"Who exactly are you?" With the cold back of the knife pressed against her cheek, Trillian's breathing became rapid, but she dared not struggle too much.
"You should know very well that I'm just a rich young master. Does being a rich young master preclude me from having good fighting skills?" Draco retorted.
"So what do you want?"
"What do I want?" Draco asked, puzzled, then sheathed the dagger at her waist and gently stroked her delicate cheek. "You provoked me first, didn't you?"
Trillian's body stiffened, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks:
"... Let me go first."
"If I let you go, will you still attack me immediately?"
"No, I will never lay a hand on you again." Trillian shook her head, the sharpness in her eyes fading.
"But," Draco's fingers, caressing her cheek, lingered suggestively on her skin, "I don't want to let you go. She's practically offered herself up... hmm, nice figure, pretty face too. If I don't take advantage of her, wouldn't I be missing a golden opportunity!"
These explicit words made Trillian tense instantly. The humiliation that had just subsided surged back, and her cheeks burned intensely. She tried to struggle, but Draco held her even tighter.
"Aren't you afraid your wife will find out you've been touching me inappropriately? What will you say if she catches you?" Trillian tried to use her last bargaining chip to get Draco to unlock the door.
"This luxury cruise ship has only private, soundproof rooms; no noise from outside can get in at all."
"What if she suddenly leaves the room and goes out onto the deck to enjoy the view and get some fresh air? If you run into her, you'll have no way to explain yourself." Trillian's heart tightened, and she continued to analyze the possibilities for Draco.
"You're right. What if she comes out to look at the stars and the moon and happens to run into us..." Draco's flippant expression softened slightly. After a moment's thought, he had to agree with her.
"My wife is incredibly jealous. It's not worth making her jealous over a ungrateful little rascal like you."
After saying that, Draco released her.
Trillian instantly felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and quickly took several steps back, immediately creating a safe distance between herself and Draco.
She then straightened her disheveled clothes and looked at Draco with wary eyes, no longer daring to provoke him as recklessly as before, and became much more docile.
"Keep me company, and I can help you disguise yourself." Draco's voice drifted in the night breeze. He rested his hands on the railing, his gaze fixed on the boundless, dark sea. A wave of boredom washed over him again. There was nowhere fun to do anyway, so chatting with a thief wouldn't be bad for passing the time.
The sudden turn of events left Trillian somewhat taken aback:
"What are you going to talk about?" she asked.
"Just a casual chat is fine." Draco turned his head to the side.
For example, why do you want to be a thief?
"Of course, it's for the thrill; life is just too boring," Trillian answered without hesitation. This was her initial motivation for entering this industry, and it's what has kept her going until now.
Aren't you afraid of going to jail?
"Would you still do this if you were afraid?" Trillian asked rhetorically, her tone carrying a hint of the desperado's self-righteousness.
Draco was speechless for a moment.
That's true; who would do this job if they were afraid of death or going to jail?
"Tell me about the big things you've done in the past, let me see your skills." Draco changed the subject again.
"It's nothing earth-shattering, just stealing a few treasures and evading capture a few times," Trillian waved her hand.
Just then, boom!
A loud bang came from the bottom of the cruise ship, and the hull shook violently without warning, then tilted to one side!
The ship suddenly tilted sharply, rocked violently from side to side, and the deck spun around, making it extremely difficult to even stand.
"Ah--!" Trillian slipped and screamed as she slid down the tilting deck toward the pitch-black sea!
Draco leaped forward, grabbing her wrist tightly with one hand and gripping the cold, hard railing of the ship with the other.
"Grab me!" Draco hissed.
Trillian couldn't hear a word she was saying. She was trembling uncontrollably, her face was deathly pale, her pupils contracted, and a wave of fear of weightlessness washed over her.
A cold wind howled across her face, and beneath her feet lay the unfathomable depths of the sea. Trillian looked at Draco with despair and helplessness, not daring to struggle too hard for fear of breaking free and falling.
The waves surged, and in the blink of an eye, the ship began to rock more and more violently. The railings swayed violently, and the force on them increased. He gritted his teeth and held onto her with all his might, the veins on his arms bulging, but he still could not withstand the violent shaking.
The ship tilted more and more violently, Draco finally lost his grip. His hand slipped, and Trillian's hand slipped from his grasp, falling into the deep sea.
The two fell into the sea at the same time!
" Accio, Trillian!" At the critical moment, Draco swiftly drew his wand, chanted a spell, and an invisible force firmly pulled Trillian back from her fall.
The next second, Trillian stumbled into an embrace; Draco held her tightly around the waist, pressing her against his chest.
" Apparition!" Space distorted, and the two disappeared from the air, reappearing on the violently tilting deck!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The ship was still shaking violently with each impact. Draco didn't even have time to catch his breath. He pulled Trillian even tighter into his arms and shouted sharply, " Protego!"
A white barrier instantly unfolded around him, like a giant tortoise shell, firmly enveloping the two of them!
At the same moment, several pieces of deck debris and broken railings, sent flying by the impact, slammed into the barrier. Trillian covered her eyes.
But all of these things were deflected!
Within the magical barrier, all disturbances were blocked. Having regained her footing, Trillian was bewildered, clutching Draco's clothes tightly, her eyes darting around in panic.
Neither of them knew what had happened; all they could hear was a loud bang, the screams of the tourists, and the creaking of the ship twisting. Fear slowly crept into Trillian's heart.
But this temporary peace lasted only a few seconds.
"Splash!" A sound accompanied by the breaking of water by something viscous and heavy suddenly came from above!
When Trillian looked up, she saw a scene that sent chills down her spine: a terrifying black shadow shot into the sky from the sea outside the cruise ship, coming into view of them.
It was a gigantic tentacle, entirely dark brown, covered with strange rings, and as thick as an adult's waist.
The skin of the touch was rough and hard, covered with fine, sharp barbs, like a giant black snake facing the two of them.
"What the hell is that?!" Trillian's pupils constricted, her blood seemed to freeze, her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her legs went weak.
The man instinctively shrank behind Draco, gripping his sleeves tightly with both hands, his eyes filled with extreme fear.