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In the evening on the seventh day of the Second Month, the procession of Nakanokimi set out for Niou's Nijo mansion in Kyoto. A number of medium-ranking courtiers arrived drawing the carriages. Niou had wanted to come for her himself. Though he usually avoided any unnecessary display, his carriages were gorgeously decorated to show off his power. Kaoru too had prepared the small and intimate details. A mist softened the bright half-moon. The road was long and it led through precipitous mountains. Now she began to see why his visit had been infrequent. Looking vaguely at the mysteriously beautiful mountains, she was thinking of her uncertain future. She longed for the days when she had lived with her sister.
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