Chapter 16
16. The Memory Album
After returning to the Dian estate, Lord Alec was having tea and chatting with my parents and Sophia.
“What was little Lacey like as a child? Did she like sewing?”
“Your Majesty, the Empress…”
“This is a private setting, so you may call me Alec. And Lacey, you’d like that too, wouldn’t you?”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, Alexandreli.”
Lord Alec had noticed that I felt a bit lonely whenever my parents or Sophia referred to me as “Her Majesty the Empress.” With his permission, my parents began to speak.
“Lacey was calm from a young age and didn’t cry much. She wasn’t spoiled, and we thought of her as a quiet, mature child.”
“Around the age of five, she took needles and thread from the sewing kit I used and began mending the clothes of her torn dolls. That was the first time, I think. After that, she became interested in sewing, and she would try things even I hadn’t taught her. We wondered where she learned them.”
I found myself a bit unsure how to respond to my parents’ words. I had dreamed of Cecil since I was very young, so I already had sixteen years’ worth of Cecil’s memories within me. My small hands were awkward at first, but by moving them according to Cecil’s memories, I gradually became accustomed, and I believe I began embroidering around the age of seven.
As a noblewoman, embroidery was considered a proper accomplishment. My parents never stopped me and provided threads and fabric. I started by stitching simple patterns I remembered from Cecil, and over time, I progressed to more intricate designs. The first time I created something that could be sold was when I entered the academy at twelve.
After enrolling in the academy and moving to the imperial capital, I would go into town myself to sell embroidered handkerchiefs and cloths.
“I actually noticed Lacey because I acquired one of her embroidered pieces,” Lord Alec said.
“Is that so?”
“Did you like Lacey’s embroidery that much?”
“When I was a child, I lost my father during a coup and was sent away alone, finding refuge in a border village. At that time, a girl, who protected me and passed away, often helped me. She embroidered patterns very similar to Lacey’s.”
“The blue ivy pattern, right? We don’t know how Lacey came to learn it either.”
“She must have been diligent in her studies and seen it in a library or somewhere.”
Since there was no budget for a private tutor, I often studied at the estate’s library. Though attending a common school was an option, as a noble it felt embarrassing, so I studied with my parents’ guidance and went to the library alone when they were busy. All the embroidery patterns I knew from Cecil’s memories were supposed to have been seen in library books.
“When I held Lacey’s embroidered handkerchief, I felt it was fate and sought the person who made it. That’s when I found out it was Lacey of the Dian family.”
“So your relationship was connected by embroidery,” my mother noted.
“Yes. I knew of Lacey but had no chance to meet her. At her debutante event, I saw her for the first time, heard her voice, and was convinced it was fate. But by then, Lacey was already engaged.”
Even Emperor Alec could not intervene with someone who already had a fiancé. Though he could have used his power to force an engagement, he did not. He avoided using his imperial authority for personal matters.
As a result, immediately after Renan broke my engagement at the academy’s graduation party attended by the emperor, Alec proposed to me.
“I was surprised when I received Your Majesty’s proposal letter, but I didn’t know you had been thinking of me for so long,” I said.
“At first, I wasn’t sure if we could reciprocate feelings. But I intended to take the time to win your heart,” he replied.
“I felt the same when I met my wife at the ball and proposed immediately. You also felt it was fate, Your Majesty,” I said.
My father, entranced by the story, smiled, and my mother handed an album to Lord Alec. It contained the few photographs the Dian family had managed to take when they were still viscounts and poor. Alec carefully opened it.
The first page showed a photo of me as a baby, sitting in my mother’s arms while my parents were seated.
“Is this Lacey?”
“Yes. Around three months old. We wanted a family photo.”
“She’s so small. Cute.”
“Lacey was calm and didn’t cry, so we got a good picture.”
My parents smiled nostalgically, and Alec turned the page. The next photo showed my father holding me on his lap, with Sophia in my mother’s arms wearing a baby dress.
“This is when Sophia was born.”
“How old was Lacey then?”
“Two. When she saw Sophia, she said, ‘Ka—ii, Re, nee-nee!’ already acting like a big sister.”
Thanks to Cecil’s memories, my childhood recollections are very vivid. When I saw Sophia in the crib, I resolved to cherish her for life. Cecil had always wanted siblings, which is why he treated Garne like a little brother. Being born as Lacey with a sister brought me genuine happiness.
“Sophia is my dear little sister,” I said.
“She was doted on by her elder sister,” my mother added.
“I wanted to dote on her more and be by her side always,” I said.
That dream was impossible. Even if I had married Renan, Sophia would have married elsewhere. Though I was suddenly taken to the imperial palace by Alec’s proposal, limiting my time with her, as Empress, I am happy to interact with Sophia, the Dian heir. Alec also ensured I could spend time with my family.
The album contained photos of Sophia and me as we grew older, and of both of us entering the academy. Alec sighed as he saw me in my academy uniform at twelve with my family.
“Lacey was so small at twelve,” he said.
“She was tall among her classmates,” I replied.
“I’m glad we didn’t meet then. I would have become a criminal,” he said seriously.
“A criminal?” I laughed.
Though I might have been surprised by the age difference if I had been engaged to twenty-two-year-old Alec at eighteen, becoming engaged at twenty-eight after I was an adult seems just as well.
“Even at fifteen, I thought Lacey was still a child.”
“I honestly remember almost nothing of the debutante event. I was so focused on greeting Your Majesty that I probably didn’t even see your face.”
A fleeting encounter of thirty seconds. Yet Alec had confirmed I had Cecil’s memories.
However, Alec made it clear he didn’t love me because of Cecil’s memories. That may have sparked his feelings, but he loves me as Lacey.
I too love Alec not as Cecil, but as Lacey.
“Your Majesty, Alexandreli, let’s be happy together,” I smiled.
Alec’s eyes glimmered a soft reddish hue as he returned my smile.
“I will make sure Lacey is happy.”
“You won’t be happy if I’m not,” I said.
“Will you make me happy, Lacey?”
I answered confidently, “Yes.”
