Chapter 19
19.Cecil’s Wish
The season had turned to winter.
While continuing my education as the future empress, I finally completed the wedding garments for His Majesty Aleksanteri and myself.
His Majesty’s wedding attire was a tailcoat, adorned with a boutonnière made from artificial flowers that matched the floral crown I would wear. My own dress was designed with a high waist and a straight, flowing skirt rather than a voluminous one. On my head, I planned to wear a crown of white and pink flowers, and I also made a bouquet blending pale red and soft lavender blooms.
The finished garments were everything I hoped for, and I felt a swelling pride in what I had accomplished.
But that was not all I had to do.
I had sent the designs for doll and stuffed toy outfits to the Viscount Dian household, and since I had made a doll of His Majesty Aleksanteri, I needed to create matching outfits for the dolls and plushies modeled after both of us.
And there was still more.
I had promised to knit a wool coat for His Majesty.
I wanted to finish it before winter ended.
Since the household garden had been put to rest for the season, I spent my days busy with these other tasks.
There were now less than seven months left until the wedding.
For the engagement ceremony, I had made only part of the outfits — my dress, yes, but for His Majesty’s attire I had only crafted the jacket. So this time, I borrowed the engagement outfit and used it to create a full set of patterns.
Making miniature engagement outfits for the dolls was delicate, painstaking work, especially the floral crowns — crafting such tiny artificial flowers was extremely difficult.
Still, I managed to finish them, and in between, I also completed the motif-knit coat for His Majesty.
The light-blue and pale-purple motifs formed a snowflake pattern.
When His Majesty put it on, his tall frame made it look truly dashing.
“Lacy, it’s so warm. I’ll wear this every day to my office during winter.”
“I’m so glad you like it.”
“How are the dolls and plush toys selling?”
His Majesty would take time out of his busy schedule to join me for afternoon tea.
He said he wished he could have lunch with me too, but that seemed to be asking too much.
He had begun delegating work to his aides and subordinates, which gave him a little more breathing room, but even so, the emperor’s duties were still grueling.
“There’s been a flood of orders,” I told him. “Among the children of the nobility, it’s become fashionable to own dolls and plush toys from the Dian household. And among adults, lovers are exchanging dolls and plushies that match their partner’s eye or hair color—it’s the latest trend.”
“That’s wonderful. I’ve heard that the Dian family has finally escaped hardship. In fact, there’s something I’d like to consult with you about, Lacy.”
“Yes, what is it?”
I straightened my back, setting down my teacup, curious about what His Majesty would say next.
“I’ve been considering raising the Dian viscountcy to a countship.”
“A… a promotion in rank!?”
I couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise.
Thank goodness I wasn’t holding my teacup—if I had been, I might have spilled it.
“But the Dian family hasn’t done anything that would merit elevation in rank!”
Normally, the granting or raising of noble titles was reserved for those who had rendered great service or benefit to the nation.
The Dian household had merely rebuilt its finances after years of decline.
If they were promoted under such circumstances, the other nobles would surely protest.
His Majesty, however, offered an explanation.
“The Dian family has made significant contributions to the advancement of women in our society. And more than that—several generations ago, when the country was struggling, the Dian family, then a merchant house, spent their entire fortune to help the nation recover. They refused ennoblement despite our ancestors’ insistence, and only accepted a viscountcy when pressed. But in truth, they should have been given a countship even then.”
“I see…”
“Having the Dian family raised to a countship would also make your marriage to me smoother. People would deem a count’s daughter more fitting to become empress than a viscount’s.”
If that was the reasoning behind it, I had no grounds to object.
Still, I wondered what my parents and my sister Sophia would think.
“What if my parents object?”
“I don’t think they will. Not when it’s for your sake, Lacy.”
His Majesty must have thought that my family’s current title provided too little backing for me to become empress.
And indeed, if people recognized that the Dian family had advanced women’s independence in this country, perhaps that alone would be considered a national achievement.
If that recognition could further the progress of women in society, then it was something to welcome. It would bring the world closer to what Cecil had dreamed of.
“By elevating the Dian family, we can silence those who oppose women’s advancement. The viscount and his wife must accept this.”
If the Dian family became counts, their domain would expand, and they could establish more factories.
The business of dolls, plush toys, and outfits had already made them prosperous, so they would have ample funds for expansion.
This promotion could only benefit them.
“I’ll write to my parents about it.”
“I’ll send an official letter as emperor as well. Ideally, I’d like to announce the promotion at the New Year’s celebration.”
Hearing His Majesty’s firm resolve, I decided to write a persuasive letter to my parents.
“Cecil would be happy about this, wouldn’t she?”
“You think so, Lacy?”
“Cecil never got to live independently or achieve her dream of becoming a seamstress. If women in this country gain the opportunity to work and take their first steps toward independence, she’d surely rejoice. I hope that, in time, women will be able to enter many professions—not just tailoring.”
“Would you help me think of ideas for that?”
“If I can be of use, I’ll gladly do so.”
Up until now, my thoughts had been centered only on Cecil.
But as the future empress, I needed to think about the country as a whole.
Helping women become independent seamstresses was just the first step toward broader social progress.
Opening more professions to women—creating a society where women could freely choose their own paths—that was the kind of nation I wished for.
And it was, I believed, the future Cecil had wished for too.
“I want to make this a country where no girl has to give up her dreams like Cecil did. A nation where women stand on their own will only grow stronger. Independent women will be the pillars that support our empire.”
“That may well be the future Cecil dreamed of.”
“Do you think you truly understand Cecil’s feelings, Lacy?”
“I’m not sure… In my dreams, I am Cecil, but when I wake, I’m Lacy. So I can’t say I fully understand her heart. Still, I feel I understand what she aimed for.”
When I said that, His Majesty narrowed his eyes, as though recalling her fondly.
I was born as Lacy, the viscount’s daughter, yet carried Cecil’s memories.
I had never really thought about what that meant—but perhaps it was so I could fulfill Cecil’s dream.
A society where women can work and live independently, safely and freely—
I was beginning to believe that building such a world was my mission.
