The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

foot."
    Shoukei smiled. "Don't worry about such things. We apologize for being so short-handed that we're unable to wait upon you as we ought to."
    "Oh, you needn't go to such lengths. The ladies of the court have comported themselves with extraordinary grace." Risai averted her gaze. "The Royal Kei also strikes me as a sincere and well-meaning person."
    Shoukei grinned. "She does tend to the earnest side, and is honest to a fault."
    "The occupants of Kinpa Palace seem awfully at ease around the Royal Kei."
    "That sort of mood is in the air, to be sure. I suppose you find the lack of solemnity around here quite appalling."
    "No, I--"
    "I've heard that the Royal Tai is a splendid monarch. But nobody knows where he is at the moment. That no doubt weights upon your mind."
    "Yes," Risai nodded.
    "The people of Tai must be suffering terribly. Not to mention the harshness of the Tai winter."
    "Are you familiar with Tai?"
    Shoukei shook her head. "But I'm originally from Hou. The winters in Hou are similarly bitter. If one thing goes wrong, it'll drag you down the whole winter and put your life at risk. And I've heard that the winters in Tai are even worse than those in Hou.
    "I suppose they are."
    "The throne is currently empty in Hou as well. However, the situation there is different. The king who died in Hou had devastated the kingdom--" As she spoke a sad smile came to Shoukei face. "So the throne was vacated, for the good of the people, in some respects. But I've heard that the Royal Tai was much loved by his people. Losing such a king--"
    "Yes, losing such a king--"
    "There was a coup d'etat? At the beginning of a dynasty, fearful of losing all they have stolen, the traitors and conspirators are likely to only surrender their ill-gotten gains kicking and screaming."
    "I don't know if that applies--" Risai said to herself and Shoukei cocked her head to one side. "It's definitely the case that when a new dynasty begins, those who have taken advantage of the vacant post to impose their own tyrannical rule will feel the heat after the new king is enthroned. But I don't believe that this was the cause of the revolt."
    "And so--?"
    "I don't know," Risai answered. She knew rebellion had not been far from the minds of many bureaucrats, but she and her fellow officers had remained sufficiently vigilant. "I don't know why such a thing should have happened."

    "His Highness may well prove to be quite the enlightened ruler," said Risai's obviously impressed traveling companion, a close military aid from Jou Province. "The Sankou as well say they've never seen an Imperial Court organized so quickly. Everybody's full of admiration."
    "So it would seem."
    "Even though he's reputed to be a pretty tough taskmaster, the infantry is overjoyed with the new king. And the people appear to hold him in high regard."
    Risai smiled and nodded. With his military background, Gyousou was bound to be popular among the troops. All the more so because King Kyou had arisen from the civil service and held the uniformed services in relatively low regard.
    Upon assuming the throne, Gyousou took King Kyou's hoarded treasures and distributed them to the provincial warehouses to fortify them against the coming winter. That alone won the hearts of the people. Winters in Tai were harsh and when food and fuel ran low their lives were on the line. King Kyou's spendthrift ways had emptied the local treasuries and warehouses. A cheer was raised when their stores were shipped back to them.
    "I have the feeling that a brand new era is beginning," Risai's aide-de-camp said with a smile.
    Risai shared these feelings. She heard the rejoicing of the people. Venturing into the city centers revealed that their citizens were more than inclined to think well of Gyousou. And it wasn't just the commoners. The ministers bustling about the Imperial Palace wore more enthusiastic expressions on their faces.
    But a speeding carriage makes a lot of noise. Joining Imperial Court as a general of the Provincial Guard, Risai couldn't help noticing the strange shadows that lurked here and there amidst the frenetic surroundings. It wasn't until after the Festival of the Winter Solstice that she understood what it was she'd observed.

    "I'll shortly be sending the Taiho to the Kingdom of Ren," Gyousou said to his advisors. "The round trip to Ren takes about a month. During that time we shall conduct the winter hunt."
    At first Risai took the words at face value. As no important business