Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 8.

I have crossed the border. It was much further than it looked and took considerably longer than I imagined it would. My feet are badly blistered and in places they are raw but I could not bear the thought of trying to sleep out in the open for one more night; foolishly, I kept walking until I could walk no more.  I imagined that I would find a wall of some sort at the border and guards in towers intermittently along it but there no such security; merely a wooden post every few leagues with Seventh burnt into it on our side and Ninth on the other. I cannot imagine what Yuika is thinking that she has no protection at all along a border with a foreign land but perhaps she has some arrangement with her neighbours in the Seventh. In any case, I suppose I should be thankful that there was nothing to impede my entry into the Seventh Kingdom.
I expected everything to feel different once I crossed the border; I thought the scenery would somehow change dramatically and that the buildings would have some feature or other that marked them as distinctly Seventh. I thought that I would feel completely free. I feel no different at all and the land here is not significantly different that one would know at first glance that one has crossed into another country.
I have found that many people here speak our tongue and well. Not in the slow, indolent tones of my House, of course but with the spikier accents of the north west. I suspect that as I move further south I will hear the accents change as they do in the Ninth Kingdom. I have had no difficulties communicating and of course, no one is at all bothered about where I am from or what I am doing roaming about the borders on my own so in that sense, I suppose I do feel free. There seem to be some similarities between our languages and if I ever have the time to travel more extensively, I would like to go further west and see if the language of the Seventh changes beyond recognition or if it remains similar.
I was fortunate enough to find an inn fairly quickly once I had crossed the border; if I had not, I am sure I would have ended up at the side of the road on my knees unable to move at all. I have had my feet in a bowl of warm water with some salt for about half a stick and while it was agonising at first, at least now I know that my wounds are clean and I need fear no infection. The throbbing has not ceased, however, and I am unsure how long it will be before I can put enough weight on them to walk but it will do no harm to stay here for a day or two at least.
I have had no word from Nanami or any of my other agents in some time and not knowing what is disquieting. I suppose that if I were in any great danger of being tracked down by mother's soldiers, one of my network would have let me know. I think it likely that Kenta's funeral has diverted everyone's attention in any case so I do not suppose I have much for fear for a short while at least.
While I am resting here, I will take the opportunity to consider my plan for arriving at Purple Lightning. I do not know what arrangements they have at the border and despite father's exhortation to seek answers at Purple Lightning, I am also uncertain of what kind of welcome I will receive there. I must decide whether to arrive as myself or sneak in through the servants' entrance as I did at Dying Crane. I cannot think that there is much to be gained from announcing myself upon my arrival since I have no way to know whether mother has made any arrangements to have me returned to Pale Twilight should I turn up there. As I recall, Tsuyoshi and Ichiko's daughter is a fairly flighty, romantic girl... perhaps if I were to find her and swear her to secrecy, she would hide me until I have found what I need. I could tell her some nonsense about a forbidden love and throw myself on her mercy and beg for her help... yes... that may work. I will give it more thought and refine my plans over the next few days.