'' I guess we've all had our fair share of the bad of fate then'' she said as she wiped off her tears as she continues. ''My name is Cora, I don't have any memory of my childhood, but all I know was that I lost my father in a battle, and after the battle I found myself living with a new family. I grew up as a young and smart lady and for that, all the men in the village wanted me but my foster parents wouldn't give them my hand in my marriage and each time I asked them, they would simply tell me that the time had not come''.
''I remained a single maiden in the town for a couple of years until one day, I had just been back from an errand that my foster mother had sent me. There I saw a young man sitting with my father.'' Cora's eyes alight with excitement as she her she took a journey through memory lane. '' He was unlike anyone had ever met. when he spoke, his voice was like velvet, and his presence had this way of making you feel like the most important person in the world. His name Lu Cheng always sounded like music to my ears''.
She paused, her expression growing more wistful, '' My father saw how I looked at him, and he pulled me aside one day. He told me that the man had asked for my hand in marriage. immediately my heart was filled with joy, not only was I getting married to a handsome man, but I was also going to leave my foster parent's house to go start a new life. Lu and I stayed with my parents stayed with my parents for a couple of days before finally heading back to his town to go start my chapter of life and a new journey. ''
she sighed heavily, her face a mask revealing the pain deep in her heart. She stretched her hands to kaiju signifying him to pass the bottle of alcohol but he refused. She slowly dropped her quivering hands as she continued. '' I and Lu had our child '' she said pointing to a baby that was fast asleep in a bed close by. '' four months passed after we had our child and everything seemed to be blissful until the night.....'' Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and her voice fell to a whisper, as the mere thought of what she was about to say was like a blow to her fragile heart.
'' The night the call to war came, and my dear Lu answered it with honor and duty. He kissed me goodbye, his lips warmth against mine, as he promised me that he would return to me soon''. she shuddered, her breath catching in their throat. '' But he never did.
she wiped her tears as she fell silent, the weight of her grief and loss settling over her like a shroud. The room grew still, save for the muffled sound of the infant in her arms. '' I waited,'' she said, her voice choked whisper. '' I waited for word, for a messenger to bring me news of his safety. But weeks passed, and then months. And finally, a letter arrived. A letter that told me my beloved Lu had been killed while protecting the king in battle''.
A single tear escaped from her eyes again, trickling down her cheeks like a silent prayer. The silence that followed Cora's words stretched like a taut rope, the tension building until it was almost unbearable. Kanji shifted slightly, '' Cora'' he said, his voice low and unsteady. '' You mentioned the war. which war was it? When did it happen?
''The way with a kingdom said to be close to the Gloata sea,'' she whispered, her eyes wide with horror.'' It was just 8 months ago.'' Kanji's heart sank, '' Then it was me,'' he thought to himself '' He must have been the soldier I killed when the king sent me to assassinate the king that led the Meiji people to war against the Kabiya kingdom''.
The room seemed to shrink around Kanji, the walls closing in on him, his guilt and shame like a chain that choked him around his neck. He got up and headed towards the door, his hands clenched in White- knuckled fists, the words '' I must go'' caught his throat. But Cora's voice stopped him in his tracks, '' what about the child'' she asked.
Kanji stood rooted to the spot, his eyes downcast as the weight of his past threatened to crush him. His voice cracked with the weight of a thousand burdens, each syllable laden with shame and guilt, begging to be freed from the chains of his past.
Cora was surprised by this response but she didn't waiver. Her hands, soft and sure, rested on his shoulder, the warmth of the touch thawing the ice that had gripped his heart. '' But he needs a father figure, someone like you, someone who would show him the same kind of love he should have received from his biological parents,'' she answered, with a gentle voice yet unyielding. '' And I don't mind having another person here with me, this past few months have been lonely for me, so you can stay. ''
The words, heavy with the possibility of a brighter future, hung in the air like a fragile promise. '' if you stay, we can raise the children together. We can be a family.'' Her voice was a whisper of hope, an unspoken plea for Kenji to let go of his guilt, to embrace the light of a second chance. Guilt still clung to him like a shadow, its talons digging deep, but Cora's words, so full of hope and light, were like a beacon in the darkness.
And then, slowly, he turned to face Cora and with a heavy sigh, he slowly sat on the floor, his face in his palm as he savored the feeling of the moment.