"Since it's so scary, why don't you quickly hug your husband and ask for protection?" Draco opened his arms to her.
"No way." Hermione huffed haughtily, though her body betrayed her refusal by shifting slightly to the side.
"Really?" Draco made a move to get out of bed. "Since Miss Granger isn't afraid, I'll go to the study and read for a while."
" Draco!" Hermione grabbed his pajama sleeve, preventing him from leaving. When she realized what she had done, her face turned even redder.
But she still forced herself to say, "You... you dare!"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Draco's eyes were full of mischief. "Since the brave Miss Granger isn't afraid at all and doesn't need my protection, then naturally I don't need to hold you anymore."
"When did I say I wasn't afraid!" Hermione pouted slightly and said coquettishly, "You did it on purpose, you were just teasing me from beginning to end! Did you just want to see me make a fool of myself?"
"How can you call this teasing?" Draco leaned closer and pulled her into a hug. "This is called marital intimacy. Miss Granger, you were holding me so tightly just now, and now you want to deny it?"
"I... I just..." Hermione stammered.
"Just what?" Draco said, his hand wandering under Hermione's nightgown and slowly moving upwards.
"Don't move..." Hermione's body trembled.
"No..." Draco's hand didn't stop; instead, it slowly moved upwards along her waistline. Hermione's breathing quickened, her body tensed, and her cheeks flushed even more. She didn't try to stop him again; she simply closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Draco felt Hermione's body tremble, so he only indulged himself briefly and did not go any further.
"Go to sleep."
Hermione gave a soft "Mmm" in his arms, her tense body slowly relaxing, and her hands wrapped around his waist.
Not long after, the sound of even breathing could be heard.
At 11:40 PM, the lights in the room were dimmed to a soft, warm glow, and the bedding was soft and warm; Draco and Hermione were already asleep.
The subtle changes in the cruise ship's engine and the slight tilt caused by a full rudder turn might be noticeable to an ordinary person, but for the two people who were in a deep sleep and in the luxurious stable cabin, it was just a negligible disturbance in their sleep.
Draco unconsciously pulled Hermione closer, and Hermione snuggled against him before continuing to sleep peacefully.
A moment later, a slight, dull tremor came from the hull. It was so brief that it was not enough to cause ripples in the water glasses on the table, let alone disturb the guests' sleep.
However, inside the ship, where it was unseen by the naked eye, disaster was unfolding. At the point where the bow scraped against the iceberg, the steel and rivets, unable to withstand the pressure, began to creak and groan, followed by a series of loud "bangs!"
A series of crisp, firecracker-like sounds rang out—the rivets securing the hull plates snapped off one by one, and seawater found a breach, pouring into the damaged compartments like a high-pressure water jet!
This time, the noise traveled through the ship's structure and the air to the presidential suite. It was a mixture of rushing water and twisting metal, which, although weakened by various factors, was still clearly audible in the quiet of the night.
Draco frowned, and Hermione's eyelids twitched; both of them were simultaneously pulled from deep sleep back to a state of shallow consciousness.
Before they were fully awake, a piercing alarm, covering the entire ship, wailed through the night! Immediately afterward, Captain Smith's trembling voice came over the ship's intercom:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please note! This is Captain Smith. Our ship... has just collided with an iceberg. The situation... is currently under control. All passengers, please put on your life jackets immediately and proceed to the upper deck! Please maintain order and follow the instructions of the crew! Repeat, this is not a drill! All passengers, please proceed to the upper deck immediately!"
Upon hearing the broadcast, Draco and Hermione jolted awake, instantly snapping out of their daze. They exchanged a helpless glance.
"This ship has really had a rough time," Draco grumbled. "First it was targeted by monsters, then it was hijacked by mercenaries, and now it's hit an iceberg? Could this voyage get any more 'exciting'?"
"Stop complaining, let's go save them." Hermione had already sat up, hurriedly got out of bed, and quickly pulled out her wand from her coat.
"Yes, yes, Miss Granger has spoken, how can I disobey?" Draco sat up, stretched, and loosened his neck, saying, " Draco Superman and Hermione Woman, prepare to set off to save this hapless cruise ship."
"Stop talking nonsense, Draco 'Superman'. If you dawdle any longer, the lifeboats will be gone by the time you get there." Hermione smirked and tossed her clothes to Draco.
Draco caught the clothes and put them on. "Don't worry, those Muggle are probably begging God for help..."
Hermione quickly put on her coat and buttoned it up. "Praying might not help, but at least it'll calm them down."
The two quickly changed into clothes that allowed them to move around easily, and teleported to the terrace outside the suite. Chaotic footsteps, cries, and the crew's desperate commands could be heard from the deck.
"Young Master! Madam!" Trillian rushed over, her face beaming with excitement, "It's complete chaos downstairs!"
The three of them stood on the edge of the terrace and looked down.
Below, a large crowd surged forward, and the panicked passengers, organized by the crew and police officers, rushed again towards the lifeboats.
The second mate was seen on deck, desperately organizing the evacuation, strictly adhering to the principle of prioritizing women and children.
However, as the women and children gradually evacuated, the remaining lifeboats remained empty, and the men's eyes were filled with longing.
The second mate was caught in a dilemma: should the men be allowed onto the lifeboats or not? But it wouldn't be fair to let anyone go.
This could easily trigger deadly riots.
On deck, many men knelt in despair, begging God for help. Some women, too, clung tightly to their husbands' hands, pleading for a miracle rather than boarding the ship alone.
Seeing the chaotic scene, the second mate had no choice but to draw his sidearm and fire a warning shot into the air to forcibly drive the women onto the boat. After all, God wasn't idle; without a miracle, everyone on board would have died.
Just then, the ship experienced another, even more violent tremor and loud noise, and the bow began to sink at a noticeably faster rate.
A large amount of seawater rushed in, and the stern of the boat began to rise, like a seesaw, leaving the water at a visible speed!
The scene was extremely bizarre, completely defying the laws of physics! Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar resounded—
"Crack--Boom!!!"
The keel could not withstand the strain and broke in the middle. The sound of the breaking drowned out the roar of the waves and the desperate prayers of the people!
The ship jolted violently at the break, its raised stern crashing back into the sea, creating towering waves. The crowd screamed as they were tossed about and thrown to the ground, desperately grabbing onto anything that could be secured—railings, seats, even each other.