blood Duchess had tried to kill him and nearly taken over the kingdom.
My eyes swept the pews. I was banking on these people hating the Blood Duchess more than me, even though I’d thrown most of them in jail lately.
Countess Lealonie immediately said, “She’s the real duchess. The trial is over.” She winked at me. Apparently, that time I’d thrown her in jail had been forgiven. I was very glad I’d already gotten Kaine’s permission to build her bridge before this happened.
An immediate chorus of agreement came from the surrounding nobles. Whoa, not the tiniest bit of hesitation? Not even one dissenter? The Blood Duchess was even more unpopular than I’d realized. Despite all my hard work terrorizing people, I clearly remained the lesser evil.
“We object to the Conclave of Kings interfering with our kingdom.”
“It’s not as if they showed up when certain parties attempted to steal our country out from under us.”
“Our lady regent is a real pigeon plucker!”
I winced at the street slang I’d once pretended to be a compliment. Had the nobleman believed me when I’d claimed that it meant a smart person? Or was he being deliberately ironic? It didn’t matter, as long as he supported my claim.
At this point, we all fully expected the real duchess to demand a second Seer.
If the testimony ended up split, it would go back to the jury.
This would lead to a longer trial, but after how quickly everyone had supported me, I had confidence in my victory.
I didn’t quite feel safe yet. But I did let my grip on the podium loosen.
Ysabel sniffed loudly. “I hope that no one will doubt the Seer that I personally vouched for. To do so would offend the Sun God … and hurt my feelings.”
Kaine sat up where he’d been dozing in the pews. “Hmm? Did someone hurt your feelings, love?”
Alzira drew her sword. “Point my blade at who I must slaughter, Your Holiness.” The entire room flinched. Energy sparked through the air. Even I might have cowered under the podium, if not for Ari touching my arm reassuringly.
Ysabel placed a restraining hand on her bodyguard’s shoulder. “Please, sit down. The Sun God has not called upon your services … yet.” Her gaze swept the room, landing on the real Blood Duchess.
“I accept the Seer’s testimony,” Duchess Hedri said.
Wait, what? I didn’t like how she said it.
She was a little too calm. My sister looked surprised, too—she couldn’t have expected one little threat would do the trick.
This all felt too easy. The duchess continued, “I have one more charge to lay. I accuse Duchess Hedri of treason and the murder of the former duke and duchess of South Sherda, as well as their young son. Oh, and the family dog too.”
Ari’s hand slipped from my arm. He’d gone slack-jawed with shock.
Dark Lady. What could the duchess be playing at?
I could follow the first half of her plan.
She’d already realized that no one in Arahasnor would voluntarily vote for the destruction of their own country, so they’d pretend to believe my story even if she called in a second Seer.
Although she might have dated Falael, she wouldn’t have lasted this long by being completely stupid.
She must know that the Conclave of Kings wasn’t on her side.
Then she’d decided to expose her own crimes so that she could force me to confess my real identity or be executed in her place.
But I didn’t understand what she planned after that.
High treason was an executable offense. If I confessed to the body swap, I’d get in trouble, but then she’d become the traitor and murderer.
If I didn’t confess, I might die if I was convicted, but the duchess would still be powerless and stuck in my body.
I supposed a fresh start in a new body would be better for her than dying, but she didn’t seem like someone who enjoyed poverty.
Plus, the Avengers knew the truth and would still come after her—to say nothing of my sister.
Was it as simple as her being determined to drag me down with her out of spite?
I had trouble believing she was suicidal.
Looking at the smug twist in her lips, I felt convinced that she had another plan.