Kai's mother

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Kai's mother
Biographical information
Full name	Unknown
Died	118 T.E. Eastern Commonwealth
Family member(s)	Rikan (husband) † Kaito (son) Linh Cinder (daughter-in-law)
Fate	Deceased (died of Letumosis)
Physical description
Species	Human
Ethnicity	Earthen
Gender	♀ Female
Race	Asian
Skin	Pale
Hair	Black
Eye color	Brown
Political information
Nationality	Eastern Commonwealth
Occupation	Empress Consort of Eastern Commonwealth (former)

"His heart caught, overwhelming him with emotion he hadn't been prepared for. The last time he'd seen this crown it had been worn by his mother. She had worn it during the annual ball celebrating world peace every year. She had always been so beautiful."

―Kai about his mother

Kai's mother is a minor, unseen character in The Lunar Chronicles. She's never seen or heard from while alive, but is mentioned in passing, mostly in Fairest and Winter. She was the unnamed, former empress of the Eastern Commonwealth before passing away from letumosis, as well as the mother of Kai and the wife of Emperor Rikan.

History

Pre-Series

Currently, little is relatively known regarding the empresses' former life before she took on the royal title. However, due to her being an empress consort, we can assume she married into royalty as opposed to being born in. Thus, she must have married Rikan when he was either a prince or an emperor, been coronated, worked alongside him in ruling the country and have also subsequently given birth to prince Kai along the way.

Fairest

The Empress contracted Letumosis on a philanthropic trip to the Western parts of the Commonwealth. Her son, Kai, and husband, Rikan, were mourning her death with the rest of the country on a newsfeed.

Characteristics

Physical Attributes

In Winter, before Levana's coronation, Kai lifts her crown out of a box. As he does this, he remembers how she used to wear the crown for each annual ball and notes that "she had always been so beautiful." We can also presume she looked similar to Kai as she was also praised and known worldwide for her beauty.

Personality

We can presume that she had a kind, selfless and caring nature based on the way not only Kai, Rikan and Torin mourned her hapless death, but the entirety of the Commonwealth as well. She was remembered extremely fondly and was dearly missed after her passing, leaving us with the sole assumption that she was an exceedingly likable person, an exceptional ruler, and a caring mother and wife towards her family.

Trivia

• She was known for being very beautiful.
• The empress used to take Kai to the weekly market as a child.
• Before every peace festival parade, she used to sneak Rikan and Kai into the marketplace to eat spicy noodles and watch street vendors and musicians prepare for the event.
• She was often Channary's target for assassination.
• She was beloved by the entire country.
• The empress crown she wore to the annual ball each year was that of a rising phoenix.

Family Tree

Eastern Commonwealth Royalty

Rikan						Unnamed ♀
			Kaito