Transmigrated into the body of a poisoned queen

Yvonne's POV

"Let me out of here!" I shouted, pointing the object in my hand at them. Was it a tool? A weapon? I couldn't be sure. All I knew was I'd spotted it in the old man's bag and grabbed it the first chance I had. It probably wouldn't do much damage, but it was better than nothing. God, how I wished Betsy was here with me. But for now, I'd have to make do. Once I got out of this place, I was never letting her out of my sight again.

I pointed the strange object at the guards, at the girl in the maid's outfit who was always crying, like she was now, and at the other girls who wore medieval-style dresses. They were all getting too close, and I wasn't in the mood to be touched.

"Su Alteza, por favor, deje el instrumento" (Your royal highness, please, drop the instrument….) the old man began, his voice steady but filled with a hint of concern. "I am only here to check your health." (solo estoy aquí para revisar su salud.)

He spoke, but I wasn't fooled by his calm tone. Rolling my eyes, I snapped, "Do not dare take a step closer '" My grip tightened on the object, feeling my frustration building.

The guards took a step toward me. "If you come any closer, I'll hit you so hard you'll forget your own name. So, you'd better stay back," I warned, my eyes darting to the window from the corner of my gaze. It wasn't jumpable, not unless I wanted to kiss my ability to walk goodbye.

"Bitte, Ihre Hoheit, bitte" (Please, your highness, please) the crying girl pleaded in German. I noticed she was the only one speaking German out of everyone speaking to me. Odd.

I dragged a hand across my face, trying to calm the panic threatening to rise in my chest. "Just let me go, and I promise I'll consider not coming back here and finishing this with the cops." The words came out sharper than I intended, but they just exchanged looks, as if I'd said something unfathomable.

Then, out of nowhere, the air in the room shifted. They all parted like the Red Sea. At first, I thought they'd finally decided I wasn't worth the trouble and were letting me go. But I couldn't have been more wrong.

They weren't stepping aside for me. They were stepping aside for him. The tall, handsome maniac who'd had me dragged off his leg like a parasite. The look on his face sent a chill down my spine, but of course, I didn't let him see the reaction his presence stirred in me.

"So, this is how you all want to play this game? You won't let me go?" I said, planting my hand on my hip and glaring at the large man. He just stared back, no smile, no emotion in his features, like they were carved from stone. Yet, somehow, he was still impossibly mouth watering.

Mouth-watering? Yvonne Jegede, have you lost your damn mind? He's your captor. This better not be a case of Stockholm syndrome; it's only the first freaking day.

"Necesito que te sientes y te revises. No me gusta repetir lo que digo," (I need you to sit down and get yourself checked. I don't like repeating myself) he said again, his voice cold and commanding. I stared at him, then glanced around, searching for an escape. I couldn't run; he'd surely stop me. But he didn't seem like the type to get his hands dirty. Last time, he'd let his oafs do the dirty work. There were too many of them, and I wouldn't make it far.

I looked at the women around him, glaring at each one. Their stunned expressions were almost comical, like they couldn't believe I was giving them the stink eye. What happened to the whole "girls supporting girls" nonsense? They were standing by, watching me get assaulted without lifting a finger. Ugh. Why was I surprised? A fellow woman had already betrayed me. My… no, she's nothing to me now.

Fuck that bullshit. I was on my own now.

"You seem like you won't listen," I said, waving the object in my hand at him. He didn't even flinch, his face as unreadable as before. That gave me the opening I needed. The window, no bars. Thank God. It was a long drop, but a few broken bones were better than being raped, thrown in a body bag, and dumped in a river. I'd died once, well, almost. But I wasn't going down that easily this time.

I turned around and quickly hoisted myself up to the window. Thank heavens for my agility. But just as I was about to jump, a hand shot around my waist and yanked me down. Fuck.

"¿Has perdido la cabeza?" (Have you lost your mind?) he roared, his voice so loud it practically rattled my ear as he pressed me against his back. I tried to spin around, ready to give him a taste of my own fury. I hated being yelled at. But before I could do anything, he grabbed a fistful of my tangled hair, the mess I'd woken up with, and yanked my head back, his face now inches from mine.

"Parece que estás buscando la muerte. Pero si no te sientas y te revisas, te llevaré a la muerte, ya que estás tan ansiosa, y lo haré de una manera dolorosamente lenta." (It seems you're looking for death. But if you don't sit down and get yourself looked over, I'll bring you to death since you are so eager, and I'll make it painfully slow) he growled.

I stared up into his eyes, so intense, so dark. It almost seemed like they were turning animalistic. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat, and strangely, I wasn't even focusing on the searing pain in my head.

And then, a voice whispered inside me. "Escucha" Listen. It was soft, soothing, almost melodic, a woman's voice.

I froze as the words seemed to repeat in my head, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't the kind of thing anyone would just hear and understand. But it was there, pulling at my consciousness.

Then the voice came again, this time clearer. Escucha.

My eyes went wide, my heart thumping in my chest as the words clung to my mind. It meant "listen." Escucha, that word meant "listen," but... how did I understand what the voice was saying?

Before I could even comprehend what had just happened, the strange man's words came rushing back. "It seems you're looking for death. But if you don't sit down and get yourself looked over, I'll bring you to death since you're so eager, and I'll make it painfully slow." So that's what he said.

"What the hell?" I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. Then the words I had just spoken fluttered into my ears. Spanish. How was that even possible?

You are in my body. I'm Princess Annalise Sofia von Hohenberg de Aragon." The voice echoed again, and my eyes went wide. A flood of memories rushed at me, like watching a movie, only it was happening to me.

I yelped and collapsed to the floor, pressing my hands over my ears, over my eyes, flooded by a torrent of sensations. The same voice, repeating in my ear, like it was trying to drown me in its presence.

Then something caught my eye, like a mirror at thr side of the room, and I rushed toward it, shoving him out of my way. I staggered to the mirror, barely breathing. The reflection was hazy, warped, like looking through water. But the worst part? It wasn't my face."

I touched the face, my fingertips trembling, and let out a blood-curdling scream.

Darkness quickly crept to the edges of my vision, and I felt myself tipping, falling. But before I could hit the floor, a hand shot out and caught me. The world went pitch black.