Year of the Boar, Thirteenth Month, Day 2.

It would appear that I am not as robust as I liked to imagine. Speaking with Kaede and then writing my last entry exhausted me again. Kaede has not been to visit since then; she sent apologies for her absence with a stunning floral arrangement. I did not mind. Despite her kindness, I do not feel ready to face her again. The flowers are much prettier to look at than the walls and Haru has been generous enough to read to me so that I do not go entirely mad with nothing to occupy my mind while I recover.

We began with some poetry but try as I might, I cannot take to it. Haru thinks I do not appreciate the nuanced work of the Kingdom's finest and she is probably right. What use have I for nuance? Things are, or they are not. When I had failed to sufficiently appreciate an ode to the grasshopper, Haru decided we would try a novel instead. It is better although I have to say the plot about some ancient guild of spies does not seem very realistic at all... but I am fortunate Kaede insists her Ladies' maids are educated in music and literature. If they were not, I would have only the flowers for entertainment... Perhaps tomorrow, I will ask Haru to fetch some scrolls from the library and see if we can discover anything in Silent Thunder's records which might allude to what I may find at Purple Lightning.

The sun has been pale and weak today but at least it was able to break through the cloud cover for a while. I do not miss much about Pale Twilight but I do, most assuredly, miss the warmth.