Year of the Boar, Eighth Month, Day 18.

It is with a detached sort of sadness that I must record the reason for the absence of almost all of the Nobility and most of the House staff. Lord Kenta of White Lake has been killed and Dying Crane has travelled to Silent Thunder for his funeral. I say of White Lake, perhaps his proper epithet should be "of Silent Thunder".
His loss was officially recorded on Day 9 of this month and the funeral rites were to begin on Day 16. Lady Yuika has been gone since Day 10.
Although I was never completely fond of him, I feel sorrow for Kaede who loved him dearly. I have had no news from any of my network but I do not doubt that they have been far too busy to send missives. Even White Lake's enemies would not refuse to attend the funeral of another Ruler's child; wars have been halted in order to honour fallen Rulers or their offspring. The entire Kingdom and their servants will be at Silent Thunder.
I was not interrupted as I wrote last evening and I decided that I could take the risk of looking around the House. I did not manage to find anything of interest, nor could I locate Nanami's quarters or Yuika's chambers. It seemed as though nothing was as I remembered it but I suppose that should not have come as a great surprise; it was a great many years ago that the Talks were last held at Dying Crane. Eventually, I did come across the bath house and so, on finding that the water was still warm, I took advantage of it and when I was clean and dry, I went back to the kitchens. It is just as well that none of Yuika's staff are familiar with the dialect of the south. If they had been, they would have known within seconds that I was no peasant but luck was with me for a short while and once I got the attention of one of the cooks, I pleaded with her for a job. She told me that she could not give anyone a job without the permission of the Chief of Staff and that I should come back when the Lady of the House returned. I must have succeeded in my attempt to look devastated because she agreed to let me stay for the night at least and give me a hot meal since I had been travelling for so long. I did not disabuse her of the notion that I had come all the way from Pale Twilight on foot. I slept well in a small room used by visiting servants after a solid meal of some sort of meat and vegetables with rice and I awoke with the sun, feeling refreshed. I am in the room now under the pretext of gathering my effects and getting ready to leave until the House returns but I cannot see that doing so would be the most sensible idea I have ever had. I also cannot see a way to avoid it so I may yet sleep under more bushes until my mission is finally complete.