Copycat Princess: I Weaponize Your Words

After siring 18 princes, the current king, Henry Barton, finally sires me, his first princess. On the day of my birth, Father vacates the entirety of West Tower to be my personal place of residence. Not only that, but he also changes the rules, decreeing that no one is allowed to be alone with me. As a result, I remain mute even after I turn six. Father's new consort, Elizabeth Muller, is showered with love and attention even though she only moved into the castle three months ago. The first time we meet, she takes my hand and says, "You're so well-behaved, Princess Julia. Let me take you to look at the fish." After making sure that we're alone in the garden, she grips my wrist. Her smile slowly fades away as she sneers, "You're just a useless princess. Why does everyone in the castle have to bend to your every whim? Once I give birth to a legitimate heir, you and your brothers will have to grovel at my son's feet." My eyes turn bloodshot when Elizabeth digs her nails painfully into my flesh. "No crying. If you're mute, just keep your mouth shut. No one will believe you no matter how many tears you shed." What Elizabeth doesn't know is that I'm not actually mute. On the contrary, I'm actually too good at speaking. I've had an extraordinary talent for mimicking others since I was a child and can easily repeat anything I hear. That's why everyone in the castle is forbidden from speaking when I'm around. It's also why I have been silent for the past six years. The banquet celebrating the harvest festival is hosted one month later. It's extremely rare for all 18 of my brothers to be present at the same time. They take turns teasing me, hoping to get me to speak. As I curl up in Father's embrace, I suddenly blurt out, "Once I give birth to a legitimate heir, you and your brothers will have to grovel at my son's feet." 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." 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. 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. Chapter 4 The grand hall was decorated with festive banners and colorful lights during the harvest festival banquet. The decorations spanned from within the castle to the marble staircase outside. It was the biggest banquet of the year. All 18 of my brothers had returned to attend it. Elizabeth sat on Father's right. She was dressed in a red and gold gown. The extravagant accessories that were pinned in her hair were all new. They swayed and tinkled with every step that she took. Everyone in the hall was looking at her. All of them knew that she would be the queen once the night was over. Elizabeth carried herself with a graceful and composed demeanor during the banquet. Everyone took turns rising to their feet to toast her. Richard raised his glass and said, "Congratulations, Lady Elizabeth." My sixth brother, Patrick Barton, followed suit, adding, "Father will be able to rest easy with Lady Elizabeth taking charge of the operations in the castle from now on." Leonard nodded. "Lady Elizabeth treats Julia well too. There's no doubt that she's a good fit for the role." Edward didn't say anything but showed his approval by nodding slightly. Elizabeth acknowledged them one after the other, smiling gently and demurely. "You flatter me. I'm simply doing the best that I can." Father's eyes overflowed with adoration as he looked at her. After a few rounds of drinks, he rose to his feet, raised his glass in the air, and swept his gaze across the hall. "It's the harvest festival today. I have something important to announce since all of you are here—" I chose that precise moment to speak up. As I continued leaning against Father's embrace, I said in a sweet and tender voice, "Once I give birth to a legitimate heir, you and your brothers will have to grovel at my son's feet." The rest of Father's words got stuck in his throat. Everyone in the hall froze in place and looked at me. Edward was the first one to snap back to his senses. He hurried over to me and crouched down, asking, "What… what did you say, Julia?" "What did you just say, Julia?" Richard exclaimed as he slammed his glass on the table. "Can you repeat that?" Patrick leaped to his feet and demanded, "Who taught you how to say that?" I didn't answer their questions. Instead, I continued speaking with the same intonation. "A mute princess would be an eyesore if she's allowed to continue staying in the castle." Chaos erupted in the hall. Father picked me up from his lap and cradled me in the crook of his arm. He lowered his head to stare at me, asking, "Who said these things to you, Julia?" I didn't even get a chance to answer before Isabelle fell to her knees and began groveling for forgiveness. "Your Majesty! The person who Princess Julia has had the most contact with this month is Lady Elizabeth! "She would order the maids to leave every time she visited, saying that she wanted to be alone with the Princess. We didn't dare disobey her orders. But… something seemed amiss with Princess Julia every time after she left…" Elizabeth leaped to her feet and shouted, "You're lying!" However, I didn't stop. I curled up in Father's embrace and continued speaking in the same sweet, tender tone. "Your father's affection and the way your brothers orbit around you… Their love will belong to me sooner or later." The color drained from Elizabeth's face. Her hands shook uncontrollably. I ignored everyone else and continued speaking. "It's been six years, and yet you still can't speak, little mute. It's best that you let the rest of your words rot in your belly for the rest of your days." Elizabeth bumped into the edge of the table as the strength fled from her legs, causing the glasses to topple over and shatter on the floor. Her entire body was trembling. Even her voice was shaking when she stammered, "I-Isn't Princess Julia supposed to be a mute? She didn't speak a single word for six years. Why did she suddenly… Someone must have put her up to this! Please investigate this case thoroughly, Your Majesty!" Father raised his hand, silencing her and everyone else in the hall with a single movement. He lowered his head to look at me, reaching out to gently brush the stray strands of hair away from my forehead. His voice was immensely soft and gentle when he asked, "My dear Julia, what else did Lady Elizabeth say to you?" I blinked before burrowing deeper into his embrace. "Lots of other things," I mumbled. Father's gaze turned glacial. He lifted his head and glanced at the doors, saying, "Seal the exits." His advisors were stunned for a brief moment before they immediately leaped into action. The doors were sealed, one at a time. The deafening sounds of heavy doors being slammed and locked echoed around the hall. Elizabeth's legs trembled violently. Her knuckles had turned white from how hard she was clutching the edge of the table. Father lowered his head again to look at me. "Tell me everything that she said to you, Julia. Don't leave anything out."