Chapter 3

Good news swept through the castle in the beginning of August.

Elizabeth was pregnant.

Father was over the moon with joy. Countless gifts were delivered to East Tower. The funds for Elizabeth's living expenses were tripled, on par with the funds that were allocated to the queen.

The castle was also alive with excitement. One of the senior advisors described Elizabeth as kind and beautiful. On top of that, she was pregnant, making her a suitable candidate to be elevated from a mere consort to the second queen.

Father didn't shoot down the man's words. Instead, he just said, "We can discuss it more during the harvest festival banquet."

Everyone in the castle understood the underlying meaning behind his words. The banquet would also double as Elizabeth's grand coronation ceremony.

Elizabeth began visiting West Tower even more often. However, she no longer pinched or scolded me. In fact, she stopped raising her hand against me altogether. She simply sat opposite me while smiling and caressing her stomach.

"Do you know what's inside my belly, Princess Julia?" she asked.

I looked at her.

"A child. The heir that your father has been yearning for day in and day out."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Not a single one of your 18 brothers is legitimate. Only the child growing inside me is a legitimate heir."

She reached out and ruffled my hair. Her movements were very gentle, giving off the impression that she actually cared for me. "He'll become the crown prince once he's born. Your brothers will have no choice but to concede to him when the time comes. As for you…"

Elizabeth smiled as she retracted her hand. "A mute princess would be an eyesore if she's allowed to continue staying in the castle. The first thing that I'm going to do once I'm queen is send you to one of the castles outside the kingdom. I won't feel annoyed anymore once you're out of my sight."

She adjusted her dress as she stood up, saying, "Don't worry. I'll tell your father that it's for the sake of your health. After all, the air beyond the kingdom is much fresher."

She then bent down and moved closer to me. "He'll believe me. He believes everything I say."

…

Elizabeth dropped by West Tower for the last time one day before the harvest festival banquet. She didn't take a seat this time. Instead, she stood before me and looked down her nose at me.

"Give me a proper greeting," she said.

When I didn't budge an inch, she grabbed the back of my neck and forced me down.

"You'll have to do it even if you don't want to. I'll be the queen of this kingdom by the end of tomorrow. You'll have to bend the knee to me sooner or later. So, what's the difference whether you kneel now or later?"

My neck throbbed painfully as I was forced to bend down. However, I gritted my teeth and refused to make a sound.

Elizabeth increased her strength. "Kneel."

My knees buckled and hit the floor.

Only then was Elizabeth satisfied. She released me and crouched down so she could look me in the eye. Her eyes were brimming with smugness.

"It's going to be a grand day tomorrow since it's the harvest festival banquet. Everyone in the castle will watch as your father places that crown on my head with his own two hands. Your brothers will also have to stand before me and pay their respects.

"I'll be the new queen starting tomorrow. Everyone in the castle except your father will have to bow their heads to me."

She grasped my chin and shook it slightly from side-to-side. "Including you, little mute."

She let go of me, rose to her feet, and headed for the door. She stopped to spare a glance at me when she reached the door, saying, "Rest well. It's going to be my day of glory tomorrow. All you have to do is to stay in your corner and watch."

The door clicked shut.

I remained kneeling on the floor. My knees were still aching, but I didn't cry. I looked up at the closed door.

It was indeed going to be a grand day tomorrow since it was the banquet. Everyone in the castle would be present, including all 18 of my brothers and Father.

However, it was going to be a grand day because I'd finally decided to deliver Elizabeth's death sentence.