Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 33
As He Jia was fighting an internal battle, she heard Orsa knock on the door again and say: “Once you’ve chosen a room, come downstairs to eat with me!”
She let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the golden sunlight streaming through the French windows, she realized that this day had been incredibly eventful and it was already sunset.
The moment He Jia stepped out of the room, Orsa took her hand and led her downstairs, guiding her through the magnificent corridor on the first floor to the dining room.
The long dining table, large enough to seat twenty people, was laden with a sumptuous feast. Everything from roasted meats and seafood to cakes and soups was available. The fragrant food looked even more colorful under the crystal chandelier overhead. He Jia heard the grumbling of her stomach.
At noon on the spaceship, she was only concerned about Orsa’s safety and had simply gobbled down some bread to fill her stomach. Now, her appetite was fully awakened, and she felt hungry enough to eat a whole cow.
Orsa led He Jia to sit on two adjacent seats on the same side of the dining table, signaling the robot standing nearby to set their cutlery.
He Jia looked at their touching arms in confusion: “Shouldn’t you be sitting across from me, or at the head of the table?”
Besides, this intertwined hand position would surely affect her performance at the dinner table!
“But you said that dating starts with holding hands.”
Orsa picked up a spoon with her left hand, elegantly and calmly scooping up a spoonful of pre-meal soup: “I can use my left hand. Let’s eat!”
“You, you, you, how did you…”
He Jia’s face instantly flushed crimson. Could this person still perceive what she was thinking in her head, even on land?
That was too terrifying!
“I heard it when I was standing outside the door.”
Orsa slowly wiped the corner of her lips with a napkin. She turned her head and looked at her, saying: “Don’t worry, merfolk can only use mental power in the water. Otherwise…”
She slowly leaned forward, gently touching He Jia’s forehead with her own. Her warm breath sprayed on He Jia’s delicate nose tip: “I could just make you speed up directly.”
He Jia stared unblinkingly at her eyes, which were so close. She felt as if she was being sucked into that deep, azure ocean. Following the bizarre train of thought Orsa led her down, she asked: “Then do we have to hold hands throughout the meal?”
“Mm, we need to go through the first step before we can let go.”
Orsa’s thin lips, which had just been wiped with a napkin, looked especially vibrant and rosy. They trembled slightly before He Jia, seeming to silently seduce her.
Kiss her, kiss her…
She suddenly pulled her left hand out of Orsa’s, put her arm around Orsa’s shoulder and the back of her head, and pressed her own lips onto Orsa’s incredibly soft ones. Before Orsa could react, she hastily sat up straight again. Holding a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, she went at the delicious-smelling charcoal-grilled lamb chops in front of her with both hands.
“…I thought the next step would be a hug.” Orsa was a little annoyed that the treat right by her mouth had slipped away.
He Jia seemed not to have heard anything, continuing to vigorously cut her food. She cut all the meat off the bones, put on a glove, and picked up a piece to eat with gusto: “Aiya, it’s so much more satisfying to eat with both hands! Mm-hmm, these lamb chops are baked to crispy perfection with pepper, so delicious. I’m sure you’ll like them too. Come and try!”
Orsa watched her bright red earlobes, her eyes narrowing with a light laugh.
Following this sequence, she would soon be able to taste what those small, soft earlobes tasted like.
After both had eaten their fill, Orsa asked the robot to bring a box and handed it to He Jia: “For you to use.”
“What is this?”
He Jia picked up the soft, transparent little object, observing the two small protrusions on it with wide eyes.
“A water-oxygen converter.” Orsa said: “Insert it into your nose, and you can breathe freely underwater.”
He Jia put the silicone-like device on her nose, half-skeptically.
Although something was plugged in her nose, there was no feeling of blockage at all. This made her want to go to a pool immediately and experience this high-tech product of the intergalactic era.
Orsa was about to suggest they go swimming to digest their meal when she suddenly saw the old butler in a tailcoat rushing in from outside with Joanna.
Joanna wiped her sweat and hastily saluted Orsa: “Your Highness! Seeing the spaceship land at your palace, so many people rushed to the palace gates asking if you were back. We can barely hold them back! The entire Noble Street is completely gridlocked right now. Could you possibly go out and show yourself to appease the crowd?”
“Her Majesty and Duke Jonathan have also been calling you repeatedly. Hearing you say you wouldn’t see anyone today, Duke Jonathan was so angry he said he would send a helicopter to pick you up.”
The old butler also said with a troubled expression: “Your Highness, I really don’t know how to refuse them.”
“Alright, raise the podium above the palace. Also, activate the aerial defense system. No flying vehicles are allowed over my palace.”
Orsa had not appeared anywhere on the Prime Star during this period, so naturally, all sorts of rumors would spread. The best way was for her to personally appear and dispel the public’s suspicions.
She stood up and faced the mirror in the hall, allowing the butler to adjust her appearance. Then, she pushed He Jia, who was standing behind her, in front of the mirror and said: “Take care of He Jia as well. She will go up with me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The butler, wearing white gloves, deftly took a large, soft brush and swept it over He Jia’s face and clothes, then began to touch up her makeup.
He Jia, being groomed like a doll, was stiff with nervousness. She looked at Orsa standing behind her in the mirror and asked: “Why do you need to take me too?”
She wasn’t ready to show her face to everyone on Mus Prime Star so quickly!
“There are media people staking out my door every day, and they are more familiar with every blade of grass here than I am. They will know you are living here sooner or later. It’s better to use this opportunity to directly tell everyone that you are the Earth language tutor I hired.”
Oh, right, right, her public identity was Orsa’s private tutor!
He Jia immediately relaxed significantly. She saw her reflection in the mirror: her makeup was light and comfortable, and her creamy-white suit looked gentle and amiable. All that was missing was a pair of glasses, fit for a teacher, to complete the perfect look!
Orsa looked at He Jia, her arms crossed, and thanked the butler with satisfaction. She then took He Jia’s hand and walked toward the elevator that led straight to the podium on the top floor.
Only when He Jia stepped out of the elevator did she realize that the circular roof of the palace could open up like flower petals. In the center was a massive, retractable podium. As they slowly ascended into the air on the platform, she saw the palace grounds outside were densely packed with people as the surrounding lights turned on.
People on the street also looked up at the podium above the palace.
Orsa stepped forward to the microphone. The automatic lights around the podium focused entirely on her, making her shine as if coated in gold foil. Her majestic figure in the military uniform, set against the night sky, looked as splendid, dazzling, noble, and extraordinary as a blue peacock unfolding its tail.
“It really is the Great Princess! I knew no one else could warrant an escort of four large warships! Luckily, we rushed over early to secure a good spot! Quickly turn on your cameras and film Her Highness from every angle!”
Before the media person could finish speaking, a transparent protective shield suddenly rose around the palace, blocking all the media helicopters circling in mid-air who wanted to get closer to Orsa, including the one Duke Jonathan had sent to demand an explanation.
“Wuwuwu, this is great! So many media outlets stationed in the military were saying they hadn’t seen Her Highness for three months and that she must be seriously ill! I was so anxious, checking the news online every time I woke up. Now that I see Her Highness is fine, I can finally get a good night’s sleep!”
“Her Highness seems a little thinner, but that makes her look even more cool, noble, and beautiful! I should say Her Highness is beautiful no matter what. I can never get enough of looking at her!”
“Hey! Look, isn’t there another person standing behind Her Highness? She’s not wearing a military uniform, so she doesn’t look like a subordinate, and she doesn’t seem to be from the Laceia family either?”
“I, as the sixth branch president of Her Highness’s fan club, inform you that this person has never appeared within ten meters of Her Highness before! She might be her newly hired secretary… Ahhhh, Her Highness actually turned and smiled at her, and Her Highness is holding her hand! Who is she, who is she? I need all her information within three seconds!”
Orsa pulled He Jia, who was hiding behind her, to stand beside her. Looking at the excited crowds below and the countless flashing cameras pointed at her, she announced loudly: “Good evening. I am Orsa Laceia. I was indeed away from Mus Prime Star due to illness for a period, but I have now fully recovered. Thank you for your concern!”
Hearing a wave of deafening noise rise from the crowd, Orsa gestured for everyone to quiet down and continued: “While recovering on an alien planet, I met this lady beside me. Her name is He Jia, and she is an Earthling from the Solar System. Under her influence, I developed a very strong interest in Earth culture and am currently learning Earth language from her.”
The crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone was trying to process the sheer amount of information in Orsa’s statement, momentarily failing to understand what exactly He Jia’s relationship with her was.
“I have always believed that the Mus Star System knows too little about other star systems. My experience leaving Mus Prime Star further strengthened this view. In the future, I will dedicate myself to promoting cultural exchange between the Mus Star System and other star systems. I hope everyone will also open their hearts and be more harmonious and friendly toward my Earth language tutor and all alien visitors!”
After listening to Her Royal Highness’s official statement, the public finally grasped the key word: tutor.
“Phew… that nearly scared me to death! When I heard the first sentence, I thought Her Highness was going to introduce her significant other!”
“Yeah! She’s just a language tutor. Why would Her Highness introduce her specifically! And they’re standing so close, shoulder to shoulder. If you only look at the picture and ignore what Her Highness said, one is elegant and aloof, and the other is gentle and cute. They really look like a match made in heaven… Aiya, what nonsense am I talking!”
“Didn’t Her Highness say so! She’s very interested in that Earth culture and wants to promote cultural exchange between star systems, so she’s setting an example herself! I wonder where that Solar System is and how far it is from us. But anything Her Highness thinks is good must be good. I’m going to learn Earth language too!”
“Right, right, right! Which of the policies and laws Her Highness promotes isn’t for the good of everyone? As long as Her Highness likes it, I like it! Whatever Her Highness decides to do, I will certainly support it!”
Orsa’s sharp hearing caught the crowd’s conversations. Seeing that everyone had more or less processed the information, she handed the microphone to He Jia and said to her: “Say hello to everyone and promote yourself!”
He Jia was extremely nervous, seeing all the camera lenses and spotlights flashing at her. Thinking of the mission Orsa had given her to promote Earth culture on Mus Prime Star, she tried to calm down and offered a bright smile: “Hello everyone, I am He Jia.”
Seeing the crowd applaud her respectfully, He Jia didn’t know what to say next to keep the momentum going.
She suddenly noticed many people on the street holding fans with Orsa’s portrait, light boards with Orsa’s name, and wearing unified fan support attire. Her eyes rolled, and a brilliant idea struck her: “You must all be very interested in why the Great Princess wants to learn Earth language, right? It’s actually because she really loves listening to stories from Earth. So, does everyone want to know what kind of stories Orsa… Her Highness likes to hear?”
“Yes!!!” A thunderous shout instantly reverberated across the Imperial Capital’s sky.
Indeed, fans would enthusiastically support any mention of their idol’s interests. Anyway, she was ultimately helping Orsa, so she might as well use Orsa’s celebrity effect to instantly establish Earth’s popularity among the Mus Star people!
“Then I will tell everyone a bedtime story that the Princess loves to hear, shall I?”
“Yes!!!” The crowds became even more excited and invigorated.
He Jia had interned with kindergarten children before. Simple and popular short stories like fairy tales from various countries or One Thousand and One Nights were easy for her. So, she cleared her throat, and stood on the podium above the palace, speaking with emotion and expression to the live audience and all Mus Star people watching the media broadcast: “A long, long time ago, there lived a little mermaid in the ocean. One day, while swimming on the surface, she rescued a Princess…”