Chapter 4: The Birth of Chisa Nishida

There, Honoka, with the help of Kabula, gave birth to a baby girl at sunrise. She had beautiful golden eyes, unlike her father, who had silver eyes. And unlike her mother, who had brown eyes. Golden eyes, or yellow eyes, are the rarest eye color in the world. Whereas silver eyes or gray eyes are the second rarest eyes.

"Golden eyes..." Honoka smiled. "King Benda was said to have silver eyes. Whereas Queen Kimba was said to have golden eyes. Golden eyes are also called the Eyes of Wonder, due to their uniqueness. Our child is special..."

"You did well, Honoka-chan..." Kabula said, holding the baby girl in his arms. She was wrapped in a white cloth and was crying. "Well done..."

"What are you going to name her?" she asked.

"You've carried her for nine months in secrecy. You carried the burden of shame in front of your family. And you had to withdraw from society so that you could give birth to her in private," Kabula said. "You have more right to name her than I do."

"But it is Badilite tradition for the fathers to name their children."

"And isn't it Namite tradition for the mothers to do so?"

Kabula handed over the baby girl to her mother, Honoka. "...祐咲 (Chisa)... her name is Chisa."

"Tell me more about her name."

"In Kanji, 祐 (Yu / Suke) stands for 'Help of God' or 'Divine assistance.' 祐 means 'help' or 'aid' and is often associated with divine or heavenly help," Honoka explained. "It also implies a sense of protection, blessing, or guidance from God. In names, this character evokes a sense of support, grace, and good fortune. It's a very positive and spiritual character that implies that our baby girl Chisa is under the protection or guidance of God."

"That's... That's beautiful..."

"And 咲 (Saku / E) stands for 'Bloom' or 'Blossom'. 咲 means 'to bloom' or 'to flower,' symbolizing growth, beauty, and new beginnings," Honoka continued. "Blooming is often associated with flourishing, radiance, and vitality. In Japanese culture, blooming flowers—particularly cherry blossoms (sakura)—are seen as symbols of life's beauty, transience, and renewal."

"I never knew Japanese names could hold such depth..."

Kabula and Honoka were overjoyed with having a daughter together. They enjoyed Chisa's presence and spent all their time with her on Taketomi Island, strolling through the charming streets that provided an authentic experience of Okinawa's cultural heritage. They also went to Kaiji Beach. And they made a lot of pictures together.

"And thus, the name Chisa evokes a sense of someone who is under divine protection and who has the potential to blossom into something beautiful. It combines spiritual protection (祐) and natural beauty and growth (咲), so our baby girl is not only blessed by divine forces but also has the ability to thrive and flourish in life. The help of God will give her a sense of security and favor, while the idea of blooming brings hope, renewal, and a promising future is what I hope she'll accomplish for both of our households."

"The name Chisa also suggests prosperity and joy, similar to a flower that blooms beautifully under the right conditions. Our daughter will go through growth, vitality, and a sense of nurturing, as blooming is often the result of care and favorable circumstances."

"Our daughter is both protected and destined for great things. I hope that Chisa will bring light to both the Badilites and Namites, by forging a new bond between the two nations. Starting a new, fresh era for both of our households, an era of unity, common interest and a shared vision."

"Chisa (祐咲) is a name that signifies divine help or protection and flourishing beauty, symbolizing both the grace of being guided by a higher power and the ability to bloom and grow into something beautiful. It's a name full of hope, blessings, and positive potential..."

"Then, her Badilaean name is Tshilela," Kabula said, "which means to be abundant. Our daughter is abundant in having the help and protection of the divine, and in being a flourishing beauty. She overflows with the grace of God's guidance, and the ability to bloom into something beautiful."

Honoka blushed upon hearing that. "Princess Chisa Tshilela..." she uttered. "That name fits her perfectly... We couldn't have given her a more befitting name..."

It was time for Kabula and Honoka to discuss some practical matters... Chisa was fast asleep.

"We need to register her birth to the authorities," Honoka said.

"Which authorities?" Kabula asked.

"The Dutch authorities."

"The Dutch..." He sighed. "And under what name, Honoka?"

"Princess Chisa Tshilela Badila," she said, "her dark skin would make her more fit in with Badilites than with Namites."

"Her Namite, or Japanese facial features and looser hair expose her Namite side though," he chuckled.

"Then do you rather want her to be a Japanese citizen and face racism and potential harm from the Imperial House of Japan?" Honoka sighed. "The Netherlands is way more multicultural than Japan is. She would fit right in with Dutch society. Whereas she'd have a very tough upbringing here."

"Why is that?" he asked. "Isn't she a Japanese Princess?"

"I won't bring her home, Kabula," she replied. "I promised my mother that she won't see her grandchild. Besides, there's no way she'd even accept her as her grandchild."

"Neither would the Badilites accept her, since she was born out of wedlock," he sighed. "I think it's better if she's raised in Japan."

"Why? So that you can continue to hide her from your family?!" Honoka became visibly upset at this point. "The Badilites don't even know you got me pregnant. Whereas my family does know that. Do you have any idea how unfair that is? Why do I have to continue to carry this burden all alone? Why won't you help me?"

"Are you calling Chisa a burden?!"

"Of course not! I'd never! But having to deal with her in society is a burden!"

Chisa suddenly moved, prompting the two to be more conscious of the sound of their voices.

"Adoption," Kabula sighed, "why don't we opt for adoption? You know, foster care. We should get her adopted by a Dutch family."

"Absolutely not."

"Huh?!" He was taken aback. "Didn't you just go on a rant about how Dutch society would be so much better for our daughter, since it's multicultural unlike Japan?!"

"Shush," Honoka said, reminding Kabula to watch the tone of his voice. "If you Badilites are not going to take her in, I'd rather want her to live in Japan, so that she is as close to me as possible."

"But won't that be very challenging for Chisa, to live in Japan? Due to the racism she might have to face?"

"It can't be that bad..."

"Not if she's raised as a Namitess Princess. But if she's raised as an adoptee by commoners, I don't think she'll fare well."

"Then take her into the House of Badila. Problem solved."

"You know I can't do that..."

"Then it's settled," Honoka said.

"Is there a way to get Chisa to be adopted anonymously in Japan?" Kabula asked. "We can't allow anyone to know that we're her parents. Or else it's redundant to put her into adoption. Since they'd spread the word and everyone would know about the bastard child between a Badilite Prince and a Namitess Princess..."

"I really hate to do this... I really don't want to do this... To let go of our baby girl Chisa..." she said, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Neither do I," he sighed, "but we don't have a choice. Unfortunately, society is so messed up that two people in love can't get married and can't raise their child together in a healthy, caring and loving environment. We're doing this for the sake of Chisa."

"No, you're lying..." she said, as tears streamed down her cheeks. "We're doing this for the sake of our families. To spare them the shame of having to deal with two royal members from two rival royal houses who committed fornication and gave birth to a bastard child as a result... We're not doing this to help Chisa."

Kabula realized that she was right. So he said nothing in response.

Kabula and Honoka traveled to Tokyo together with Chisa.

"There's a hospital in Tokyo that has a baby hatch," Honoka said.

"What's that?" Kabula asked.

"A baby hatch provides a secure and anonymous place for parents to leave infants they feel unable to care for," she explained. "While the baby hatch operates without explicit nationwide legislation, it functions within Japan's existing legal framework. After an infant is placed in the hatch, the hospital collaborates with local authorities to determine the most suitable care arrangements, which may include foster care or placement in a children's home."

Kabula and Honoka arrived at the Tokyo baby hatch.

"I really hate to do this... I can't bring myself to do this..." Honoka cried. "So you do it, Kabula..."

"As if I don't hate to do this myself..." Kabula said, as he held back tears.

Kabula placed the baby girl Chisa at the baby hatch, a name tag attached to her cloth. Both Kabula and Honoka left afterwards, turning their backs. Honoka, weeping as Kabula wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kept her close to him, as a way to comfort her.

Both of my parents left afterwards, abandoning me. Not knowing what disaster this would wrought upon me...