Chapter 252: Lantern Festival [Edited]
The evening sky over Port Azure had turned deep purple by the time the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.
Across the water, the neighboring island village was already glowing with hundreds of paper lanterns strung between the wooden rooftops. Their warm light reflected across the bay while the sounds of drums and flutes carried over the water, mixed with the sweet smell of roasted sugar cane drifting from the festival stalls. The annual lantern festival had officially begun.
Nicholas sat on the low wooden sofa in the living room, dressed in dark trousers and a short-sleeved white linen shirt. He had been ready for several minutes now, patiently waiting for the others to finish getting dressed.
The door to the guest wing swung open, and Katie came marching out with her chin held high.
Marina had dressed her in a traditional festival outfit: a bright turquoise cotton tunic embroidered with golden ocean waves, matching trousers, and two neat buns tied with red ribbons on top of her head. In her hands, she clutched a small bamboo basket for festival treats.
"The admiral has arrived," Katie announced, spinning around once to show off the flowing ribbons. "Marina says I look like a true festival chief!"
"You look like you’re about to demand free candy from every vendor in town," Nicholas said, a small smile touching his lips as he reached down to pat her shoulder.
"Exactly. That is my mission," Katie said with a serious nod.
"And here comes the real event!" Julie’s voice called out from the hallway.
Julie practically pushed Selena through the double doorway, looking immensely proud of her work.
Nicholas looked up, and for a moment, words completely escaped him.
Selena usually spent her days in sharp, dark supervisor suits, so seeing her in a light coral sundress nearly caught Nicholas off guard. The dress fell just past her knees, paired with simple woven sandals, while her dark hair had been half-pinned with a small mother-of-pearl clip. The volcanic stone bracelet he had bought her rested around her wrist, standing out against her skin.
She stood there, shifting her weight slightly from one foot to the other, her cheeks warming under Nicholas’s silent, unblinking gaze.
"Julie wouldn’t let me leave the room until I put this on," Selena said quickly, crossing her arms defensively. "If it looks ridiculous, blame her."
Nicholas stood from the sofa and looked at her for a moment.
"It doesn’t look ridiculous," Nicholas said quietly, "You look beautiful, Selena."
Selena’s cheeks immediately turned red. She looked down at the floorboards, suddenly finding them very interesting as she cleared her throat. "Thank you," she murmured.
Behind her, Julie gave Marina a silent high-five, whispering, "Score one for the operation."
The village market was already packed by the time they arrived. Red and gold lanterns swayed overhead as people moved between game stalls, food carts, and souvenir stands.
Children ran through the streets with paper pinwheels while families gathered around the wooden stages to watch the drum performers.
Katie stopped dead in her tracks in front of a brightly lit game stall.
"Nicholas, look!" Katie gasped, pointing an eager finger at the wooden prize wall.
Hanging from the rafters were massive, fluffy stuffed animals: giant sea turtles with sparkling green eyes, oversized plush whales, and enormous round seals.
Behind the counter, an older vendor with a wide straw hat stood next to a rack of heavy, blunt wooden darts and a target board covered in tiny balloons.
"Step right up, folks!" the vendor called out cheerfully. "Five darts for twenty coins! Pop all five red balloons in the center ring to claim the giant turtle! Nobody’s done it all night!"
"Big brother," Katie said, tugging hard on Nicholas’s shirt, her round eyes wide with desperate pleading. "The giant turtle desires to come home with us. Look at its eyes. It is calling for extraction."
"Five darts, twenty coins," Nicholas repeated calmly. He pulled a silver coin from his pocket and set it on the counter. "Give me the darts."
The vendor handed him five heavy wooden darts with rounded tips, smiling with the easy confidence of someone who had watched hundreds of people try and fail.
"Good luck, young man! The sea breeze makes them drift, so aim a little to the—"
THWACK. THWACK. THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.
Five sharp pops echoed in less than a second.
Nicholas didn’t bother changing his stance. He simply threw the darts one after another, each one hitting the center of a red balloon before the vendor could even finish explaining how to aim.
All five balloons popped almost at once.
The vendor’s smile froze. He stared at the board, then at Nicholas, his jaw dropping.
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
"The turtle, please," Nicholas said flatly, holding out his hand.
Katie cheered wildly, hugging the massive green turtle that was nearly as big as she was.
"VICTORY!"
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the cork-gun shooting range.
The vendor there promised an oversized white plush seal to anyone who could knock down three spinning metal targets twenty paces away.
Nicholas paid the fee, took the flimsy wooden air rifle, didn’t bother checking the crooked iron sights, and fired three rapid shots.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
All three targets flipped backward instantly.
Nicholas picked up the giant plush seal, turned around, and handed it directly to Selena with a completely straight face.
"For you," Nicholas said.
Selena stood there with the massive, soft seal clutched against her chest, looking from the toy to Nicholas in pure disbelief. "Nicholas, you are terrifying at carnival games. The vendor is literally crying into his money box."
"The rules were clearly posted," Nicholas replied without a trace of shame. "I don’t see the problem."
’The problem is they don’t know it’s Phantom’ Selena thought, rolling her eyes.
Marina and Julie were laughing so hard they had to lean against a stone wall, while Katie proudly carried her turtle like a royal shield.
As they moved toward the central plaza, the festival grew even more crowded. People poured out of the side streets until the main road was packed shoulder to shoulder.
Someone bumped into Selena’s shoulder, throwing her slightly off balance in her sandals.
Before she could stumble, Nicholas caught her around the waist and pulled her closer. He shifted himself between her and the crowd, keeping the people around them from bumping into her again.
Selena looked up, her face only inches from his. For a moment, she forgot about the crowd around them.
Nicholas didn’t let go.
Nicholas didn’t let go. Instead, he reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
"Stay close," Nicholas murmured, looking down at her with calm, steady eyes beneath the glowing red lanterns. "It’s crowded."
Selena looked down at their joined hands, feeling the dark volcanic beads of her bracelet resting against his skin.
Selena didn’t pull away. Instead, she tightened her grip on his hand and leaned slightly against his arm as they continued through the lantern-lit streets. Around them, the festival remained loud and crowded, but for once, she didn’t mind the noise.