Year of the Boar, Twelfth Month, Day 16.

 Sasanuma escorted me to the mausoleum early yesterday morning before Rani rose and then we took horses out to a disused temple way beyond the House grounds and talked for hours about the situation. I had not seen him since we made our last plans and he had much to impart. Firstly, he told me that his agents are having some success in White Lake and that one of Shunya's Diplomats appears to have contracted some sort of malaise... I allowed myself the tiniest smile... this will be a long game but I will crush White Lake before they have even realised what is going on... Once enough of them are 'infected'... their House will be in chaos and I will trample it into the very ground as Shunya and Yuki watch and when I have destroyed their House... Well...

His second piece of news was not nearly as encouraging... Rikku broke the evening before and confessed that Rani's intentions are not as they seem. He believes that she is intent on bringing chaos and and destruction to the Kingdom as revenge for some sort of slight against the Sixth some decades ago. What that could have been, Rikku either does not know or could not say... How she intends to exact this revenge, he also does not know; Sasanuma is convinced that Rani is definitely not who she says she is, that perhaps rather than being a princess of the Sixth, she is some sort of trusted advisor or someone who may not even be working for the king and queen directly at all. I am not certain that he is correct... but it is certainly possible. We talked for a while about whether it would be wise to send a delegation to the Sixth and speak to Gulpinder and Aasha about their 'daughter'... it would certainly clear matters up but if it transpires that they are behind this, then we run the risk of losing our people...

'Our people'... I realise that I have come to think of Sasanuma and I as a team... 'We' instead of 'I'... Two rather than one... We talked for such a long time that the skies grew dark and we were forced to light some lanterns... he asked me if I wanted to return to the House but I could not bring myself to go back and eat dinner with while Rani simpered across from me... it would not do my cousins to keep her occupied for one evening and I can offer my apologies tomorrow... Azusa had been instructed to say that I was unwell if anyone were to ask thus freeing Sasanuma and I to formulate our plans in peace...

We did agree that whatever our actions were concerning Rani, we must send messengers to the other Houses immediately and warn them ... an emergency council must be convened although how that can be effected without alerting Rani, we do not know...we have discussed imprisoning her here but we cannot be sure that Rikku is her only spy; if he knows, he is not telling although Sasanuma intends to question him one final time... 

When we had exhausted the possibilities and reached no conclusion, we sat together in the candlelight for a while and without ceremony, without planning, I felt at peace and knew that the time was right... and on the temple floor, in the dimmest of lights, we made love... he was hesitant at first; unwilling to behave as if I were some sort of farm girl, he said, I deserved eiderdown and the softest of pillows... incense, flower petals and appropriate lighting... I adored him for that... but I thought it was the perfect place, quiet, uninhabited... no prying eyes or ears... no need for either of us to sneak back to our own chambers in order to avoid the House gossips... I did not need petals or music or incense... I only needed him... 

We lay together for several sticks before eventually deciding that whatever the hour and no matter how dangerous riding back to the House in the blackness of night would be, we must go and make certain that our messengers are on the road before dawn... It took longer than I would have liked but when we finally arrived back at the House, I penned notes to each of the other Houses, even White Lake, warning them of what we had discovered and suggesting that we convene an emergency council. I am not certain what their responses will be but at least I will have done everything I could have done... I cannot be sure whether any of my messengers have been compromised but I have no choice but to take the risk. I have not told them of the contents of the messages; only that a response is required urgently... and now... we wait...

Since I have not slept, I will retire for a short nap before I go and resume entertaining Rani and Sasanuma will go and question Rikku before he, too, retires for some well-earned rest...