Chapter 1

Apparently, on the day that I was born, my father, King Henry Barton, was looking through some documents when one of his advisors suddenly burst into the room and yelled, "A princess has been born!"

Father tossed his pen aside and bolted out of the room, outpacing even the messengers with his speed. After reaching the delivery room and confirming that I was indeed a princess, he fell to his knees and began thanking the heavens. He also issued three royal decrees that day.

Firstly, the funds for my living expenses would be triple the amount of the first prince, Edward Barton's. Secondly, West Tower would be renovated and expanded, and I would be granted the first pick whenever the kingdom received any tributes. Thirdly, the guards assigned to me on a rotational basis would be selected from his personal royal guards.

All 18 of my brothers took turns watching over me. They even fought among themselves over who would get to change my diapers.

As I grew older, I learned how to crawl, walk, and speak. I ended up shocking everyone when I opened my mouth for the first time.

I was extremely adept at picking up new things and was able to perfectly repeat anything anyone said to me. But I didn't just repeat the words I heard. I was able to mimic everything, including people's intonations and the pauses in their speech.

When I was three, my wet nurse, Isabelle Hawkins, happened to carry me past the study where the royal tutor was teaching the princes. My eyes darted around as I lay my head on her shoulder and listened to the tutor.

That night, after we returned to West Tower, I sat on the couch and repeated everything the tutor said in my sweet, gentle voice without missing a single word.

Father was briefly stunned before he lifted me high over his head and shouted, "My dear Julia is a genius!"

Everyone was shocked. News of my amazing ability spread like wildfire throughout the castle the next day.

Father frequently set me down on his lap and asked, "What did you hear today, Julia?"

I would then perform for him, repeating the earnest words of the royal tutor as he nagged the princes, the sharp criticisms of the royal chef as he inspected the dishes, and the disgruntled whines of my fourth brother, Richard Barton, after he was punished.

Father would slap the desk as he laughed boisterously, praising me for being a genius.

When I was five, Father allowed me to show off my ability during the New Year's Eve banquet. Most of our relatives had gathered for the feast.

I swayed a little unsteadily as I stood in the middle of the hall. I briefly mulled over my thoughts before deciding to perform something completely new and different.

I cleared my throat before mimicking Father's voice, saying, "You look so beautiful tonight, Penny. You're the only one in my heart…"

Everyone in the hall fell silent for a few seconds before they burst into raucous laughter.

Penny was none other than the queen and my mother, Penelope Ventricks.

All 18 of my brothers doubled over in laughter. Richard even slipped off his chair from how hard he was laughing.

Father flushed before a steely expression crossed his face. He clenched his teeth as he guided me away from the middle of the hall, gritting out, "Don't say another word."

The next day, a royal notice was plastered all around the castle. Everyone was forbidden from speaking flippantly in front of me from that day on. Anyone who broke the rule would receive 30 lashings and be exiled from the castle.

In other words, Father was warning everyone to watch their tongue so that I wouldn't repeat everything that I heard.

From then on, everyone in the castle stopped speaking in front of me. No one said more than they needed to when they were talking to me. They also stopped chatting among themselves when I was in the vicinity.

Since I couldn't mimic what everyone else was saying anymore, I decided to just stop speaking altogether.

…

Everything changed when Father's new consort, Elizabeth Muller, moved into the castle. Three days after she moved in, she dropped by West Tower to greet me.

She brought a red and gold phoenix hairpin inlaid with pearls with her, explaining that it was a tribute from Southplain. The hairpin was the only one of its kind in the entire kingdom, which made it a perfect gift for me.

Elizabeth personally put the hairpin in my hair for me. Her movements were gentle, and her smile was warm.

Father was very pleased when he heard about her gift, saying, "Lizzy's so thoughtful."

Elizabeth started visiting me frequently. We drank tea, folded paper birds, and fed the fish together.

After observing us for a month, Edward said in a relieved tone, "Lady Elizabeth is indeed very steady. She's the perfect example of a loving mother."

Thus, Father bestowed upon her the privilege of spending time with me without any escorts. The unbreakable rule forbidding everyone from being alone with me was bent for the first time for her sake.

…

One morning, Elizabeth held my hand and said, "The first jasmines just bloomed. Their petals are so white, and their fragrance is so sweet. I'm sure that you'll love them, Princess Julia. Why don't I take you to admire them?"

I took her hand and skipped the entire way toward our destination. As we walked along the hallway, I could see a sea of jasmines blooming in a deeper part of the garden.

Elizabeth bent down and put one of the jasmines in my hair. "You're even prettier than the flower, Princess Julia," she said with a smile.

I looked up and grinned at her.

As we moved deeper into the garden, Elizabeth ordered the maid to get us some water. When we were completely alone, she crouched down and leaned close to my ear before whispering, "You little mute, you may be monopolizing your father's love right now, but it will belong to me one day."