Cecilia Kagehashi's POV:
I sat down at the desk, smoothing my dress as I adjusted on the chair. The study was quiet, save for the faint scratching of the quill when I dipped it into the inkwell. Opening the book before me, I smiled faintly at its blank page before lowering my quill.
"My name is Cecilia Kagehashi. I was born in Starfell, a city on the outskirts of Everhart - A land noted for its long history and great beauty.
"By birth, I was a commoner, an orphan that was left at the door steps of the Starfell church. Like many girls raised in Starfell I was naive and clueless and I thought the little world within the church was all there was."
"But I was also a good child, if I do say so myself. I never disobeyed any of the nuns, excelled at my studies, Awakened my magic circuits, found out that I was Channeler and became my cites resident healer."
I let out a soft sigh, recalling the path I once thought was mine, before lowering my quill again.
"But how the world works good things must come to an end one day a noble by the name of Viscount Hereford came to our church looking for a bride. He was arrogant like most nobles were boasting about his achievements in the kingdom. I just sat there and gave him a kind fake smile. There was nothing I could do. I was just a commoner and he was noble. I couldn't say no. I would have to marry him and give him an heir. But… that was not what fate had in store for me.
I turned the page, the parchment making a faint rustle beneath my fingers. Dipping the quill back into the ink, I started to write once more.
"The night before the Viscount was supposed to take me as his bride my adoptive Grandma Opal the Prioress of the church woke me up in the middle of the night handing me a satchel with four days worth of food and clothes she snuck me out of the church and handed me a cloak and horse. I started crying, hugging her goodbye. She said something to me that has stuck with me ever since "Why would I allow a child that hasn't experienced life to be chained down by someone she doesn't love."
"I rode for 3 days non-stop only stopping to eat,feed the horse and sleep. On the fourth day I made it to a city called Alandal, I was free, I was finally I didn't have to be perfect all the time. I checked into a room at an inn it was
"For a commoner like me, finding a job was relatively easy. I found a job board in Alandal's town square scumming through the job offers
I let out a breath, resting the quill for a moment as the memories stirred sharper than expected. Then, with steadier hands, I returned to writing.
Working at the Adventure Guild for a few months, I got to see all kinds of new faces and personalities, eager teens running around trying to get the best quest to rank up. I swear I thought half of them would float off with how much their ego's inflated their heads.
I was assigned to be one of the protectors at the adventure guilds entrance exam where they test your combat ability and inspect your magic circuits. But before even the test began, two kids crashed into each other and started a huge brawl.
My quill slid gracefully to the right-hand page, the ink glistening faintly as I wrote the next lines.
One day when I was working at the guild's front desk, Reginald came walking and the moment he saw me his jaw dropped and he mouthed the word "Goddess." He just stood there stunned. I found it cute and endearing that he thought of me like that. One of the guys behind him in line elbowed him to hurry up. He regained his composure and managed to mumble a "uhh…uhm … M… miss… do you happen to sell maps for the Gloomfang Wilds?" I giggled at him as he turned beet red.
I dipped the quill once more, shaking off a stray blot of ink before continuing, my tone softened as I wrote.
He kept coming by every day telling me stories of his time being a dark knight and his adventures he went on with his party. His presence was a breath of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. He didn't stop his stories until I was dying in a fit of laughter.
One day during his usual routine he asked me out to dinner. It caught me off guard at first but I accepted it and we just hit it off from there.
A year later he asked me to marry him and immediately said yes. That night we had a night of deep sexual pass- Haha… let's not think about that anymore.
The memory brought heat to my cheeks, and I paused to press a hand against them, laughing softly before forcing myself to write on.
"I never considered I'd get pregnant after one night with him… Or that Reginald was a Baron. He told me he was scared to tell me he didn't want any secrets when we got married. He knew about my past experiences with nobles and thought if he had told me I would break up with him."
I didn't respond for a minute. He took that as a sign of me being mad. He got up to leave when I grabbed his hand and I started laughing at him.
"I flicked his forehead and I slowly pulled him down and gently placed his head on my pregnant stomach."
"I told him that our child is the product of our shared love, I told him didn't care that he's a noble. He was the man I fell in love with and nothing would change that.
Resting my hand for a bit, before I started to write again.
At any rate, 3 months later I became a mother at the age of twenty four. I was scared and uncertain what if I was a bad mother kept playing through my head, but when I first held my daughter-Claire Kagehashi, I knew that I was blessed beyond measure.
My eyes softened as I thought about my baby girl. I dipped the quill, slower this time, before turning the page one more time.
Claire was a mini version of me… No, she's what I wanted to be when I was younger. She is rambunctious,honest to a fault and overprotective of her little brothers.
"Speaking of them, Kai and Silas are the most adorable twins I have ever seen. Kai and his unruly black hair and his stormy playful grey eyes that held all the wonder in the world and Silas with his scruffy patch of hair flaxen hair and amber-gold eyes that burned like a dying hearth… They were perfect. When the kids started to crawl for the first time, I nearly wept all three times from pride.
"Though I quickly found out how much trouble two crawling baby boys could be. They wouldn't stay still for a moment."
I let the memories of those first days flash in my mind for a time, before writing on with a fond smile.
Initially, I only had to keep up with Kai's behavior, that was until I found Silas crawling OUTSIDE. They were a handful until about a month ago, Kai and Silas always ended up in Reg's study. They would stare at the books in the study with an intensity no infant should possess. It frightened me at times… But then they'd look at me with those bright eyes, and all my fears would melt away.
"Am I a doting mother… Yes, Yes I am, what are you going to do about it."
A soft laugh escaped my lips as Reginald came into my mind. I added the thoughts to the page with ease.
"At the very least I find it funny that Reginald gravitates away from long texts like it is a poison unless it's an important document, while the twins view them as treasures. Though, if this continues, then one day my sons might become the complete opposite of their father; where Reginald has strength in body, Kai and Silas may very well have strength in mind. But if fate is kind, they will hopefully inherit both."
I lingered on those words, letting it take root as I remembered the way Reginald grinned whenever he looked at our kids, so certain that they'll pick up the way of the sword and become Liberators one day.
"I don't know what kind of people my children will grow up to be. But one thing is certain-They're not ordinary. Even though it frightens me sometimes, it fills me with pride all the same. Whatever destiny awaits them. I'll protect them with all the love I have to give."
He called me mama.
Kai did when he fell asleep it caught me off guard I wasn't expecting it but at the same time I was so happy he called me mama his first words were for me.
A gentle smile curved my lips as I added one last note on the page.
"I am ready to embrace the chaos, the love, and the adventure that lies ahead for us. This life may not have followed the road laid out for me, but that precisely why it feels completely my own."
With those words, I closed the book & placed the quill back into the inkwell, I blew out my candle before heading to bed.