Year of the Boar, Tenth Month, Day 14.

I had a long talk with Ryouko yesterday who actually used the word 'deranged' regarding her mistress. Deranged... my initial reaction was not to rebuke Ryouko for speaking ill of the woman who keeps her employed... no... my reaction was to think that 'deranged' is not a word a maid would likely use and to wonder in who else's employ she could possibly be... Perhaps spending time with Yuika with all her talk of plots and machinations is having more of an effect on me than I had thought... However, I realised quickly that Ryouko was equally unlikely to be quite that honest if she did not think that I could be trusted and have concluded therefore, that I can probably trust her. She is an interesting girl; not as earthy as Nanami although she is just as blunt. It seems she is the youngest in a long line of women who have served at Dying Crane for generations although, I suppose unsurprisingly, she has ambitions of which her mother disapproves. Perhaps I will take her with me when I leave for Purple Lightning; it would be good for me to have a travelling companion...
If Ryouko is able to ensure that Yuika eats and takes some fresh air each day, perhaps Yuika will be some way to being prepared for the delegation which is due to arrive. Once I had finished discussing matters with Ryouko this morning, I gathered all of the Diplomats together. None of them were particularly happy about being summoned but I am not overly concerned about their feelings at this juncture. Preparations for the delegation have not even begun and with the arrival of a messenger to let the House know that Princess Rani will arrive ahead of schedule, I felt the need to take matters firmly in hand.
There are so many things to arrange that I had not even considered, not least of all ensuring that we have enough bedchambers for the Rani's entourage. I have discovered today that although I was schooled in the ways of each of the nine Kingdoms and their languages, this did not extend to individual members of the Royal Households so we have no information about Queen Aasha, King Gulpinder or indeed, the Princess herself. Perhaps it is worth sending someone to see if the scouts are still lurking about the border; they may be able to give us some useful information. In the meantime, I shall spend some time in the library...