The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

up having more disagreements.
    The court ladies who help me out are very good at what they do. And they're fun to gossip with. Keiki gives me his sour look and says I shouldn't get too attached to the help. But there's no way I can be high-handed with the people I spend every morning and evening with.
    One of my ladies-in-waiting is named Gyokuyou. She's nice. I really like her. She used to be in the Ministry of Spring. She did something in education. The name of the department completely escapes me right now. Man, I feel like such a pea-brain sometimes. Anyway, I think she worked for the people who build schools. We talk about what schools are like here compared to Yamato. I should get her transferred back to the Ministry of Spring. She didn't lose her position because she did anything wrong. It was because the Late Empress Yo had all the women exiled from Kei. After leaving Kei, she traveled all over the place, and took the opportunity to visit schools wherever she went. She's got a really positive outlook on life.
    Speaking of which, I met a girl named Gyokuyou before in Kou. I guess it's a pretty popular name. But as I was saying, the Gyokuyou who's my lady-in-waiting knows all these great stories about the other kingdoms. Hearing them makes me want to travel too. Not just around Kei, but the other kingdoms as well. And not just running from one tourist trap to another, but taking the time to look and listen.
    Unfortunately, these days, seeing how things are going in Kou is about the best I could hope for.
    You've probably heard this as well, but it looks like Kourin finally died. The word is, yesterday a new Kouka appeared on Mt. Hou. The Royal Kou is near death's door as well. Things are going to get bad in Kou after this. I know you must be worried, Rakushun. I'll do whatever I can to help. Though you know as well as I that's not a whole lot.
    At any rate, from what I've been able to see so far of Kou, things haven't turned awful yet.
    I kept hearing that things were getting chancier by the day in Kou, so I managed to talk Keiki into letting me take a look. We don't really have that kind of time to spare, so it was only two days. But I've been worrying about it a lot. For one reason or another, I felt I just couldn't move on with my life until I'd made a return visit. And on the way I could check out things in Kei as well.
    As far as I could tell, things hadn't changed much since the last time. People on the street looked like they had a lot on their minds. Otherwise, they didn't seem any different. It was harvest time, and the fields were very pretty. The farms we passed in Kei along the way were in sadder condition. The faster Kei gets at least as nice as Kou the better.
    We visited your mom. She's doing well. We dropped in clear out of the blue, but she gave us a warm welcome anyway. Her steamed bread is as delicious as ever. She didn't seem to have any idea what had happened to me since, so I guess you haven't told her. Getting letters delivered from Kankyuu must be well-nigh impossible. I sensed it was the first time in a long time that somebody she knew had visited her.
    So me being Empress never came up. We talked about when I traveled to En with you and what you were up to there. Your mom's hasn't changed a bit. There aren't any natural disasters where she lives, or any youma showing up. They had a better wheat crop this year than last, so her wages went up. While she's aware that Kourin died, she just smiled and said she wasn't sure what it had to do with a little old lady like her.
    Of course, she's worried more about you—if you're eating well, if you're living okay, how college is going. In any case, it's nice to hang out with somebody who isn't bowing to you all the time. I really like her. Did I mentioned how good her bread was?
    We took a quick look around Shin County, and visited the village where I was first swept ashore—from afar, that is. I have to say, it a kind of took me back, and that surprised me. It was a strange feeling, and not necessarily a bad feeling. It brought back memories, all that self-loathing I used to have. But I'm glad I went. I can live with what I've made of myself, and that's encouraging.
    After our tour of Kou and traveling back to Kei, I told myself I really had to get down to business. It's harvest time and still so many farms are a total mess. I have to do something about that.
    It's easy to tell people to keep a positive attitude and put their shoulder to the