Chapter 19

Li Jia pulled the Fate Token from Hera's sleeve and examined it using the oppressive starlight.

Hera wasn't angry at Li Jia's recklessness, and Doreen had gradually transitioned from surprise to acceptance.

His Majesty has extraordinary patience with Li Jia.

He carried her back to the hot spring in full view of everyone, took divine punishment for her, moved her into the deep hall, tacitly allowed her to develop a lot of things she had never seen before in the hot spring, ate breakfast in the main hall, took her to the temple of the god of marriage for inspection, and now he can even show her the confidential marriage certificate.

She had already made an exception for her.

Simply because Li Jia is His Majesty's attendant.

This is the conclusion Doreen reached.

Doreen remembered Hera asking her what it meant to be a proper god.

His Majesty seems to have his own understanding, offering unconditional protection and indulgence.

However, people from Wenquanjian are all like this, fiercely protective of their own.

They resolve issues internally at home, but they're overprotective of their own when dealing with outsiders.

Moreover, Li Jia hadn't done anything wrong, and Doreen felt that it would be fine for her to continue like this.

Anyway, the Temple of Marriage still has her and His Majesty, so what's a couple of lazybones? It's a piece of cake.

Hera didn't know why she wasn't angry; she was simply hoping that Hera could glean something from the situation, though she didn't know if Hera had that kind of insight.

The little guy seems a bit silly.

Li Jia looked at the Fate Post and had an epiphany based on her own understanding.

The Polar Night Fortress was under the jurisdiction of the Bocapet dynasty and was inherited by the Bocapet royal family. Loreira Bocapet was the youngest daughter of Bocapet II, born to a mistress who died of illness and was out of favor.

The evil dragon Mephisto appeared in the Eternal Rift of the Midnight Fortress ten years ago.

From birth, Loreira Bocapet's destiny was to marry into the royal family of a neighboring country. A princess's fate is never in her own hands; she carries the weight of the entire nation on her shoulders.

Last month, on their way to send the little princess to a neighboring country for a marriage alliance, they were blocked by a dragon that descended from the sky. The dragon spewed red flames, burning the prison carriage to the ground and abducting the beautiful bride back to its demonic lair.

Li Jia frowned as she finished reading the marriage proposal and asked, "Can people from different species become husband and wife?"

"Yes, as long as both parties are willing, the Temple of Marriage cannot interfere with the will of other people (things) in essence."

Li Jia thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense; after all, the Legend of the White Snake disrupted biodiversity.

In modern society, countless people marry fictional characters or even their own fictional characters, leading Li Jia to sigh: Love is truly a magical thing.

"Since the dragon and the princess could form a contract, it must be because both parties were willing. If neither party was willing, the contract would not be valid. So, are they getting a divorce now?"

Hera smiled upon hearing Li Jia's words.

Fortunately, she wasn't as stupid as she imagined.

"It's common for couples to quarrel and then make up before they get out of bed. Since the princess was willing to marry the dragon, she must have had some feelings for it. So who proposed the marriage resolution letter?"

Winslow said matter-of-factly, "It would definitely be the princess. Who would want to spend their whole life with a dragon that snatched them away?"

Hera: "No, the Eternal Letter was issued by the King and Queen of Bocape."

Li Jia and Winslow fell silent at the same time, a rare occurrence.

Li Jia then discovered that although the marriage proposal was written in Lorela's name, the applicants were the King and Queen.

Doreen explained that both sets of parents could submit a marriage contract application. After Her Majesty Hera had personally met with the couple, she would determine whether the contract needed to be dissolved. The decision rested with the couple themselves. If the couple was determined to stay together, the god of marriage had no authority to interfere.

Bocapet II's petition for marriage was based on the following reasoning: he believed that his daughter had been abducted by a dragon through coercion and enticement, forcing Lorella to marry it, rather than Lorella voluntarily marrying the dragon, and that the gods should be responsible for resolving this matter.

The fact that Lorela and Mephiria's names were registered in the marriage register indicated that their marriage had taken place, and Bocapet II believed that the matter should be resolved by the Temple of Marriage.

Every legally married couple in the world registers their union or separation at the Temple of Marriage, similar to a premarital checkup. The number of times they have been married and the number of children they have will be displayed on the registration form.

The Bocapet royal family could not accept a princess who had been abducted by a dragon and was therefore considered impure.

He needs to use Hera's divine power to win back the princess, wash away this marriage that has brought shame to the entire royal family, restore Loretta's original pure and flawless marital history, and allow her to remarry into a slightly less prestigious royal family, thus maintaining the glory of the Bocapet dynasty.

Because their mortal bodies were unable to enter the dragon's lair, they wrote down their predestined requests, asking for the help of the god of marriage.

Li Jia put her hands on her hips and gritted her teeth, saying, "What nonsense! I thought they really wanted their daughter to come home. Turns out they think their daughter has tarnished the royal family's reputation and want to marry her off to someone else for their own benefit."

"Little Knife's butt-scratching is an eye-opener. The old sow wearing a bra is all sorts of nonsense. They've said both good and bad things. Maybe the princess is willingly marrying the evil dragon. After all, there are good dragons and bad dragons. Anyway, it's better than her black-hearted parents."

Li Jia was indignant. The white dragon horse was a good dragon, leading Tang Sanzang and his disciples on their arduous journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. The little dragon girl was also a good dragon, sacrificing herself for the peace of the Western Sea. Just because a dragon is called an evil dragon doesn't mean it is an evil dragon.

Hera found it somewhat amusing to watch the "little yellow chick" throwing a tantrum in the cold wind, and offered a comforting remark: "So we came here to see who's right."

Li Jia: "That's right. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet."

"Li Jia, you don't use proverbs like that. You're so funny."

Winslow burst into laughter, wondering where Li Jia got so many things to say. She'd been laughing so much lately that she was starting to get wrinkles around her eyes.

"Are we going to the dragon's lair now?"

"I'm not going."

Shouldn't we go directly to the den of iniquity and ask the couple?

"Then where do we go?"

"Enter the capital of Pocapet and hear what others have to say."

Public opinion is like a mirror; listen to the people's hearts.

Trust what you see, not what others say.

Li Jia looked at Hera and instantly understood what she meant. She smiled and replied, "Great minds think alike."

Hera: "?"

What kind of nonsense is this? But the little guy always spouts nonsense, using words they can't understand.

Oh well, I'm used to it.

The Bocapet dynasty was located in the heart of the Polar Night Fortress, the very heart of the entire Polar Night region. Unlike the fortress, it was a bustling and prosperous place, no different from other capital cities.

Looking at the rose shortbread sold by vendors in the city, Li Jia timidly asked, "Can't they really see us?"

Winslow noticed her worry, gave her a "just you wait" look, and then ran to a three-year-old child and took his rattle.

The child watched as the rattle flew from his hand into the air and swayed, and was so frightened that he cried out for his mother and burst into tears.

Random footsteps came from the shops next door. Winslow knew something was wrong and quickly stuffed the rattle into the child's hand again.

"Betty, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The woman picked up the child and asked him softly.

"Mom...Mom, the rattle...can fly...fly..." The three-year-old child spoke haltingly. "Good boy, isn't the rattle in your hand? Are you sleepy? It's time for your afternoon nap." The mother interrupted the child, put the rattle in her bib, and carried him inside for his afternoon nap.

Children fall asleep quickly and forget about it in no time.

"How could you bully a child like that?" Doreen said helplessly.

“What can we do then? He’s the youngest and least sensible one in the current environment, so we have to pick on the easiest target.” Winslow countered, “Would it be better if the adults found out and it went all the way to the city officials?”

Municipal officials are the agencies responsible for maintaining public order.

"So you really can't see it." Li Jia muttered to herself, taking a bite of the rose shortbread in her hand.

The crispy crust is followed by the rose filling spreading across the tongue. The filling in the center of the pastry is a delicate dark red color, soft, sweet and fragrant. The fibrous texture of the petals and the not-fully-melted sugar granules intertwine, allowing you to taste real petals with every bite, as if strolling through a rose garden.

This is just a flower cake.

As expected, all delicious foods are pretty much the same; it's all the same thing in a different guise.

“You have to pay.” Hera wanted to correct her bad habit.

“I would like to give it to you, but I have no money on me. My uncle hasn’t given me any money since I left home. I’m penniless.” Li Jia took another bite of the pastry and sighed.

Hera: "..."

He glanced at Winslow silently, and Winslow felt a chill run down his neck and broke out in a cold sweat.

He secretly placed two gold coins on the vendor's table; that was enough to buy his entire cart of rose shortbread.

The vendor was overjoyed to find the gold coins. He put them in his pocket, planning to discuss with his wife that evening what to do with them.

Winslow, a human-powered automatic money-dispensing ATM.

Next, whatever Li Jia took, Winslow would pay for it.

Hera discovered that the little one loved sweets. Usually, girls her age would want jeweled rings or perfumed lipsticks, but Li Jia only wanted delicious food.

If I had to add one more thing, it would probably be money—using money to buy delicious food.

As a goddess, Hera had long since lost her appetite, but every time she saw Li Jia eating, her cheeks bulging with food and the food residue around her mouth aroused her curiosity.

Let her try it too, to see if it's really that delicious.

Feeling a bit thirsty after eating, Li Jia moved closer to Hera and tugged at her sleeve: "Your Majesty, I'm tired. I want to rest and have some water."

A woman who knows how to be charming and coquettish has the best life.

She started throwing a tantrum, and Hera, as always, couldn't handle her.

Li Jia was her first disciple and the first person willing to serve her voluntarily; she had never had a disciple in all those years.

She didn't know how to be a proper goddess in front of her, so she privately asked Artemis how to get along with her servants.

Artemis, like her, was receiving the service of a servant for the first time.

Artemis smiled slightly and said, "You had your own reasons for choosing her. The choice between a god and his servant is a two-way street. Since you chose her, you should take on the responsibility of caring for and protecting her."

"My feelings?" Hera was stunned.

“Artemis, you have developed selfish feelings for her, just like I have.” After a pause, Artemis said, “She came to you with nothing, so you must stand by her side. If anyone denies her, then you must affirm her even more. You cannot help outsiders bully her.”

Hera paused, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, and said coldly, "Who dares to bully her?"

It is an affirmative sentence, not an interrogative sentence.