I blinked.
And blinked again.
No, I wasn't hallucinating. The entire Imperial Palace was burning. Not literally with flames (thank goodness), but with... something worse.
Energy.
Buzzing, crackling, sizzling energy filled every inch of the hallways, the gardens, and even the ceilings. The servants were running around like bees on sugar. The knights stood at attention like they expected a war to break out. The chefs were wheeling in carts of cakes so high that the top ones looked like they needed oxygen masks.
"Move, move, move! It's Her Highness's and His Majesty's birthday! If this cake leans one degree to the left, I swear on the Emperor's name—!" shouted one of our panicked chefs, waving a ladle like a sword.
"Who left the pink roses in the yellow flower section?! We're not savages, people!" screeched a gardener, his face redder than a tomato.
"Where's the golden ribbon?! I need more golden ribbon! I will riot if there's no golden ribbon on this cake!"
