"Yum!" Travis stuffed a big bite of cake in his mouth. Travis, Renee, and I were currently occupying a tea room right by the banquet hall. Travis immediately dove for the cake while Renee opted for a cup of earl gray with two cubes of sugar and a splash of cream.

"Do you not like cake?" I asked Renee. She flinched and put down her cup.

"I... do."

"Then why aren't you having any?" I notived her put a hand on her stomach with a sad look.

"Well... that is... I jus-"

"It's alright. If it's what I think it is then I'll say one thing. If you start starving yourself at this age you'll have many health problems later in life and will remain a little midget."

Renee looked offended, which made her look like an adorable kitten with her cat ears and tail. "I am not a midget!"

"Never said you were a midget. You will be if you're sixteen and still this size."

"...Fine." Renee took a slice of cake. I watched as her eyes lit up with a smile.

"Why haven't I ever seen you before?" Travis asked with a curious face.

"You idiot!" Renee smacked his head with her fan, "everyone knows why and that's the worst question to ask him!"

"But what if it isn't true? There was a rumor going around about you having ear fungus and I didn't believe them."

"Ear fungus?" A teasing grin spread across my face. "Never heard of that before."

"..." Renee chose to continue eating her cake, beet red.

"Well, the rumors about me being an illegitimate son are true... in a way. I was born from the queen, but my father was the king of... a different country." I didn't want to utter that man's name. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Oh..." Travis looked ashamed of himself.

"Hey, it's alright. I appreciate you not believing something until you know it's true." I patted his head. He gave off an aura similar to that of an eager puppy... well, he was quite literally a puppy judging from the semi-floppy dog ears and tail.

I watched as his cheeks flushed a bright pink. How healing.

A maid came in after a couple knocks. I retracted my hand, watching Travis's face as his smile turned into a disappointed pout. Pfft!

"What's so funny?" Renee asked as the maid gave us fresh tea and milk.

"Koff koff, nothing nothing." I waved my hands while fighting back a smile.

"Would you like some sandwiches?"

"No thank you. We'll be going back out soon." The maid bowed and left.

"Aw, already?"

"We can't keep the prince to ourselves," Renee shook her head in exasperation. I gave them an apologetic smile.

"Sadly, I do have to talk to others, being a prince and all." I stood up.

"We understand," Renee nudged Travis with her elbow when he didn't agree.

"U-Uh yes," I inwardly grinned at his crestfallen face but held my laughter in.

"Maybe some other time."

"Really?" Travis's eyes sparkled.

"Why not?" I patted his head again. With that, the three of us headed back to the banquet.

"The Dukedom of Hallides is thankful that you've been freed from that dreadful curse." An old man with a greasy smile and what looked like mouse ears.

"Er, thank you." I awkwardly smiled. Behind the man was a large crowd who looked eager to get their turn to talk to me.

Oh dear, this is going to take all night, isn't it?

~

One thousand three hundred and seventy two people congratulated me on being free from the curse.

"Hehe, you look exhausted Alcott," mother looked at me warmly, amusement written all over her face.

"Sleep," I mumbled.

"I'll take him to bed. Most of the other children have left anyway." Father scooped me up. I snuggled up to him and let myself drift off.

~

"I'm going to show you something new today." Oji-San patted the spot next to him, "come here."

"?" I sat down and listened closely.

"Have you ever had someone you cherished, Umeji?"

"You." Oji-San chuckled.

"While that makes me happy, you'll soon find others to replace me with." Oji-San took out a large binder, "this is a photobook. In here contains many pictures of my late wife and daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes," Oji-San smiled sadly, "my wife and daughter died in an accident about twenty five years before you came into my life."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've been able to continue on because of this photobook."

"Why?"

"Because photos capture moments of happiness in our lives, of good times. When you have someone you cherish, you want to keep them with you forever. Photos are a way to do that."

"Is that why you have a photo of your wife in your wallet?"

"Exactly. Whenever I look at photos of the times when they were alive I become sad, but also feel happy that I showed them how much I cherished and loved them."

"I see."

"So, when you find someone important, make sure to show them how important they are to you. You'll never know what moment with them will be your last."

"I'll take lots of pictures then!" Umeji ran off and came back with a polaroid camera, "let's take a picture together!"

The photo cleared up to show the two smiling.

"I have one last section in here. It can be yours."

"Really?" Umeji brightened and put the picture on the blank page.

"When I leave, take this photobook and keep it safe."

"I will!"

~

"..." I stared up at the ceiling. Everything around me was silent and dark. Even at the very end, I kept that photobook safe. I died looking at the one picture I took with him that day. I wonder what happened to it.

"...Oji-San," I sniffled. There was no way anyone could replace him. After all, he was the first person I cherished and loved.

But now I have others that I cherish. I should honor him somehow. If only I had the picture of him.

"I won't let you down, Oji-San!" I hopped out of bed and got out some paper and a quill with ink. I wrote a letter to him for keepsake and took out an expensive wooden box. I gently placed the letter in there and hid the box. Then I wrote a list of things I needed to make some of his favorite things.

I wish I could do more for him, but this would have to do. This way I could keep his memory alive even without a picture of him.

"Prince Alcott?" A maid poked her head in, "what are you doing up so early?"

"Woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." I folded up the list, "can I go out today?"

"It's too early for that. Wait until breakfast."

"Okay," I trotted to the maid, "can I walk aorund?"

"You need to get some sleep."

"I got lots of sleep!"

"Four hours is a lot?" The maid's lips twitched up in a smile. "I think you shoud try and get some more rest."

I pouted, "Okay." The maid tucked me back into bed and played with my hair until I fell asleep.

"Prince Alcott, it's time to wake up."

"Mn, sleepy."

The maid giggled, "weren't you saying something earlier about not needing more sleep?"

"Don't know... what you're talking about." I mumbled. With a grunt, I struggled to get out of the warm covers and jumped down from the bed.

With a slight wobble, I walked to the closet and opened it. The maid chose an outfit for me as I swayed on my feet, trying not to lose my balance.

"So cute," the maid gushed when she looked at me in the outfit with bedhead. She combed my hair, pausing slightly when the burn mark showed.

"..." I stayed silent, but turned around and patted her cheek, "it's okay. It doesn't hurt."

"Prine Alcott..." she cleared her throat and wiped her teary eyes. "I apologize."

"Let's go, I'm hungry." I grasped to of the maid's fingers and walked with her to the dining room.

Other servants giggled and smiled at me as I struggled to open the massive doors by myself.

"Nice to see you're up, Alcott." Dad smiled. Mom wasn't in the dining room like usual.

"Where's mom?"

"She isn't feeling well today," I saw dad frown with concern.

"Can I see her?"

"You should eat first."

"Okay," I heaved myself up on a chair and gobbled down the food on the plate and chugged the orange juice, "done!"

Dad laughed, "alright, alright. Let's go see mom."

The sound of retching stopped me from entering the bedroom. It would be embarrassing for her if I walked in now. When all was silent, I poked my head in.

Mom looked pale and sweaty as she laid in bed. I knew she wasn't hungover from the banquet since she doesn't like any form of alcohol.

"Are you okay momma?" I couldn't pull myself up onto the massive bed, so I had dad help me up.

"I'm fine sweetheart, I must've ate something weird last night." Her face tightened and I knew she was about to upchuck again. I leaped down, ran to her side, and held up a small trash can up to her.

Dad rubbed her back as she emptied her stomach. After she was done I put it down. She looked embarrassed.

"The doctor will be here soon," dad kept rubbing her back. I stayed near the trash can in case she needed to vomit again.

"The doctor is here!" A woman in a simple white dress and long sleeves.

The woman came over and examined mom. "What symptoms have you shown?"

"Vomiting, nausea and some muscle pain."

"I see, do you mind if everyone else steps out for a bit?"

Mom looked at dad and he nodded.

"Come on Alcott, give the doctor some space for a little bit."

"Mkay."I was about to walk off when I noticed mother move again towards the edge of the bed with an uncomfortable look. I grabbed the trash can again and positioned it just in time.

"Sorry, Alcott." Mom wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"It's okay! Momma needs to be taken cared of in order to get better."

I ran to get the small trash can in the bathroom, placed it by the bed, and took the full one out of the bedroom to dispose of the contents. The smell of vomit didn't smell good, but thankfully I had a strong stomach.

"Here, I'll take that for you." A maid took the can from me.

"Thank you!" I sat down in dad's lap by the door.

"Do you think mom's okay?"

"I'm sure she's fine." I almost missed him mumble the last part, "she has to be."

"..." Maybe I can make some stuff for mom to help with the nausea. Ginger, lavender, and peppermint oil can help relax her and fend off some of the nausea. I can put some peppermint halo on her. I'd need peppermint, rosemary, and lavender oil for that.

"You can come back in now." The doctor said. We rushed back in.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Well, there's some news."

"What is it?" I fumbled with my fingers nervously as I sat next to mom. Mom put her hand on mine and gave me a smile.

"She's four months pregnant."

"..."

"..."

"Pregnant?!" I jumped up on the bed. "Momma's pregnant?!"

"We're going to have a child?" There was a slight wobble in dad's voice.

"I'm going to be a big brother!" I bounced in joy.

"Are you hoping for a little brother or a little sister?" Mom asked.

"It doesn't matter, as long as the baby is healthy! Dad! Can we go out so I can get some stuff for momma?"

"Sure we can." Dad patted my head, "we'll go in disguise, how does that sound?"

"Dad...everyone will know who you are no matter what you're wearing."

"True, but it's funner when you blend in more."

"Be careful, okay?"

"Mkay!" I gave mom a kiss on the forehead, "we'll be back!"

"Don't stay out too long."

"We won't," dad kissed mom and we left. In less than an hour, we were dressed and ready to go. I had a complete and organized list of stuff I needed to get.