Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 83

Chapter 83 – Field Trip Rules

Miexha's Point of View

I am fully aware that I am expected to behave with grace and composure at all times.

A proper young lady.

But the moment I heard the words "cruise ship" and "underwater aquarium"...

...I may have squealed.

Just a little.

Okay.

Not a little.

"Ashaaaa..." I clasped my hands together, unable to sit still. "It's an entire city beneath the ocean! What if the fish can see us while we sleep?"

I giggled at the thought, the image already blooming vividly in my mind.

Asha clutched one of my plushies dramatically, eyes wide with mock horror.

"What if they watch you snore?" she whispered. "Or steal your snacks at midnight?"

"I don't snore," I gasped, scandalized.

"You do," she said immediately. "Like a baby sea otter."

I pouted—but my cheeks were already aching from how much I was smiling.

This would be my first school trip.

My first time on a cruise.

My first time being with my classmates outside the polished, suffocating halls of Wayne Academy.

The thought of falling asleep on a ship...
And waking up surrounded by endless blue, glass walls framing the ocean like a dream...

It felt unreal. Like something too beautiful to belong to me.

I turned my gaze toward Jayson.

He sat at the edge of my bed, carefully folding my clothes with the intensity of someone disarming an explosive device.

Every sock. Every dress. Handled like it carried national consequences.

"Is this shirt weatherproof?" he muttered.

"Jayson," I said gently, "it's cotton."

He looked up, eyes far too serious.

"You might get cold. Or sunburned. Or bitten by insects. Or slip on the deck. I don't trust cruise stairs. Zatariel slipped once when he was six."

Asha burst into laughter.

"Oh, that day," she said between breaths. "Only because he didn't see the whale his father promised him. He threw a tantrum, slipped face-first, and broke his baby teeth."

I winced softly.

Poor Zatariel... That must have hurt.

And his face too—what a tragedy.

Jayson tried to stay composed, but a quiet laugh escaped him.

"They're slippery," he insisted, almost defensively. "I already called the cruise director. Asked about anti-slip measures."

Asha collapsed onto the bed, laughing harder.

"Dear brother, she's a good girl. She won't go running on the deck."

"Just being careful," Jayson muttered, returning to his task.
"...Especially since she's in Section 8."

My fingers curled slightly against my skirt.

I lowered my gaze.

He... he didn't know.

But I wouldn't let that ruin this.