[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 28

After changing her into the puppy pajamas and setting her on the chair, the waiter from the ferry terminal happened to knock on the door, delivering the two dinners they had ordered.

Hera saw the little one slumped listlessly over the table, assuming she had cried too much and lost her appetite, and intended to ask the waiter to take the dinner back.

Before she could finish her sentence, the person “whoosh” stood up from the chair and brought the food trays in herself.

Lifting the aluminum lid, she started shoveling the scallop stew with vegetables into her mouth in large bites.

“You can eat after crying like that?”

Hera was both exasperated and amused. She had wasted her time comforting her earlier; a good meal was all it took to quickly soothe her.

“Crying is very physically draining. Precisely because I cried just now, I’m even hungrier now…”

Li Jia looked up to argue. Upon making eye contact, she gazed at Hera’s close-up jawline, and her cheeks suddenly burned, turning her whole face translucent red from her cheekbones to her earlobes, and her fingertips quietly curled up.

How did she end up wearing that black puppy pajama set?

Regal face, contradictory cuteness.

She was tall, and the puppy pajamas on her body, with the slight breeze from the window, had their hem lifted, perfectly revealing the contours of her waist and abdomen. There was no excess fat, she was slender yet not frail; instead, she resembled a straight, tall bamboo shoot, exuding a refreshing sense of crispness.

In her youth, one would repeatedly become infatuated with such an unyielding, slender figure, causing a blush and a racing heart.

Li Jia’s heart felt like it was harboring a little rabbit bubbling with sweetness; even her breath carried a hint of sugar. Clenching the porcelain spoon, she couldn’t suppress the corner of her mouth even when looking down.

Hera sat opposite her, pushed her own plate toward Li Jia, and watched her, smiling: “Since you’re hungrier, then eat more.”

Li Jia was truly hungry and didn’t politely refuse, taking her plate and devouring the food messily. Hera rested her chin in her hand and stared silently at her while she ate.

By the time Li Jia noticed, both portions of the meal had been eaten clean, and her stomach was round. She let out an embarrassed burp and felt a moment of awkwardness: “Your Majesty, I was just too hungry.”

“It’s fine, it’s not the first day you’ve been like this.”

Hera collected the plates and placed them in the wooden basket outside the fishing boat, where someone would collect them during the inspection.

After this meal, Hera invited her out for a walk, which Li Jia readily accepted, feeling too full and needing to digest.

The moonlight turned the beach into a sheer veil. The wind carried the scent of the sea, sweeping past their hair. Even the occasional distant sound of a boat horn became the most pleasant background music of the night.

The girl walked barefoot on the soft sand, the warmth spreading between her toes. Standing on the sand, she looked at the bright moon hanging over the sea, the residual starlight settling in her eyes, mingling with the scattered light on the crests of the waves.

Li Jia kicked the damp sand by her feet. Her silhouette stretched long in the moonlight. She softly asked: “Your Majesty, would you like to try it too?”

Li Jia pointed to her own ankle, covered in fine sand, as white as jade. The woman’s throat moved slightly; she swallowed and said: “Okay.”

She immediately took off her shoes, walked over to the girl, took her hand, and strolled along the beach. The sea breeze fluttered, and the blonde hair intertwined and tangled with the linen-colored curly hair.

“Is it comfortable?” Li Jia poked the woman’s palm with her fingertip. It was ticklish. Hera tightened her grip, holding her fingers firmly, and smiled: “It’s alright.”

“Stepping on warm sand is good for the body. It can stimulate the acupuncture points on the soles of your feet, enhance blood circulation and metabolism, and also strengthen your leg muscles,” Li Jia explained earnestly, talking nonsense.

Hera looked down at her: “Who told you all this?”

“The village doctors back in my hometown all say so.” Oops, she almost let the cat out of the bag. Hera hasn’t been to her hometown, so she’d just blame it on her hometown.

After all, the world is vast and wide, and it’s normal for there to be things she doesn’t know.

Hera used her hand to brush aside the messy strands of hair on her forehead: “If there’s a chance in the future, can you take me to see your hometown?”

To let her know exactly where she came from.

Li Jia nodded: “Of course, Your Majesty. As long as you are willing to go, no matter how far or how long it takes, I will wait for Your Majesty to grace us with your presence.”

They weren’t beings from the same timeline. A promise like this, as long as it brought a moment of joy when accepted, was enough. As for whether it could be fulfilled, Li Jia couldn’t guarantee it.

After all, one must accept the diversity of things, and it is human nature for plans to fall short of change.

“Even if you don’t let me come, I will still drag you back,” Hera said with a cold laugh, stroking her small hand twice more.

These lines were truly odd. Wasn’t her plot supposed to be about protecting the flower bud and preventing Hera from marrying the scumbag?

What was going on now? There was a strange feeling of being entangled by a sinister female ghost.

However, Li Jia could understand. This might be possessiveness at play. Hera had been raising her for so long, and over the years, besides Winslow and Doreen, she hadn’t interacted with any other women.

It was just temporary novelty towards her. Perhaps when she finished her task and had to go back, Hera would forget her. Thinking of this, Li Jia felt a pang of bitterness and inwardly cursed that all women were bad news.

“Your Majesty, what are you talking about? How could I run away? I can’t wait to get close to Your Majesty.”

Li Jia was very conscious of her survival instincts. Seeing that her boss was unhappy, she immediately said whatever sounded pleasing.

“That’s for the best,” Hera said in a husky voice.

Li Jia quickly changed the subject, not daring to continue discussing such serious topics with her. She mischievously kicked up some sand with her foot onto Hera’s instep: “But Your Majesty, why did you suddenly bring me out to play? Is there a tricky ‘Fate Post’ that needs to be handled?”

The sand splashed onto her instep, and her small foot occasionally brushed against Hera’s, a ticklish kind of probing.

“You’ve become quite clever.”

Li Jia felt Hera shouldn’t have complimented her, as it made her seem like an idiot normally -_-

In fact, many Fate Posts were sent every day, and Hera generally completed them on the same day with extreme speed. It was just that the little one had been down lately. She had asked Winslow, and Winslow had subtly asked Li Jia.

Li Jia said that women always have those few days.

Hormones affect emotions; it’s a hormone issue.

Well, she was a divine body and didn’t have the troubles of normal women, so she couldn’t understand what hormones were.

She selected and found the Fate Post submitted from Dongpo. Dongpo was near the coast, maybe she would like it.

Given the previous lesson of bringing the two third wheels, this time she left both of them at home to watch the place.

“So, whose Fate Post are we dissolving this time?”

Li Jia pulled out her hand and rummaged inside Hera’s sleeve for a long time but couldn’t find anything.

Oh, she forgot. Hera was wearing puppy pajamas now, not her usual dress, so the Fate Post shouldn’t be on her.

Failing to find anything, Li Jia looked a bit dejected and disinterested. She really liked reading the Fate Posts. Normally, when Hera took her to the God of Marriage Temple, aside from playing in the Perfume City Spring, she would stay nestled in the Temple.

The Temple of the God of Marriage had a Fate Post Tree, and every completed Fate Post would be collected, organized, and placed upon the God Tree.

The Fate Post Tree was laden with successful outcomes—all of Hera’s achievements. Li Jia had asked Doreen if everything hanging there was a success story.

Doreen replied: His Majesty has yet to encounter a Fate Post that cannot be dissolved.

Li Jia immediately sided with them and gave a thumbs-up: Awesome!

She liked to read every story in order.

It felt like a storybook, and it was quite interesting.

Over time, Li Jia replicated a set of blankets and a small sofa similar to the ones in the deep palace.

During the day, while Hera was dealing with the Fate Posts at her desk, Li Jia would sit near the desk with her small blanket and read the posts Hera had finished, sometimes even getting so engrossed that she would occasionally complain with Hera.

Li Jia slumped her shoulders, her eyes lacking interest, feeling bored.

“Take it.”

She was unhappy, and Hera was worn down by her persistence. Hera waved her fingertip, and a Fate Post appeared in her palm.

Li Jia took the Fate Post with a happy smile. She was just like this, a lover of gossip. She simply sat on the beach and read the script on the post by the moonlight.

The initiator of this Fate Post was the Witch Eerlia, who wanted to dissolve the Fate Post between her younger sister, the mermaid Kairi, and Prince Dorin of Calte.

Li Jia unfolded the Fate Post, and the explosive information was instantly seared into her mind. She hadn’t fully processed it when the contents already flashed into her eyes. By the time she reacted, the content of the Fate Post had been read clean.

To put it plainly, the mission was initiated because the Witch Eerlia and the mermaid Kairi were step-sisters—a relationship firmly documented on the same household registration page—so she had the right to file an application with the Temple of the God of Marriage.

As for why a witch and a mermaid would get together… Li Jia thought it was a bit strange, but as a young person from the 21st century, she had a high tolerance for new things.

Men and men could be together, women and women could be together, and humans and beasts were probably okay, as long as they didn’t harm social stability.

Eerlia and Kairi’s parents died young, and Eerlia raised her younger sister Kairi. Kairi was a mermaid living in the sea, and Eerlia lived by the shore, accompanying Kairi as she grew up.

In the ancient legends of Calte, the merfolk were called “Guardians of the Tide.” They lived in the deep sea of Landu and possessed the power to control water flow.

One night when Kairi was fifteen, she secretly surfaced. Moonlight shone on the pier of Calte Royal City. She witnessed a young man painting on the deck. What flowed from his paintbrush was not only the waves but also a certain emotion that made her heart flutter.

She fell in love with this young man. Later, she learned that the young man was Dorian, the Second Prince of Calte.

She began to appear frequently at the Calte Royal City pier. The young man noticed her, and they spent a short spring at the pier. Dorian confessed his love to Kairi and asked if she would be his princess, but she needed to offer up her singing voice as a token of her loyalty.

A mermaid’s voice possessed extremely powerful magic. It was crucial for her survival and movement in the ocean and also symbolized her deep connection to the oceanic world—it was the most important thing for a mermaid.

Choosing Dorian meant abandoning her identity as a mermaid.

Kairi succumbed to love and agreed to Dorian’s request. She found Eerlia and begged her to give her a witch’s potion to grow legs.

Eerlia knew Dorian was deceiving her sister but couldn’t resist Kairi’s tearful threat of suicide.

She gave Kairi the potion, which would grant her human legs, but every step she took would be like walking on knives, agonizing and unbearable.

This wasn’t the worst pain.

The merfolk ancestors, based on their own bloody experience, established a tribal rule: if a mermaid transformed into a human and did not receive a kiss of true love, her soul would forever dissolve into foam upon the waves.

Kairi had swallowed the potion and had no way back. She decided to risk everything. On the moonlit night she and Dorian had agreed upon, she shed her fishtail and transformed into human legs to step onto the land.

The intense pain of every step reminded her of her sister’s warning, yet she still rushed toward Dorian. Dorian was shocked by the mermaid’s devotion but was unaware that her feet were bloody.

Kairi learned human language and emotions. For the first time, she understood the word “love.”

Meanwhile, Dorian falsely poured his love for her into his paintings.

They went to the Temple of the God of Marriage for marital registration and formally became husband and wife.

The turning point occurred on their wedding day. Dorian recited his vows to Kairi but refused to kiss her. He commanded: “Kairi, you must make a sacrifice so the Queen can smile again.”

The Queen of Calte had suffered a misfortune many years ago and lost her voice, and a mermaid’s singing voice was the finest treasure in the human world.

But mermaids would not easily give up their voice, which they considered their life. Dorian had targeted this simple, innocent young mermaid.

She was his leverage in the fight for the throne.

The voiceless Kairi could not contact Eerlia through sound. This was what they had prearranged.

As long as Kairi sang, sang the song only Eerlia knew, no matter how far, her sister would surely appear before Kairi.

Eerlia sensed through her pentagram board that in three days, without the kiss of true love, Kairi would turn into sea foam. She was desperate and chose this last resort.

Kairi was hidden away, and Eerlia couldn’t find her. She submitted the Fate Post to Hera, requesting to dissolve the marriage between Kairi and Dorian.

Li Jia finished reading the Fate Post and glanced at Hera: “Isn’t this just trafficking women and children? Deceiving a simple mermaid girl for the sake of his mother—this Prince of Calte is too much of a beast.”

Hera collected the Fate Post: “But the mermaid and the prince registered their marriage voluntarily. If they truly love each other, I cannot forcibly dissolve their marriage contract, which is why I came to investigate.”

Li Jia thought that made sense. To judge a case, one must find the parties involved to get a clear picture: “Then, Your Majesty, Kairi lost her voice, and Eerlia can’t find her. Can we find her?”

Li Jia’s understanding was that a mermaid’s voice might be like a GPS system. Once she sang, they could find her by following the song, like using a navigation app.

But Kairi hasn’t contacted her sister after such a big incident, suggesting only one possibility: Dorian has taken her voice and is keeping her captive. She cannot ask Eerlia for help.

Hera walked over and sat beside her, leaning close and murmuring: “There’s no one in this world that I cannot find. Whether she is hiding in the noisy corners of a bustling city or secluded in a quiet village, my divine sense will locate her.”

Li Jia’s gaze was parallel to the sea, and she quietly asked: “What if you can’t find her?”

The woman’s fingers paused, rubbing the pebbles on the beach. The sea breeze inflated her sleeve, as if hiding some silent anxiety.

She suddenly gave a light laugh, but her voice was colder than the waves: “There will be no ‘if,’ Li Jia. My soul has long been intertwined with yours into a single thread. My blood flows in your body. Unless I die, your every breath, every tremble, will cause a ripple in my heart.”

Li Jia: “…”

She was asking how to find Kairi, what did it have to do with her?

However, the boss was always unpredictable, so Li Jia could only nod obediently.

When they went to sleep, Li Jia asked Hera when they would look for Kairi. Eerlia said Kairi would turn into sea foam in three days.

A fish life was at stake, so they needed to work overtime to handle the case.

“We’ll handle it tomorrow. Aren’t you sleepy right now? Don’t worry, she won’t die.”

Getting instructions from her boss, Li Jia fell asleep instantly. She had eaten too much tonight, and on the walk, she even ate a few skewers of marinated seafood from a street vendor. Now she was completely carb-comatose.

If the boss said she wouldn’t die, then she wouldn’t die. She’d worry less about trivial things.

Hera touched the soft flesh on her arm. She especially liked touching this area; the texture was excellent.

Li Jia’s sleep quality was ridiculously good; no matter how Hera messed with her, she wouldn’t wake up.

“Can eat and sleep well, that’s good,” Hera muttered, smiling.

Then she pulled the person into her embrace. The night was inky black, staining the world. They enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

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