Chapter 253: Caught On Camera [Edited]
The edge of the village opened into a wide, quiet bay where the water barely moved.
Along the docks, dozens of small rowboats swayed gently beneath strings of paper lanterns. Families and couples lined up to buy floating candle boxes, simple frames wrapped in oiled paper that carried their handwritten wishes out onto the midnight tide.
Katie held her giant plush turtle tightly in one arm while using her other hand to shove Nicholas firmly toward a narrow wooden boat.
"Board the vessel, Nicholas!" Katie commanded, pushing him with all her might. "Marina got us the private boat! Only two people are allowed!"
"There are four-seater boats right next to it, Katie," Nicholas noted calmly, stepping onto the stable wooden deck.
Marina immediately grabbed Selena by the elbow, guiding her smoothly toward the same boat.
"Nonsense, those are reserved for large families. You two worked so hard making dinner yesterday, you deserve the quiet water. Off you go."
Before Selena could object, Marina untied the rope and gave the boat a firm push away from the dock.
The small boat drifted smoothly out onto the dark, glassy water of the bay.
Selena sat on the cushioned bench opposite Nicholas, adjusting her coral sundress. The giant plush seal he had won for her rested neatly between her feet. "Your family’s schemes are getting bolder by the hour."
"Marina has very little fear of authority," Nicholas said, picking up the two wooden oars.
He rowed them away from the crowded shoreline toward the center of the bay, where hundreds of golden lanterns drifted across the water. The festival music and drumbeats slowly faded into the distance.
In the middle of the boat sat a small woven basket containing two unlit paper lanterns, two small ink brushes, and strips of parchment.
Selena picked up one of the brushes and dipped it into the black ink. Her expression softened as she looked down at the blank paper, the excitement from the festival slowly giving way to something quieter.
In neat, careful strokes, she wrote her message:
Peace and eternal rest for Cisco. May the path ahead be quiet.
She watched the ink dry, feeling the familiar ache that always came with Cisco’s memory. It was still there, but it wasn’t as heavy as it used to be.
Nicholas picked up his brush.
He didn’t hesitate. In clear, steady lines, he wrote his own words:
*Safety and long life for Marina and Katie. A quiet home with the people beside me.*
Selena looked across the boat, watching him set the brush down. "What did you wish for?"
"Nothing complicated," Nicholas said, turning the paper lantern toward the tea light in the center. "Just peace."
He lit the wick of his lantern, while Selena lit hers.
Together, they leaned over the side of the boat and lowered their lanterns onto the water. The candlelight reflected across the bay as the two lanterns drifted away beside each other, joining hundreds of others floating toward the open sea.
Selena watched them go, leaning her chin in her hands against the boat’s rim.
"It really is beautiful out here," she murmured softly.
"It is," Nicholas agreed, resting his arms on the oars.
Selena turned her gaze from the water back to him.
Under the warm light of the drifting lanterns, Nicholas looked more relaxed than she had ever seen him in the city. There was none of the usual tension in his face, none of the constant alertness he carried everywhere else. Out here, he simply looked like a man enjoying a quiet night.
Selena shifted forward, closing the small distance between them. The boat rocked gently beneath them as she reached out, her fingers brushing against the sleeve of his white linen shirt before settling on his arm. Nicholas looked down at her but didn’t pull away.
Selena leaned closer. Her heart was beating fast, but she didn’t hesitate. With the lanterns drifting around them and the festival music barely audible in the distance, she finally closed her eyes and leaned toward him.
Her face was inches from his, her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned in—
—FLASH!
A blinding white flash exploded from the dark rocks twenty yards away, instantly destroying the romantic moment.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK.
Selena gasped, pulling back instantly as her vision filled with bright purple spots.
From behind a cluster of coastal boulders, Julie’s pink bucket hat bobbed into view. She was holding a massive telephoto lens mounted on a motorized gimbal, grinning shamelessly at them.
"DON’T MIND ME, KEEP GOING!" Julie yelled across the water, completely devoid of shame. "THE COMPOSITION WAS INCREDIBLE! PEACH BLOSSOMS WILL DIE FOR THIS!"
Selena’s blush instantly turned into pure fury.
She stood so quickly that the rowboat rocked beneath them.
"JULIE!" Selena roared across the bay, pointing an accusing finger at the rocks. "I SWEAR ON THE HIGH COUNCIL, THE MOMENT THIS BOAT TOUCHES THE SHORE, I AM THROWING YOUR ENTIRE CAMERA BAG INTO THE DEEPEST PART OF THE OCEAN!"
"It’s waterproof up to thirty meters, Supervisor!" Julie shouted back, already scrambling backward over the rocks with her gear. "You can’t destroy true art!"
"I WILL ADD BRICKS TO THE BAG!" Selena screamed, grabbing one of the oars with both hands and paddling furiously. "Nicholas, row faster! We have a criminal to execute!"
Nicholas picked up his oar and matched her furious splashing with a single calm stroke, unable to hold back his laughter any longer. The deep, genuine sound carried across the quiet bay as Selena continued shouting threats at Julie from the middle of the boat.
’These two are ridiculous’
[A/N: It’s no news, the last couple Chapters have been heavily focused on building Nicholas relationships with all the majority characters and most importantly, making it clear who our FL is. I honestly don’t know if the past few Chapters have been to your taste, but I would love to have your thoughts on it. I previously thought I was good at setting up romantic scenes, but I’m starting to think otherwise. Took a while for most people to get the hint]