Chapter 28
I helped her change into her puppy pajamas and carried her to a chair. Just then, the ferryman knocked on the door and brought over the two dinners they had ordered.
Hera saw the little guy lying listlessly on the table, probably because he had cried too much and had no appetite, so she decided to have the servant cancel the dinner.
Before he could finish speaking, the person jumped up from the chair and brought in the tray himself.
Lift the aluminum lid and scoop up large mouthfuls of scallop and vegetable stew and put them into your mouth.
"How can you eat after crying like that?"
Hera was both annoyed and amused. She had wasted her breath trying to coax him; a good meal would have been a faster way to appease him.
"Crying is very tiring, and because I just cried, I'm even hungrier now..."
Li Jia looked up and tried to argue, but when they met eyes, she stared at her jawline so close to hers, and her cheeks suddenly burned, turning a bright red from her cheekbones to her earlobes, and even her fingertips curled up quietly.
How did she end up wearing that black puppy-themed pajama set?
She has a mature, sophisticated face, but her appearance is surprisingly cute.
She was tall, and the puppy-themed pajamas she wore were on her body. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, causing the hem of the clothes to flutter and revealing the lines of her waist and abdomen. She had no excess fat, and although she was slender, she was not weak. Instead, she resembled a tall bamboo, exuding a refreshing and neat feeling.
During my teenage years, I was always captivated by the slender, graceful figure that exuded confidence and composure, making my heart flutter and my face blush.
Li Jia felt like she had a sweet little rabbit inside her, even her breath was sweet. She held the porcelain spoon in her mouth, and when she lowered her eyes, she couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth.
Hera sat down opposite her, pushed her plate towards Li Jia, and smiled at her, saying, "Since you're even hungrier now, eat more."
Li Jia was really hungry, so she took the plate from her without any ceremony and started eating heartily, without any manners. Hera just rested her chin on her hand and stared at her eating silently.
By the time Li Jia realized what had happened, she had finished both meals completely, her stomach bulging. She let out a embarrassed burp and said, "Your Majesty, I was just too hungry."
"It's okay, it's not like this is the first time."
Hera collected the plates and put them in a wooden basket outside the fishing boat, where someone would patrol and collect them.
After the meal, Hera invited her to go for a walk, and Li Jia gladly accepted, saying she was too full and needed to digest.
The moonlight spread across the beach like a thin veil, the wind carried the scent of the sea through our hair, and even the occasional horn of a ship in the distance became the most beautiful background sound of the night.
The girl stood barefoot on the soft sand, warmth spreading between her toes. She looked at the bright moon hanging over the sea, the afterimages of starlight falling into her eyes, overlapping with the shimmering light on the crests of the waves.
Li Jia kicked at the damp sand at her feet, her shadow stretching long and slender in the moonlight. She said softly, "Your Majesty, would you like to try it too?"
Li Jia pointed to her ankles, which were covered in fine sand and as white as jade. The woman swallowed hard and said, "Okay."
He then took off his shoes, walked to the girl's side, took her hand, and strolled on the beach. The sea breeze rippled, and his long blonde hair and flaxen curls collided and intertwined.
"Is it comfortable?" Li Jia poked the woman's palm with her fingertip. It tickled. Hera tightened her palm and held her fingers tightly, laughing, "It's alright."
"Walking on hot sand is good for your health. It can stimulate acupoints on the soles of your feet, enhance blood circulation and metabolism, and also strengthen leg muscles," Li Jia said, spouting nonsense with a straight face.
Hera looked down at her: "Who told you all this?"
"That's what the village doctors in my hometown say." Oh no, I almost gave myself away. Hera has never been to her hometown, so it's all her hometown's fault.
Anyway, the world is vast and full of resources, so it's normal that there are things she doesn't know.
Hera brushed the stray hairs from her forehead with her hand: "If there's a chance in the future, can you take me to see your hometown?"
Let her know where she came from.
Li Jia nodded: "Of course, Your Majesty is willing to go. No matter how far or how long it takes, I will wait for Your Majesty's esteemed presence."
They are not beings from the same time and space. For Li Jia, making a promise is enough; she only needs to feel a moment of pleasure when she accepts it. As for whether she can actually keep it, she can't guarantee it.
After all, we must accept the diversity of things, and it is only natural that plans cannot keep up with changes.
“Even if you don’t let me come, I will still bring you back.” Hera touched her small hands a couple more times and sneered.
This dialogue is really strange. Isn't her plot just about protecting the flower bud and preventing Hera from marrying a scumbag?
What's going on here? I have this strange feeling that a damp, ghostly woman is haunting me.
However, Li Jia could understand. It was probably possessiveness at play now. Hera had raised her for so long, and she hadn't been in contact with any other women besides Winslow and Doreen all these years.
His feelings for her were just a passing fancy. He would probably forget about her once she finished her mission and was about to go back. Thinking of this, Li Jia felt a pang of sadness and cursed that no woman was any good.
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Why would I run away? I'm too busy trying to get close to Your Majesty."
Li Jia still has a strong survival instinct; seeing that the boss is unhappy, she immediately says whatever is nice to say.
“That would be best,” Hera said in a hoarse voice.
Li Jia quickly changed the subject, not daring to continue discussing such a serious topic with her. She playfully kicked sand at Hera's instep and said, "But Your Majesty, why did you suddenly bring me out to play? Is there a troublesome matter to deal with?"
Sand splashed onto the instep of her feet, and her little toes would occasionally rub against it, a tentative, slightly ticklish sensation.
"You've certainly learned your lesson."
Li Jia felt that Hera was better off not praising her at all, as it made her seem like an idiot all the time. -_-
In fact, many marriage proposals are sent in every day, and Hera usually finishes them on the same day, dealing with them very quickly. However, the little one has been sullen lately. She asked Winslow, who then subtly inquired with Li Jia.
Li Jia said that every woman has those few days like that.
Hormones affect mood; it's a hormonal issue.
Okay, she's a deity, so she doesn't have the worries of a normal woman and can't understand what hormones are.
After carefully selecting, she came across the marriage proposal from Dongbo Cheng. Dongbo is near the coast; perhaps she would like it.
Having learned from the previous experience of bringing two third wheels, this time I'll leave them at home to watch the house.
"So, whose destiny scroll will we be deciphering this time?"
Li Jia pulled his hand out and rummaged in her sleeve for a long time but couldn't find anything.
Oh, she forgot, Hera is wearing puppy pajamas now, not her usual dress, so she probably doesn't have the marriage token on her.
Li Jia was a little disappointed when she didn't find anything. She quite liked reading the marriage scrolls. Usually, when Hera took her to the Temple of Marriage, she would spend the rest of her time there, except when she went to Xiangchengquandu to play.
There is a sacred tree for marriage deities in the Temple of Marriage. Every time a book of marriage deities is completed, it is collected, organized, and placed on the sacred tree.
The Tree of Fate is laden with fruit, all of which are Hera's achievements. Li Jia asked Doreen if all the fruits hanging on it were success stories.
Doreen replied: Your Majesty has yet to resolve any unresolved issues.
Li Jia immediately joined the group and gave a thumbs up: Awesome!
She likes to read each story in order.
It has a storytelling feel to it, which is quite interesting.
Over time, Li Jia replicated a set of blankets and a small sofa just like the ones in the deep palace.
During the day, Hera would process the marriage scrolls at her desk, and Li Jia would sit next to the desk with a small blanket, watching Hera finish processing the scrolls. Sometimes, she would even get so engrossed in watching that she would join Hera in making a few comments.
Li Jia slumped her shoulders, her eyes showing little interest, and she seemed bored.
"Take it."
She was unhappy, and Hera, worn down by her, lost her temper. She waved her fingertips, and a fate scroll appeared in her palm.
Li Jia happily accepted the invitation. That's just how she is; she loves gossip. So she simply sat on the beach and read the words on the invitation by the moonlight.
The initiator of this marriage contract is the witch Eria, who wants to break the bond between her sister, the mermaid Kiri, and Prince Dorian of Calth.
Li Jia unfolded the fate scroll, and the explosive information was immediately embedded in her mind. Before she could even process it subconsciously, the contents were already in her eyes. By the time she realized what was happening, she had read the entire contents of the fate scroll.
To put it simply, the witch Eria and the mermaid Kiri are half-sisters, their relationship is clearly defined on the same page of their family register, so she has the right to apply to the Temple of Marriage.
As for why the witch would get together with the mermaid... Li Jia found it a bit strange, but she was, after all, a young person from the 21st century and was very tolerant of new things.
Men can be together, women can be together, and even humans and animals are okay, as long as they don't threaten social stability.
Elia and Kiri lost their parents at a young age. Elia took care of her younger sister Kiri as she grew up. Kiri was a mermaid who lived in the sea, while Elia lived on the shore and grew up with Kiri.
In the ancient legends that have been passed down in Calth, the mermaids are known as the "Guardians of the Tides." They live in the deep sea of Landu and have the power to control the water.
On the night when she was fifteen, Kiri secretly surfaced at sea. The moonlight shone on the dock of the royal city of Carter, and she witnessed a boy painting on the deck. The brushstrokes depicted not only the waves, but also a certain emotion that made her heart flutter.
She fell in love with the boy, and later she learned that he was Dorian, the second prince of Carthage.
She began to appear frequently at the Royal City docks of Carter. The boy noticed her, and they spent a short spring day at the docks. Dorian confessed his love to Kiri and asked her if she would be his queen, but she would have to offer her her singing voice to show her loyalty.
The mermaid's voice possesses immense magic; it is crucial for her survival and movement in the ocean, symbolizing her deep connection with the marine world and representing the most important thing for a mermaid.
Choosing Dorian meant abandoning one's identity as a merman.
Kiri bowed to Dorian's request for love, and she found Elia, begging her to give her a potion that would allow her to grow legs.
Elia knew that Dorian was deceiving her sister, but she couldn't resist Kiri's tears and threats of suicide.
She gave Kiri a potion in exchange for human legs, but every step she took was like being cut by a knife, causing excruciating pain.
This isn't even the worst part.
The merfolk ancestors established a clan rule based on their own painful experiences: if a merfolk transforms into a human and does not receive a true love's kiss, their soul will forever turn into foam and dissipate in the waves.
Having swallowed the witch potion, Kiri had no way out. She decided to gamble everything. On the moonlit night she had agreed upon with Dorian, she shed her fishtail and transformed into legs to walk on land.
The excruciating pain with every step reminded her of her sister's advice, but she still ran towards Dorian. Dorian was shocked by the mermaid's devotion, unaware that her feet were stained with blood.
Qili learns about human language and emotions, and she learns the word "love" for the first time.
Dorian, however, feigned to express his love for her in his paintings.
They went to the Temple of Marriage to register their marriage and officially became husband and wife.
The turning point came on their wedding day. Dorian recited his vows to Kiri but refused to kiss her. He commanded, "Kiri, you must sacrifice yourself so that the Queen can smile again."
Queen of Calth suffered a tragedy many years ago and lost her voice, while the mermaid's voice is the finest treasure among humankind.
But mermaids don't easily give out the voice they consider their lifeblood, and Dorian has his eye on this innocent and naive young mermaid.
She was his bargaining chip in his fight for the throne.
Kiri, having lost her voice, is unable to contact Eria through sound, as was preordained between them.
As long as Kiri sings, sings that song only Eria knows, no matter how far away her sister will always appear in front of Kiri.
Elia sensed through the pentagram that if Kiri didn't receive a true love's kiss in three days, she would turn into bubbles. Desperate, she resorted to this desperate measure.
Kiri was hidden away by them, and Eria couldn't find her. She sent a letter to Hera, requesting the annulment of Kiri's marriage to Dorian.
After reading the marriage scroll, Li Jia glanced at Hera and said, "Isn't this just trafficking in women and children? To deceive an innocent mermaid girl for his own mother, this prince of Calter is such a beast."
Hera put the marriage certificate away: "But the mermaid and the prince entered into the marriage voluntarily. If they are truly in love, I cannot forcibly dissolve their marriage contract, which is why I came to check on them."
Li Jia thought this made sense; to get a clear answer to a case, you need to find the parties involved: "Your Majesty, Qili has lost her voice, and Eria can't find her, so can we find her?"
Li Jia's understanding is that the mermaid's voice is similar to a GPS positioning system. When she sings, it's like opening a map app; you can find her by following her voice.
But given that such a serious incident has happened to Kiri, there's only one possibility: Dorian has taken away her voice and imprisoned her, leaving her with no way to ask Eria for help.
Hera sat down beside her and whispered, "There is no one in this world I cannot find. Whether she is hiding in a bustling corner of a metropolis or in a quiet place in a remote village, my divine sense will find her."
Li Jia's gaze was level with the sea surface as she calmly asked, "What if we can't find it?"
The woman's fingers paused, tracing the pebbles on the beach. The sea breeze billowed her sleeves, as if concealing some silent anxiety.
She suddenly chuckled softly, but her voice was colder than the waves: "There will be no ifs, Li Jia. My soul has long been intertwined with yours, and my blood flows in your veins. Unless I die, every breath and every tremor of yours will stir ripples in my heart."
Li Jia: "..."
She was asking how to find Qili, and what it had to do with her.
However, the boss was always unpredictable, so Li Jia had no choice but to nod obediently.
When they went to bed that night, Li Jia asked Hera when they were going to go find Qili. Didn't Eria say that Qili would turn into sea foam in three days?
The fish's life is at stake, so we still need to work overtime to process the case.
"Let's deal with it tomorrow. Aren't you sleepy now? Don't worry, you won't die."
Following her boss's instructions, Li Jia fell asleep instantly. She had eaten too much that night, including several skewers of seafood in a broth during her walk, and was now completely dizzy from the heat.
If the boss says I won't die, then I won't die. I should stop worrying about it.
Hera touched the soft flesh on her arm; she especially liked touching this area because it felt wonderful.
Li Jia's sleep quality is ridiculously good; no matter how much Hera tries to wake her, she won't wake up.
"Being able to eat and sleep is great," Hera chuckled to herself.
After saying that, he pulled her into his arms. The night was as dark as ink, thickly staining the world, and she had a good dream all night.
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