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The youngest daughter of Marquis Denholm Kennex and his wife Claudia, Cecilia was a golden child, smiling, chubby cheeked, with a mop of glossy, pale curls. As a young child she was doted upon, even spoiled by her father, while her relationship with her mother, who was jealous of the attention her daughter got from her husband, grew increasingly contentious. To keep the peace, Denholm eventually had to send her away; at a very young age, she was sent to Blancbier, where Victoria could keep an eye on her. Her mother died shortly after she left, but Victoria convinced Denholm that Blancbier was a healthier place for young Cecilia to be than Stormward, and so she stayed. She was barely in her teens when word came to her that her father was very ill. Cecilia rushed home, but by the time she got there, it was too late. Her beloved father was dead. She hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye. Her sister Renatta was dead, too. Her brother Ford, a near-stranger to her who she'd always looked up to as a heroic figure, was the new Marquis, but there were dark whispers of what he'd done to secure his place. A very drunk Naomi Cutter was the one who finally told her everything: There had been a rebellion against Ford's rule, during which Renatta (and Naomi's own father) had been killed. Ford had broken guest right in the most violent way to put it down. Cecilia didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. Her brother would never do such a thing, and people should stop spreading vicious lies. When Ford sent her abroad again, this time to Tor to continue her studies, he sent away a confused and angry girl who would, over time, blossom into a confused and angry young woman. She embraced the Lycene lifestyle and values as an act of rebellion against her heritage, and repeatedly resisted (or outright ignored) calls for her to come home. By the time word came to Cecilia that Ford had been murdered, she was no longer the innocent girl she had been, and was finally prepared to accept her brother's flawed character. His death turned out to be the closure that she needed in order to return to her family, especially when she learned that his young son Darion, now the Duke under a regency, was also under threat, with at least one attempt on his life already thwarted. And so, by now more Lycene than Isleswoman, Cecilia has returned to the family, determined to go to any lengths necessary to avoid seeing her nephew follow his father to an early grave.

Cecilia is a tall, willowy woman of sylph-like features. Round penetrating eyes as changeable as the sea reveal her emotions easily beneath delicate arched brows. Her flaxen hair is long and silky, often bound in a tight braid or pinned up, its wayward wisps gently framing her heart-shaped face. She moves with captivating insouciance, as though she feels as if her beauty will never fade and she shines beyond all else.

On the surface, Cecilia exemplifies what happens when an innocent golden child goes "bad"; she's more Lycene than the Lycenes, doing what she wants, when she wants, and the reasoned voices around her begging her to slow down can fuck right off. She drinks like a Kennex, flirts with whoever she pleases, and generally leads a life of excess, all in an attempt to numb herself to the pain of a tragic childhood's end. But it's not just fashion sense and sexuality that Cecilia picked up during her time in the Lyceum, and while at least some of her 'I'm mad at the world, so let's have a party' attitude is rooted in genuine feeling, she's a lot more astute than she pretends to be. Intelligent, educated, and calculating, she can see how their insistence on playing by the rules has hurt her family, and she's determined to advance their interests (and protect her nephew, who is the only person who really matters to her right now) by doing what they can't. If she can have a great time doing it, all the better.