The Celestial Estate was in chaos.
It wasn't the turmoil of battle, but the frantic energy of a dozen servants darting through halls with armfuls of silk, jewelry boxes, and trays of untouched food. Voices echoed from every corner, calling out for missing cufflinks or the specific shade of lipstick that my mother was now convinced had been stolen by a rival house.
Why would it not be chaos?
After all, it was the day of the Gala, and there were only a few hours left before the event would begin in the Imperial Capital.
The journey itself would take time, and the preparations had been ongoing since dawn, with every member of the Celestial family being primped and polished and dressed within an inch of their lives by servants who took their jobs very seriously and tolerated no complaints.
