Chapter 2

From that day on, Elizabeth began to visit me even more frequently. She would drop by every other day, bringing gifts with her every single time, including handkerchiefs embroidered with flowers, pearl bracelets, and my favorite carrot cake.

Her demeanor was always the same whenever other people were around—gentle and composed. She never once let her true personality show.

"You look like you're in good spirits today, Princess Julia," she said. "I asked the chef to bake this carrot cake for you. He spent two hours preparing it. Go ahead and have a taste."

She turned to Isabelle before continuing, "You can take a break. I'll watch over the princess."

Both Isabelle and my brothers slowly got used to Elizabeth's requests.

One time, Richard stumbled across her combing my hair. "You're even more skilled with your hands than me, Lady Elizabeth," he said with a smile.

Father was also immensely pleased, saying that she was much more thoughtful compared to the rest of the consorts in the castle.

However, Elizabeth revealed her true colors once the doors were closed. She pinned me to the chair and pinched the back of my hand, demanding, "Are you really a mute?"

I didn't move an inch as I stared at her.

Elizabeth continued pinching me, digging her nails into my flesh and leaving bright red marks.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound.

Finally, Elizabeth released me with a smile. "As expected, you truly are a mute. I have nothing to worry about then."

The next time, she took away the tiger doll next to my pillow.

Mother had given that doll to me before she succumbed to her illness. I had to hug it every night to fall asleep.

Elizabeth pinched the tiger doll by its ear and shook it slightly. "Do you want this tiger doll back? Let me hear you bark like a dog."

I tried to grab it, but it was too far out of my reach.

Elizabeth watched as I hopped in place, snickering as if she was watching a humorous play. "Go ahead. Bark. I'll return it to you once you do."

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I gritted my teeth. In the end, I still didn't make a single sound.

Elizabeth took the doll with her when she left. "You can forget about getting this back if you refuse to bark. After all, it's just a broken toy left behind by a dead person. I'll just get rid of it for you."

I had to sleep without the tiger doll that night. Gripping the blankets tightly, I curled up in the furthest corner of the bed.

When Isabelle asked me where the doll had gone, I pointed outside the window. She assumed that I had misplaced it, but she couldn't find it even after spending the entire night searching for it.

"I'll make a new one for you tomorrow, princess," she said, her voice laced with sympathy.

…

The next morning, Elizabeth brought a plate of cookies with her.

After taking a whiff of the cookies, I realized that they smelled rather odd. I shook my head and pushed the plate away.

Elizabeth grasped my cheeks and force-fed the cookies to me. "Eat them. You'll be insulting me if you don't."

I had no choice but to swallow the cookies.

That night, I developed a rash all over my body. The itch was so unbearable that I spent the entire night tossing and turning in bed.

The royal doctor was summoned to conduct a checkup on me. He declared that my spleen was acting up and administered some medicine for me.

Elizabeth was the first one to show up at West Tower the next day. Her eyes were bloodshot when she explained herself to Isabelle. "It's all my fault. The chefs used a new recipe to make those cookies. There must have been something wrong with one of the ingredients."

In the end, Isabelle had to comfort Elizabeth. "Don't blame yourself, Lady Elizabeth. Princess Julia was born with a weak constitution. This has nothing to do with you."

…

A few days later, Elizabeth dropped by again after the rash had subsided. She sat opposite me, picking up the blocks that I was stacking and dropping them onto the floor, one at a time.

When I tried to pick them up, she stepped on them. I looked at her only to see her already looking down at me.

"Get on your knees and pick them up."

When I refused to kneel, she grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down. I was only six, while she was already an adult. I was no match for her and had no choice but to sink to my knees on the floor. My knees throbbed painfully when they hit the tiles.

Only then was Elizabeth satisfied. As she rose to her feet and walked to the door, she transformed back to the kind and gentle "Lady Elizabeth" again.

Coincidentally, my ninth brother, Leonard Barton, was passing by when she opened the door.

"Princess Julia was so engrossed in playing with her blocks and insisted on stacking them on the floor," she said with a smile. "She refused to listen to me no matter how much I tried to talk her out of it."

Leonard peeked his head into the room and glanced at me.

I was still kneeling on the floor. The blocks were scattered before my knees.

Leonard smiled and said, "Julia has always loved to play."

I slowly got to my feet after Elizabeth left. I didn't cry or look for anyone.

When Mother was severely ill, she held my hand and said, "You were blessed with a gift that lets you remember everything, Julia. But remember this. You don't have to rush to speak. Be sure to wait and only speak when you need to. That way, none of your words will go to waste."

I picked up the blocks and stacked them on the table.

It wasn't time for me to speak yet. But it wouldn't be long now.