[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 21

Nighttime Palace Schemes and Heart-to-Heart Confessions

The Palace of Pocape

Deep into the night, inside the luxurious Pocape Royal Palace.

The interior is opulently decorated, with gilded carpets covering the hallways and grand halls. Portraits of successive monarchs and royal family members adorn the walls. High upon a platform sits a golden throne, surrounded by hilts and banners symbolizing royal authority.

“This time, no matter what, Lorelei must be brought back.”

The woman on the throne, the Queen, glared fiercely. All her plans had been ruined because of that evil dragon.

“Your Majesty, do not be angry. Since the one from the Temple of Hymen accepted the invitation, she will certainly help us bring the princess back, thoroughly ‘cleansed.'”

A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses emerged from behind the curtain behind her. He placed his warm fingers on the Queen’s pressure point, gently massaging her to soothe her.

“If she doesn’t return, do we truly have to let our daughter marry the Crown Prince of Rives? That vicious and tyrannical man?” the Queen said resentfully. “Lorelei was supposed to become his sixth Queen.”

Everyone knew how the previous five died.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t stoop so low as to seek a non-traditional royal bloodline from a neighboring country.

“She will return. She is a Princess of Pocape, and she should remain in the Royal Palace until she is married off as a member of Pocape,” the man said with a slight, knowing smile.

“You are right. A mere worm dares to dream of escaping its cage.”

Audacious.

A Night at the Tavern

Hera and Li Jia did not leave the tavern. Instead, they asked the owner for two rooms. The little one was tired, so Hera wanted her to rest, otherwise she would be sickly all day.

Hera and Li Jia shared one room, and Winslow and Dolin shared the other. Winslow was initially reluctant, wanting to share a room with Li Jia, but a single glance from the God Lord made him completely silent.

Hera felt that Li Jia harbored many secrets.

Where she came from, where she was going, why she approached her, and why she stubbornly insisted on becoming her exclusive acolyte.

And even though Hera and Li Jia had formed a master-servant contract, which should share divine power and longevity, Hera could feel Li Jia’s life force dissipating day by day. She could not connect with her lifeline.

If she wanted to understand the whole story, she would have to go to the Underworld and retrieve Li Jia’s Soul Lantern from the Abyss of the Netherworld.

The Abyss of the Netherworld is located deep within the Underworld, where souls that cannot be reincarnated are imprisoned.

There are mutual restrictions between the Underworld and the Divine Mountain, preventing them from entering each other’s domain.

But it wasn’t entirely impossible.

When that day truly came, even if it meant eternal damnation and the gods’ condemnation, she would reignite her Soul Lantern and connect it to her own.

She would sever anything or anyone who tried to take her away.

Hera placed the girl on the bed and stroked her smooth, shiny hair. Finally, a trace of obsessive gloom flashed in her crimson eyes: “Li Jia, you brought this upon yourself. You were the one who provoked me. I gave you a chance.”

I gave you a chance to choose someone else.

But now, the chance was over.

Li Jia woke up in the middle of the night feeling hot. She was about to turn over but felt a large hand wrapped around her waist.

She’s sleeping in my arms again.

She was practically her human body pillow. Li Jia distinctly remembered the book saying that deities didn’t need to sleep or eat.

Since she arrived, no matter how late Hera worked outside, she would return to the deep palace and sleep with her. She also particularly enjoyed pinching the soft flesh under Li Jia’s arm.

Alright, it’s my flabby arm fat. Li Jia was so upset she considered going on a diet. After Hera realized her intention, the meals Winslow made became richer and more to her liking every day.

Forget it, I give up, I surrender, because I’m a couch potato.

Her dream was to have money without working and to coast through life. Why couldn’t that be life’s primary goal?

People who thought such dreams lacked ambition weren’t from her underprivileged background.

A fish knows not the joy of a bird; you’re not a fish, so how do you know my joy?

It was impossible to communicate.

“Awake?”

It was time for their nightly heart-to-heart talk again. Li Jia realized the Evil God had this hobby: when she came back at night and Li Jia was conscious, she would pull her up and question her.

The questions were incredibly boring, asking what she did all day in the deep palace, what she ate, and what she accomplished, just like an old-fashioned parent.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Li Jia answered honestly.

“Is there anything you want to say to me?”

The classic question. Li Jia quickly reviewed the events of the whole day in her mind to see if she had done anything to displease the Evil God.

Suddenly, Li Jia sighed. She knew she couldn’t avoid it.

The age difference thing.

Hera would surely question her, so it was better to apologize right away. Since it was in front of everyone today, Hera wouldn’t be able to reprimand her harshly. There’s a saying: never hit a smiling person.

She would just be a brown-noser. If she groveled enough, she would get everything she wanted.

Li Jia pulled out the arm that Hera was pressing down on and used her fingertip to draw circles on Hera’s palm. The palm felt pleasantly tingling.

Seeing Hera remain silent, Li Jia knew she was enjoying it.

Hera’s soul body was a snake. Snakes are cold-blooded animals and cannot generate their own heat, which is why she liked to sleep holding her at night—because Li Jia was a source of warmth.

But she does wrap around me very tightly every night.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

The little one leaned her head against Hera’s chest and mumbled a shy apology.

Hera’s eyes were gentle. The single lamp in the night was not enough to clearly see her expression, but it was enough to see the little one’s face clearly.

“Then tell me, what did you do wrong.”

Her tone was neither angry nor playful. Li Jia knew she wasn’t mad, and thankfully, her apology was timely.

“When I was outside today, I shouldn’t have called Your Majesty ‘Elder Sister.’ I am merely your acolyte, and I shouldn’t tarnish your sacred name.”

“Your Majesty has shown me great kindness. If not for you, I would still be living a life of servitude in the Vence family. Sometimes, I dare not dwell on those days, fearing that if I think too deeply, this dream will shatter.”

These words were half genuine and half begging for her pity.

Sure enough, after listening to Li Jia, Hera froze and immediately sat up straight. Li Jia “thumped” onto the bed from her chest.

What is she going crazy about now?

Seeing Hera sitting up, Li Jia didn’t dare to sleep and obediently sat up as well. Her small, weak frame was eclipsed by Hera’s back.

Li Jia felt a chill in her heart. Where exactly did I offend this Evil God?

“Your Majesty… Did I say something wrong that made you unhappy?”

It wouldn’t do for them to remain deadlocked on the bed. It was probably unlikely that Hera would say it herself. Li Jia thought it best to quickly ask and resolve the matter.

“People shouldn’t go to sleep with bad emotions, and gods are the same. It can produce harmful toxins in the body.” Li Jia tried her trick again, tugging at the edge of her sleeve, like a puppy who had made a mistake, with its ears drooping.

Hera raised her head and looked into her eyes, taking a long breath, and said slowly: “You are the acolyte I chose. There is no need to be so servile. Are you any worse than others?”

Li Jia was secretly delighted. She took the bait. She knew exactly what kind of god Hera was. The more she belittled herself, the angrier Hera would be on her behalf.

I didn’t expect that after transmigrating, I’d get the ‘Green Tea White Lotus’ script. Compare Zeus’s level of courting girls to hers?

Too naive.

Li Jia secretly pinched her thigh, which made tiny tears well up in her eyes: “To receive Your Majesty’s protection is the greatest honor of my life. Your Majesty is the brilliant moon in the heavens, and I am merely a dry pebble in the river. How dare I casually touch your light.”

She finished speaking, her eyes red, looking at Hera as if she had been wronged.

“Even if you are a dry pebble, what of it? The moon’s light will only shine upon you. You are a dazzling gem.”

This was the promise she made to Li Jia—a god’s oath, never to be broken.

“But what if others want to harm me? Like Zeus or Poseidon, or some other gods who are more powerful than Your Majesty, and they want my life, what should I do?” Li Jia threw the question back at Hera, then disparaged herself: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t think so much and cause trouble for Your Majesty.”

Hera chuckled: “Why would they want your life for no reason? If that day truly comes, do you think I’m dead? Or are you questioning my power?”

Li Jia was silent for a moment: “Then what if I want to harm someone else?”

Hera said coldly: “You don’t have the ability. And if you want to harm someone else, you must have your reasons. Wanting is one thing; doing is another.”

Damn it, is she looking down on me?

Why wouldn’t I have the ability?

“After we return, you’ll have to start lessons after playing for a while. You cannot be lazy. Follow Dolin to exercise every day. At the very least, you must have the ability to protect yourself.”

Li Jia’s world collapsed when she heard this. I have to go to class even here?

Hera explained the curriculum to Li Jia. She had asked Artemis, and her acolyte, the little penguin, was just as illiterate as Li Jia—they could barely recognize a few words.

Both God Lords deeply felt that the issue of illiteracy needed to be prioritized.

This wasn’t Li Jia’s fault. Everything here was in English and Ancient Greek grammar. She could somewhat guess English based on her past student experience, but she was helpless against Ancient Greek grammar.

They formed a mutual assistance group. Artemis’s mansion had many small animals, looking like a large zoo.

Considering that both of them were young, being with peers would be beneficial for their mental and physical health. The teaching also needed to be gradual; rote learning was useless.

So, Hera planned to send Li Jia to Artemis’s residence during the day and pick her up at night. Since she already knew Lynette, she could go out and play, and Li Jia was less resistant.

Finally, under Li Jia’s strong protest, they adopted a “work five, rest two” strategy and barely reached an agreement.

Seeing her anger subside and her slowly lying down, Hera reclined again, but this time with her face turned away from Li Jia. Li Jia knew she was still a little angry.

So, she gently tugged on her hair again and whispered in her ear: “Then, will you be angry if I call you Elder Sister?”

Hera mumbled: “No.”

Li Jia continued, pecking her: “Then can I keep calling you Elder Sister?”

“Yes.”

“Elder Sister, I love you.”

Driven by a strange impulse, Li Jia leaned in and spoke the words close to Hera’s ear. She actively wrapped her arms around Hera’s waist, though her arms were too small to fully embrace her.

Before she could react, the person turned around and pulled her back into her arms, grumbling, “Sleep.”

Li Jia couldn’t exactly articulate the mixed feelings hidden within that “I love you.”

She was originally a wandering soul from another world. In that world, she was superfluous to everyone; no one needed her.

So, being alive again, Li Jia had no regrets; she would just take it one day at a time.

The system had given her a task, and her destiny seemed to be tied to this cold and ruthless woman in the book.

But this woman was very lonely. Li Jia could feel her profound loneliness, and Li Jia herself was also very lonely. When two lonely people were together, Li Jia could tolerate all her sharp edges and temper.

In return, Hera shielded her from all storms. The time she spent here was the most relaxed and comfortable time Li Jia had ever lived.

She no longer had to worry about being kicked out of her rental apartment or being followed by inexplicable thugs. She could do whatever she wanted, be herself.

No matter how mischievous she was, Hera would never question her. Sometimes, Hera would even come over and ask if she could join her in playing on the new seesaw she had made.

With a person like this, Li Jia believed everything she said. If this was a dream, Li Jia hoped never to wake up.

Thinking these thoughts, Li Jia drifted off to sleep in her embrace.

In the pitch black, the hourglass necklace around Li Jia’s neck released a large amount of golden sand.

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