Chapter 160 Miss, Please Have Mercy
Chapter 160 Miss, Please Have Mercy
Stephanie's POV
Both Rufus and I jumped.
"What's wrong?" I turned to look at her.
Emily thrust her phone right in front of my face.
On the screen was a photo.
Azure waters, pristine white sand, and perched on distant rocks stood a red-and-white striped lighthouse. The evening sky bloomed with soft purple twilight—so beautiful it looked almost painted.
"Where is this?" I leaned in for a closer look.
"I found it while searching for hidden gems in Harborcrest. It's a small town not far from Majestic City."
Her eyes sparkled like she'd discovered buried treasure.
"Look at this lighthouse, and this beach! The travel blog says hardly any tourists go there—mostly locals. We've already set our wedding date, and we have several days before heading back. We can't just sit around the old house doing nothing, right?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "You were so quiet outside the registry office earlier. I thought you were pondering something serious, but you were browsing travel blogs the whole time?"
"I was giving you two some privacy, okay?" She lifted her chin defensively.
"Besides, can't I relax after sorting through my feelings? It's called work-life balance."
Rufus threw her under the bus without hesitation. "She was scrolling through travel guides until past two in the morning. I woke up several times—she was still glued to her phone."
"That's called being prepared!" Emily shot him a glare before turning to me with clasped hands.
"Let's go, please? It's not far at all—just over two hours by car. We'll spend one day there and come right back. Won't interfere with anything important, I promise."
I smiled in surrender. "Alright, alright. We'll go."
"Yes!" She pumped her fist in celebration, immediately scrolling through her phone again. "Let me check if the guide recommends any good local restaurants..."
---
Early the next morning, we checked out of our hotel, loaded all our luggage into the trunk, and set off northward along the coastline.
The scenery outside gradually transformed. The worn-down urban areas faded away, replaced by an expansive coastal highway. To our left stretched endless beaches and pale turquoise waters; to our right, low shrubs dotted the landscape, occasionally interrupted by flashes of white seabirds.
Emily rolled down her window completely. The sea breeze rushed in violently, whipping her hair into wild tangles, but she didn't care one bit—she kept sticking her phone out the window, snapping photos of everything outside.
"This is gorgeous!" She held up her phone. "Look at that cloud—doesn't it look like an elephant?"
Rufus, sitting in the back, pulled her back in helplessly. "Be careful. Don't lean out like that."
"I'm trying to take couple photos for you guys!" she protested, still unapologetic.
After two and a half hours of driving, we reached our destination.
This place was nothing like those heavily commercialized tourist hotspots—it was so quiet it felt forgotten by time itself.
The town was tiny, with only two main streets. Light-colored old-fashioned houses lined both sides, wind chimes hanging from their eaves. When the sea breeze blew through, they chimed with crisp, tinkling sounds.
The beach was nearly deserted. A few locals lounged under umbrellas reading books, while some children played in the shallow water farther down.
That red-and-white lighthouse from the photo stood at the far end of the beach, perched on rocks extending into the sea, particularly striking under the midday sun.
Emily bolted toward the beach the moment she got out of the car. She kicked off her shoes, carrying them in one hand, and ran barefoot across the soft sand.
"This is amazing! So much better than those tourist-packed beaches in Aetheria!"
Rufus followed behind her, picking up the hat that had blown off in the wind, letting out a helpless sigh.
Christopher and I walked at the rear, strolling slowly along the beach toward the lighthouse.
---
We walked for quite a while before finally reaching the base of the lighthouse.
It was shorter than it appeared in the filtered photos online. As expected—bloggers always enhance their images. You can't trust them completely.
But Emily wasn't disappointed in the slightest. She pulled me to sit on the rocks beside the lighthouse, kicked off her shoes, and dipped her feet into the cool seawater.
She settled down next to me, kicking her feet and splashing water that soaked the hem of my dress.
"Can you be a little more careful?" I laughed, giving her a gentle shove.
"Nope." Her face was completely shameless. "I'm too happy."
We laughed and playfully tussled for a bit until Rufus appeared with coconut water he'd bought from somewhere, handing one to each of us.
I cradled my coconut water, gazing at the faint outlines of ships on the horizon. The heaviness and tension I'd been carrying for so long were slowly being diluted and scattered by the sea breeze.
Maybe Christopher was right. Maybe I could gradually let go of the past and keep moving forward.
Christopher stood beside me, looking down at my ankle. "You're sunburned."
I glanced down. The exposed section of my ankle had turned red and felt hot to the touch.
He pulled a tube of sunscreen from his pocket and waved it in front of me.
"You actually carry that around?"
"Last time we went to Aetheria, I used it and just left it in the car afterward." He crouched down, squeezing some sunscreen into his palm before gently applying it to my sunburned skin.
"It doesn't take up space anyway. Convenient to have it on hand."
Emily let out an exaggerated gasp beside us. I shot her a look, and she immediately covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter.
---
That afternoon, Emily discovered that the town had an old seafood restaurant that had been around for years, and she insisted we try it.
The owner was a portly, bald man with an incredibly warm personality. He even gave us a complimentary plate of fried calamari rings, saying with a smile that it was a wedding gift for us. He winked at Christopher and me.
"How did you know we're getting married?" I asked, surprised.
"He told me in advance." The owner jerked his chin toward Christopher. "While you were taking photos at the lighthouse earlier, he came over alone to reserve a table. Said he was here with his fiancée to scout wedding venues today and asked me to take good care of you all."
I turned to look at Christopher. He picked up his water glass and took a sip, feigning composure, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
I couldn't help but smile, lightly tapping his foot under the table.
---
By the time we finished eating, the sky had begun to darken.
Emily rubbed her overly full stomach, saying she wanted to walk off the meal, so we slowly made our way back along the old town streets.
Emily kept clinging to me playfully the entire way. Every time I tried to shake her off, she'd koala-hug my arm and refuse to let go.
Unable to win against her, I just let her cling.
She deliberately leaned into me, pressing down until I had to bend slightly. Her hair brushed against my neck, making me laugh continuously.
Christopher and Rufus followed behind us, watching helplessly but not interrupting.
I had just turned around to tease Christopher for not helping when a raspy, elderly voice suddenly spoke near my ear.
"Miss, could you spare some change? Please, have mercy."
The abrupt voice startled me. I looked down to see an elderly woman with graying hair and a hunched back crouching in the shadows by the street.
She was clearly very old, yet still out here wandering and begging.
My heart ached with sympathy. I immediately reached for the cash in my pocket.
"I don't have much cash on me, but take this for now..."
I extended my hand to give her the money, but the moment she looked up, I froze completely.