"I just wanted to get some fresh air and think things through," Diana sighed weakly, her voice utterly exhausted.
"Besides, the railing is so high, no one can possibly climb over it,"
"I was just feeling really upset, that's why I stood there in a daze. I'm not indifferent to life."
"Staring blankly and wanting to hang yourself on the railing? Draco hadn't gotten over his concerns. "What normal person would stare blankly like that, looking like they wanted to throw themselves into the sea?"
"If I really wanted to jump, I wouldn't choose a place where I'd be spotted immediately. Wouldn't that be stupid?"
That makes some sense, but Draco was still a little uncertain. "... Was it really just spacing out in the wind?"
"Really!" Diana nodded vigorously.
"... That's for the best, so you won't do anything so misleading next time." Draco finally let go.
Diana rolled her eyes speechlessly. She was too lazy to explain further; she was mostly just exhausted from surviving a close call.
The two of them used the deck as leverage to slowly get up from the ground.
Then, standing there, Diana straightened her disheveled clothes and hair, a hint of embarrassment on her face, and then silently took a step back, putting some distance between them.
Draco stood up but didn't retreat far; he stood like a barrier between Diana and the dangerous railing.
His wary gaze remained fixed on her, clearly still on guard against what dangerous move she might make next.
By the light, Diana carefully examined the man who had "rescued" her. He was dressed in simple casual clothes and looked no different from any other ordinary tourist on the cruise ship.
"Thank you... just now," Diana broke the silence, then forced a polite smile, "It was all a misunderstanding."
"Hmm," Draco responded, his tone devoid of any particular emotion, before adding, "It's windy here, and the deck is secluded and dangerous at night. Don't stand so close."
This scrutiny made Diana somewhat uncomfortable, as if she were a child caught red-handed doing something wrong.
So she took another half step back, deliberately moving away from the railing, and emphasized again, "I really won't jump off the ship..."
"No matter how chaotic things get, you can't joke around with yourself." Seeing the weariness in her eyes, Draco's tone softened a little. "If I had been a step later, or if I hadn't been a little stronger..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the consequences were obvious.
Since the other person meant well, Diana could only swallow her grievances and attempts to explain, and softly replied, "I understand, I will never stand like that again."
That's what she said on the surface, but in her heart, Diana silently retorted: You're the one who almost pushed me down.
"Thank you for saving me anyway. I'll head back now." After thanking him, she prepared to leave. She didn't want to stay in this awkward place any longer, nor did she want to be stared at with such wary eyes.
"I'll take you home."
The man's voice made Diana pause, turn around, and quickly wave her hand in refusal, her expression showing some resistance. "No need, no need, I can go back by myself."
Firstly, I felt I had already embarrassed myself enough tonight.
Being mistaken for a crazy person about to jump into the sea is embarrassing enough; if a strange man were to escort her to her room, all sorts of outrageous rumors would probably spread throughout the cruise ship tomorrow.
Secondly, she was still preoccupied with David's betrayal, a tangled mess she hadn't yet untangled, and she had a natural wariness of strange men, not wanting to cause any more unnecessary trouble.
"There are fewer people on the deck at night, and the lighting is dim. Given your current anxious state, it's not safe for you to walk alone."
Draco's reasoning was quite sound, and seemingly to ease her anxiety, he added, "I'm just seeing you to your cabin door. I'll leave once we're there and won't bother you any longer."
"... Then I'll have to trouble you."
These words left Diana with no way to forcefully refuse.
Seeing that she was no longer insisting, Draco didn't say anything more, but simply turned to the side and made a "please" gesture, letting her go first, while he kept a half-step distance behind her.
The two walked one after the other on the empty deck. Diana walked quickly, wanting to end this awkward escort as soon as possible.
However, after walking a short distance, at the fork in the road leading to the guest room area, Diana didn't hesitate at all. She turned directly and headed towards the lower deck, where the lights were dim and the faint sound of languid jazz music drifted through the air.
It's clearly a bar area.
"Where are you going? This isn't the way back to your cabin."
"I... I'm not going to the room." Diana froze.
"Not going to your room, going to the bar?" Before she could answer, Draco scolded, "You almost had an accident by the railing just now, and now you want to go drinking? Isn't that ridiculous?"
"I'm not being silly!" Diana blushed, feeling embarrassed, and couldn't help but raise her voice slightly to defend herself, "I'm just going inside to sit for a while and calm down. I know my limits; I won't drink too much."
"You know?" Draco didn't believe it at all.
"You can relax and enjoy the breeze outside the railing, but bars are a mixed bag, and they get even more chaotic at night. It would only be more dangerous for a restless woman like you to go there."
These words completely ignited the resistance in Diana's heart.
This man is meddling way too much.
The two were strangers. It was true that he had saved her, and she was grateful. But that didn't mean he could keep an eye on her like that and speak to her in such a lecturing and disciplining tone.
She has her own sense of propriety and wants to vent her emotions; she doesn't need a stranger interfering so relentlessly.
"Sir," Diana's tone became distant, "We don't know each other at all, you saved me, I'm very grateful."
"But saving me doesn't give you the right to interfere with my decisions like you're disciplining a child, does it?"
"I just want to go to a bar for a while, to have some peace and quiet, is that not allowed? Aren't you being too nosy?"
"I just--"
"No need," Draco began to explain, but Diana interrupted Diana, stubbornly saying, "I know my own affairs; I don't need a stranger like you to worry about them."
"I'm not a stranger. I just saved you; I'm your savior," Draco emphasized again.
These words left Diana speechless, but the awkwardness in her heart was intensified by his "taking advantage of her kindness."
"I know you saved me, and I'm truly grateful to you, but that's no reason for you to interfere with where I go."
"Is it wrong for your savior to keep you from putting yourself in danger again?" Draco retorted.