The Lives Of The Romanovs

The Lantern Festival

Vladimir

As I had promised Eudoxia, I would accompany her to the lantern festival. I dressed in a nice suit and a fedora hat. I asked the chauffeur to pick us up around 22:00. I was also going to rent a rowboat to go out on the water so we could watch the lanterns from there. As I waited for Eudoxia in the main hallway, I kept trying to talk myself into staying calm. Luckily, my best friend was there to help.

"Vladimir, you are acting like a virgin." Anastasia snickered.

"This is not funny, Anastasia. I am so nervous. What if I mess up? I do not wish to say the wrong thing."

"How can you? Just ask her about herself and look at lanterns. How difficult can it be?"

"You are not the man so you do not understand. Men need to say the right thing and do the right thing. Otherwise, they lose the woman."

Anastasia groaned. "Women are not this difficult, Vlad! Pull yourself together!"

"Prince Paley." I heard a sweet voice say my name. I looked up and saw Eudoxia. She was wearing a white-dress with white-heels. Her hair was wavy and short as well. I could not help but blush immensely as she walked down the stairs.

"You look very beautiful. I hope we have fun tonight." I grinned.

"Oh, me as well! I made a list, in my head, of some constellations we can look for tonight." Eudoxia linked arms with me.

Anastasia exhaled deeply. "And that is my cue to leave. Good luck, you two. Do not get too drunk and do not fall out of the boat." She walked off. I was so focused on how beautiful Eudoxia looked. We walked together outside to the front of the castle. The chauffeur was there and assisted us into the car.

We arrived into the city of Biarritz. The streets were crowded with people and the jazz music was loud. The sky was dark blue, purple, and a mix of pink as the sun was beginning to set over the beautiful ocean. The night was warm. Eudoxia practically jumped out of the car with a large smile on her face. I followed her out and the car drove away.

"Vladimir, can we try every street food? I wish to try everything!" Eudoxia jumped up and down. I laughed and nodded.

"Yes, we can try anything your heart desires."

She grabbed my hand. "Perfect, let's go!" And we took off running. Her and I started our night off with some tasty croissants. After that, Eudoxia insisted we try pain-au-chocolat. Which was our absolute favorite that night. At the rate we were going at, I was going to end up fat by the end of the night. For the third snack, we had truffle fries. I liked them, but they were a bit too garlicky for my taste. However, Eudoxia absolutely loved them. Her and I decided it was time to get a drink to wash down the food. There was a bar outside (I had never seen one, but it was quite interesting). Eudoxia and I sat up there and took a deep breath.

"Oh no, my stomach already aches. We should not have eaten so much." Eudoxia giggled.

"I blame you for tonight's horrible choices." I chuckled.

"And I shall take responsibility, Prince Paley. I will pay for our drinks."

"Nonsense! Do not be absurd," I shook my head. "Sir, we will have two martinis, please." The bartender took no time and quickly set our martinis down.

"I love martinis." She weakly smiled.

"I know, your brother told me that."

"You spoke to my brother? When?"

"Shortly before we left. I asked him what your favorite drink was, and he said martinis."

"That is right. He knows me so well." Her and I went quiet for a moment. I think we were both taking in the moment. I could easily spend all of my summers here. Biarritz was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been.