Chapter 29
Dongpo's climate is uniquely endowed by nature, with warm and hot weather all year round, long summers and no winter, and every inch of air is imbued with the unique charm of a tropical seaside.
At dawn, Li Jia opened the window. The sky was clear and cloudless, and the clear horizon was like a gemstone that had been soaked in the sea, revealing a deep and pure azure.
It's a pity there are no mobile phones in this era, otherwise Li Jia would definitely download a few apps and search for tags such as #DongboFood #DongboOOTD #DongboLocalCulture
But there are no cell phones here, so forget about it; you can wear whatever you like.
Li Jia felt she must have been out of her mind to come wearing a wool sweater, but thankfully she had brought a few summer clothes and long-sleeved shirts.
She wore a white tank top and white linen wide-leg pants, with a blue plaid long-sleeved shirt over them.
Hera never cared about her unusual way of dressing; she just let her do whatever she wanted, as long as she was free and happy.
Hera just didn't understand why, in such hot and humid weather, she would wear a long-sleeved shirt over her clothes.
Li Jia rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out several more bottles and jars, applying them to herself until her face and neck were covered in a white paste, making her look like a fake dead person.
Seeing Hera's puzzled look, Li Jia said confidently, "This is called sunscreen. The ultraviolet rays are so strong here, you'll get tanned if you don't apply it."
Ancient Greek technology was underdeveloped, and Li Jia bought everything herself at the market in Xiangcheng Quandu. She would go home, close the door, and start thinking about it.
Even though she's a lazy bum, her instinct is to treat herself well.
A simple sunscreen can be made by mixing olive oil, flower juice, and finely ground rice bran and applying it to the face. It's quite good, as it doesn't contain any additives.
It was kind of funny to watch; Li Jia's face was red and white in patches.
Walking with her, Hera looked her up and down for a while, then couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You're wearing so many layers just to protect yourself from the sun?"
"Of course, otherwise I'd be crazy to wear so much when it's so hot."
It's true what they say, comparisons are odious. I'm all wrapped up so tightly, while Hera is just casually showing off her elbows, and what's more, she's so much fairer than me.
The divine body does not age, tire, or suffer from hunger, nor does it fall into the cycle of reincarnation. Many years later, whatever kind of deity Li Jia saw back then, it will be the same when she looks back thousands of years later.
"That's easy, I'll help you."
After saying that, the demon used his divine power to pluck a small piece from the layers of white clouds. The cloud became like an automatic sun umbrella, following Li Jia wherever she went.
...Li Jia withdrew her thoughts. The boss was too considerate of his employees. She made up her mind to sever her illicit relationship with the boss!
"His Majesty"
She scolded her in a low voice.
"Um?"
"Please, please don't fall in love with a man, okay? I'm begging you."
The little guy's tone was full of exasperation and pleading.
Hera's eyes widened, as if a panicked butterfly was frantically flapping its wings inside her chest, each flap bringing a sharp, stinging pain, making even her breathing broken and difficult.
She said in a hoarse voice, "Li Jia, do you know what you're saying?"
Li Jia nodded and said, "I know what I'm talking about. Dorian deceived Qili, it was Dorian's fault, but the punishment fell on Qili."
"Sister, I know and understand your goodness better than anyone else in the world, so I don't want you to be deceived by bad men and bear an indelible stain."
“…”
"Sister, I love you and I feel sorry for you. Please don't like men, please don't fall in love with anyone else, okay?"
“…”
Seeing that Hera did not respond, Li Jia lowered her head and murmured, "Your Majesty... I..."
Herla reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly. Li Jia cried out in pain, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to offend you..."
Hera was slightly taken aback. "You've become 'you' again? Did I scare you?"
She said softly, "No, I'm not angry, I just..."
She just hadn't quite processed it yet; the little guy's words were too blunt, and she hadn't fully digested them, neither physically nor mentally.
"It's good that you're not angry. Let's go. Isn't there only three days? Today is already the second day. If it's not resolved by tomorrow evening, Qili will be nothing but bubbles."
Li Jia remembered the important matter and immediately changed the subject, urging Hera to go find Qili quickly.
Hera had no choice but to release her wrist, and Li Jia wisely turned into a salted fish and hung on the boss's body. Hera used Shadow Cloak, and they appeared in the underground dungeon of the Royal City of Calter.
The secret cell was located underground in the castle. It was dark, damp, lacked sunlight and ventilation, was cramped, and had extremely poor hygiene. The moment Li Jia stepped into the cell, a damp and musty smell hit her, and she immediately vomited.
Hera made a gesture to her, sealing her mouth and nose so she couldn't smell the foul air, and only then did Li Jia feel like she had come back to life.
The girl huddled in the corner, the chains leaving bruises on her wrists, but the pain in her throat was worse than the wounds. Where the flesh and blood that once belonged to her vocal cords now stood, there was only a hideous scar, like a ravine brutally torn open by a sharp blade.
Three days ago, she married Dorian, and the room was filled with guests who offered their blessings. At that moment, Kiri felt like the happiest person in the world. She wished her sister could be there.
But her husband's words left her bewildered, and she repeatedly screamed, "I don't want to! I don't want to sacrifice myself! I don't want to lose my voice!"
But her nominal husband grabbed her chin and pressed a knife against her throat.
"Qili, help me." A cold voice pierced my eardrums, followed by excruciating pain tearing at my throat.
Her eyes widened as she watched her blood splatter onto the other person's white dress, but she could no longer make a sound, only weak, breathy noises, like a dying fish.
Now, the dungeon has become her coffin. The iron gate is opened only once a day to bring her moldy steamed buns and water, keeping her alive so she won't die so soon.
She should at least live until the Second Prince's enthronement ceremony, after which this princess should disappear without a trace.
Kiri was too ashamed to face Elijah, but she couldn't give up on herself so easily. She crawled over, trembling, and picked up the steamed bun, swallowing it in small bites. Each swallow felt like being skinned and having her tendons pulled out.
She was unwilling to accept her fate; she still wanted to live.
She wanted to see her sister one last time, to apologize for her mistake, and hoped her sister would accept her belated apology.
But it seems there's no chance anymore. She lost her voice and couldn't contact Eria. Well, that's for the best, at least her sister won't be sad for her.
Qili was so tired that she drifted off to sleep, only to slowly open her eyes when someone kept shaking her arm.
"Wake up."
"Wake up, don't sleep."
A soft, gentle female voice rang in Qili's ears, more urgent and concerned than anyone else.
It seems she doesn't want her to die.
——
When Qili opened her eyes, she saw a pair of light blue eyes filled with worry and tenderness.
"Don't speak, just listen to me."
Li Jiafu Qili sat up and told her the whole story of how Elia submitted the marriage invitation to the Temple of Marriage.
Qili pressed her lips tightly together, trying to suppress the surging emotions in her heart, but tears still flowed uncontrollably, leaving wet streaks.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she couldn't make a sound; she had lost her vocal cords. Kiri looked up at the blonde woman standing in front of her, her lips pale and her body trembling violently.
Kiri struggled to her feet and knelt before Hera, bowing repeatedly. Tears streamed down her face, the scar on her throat tore open, and large amounts of blood gushed out. Bloodstains covered the mermaid's legs as well.
The blonde woman knelt down and touched Kiri's forehead with her hand to stop the bleeding. Hera asked seriously, "I'm going to ask you three questions now. You can either nod or shake your head."
"Was your bond with Dorian voluntary?"
The girl nodded, her eyes filled with pain and regret, but Li Jia felt that the regret outweighed the pain.
"Are you willing to sever your ties with Dorian?"
The girl nodded again, and Li Jia nodded in agreement.
That's more like it. There's no reason not to leave a bad man after he's hurt you.
It can only be said that all versions of the story, from ancient times to the present, have portrayed women or female protagonists as being love-obsessed, and becoming the male protagonist's accessory is their destiny.
Li Jia had read many so-called "strong female lead" novels, in which the female lead lost her relatives, children, body organs, and even everything she had. The male lead only needed to lose her to make the novel a highlight of the tragic story. As long as he shed two tears at her grave, all the readers would admire his loyalty.
To gain the lifelong loyalty of such an ordinary man and ruin a woman's life—Li Jia felt this was simply a sign of a serious illness.
Women spend their entire lives trying to prove two things.
One is that I am very beautiful.
The other thing is that a man loves her.
Little did they know that stepping out of the pursuit of "favor from the opposite sex" and "envy from the same sex" would actually make them feel much more relaxed.
Girls should read books, see the world, and try different things, instead of being tormented by their own mental exhaustion. You don't need to prove yourself.
"The third question is, do you want to get your voice back?"
Qili nodded with unwavering determination, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, as if she wanted to etch that deep-seated hatred into her very bones.
"Not bad, you do have some backbone. If you continue to be so cowardly, Alice would be furious if she knew in the afterlife," Hera sighed with a smile.
Alice was the ancestor of the mermaid race. She established the clan rules with her own blood and flesh, but she never expected that so many years later, there would still be those who would break the rules.
Merfolk possess a special power that is activated when they are harmed or betrayed, transforming into an almost instinctive desire for revenge.
Hera saw that impulse in Kiri's eyes, and she was pleased.
"Paying back debts is a matter of course. He tricked you into marriage and took your voice. He deserves to be torn to pieces."
Li Jia helped Qi Li up and, seeing Qi Li's pitiful state and blood gushing from her throat, said angrily.
Why should we tolerate it?
So what if he's a prince?
So what if he's a man?
Do they really think the whole world is Edinburgh?
Li Jia grew angrier the more she thought about it. There were plenty of antisocial personalities in modern society who killed their wives and daughters, just because they had a marriage certificate. They could do whatever they wanted and turn malicious violence into a private matter between "the two of them".
Even if a man kills his wife through domestic violence, he can have his sentence reduced and his life saved simply by having his relatives issue a letter of forgiveness.
What did that woman, that wife, that daughter, that mother do wrong?
It's all because of that broken certificate.
"Your Majesty, let's help Qili remove the marriage contract first, and untie her marriage to that beast." Li Jia tugged at her sleeve and urged.
She genuinely didn't want Qili to share the same marriage certificate with this scumbag.
“This marital history involves domestic violence and deception, so it is obviously invalid.”
Hera produced the marriage history and used her divine power to erase Kiri's name. The moment Kiri's name disappeared, Dorian's name also vanished.
Li Jia recalled what Doreen had said and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, if the other party is unwilling to break the contract, can divine power forcibly break it?"
Hera thought for a moment and said, "Although I am a god, I am not omnipotent. The bond that I can forcibly break is only possible if the applicant is willing to make the request. If the other party has even a little bit of dislike, then the remaining ninety-nine points are meaningless."
Love needs no flaws.
"If the other party's love can reach one hundred percent, Your Majesty, you still cannot break the bond?" Li Jia asked thoughtfully.
Hera replied, "Theoretically, that's true, but I've lived for thousands of years and have never encountered a post like this."
Dorian had no love for Kiri, and he untied the bond relatively easily. In just a few seconds, Kiri regained her freedom.
After unraveling the fate seal, Qili felt an unprecedented sense of joy.
Young people don't know love and hate. When they get a little something that resembles love, they become complacent and reveal all their cards, which eventually becomes the deepest thorn in their heart.
"It's okay to take the wrong path, love the wrong person, or do the wrong thing. Regret is just torturing your past self." Li Jia saw that Qi Li was absent-minded and comforted her, "From now on, live however makes you happy."
"The days to come..." Kiri murmured, "But I have no future. After midnight tomorrow, I will turn into sea foam."
"My only wish is to see my sister again and apologize to her. It doesn't matter if she resents or hates me, at least let me see her again."
When Elia was mentioned, Kiri's happiness was palpable. Her sister was the person in the world who cared about her the most and understood her the most, besides their parents.
But because of a strange man, she had a fight with her sister, which created a rift between them. Now that she is dying, the only thing she can't let go of is Eria.
Li Jia walked over to Hera and poked her shoulder. Every time Li Jia poked Hera's shoulder, Hera knew that the little one needed something from her.
Li Jia pursed her lips and asked, "Is there really no way at all?"
She was referring to the fact that Kiri was about to turn into bubbles.
Hera shrugged helplessly and said, "This is the rule of the merfolk. I can't interfere in other people's life and death. Dorian doesn't love her, and it's impossible for him to give her a true love's kiss. Where am I supposed to find her a true love's kiss now?"
Okay, Li Jia understands what the boss means. Now it's like being in the ICU. Do whatever you want, it's like end-of-life care.
Qili, on the other hand, was optimistic and not too sad, chatting and laughing with Li Jia.
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