[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 35

Li Jia lay on the bed with wide eyes, unable to sleep, a sense of unreal, detached disbelief lingering in her heart.

It wasn’t until Hera returned from the pier after returning the key to “No. 32” to the vendor that the wooden door creaked open, finally bringing Li Jia back to her senses.

She stood up, bewildered, looked at Hera, then quickly lowered her head, staring intently at the wooden floor. She thought that if her eyes were lasers, she could probably drill two holes into the hull of the boat.

Hera came over and took her hand: “What are you thinking about?”

Li Jia pursed her lips, a little hesitant: “Your Majesty, are we really going to form a bond and register our marriage history?”

The words sounded ridiculous even to Li Jia herself. It was equivalent to the person you like telling you that you’re going to get a marriage certificate tomorrow. The sudden dizzying sensation made her breathing slightly rapid.

Li Jia felt she might be suffering from pre-registration anxiety.

She clutched Hera’s hand, her knuckles slightly white, and poured out the words she had been holding inside: “Can we not get the certificate and register the marriage history? I don’t think it’s the right time yet. You are a goddess, how can a goddess marry a mere attendant? And Winslow and Doolin, how should I explain this to them after a trip out?”

Hera paused, frowning slightly. She still hadn’t managed to completely put her at ease.

She moved behind Li Jia and slowly encircled her waist with both hands, pulling the person entirely into her embrace. She buried her head in Li Jia’s neck, resting her chin lightly on her shoulder, her shallow breaths a gentle, almost imperceptible warmth against the back of Li Jia’s ear: “I love you, I like you.”

There was no complex explanation, no grand promise, only this one straightforward confession. It was like a feather lightly landing on her heart, yet it instantly suppressed all of Li Jia’s panic.

Fine, then.

In any case, she would leave this world once her mission was complete. If she didn’t complete it, then her forming a bond with Hera now did, to some extent, avert the risk of marrying Zeus.

A mortal’s lifespan, compared to a god’s, was nothing more than a fleeting moment.

Then, let me fulfill my heart’s desire, and hers.

Li Jia had never been in a relationship, neither in modern society nor since she transmigrated to this era.

On one hand, the pressure of life had taken up most of her time; on the other, she had taken too many diverse jobs to make ends meet, traveling to every corner of society.

Li Jia had seen too many young couples and newlyweds go from sweet bliss to hateful animosity after the love was gone. The end result was always the same.

But being held by Hera at this moment, her heart felt like warm, rippling water. Happiness flowed through every pore of her body.

Yes.

A train is meant to move forward; where it goes isn’t important, the crucial part is the scenery outside the window.

Love descends suddenly, and a racing heart should be intense and immediate.

One day, you meet someone just right, and she suddenly appears in your life. You might not notice it at the time, but her presence has already changed your life.

Li Jia turned her face and proactively kissed Hera’s cheek. She whispered hoarsely: “Hera, you like me?”

Hera hugged her tighter, making them inseparable: “Yes, I like you.”

Li Jia continued: “I can’t control what happens in the future, but while I’m alive, you can only like me. Otherwise, I won’t let you go even as a ghost.”

Hera chuckled, gently stroking her cheek with her thumb, her tone as firm as if taking an oath: “Firstly, I will not let you die, nor let anything happen to you. Whether in Landu or facing greater trouble in the future, I will stand in front of you. I will never let you suffer any more grievances.”

Hera released her hands that had been confining her, then tightly embraced her again, gently patting her back. Her voice softened further, yet every word was clear: “Secondly, there will be no one else. There will only be you. There was no one before, there is no one now, and there will never be anyone else in the future.”

Since the goddess had said so, Li Jia felt she would be ungracious to keep stalling.

It was merely a promotion, from a subordinate to the boss’s wife.

In any case, she only had one life, and it was one that had already ended and been reset.

Just do whatever you want to do.

Life is short, seize the day.

If she went against her heart now, would she avoid death?

Even if she completed the mission and returned to the modern world, it was only a few decades of time. It wouldn’t be worth sacrificing her experiences and feelings for those few decades.

Once Li Jia figured this out, she felt completely enlightened.

People should not make things difficult for themselves.

“Then let’s go home.”

Li Jia ordered, pointing to the small pile stacked behind the door. These were all the gifts she was taking back for her friends.

It seemed a little unkind to only buy ornaments, so Li Jia bought some dried goods. The aquatic products here were plentiful, but it would be hard to bring them back completely fresh.

Li Jia bought a lot of dried scallops, dried oysters, dried cuttlefish, and sea stars, all excellent for stewing and simmering soup.

Hera had a bit of a headache: “Didn’t you buy too much? Where did the gold coins come from?”

She didn’t remember giving her any money.

“I asked the Merman Chief, and he said he would give them to me for free, but I thought that wouldn’t be right. As a goddess, Your Majesty shouldn’t take a single thread or needle from the common folk, and I should lead by example.”

Li Jia glanced at her guiltily: “So I bought them on credit. When we return to the Hot Spring Stream, Winslow will receive the bill.”

Hera: “…”

Li Jia smiled, the corners of her mouth turning up: “I’m just helping Jie-jie with social networking. You have to give and take to make friends.”

“Friends?”

That was a fresh vocabulary word.

Anyway, she can afford it, let her be.

Li Jia dragged the suitcase. She habitually wrapped her arms around Hera’s neck. Hera then carried her with her left arm and held the sack of “gifts” she had bought with her right, using a Shadow Blink to return to the Hot Spring Stream.

What did falling in love feel like?

Li Jia wasn’t entirely sure, but she felt that her relationship with Hera was growing closer. It was no longer the initial, guarded relationship where she had an agenda and Hera was testing her.

She couldn’t exactly articulate how it felt, but she liked the current feeling.

After a trip, her good colleague had suddenly upgraded to the boss’s wife.

As a fan of Hera and Li Jia’s ‘CP,’ Winslow approved with both hands and feet. Why should the good fortune flow elsewhere when it can stay within the family?

Winslow was overjoyed. With Li Jia marrying Hera, the Hot Spring Stream had a mistress, and her worries were finally put to rest.

When the Divine Master had picked up her and Dorin from the North, she was initially afraid of this solemn, icy woman.

Slowly, Winslow realized that Hera was the best goddess in the world. The Hot Spring Stream became her and Dorin’s home, and gradually, Winslow didn’t want Hera to marry out to anyone else.

According to ancient Greek tradition, if she married someone else, she would have to take her husband’s surname. Winslow hated the thought of such an impeccably pure woman having an unknown man’s surname and moving out of the Hot Spring Stream to live in her husband’s divine residence.

It was a small piece of selfishness on her part. Li Jia’s arrival eliminated the possibility she disliked.

The most important point was that the Divine Master liked her.

For the first time in a thousand years, Winslow noticed a sign of life blooming in the goddess’s stagnant eyes.

Hera announced that she and Li Jia were going to register their marriage history. Of the four people present, everyone was happy except for Dorin. Winslow was even more eagerly holding Li Jia’s hand, asking if she needed to purchase anything.

Winslow believed that since they could register their marriage history, they were legally married.

Naturally, they had to have a grand, spectacular wedding. As the organizer, Winslow absolutely wouldn’t allow any mistakes. Her goal was to make it an unforgettable event for both of them.

Li Jia refused. Li Jia believed they were still in the dating phase and hadn’t reached the point of stepping into the wedding hall yet.

“Isn’t registering the marriage history the same as being married?” Winslow asked, puzzled.

Li Jia answered seriously: “Not necessarily. We just confirmed our relationship. We are in the dating phase, the adjustment period. Even if we do get married, it’s not guaranteed to last forever; many people get divorced.”

Li Jia looked down at her fingertips, her voice light yet firm: “To me, registering the marriage history is just a record of this relationship; it doesn’t mean we have to immediately enter a married state. I don’t want to rush everything just because of formality.”

“I will not become an accessory to any relationship. I am just myself.”

Hera stood between the two, looking at the insistent Winslow and the resolute Li Jia, and sighed helplessly: “Just as Li Jia said, I also don’t think there’s a need to rush the wedding.”

She still needed some time to do what she wanted to do. Before that, she couldn’t let those restless characters turn their attention to Li Jia.

Winslow looked at their unanimous stance, opened her mouth, and finally mumbled: “You two think too much. Something this good should naturally be grand and spectacular. It’s okay not to have it now, but when you do decide to have one, I will definitely make it an earth-shattering event.”

The marriage history registration process went surprisingly smoothly. Li Jia held the faintly glowing registration contract and examined it carefully.

It was similar to a modern marriage certificate—a contract with a thin gold-plated border, and not much content.

Her and Hera’s faces were placed on the same portrait. Ancient Greece didn’t have cameras, so the Temple of Hymen had a dedicated self-service portrait book where they just needed to pose.

Li Jia was beaming with a wide smile, while Hera only had a slight curve on her lips, her gaze directed to the side.

Applicant: Li Jia

Applicant: Hera

Application Date: July 7th, 10th Century BC

Contract Number: J437600—010—77—520

Note: My fate will also be woven into your palm lines.

This note was written by Hera herself, which Li Jia looked at again.

Oh, my.

Flowery and cheesy.

But I like it.

According to custom, upon marriage, the wife was supposed to take her husband’s surname.

Husband and wife should, by tradition, be ‘wife’ and ‘lady.’

Hera did not make Li Jia take her surname. She said calmly: “I do not have a surname. If you need one, I can take the name Vans with you.”

Li Jia shook her head in refusal. The detestable name Vans was the original sin of the former female protagonist, an oppression that lasted her whole life. Li Jia thought she would want to shed that shackles more than anyone else. She would surely repay the silver coins she owed the former female protagonist.

Hera then removed the Vans surname from the marriage history.

Now, she was just Li Jia, Hera’s wife.

The contract hadn’t even had time to warm up in her fingertips before Hera waved her hand and put it away.

Holding hands, they walked towards the outside of the temple.

“Where are we going now?”

She asked softly. The night wind lifted Hera’s skirt, carrying a faint woody scent.

“To the Temple of Hymen.”

Hera looked back at her, her eyes holding a gentleness different from the daytime: “Writing the contract is the process, but we must go there for it to truly be settled.”

The Temple of Hymen, late at night, was stripped of its daytime bustle. Only a few scattered offering lanterns remained lit outside the temple. The moonlight was like a thin veil, lightly covering the marble steps.

Li Jia followed Hera into the temple. There were no murmurs from worshippers, no smoke from incense, only their footsteps echoing softly within the hall.

The statue of the goddess in the center of the hall glowed with a soft, warm light under the moonlight.

Hera released her hand and walked to the Contract Casket, her fingertips lightly tracing the ancient markings carved into its surface.

From the day she created the Casket, she never thought that she would one day bring her beloved here to form a contract.

“The rule here is that every new couple must touch the Casket together for the temple to recognize the bond.”

She said, turning back and extending her hand to Li Jia: “Come.”

“Let’s put the contract in together.”

Li Jia walked over. Hera materialized the contract in her palm. Their hands overlapped, and they dropped the contract into the Casket together.

The moment their fingertips simultaneously touched the Casket, tiny light patterns suddenly illuminated its surface, spreading from their fingertips. They finally converged in the center of the Casket, forming an interwoven symbol.

“Is that all?”

Li Jia looked at the symbol and asked softly.

“Mm.”

Hera leaned in, bending down to kiss her cheek: “Now, we are truly a couple with a ‘marriage history record.'”

“I get it. Did you take the contract away just now because you were afraid I’d regret it, Jie-jie?”

Hera’s movement paused. When she looked up, her long lashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes. She reached out and ruffled Li Jia’s hair: “Yes, I was afraid you would regret it.”

Hera’s ear tips subtly reddened. She turned her face away, her gaze resting on the patch of moonlight outside the Temple of Hymen, her voice as light as the wind.

“The Hot Spring Stream is too cold and desolate; I was afraid you would dislike it. If you return to your hometown, I was afraid my personality is too dull, and you would find me boring. Many fears troubled me—fearing you wouldn’t want to stay by my side.”

Li Jia’s heart suddenly softened. She reached out and took Hera’s wrist: “Jie-jie, are you being silly?”

Li Jia smiled and brought her face close, her nose almost touching Hera’s chin: “I had already made up my mind when I signed the contract. No matter how good other places are, they aren’t as good as the Hot Spring Stream.”

“If I sign it, Jie-jie will always stay by my side. If I regretted it, wouldn’t I be pushing Jie-jie away?”

“Hera, I love you, so don’t be afraid.”

She looked at her, directly meeting the gaze of her goddess. The light in her eyes was more dazzling than the stars outside the window, capable of dispelling all the gloom in Hera’s heart.

Moonlight streamed through the hollowed-out skylight of the temple ceiling, falling onto the two of them, pulling their shadows long, tightly leaning against each other.

Only their breathing sounds could be heard in the entire Temple of Hymen. It was so quiet that one could almost hear the moonlight flowing, yet it brought a sense of peace.

There was no grand ceremony.

No noisy guests, only the two perfect figures under the moon.

Their intertwined fingertips, in the moonlight and the deep night, quietly completed their most solemn vow.

Returning to the Deep Hall, Doolin had been waiting at the palace entrance for a long time. Seeing that Dorin had something to discuss with Hera, Li Jia tactfully went inside to rest.

The moment she closed the door, the small nightlight in the Deep Hall slowly turned on, illuminating her pitch-dark path.

“What is it?”

Dorin would not visit late at night without reason. Hera got straight to the point, asking, as neither of them liked to drag things out.

“Your Majesty, the Temple of Hymen has never had a case of same-sex couples marrying. This is against all reason…”

Hera looked down at the moonlight on the stone steps, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the spot Li Jia had just held, where the other person’s warmth seemed to linger.

She was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice devoid of emotion: “Rules are set by the gods. If it hasn’t happened before, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen now.”

“But this is not a small matter!”

Dorin rushed forward a step: “Li Jia is… she is not a goddess after all. Your actions will only make her a target of public criticism!”

Hera’s eyes suddenly grew cold, like quenched ice: “Since I dare to form a contract with her, I have the ability to protect her.”

Her tone was not high, fearing to disturb the person in the hall, but it carried an undeniable authority: “Those who seek death are welcome to try.”

“As for the rules, it’s time to draft new ones.”

“From this day forth, a new clause will be added to the marriage statutes of the Temple of Hymen.”

“Where the heart goes, gender is irrelevant.”

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