Chapter 4995

Loki looked up, staring straight at Selina with those green eyes. Selina, however, averted her gaze at that moment, refusing to meet his eyes, staring at her wine glass without a word.

"So you all think I should apologize, is that it?"

"You just haven't realized a problem yet." Selina still didn't look at him, her fingers lightly tapping the side of the wine glass. "The matter between you and your brother has nothing to do with right or wrong, just like the crux of all power struggles doesn't lie in the distinction between good and evil, but in the winner taking everything. Wealth, power, reputation, and the moral high ground."

"If one were to say that your previous clashes were evenly matched, not amounting to a decisive victory or defeat, then this time, I'm afraid it's different." As she spoke, Selina finally looked at Loki, and sure enough, she found a trace of panic in his eyes. Very faint, almost imperceptible, but still there, like a monster lurking at the bottom of a deep, dark green pool.

"He holds the Nine Realms; you no longer have any room to resist. He also seems to have made up his mind to make you submit; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept you locked up this long, nor would he have given you no chance to escape. Under such circumstances, discussing who owes whom, who is right or wrong between you, is unwise. You're a smart person; you should understand this, no?"

Loki's fingers gripped the scepter tightly. He was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Is it that from your perspective, me bowing my head, softening, and admitting fault is no big deal? After all, we're practically blood brothers, and he indulges me so much; as long as I'm willing to take a step back, our relationship will surely improve?"

Selina thought for a moment and said: "Perhaps it has nothing to do with your personal relationship, merely..."

"Merely that we must let another kind of relationship supersede the brotherly one." Loki revealed a cold smile. "He is the God King of Asgard; I am his subject."

"It seems you don't want to accept such an outcome." Selina said, "That's why you always act so outrageously, because you hope the relationship between you remains that of brothers, and never anything else."

"You think only I think this way?" Loki looked at her and asked, "You think only I want to keep our relationship stopped at brothers?"

"I cannot be certain." Selina said, "Neither can you. Because this time is different; he didn't indulge you again. How do you know Thor hasn't changed his mind?"

Loki's fingers tightened again, as if sinking into memory. Selina smoothed her hair and said: "You could stir up another major incident on Earth, see where his bottom line lies. But if you miscalculate, you likely won't be able to bear the price."

"You're right." Loki said, "I can't gamble on whether Thor, having become a True God, still hasn't changed his mind. But I want to know if he really..."

"The key lies with you." Selina reminded him, "Whether you can accept becoming his subject, or refuse to compromise and just deadlock like this, even to the point of leaving home and wandering the universe in exile?"

Loki's Adam's apple bobbed. He took a deep breath and said: "I saw the Central Universe's Loki; honestly, he didn't look that bad. Maybe being a Prince isn't so bad?"

"I cannot imagine leaving the Nine Realms." Loki turned his head, staring at his own wine glass. "Even less can I be driven out by him. Perhaps I should learn how to make a living under the God King as a foster brother?"

"I guess you've thought about this problem very early on." Selina nodded lightly.

"I can't say I never have." Loki said, "When I was killed by Thor, I seriously considered this problem. But his behavior afterward made me feel I was just borrowing trouble."

"Back then you felt he had changed, but his actions told you he hadn't. Perhaps this time, your worry is also superfluous, just another false alarm."

"It won't be every time." Loki gripped his wine glass tightly. "One day, one day..."

"Have I met the Central Universe's Loki?" Selina spoke aloud while thinking, "I don't remember, but he probably isn't as worrisome as you; otherwise, I should have a deep impression of him."

"He did indeed not look tense." Loki glanced back at the barbecue area. Thor was seriously slicing turkey and inviting every passerby to taste, while Sif prepared dipping sauces on the side; the two were chatting and laughing.

"Really don't know how he can stand Thor being played around by those people..."

A question mark popped up above Selina's head. He put down his wine glass and stared at Loki: "I assume you're not talking about Thor's wife..."

"I wasn't talking about this Thor." Loki turned his head back. "Perhaps it's true love, but my brother Thor is indeed very skilled at having his entire emotional life messed up by those people, then feeling like he messed it all up himself."

"Do you feel weird saying this as a younger brother?" Selina asked sincerely, "Hasn't a single person pointed out this problem?"

"What's weird about it? I once stole his childhood sweetheart's hair, and sent an evil witch to try and wreck his relationship with his ex-girlfriend."

Selina couldn't help but cover her forehead: "So you did it out of jealousy... or... out of jealousy?"

"I said it, he gets played around by those people." Loki emphasized, "I just wanted to splash some cold water on him. Don't look at me with those eyes. If you knew his romantic history, you'd agree with me."

"Go on then." Selina took a sip of wine, her expression saying "I'd like to see what nonsense you can spout."

"He had a love triangle with himself." Loki's first sentence nearly made Selina spit out her wine. "He dated a human using a disguised identity, then got jealous of his own disguise, and didn't even win. The other party liked the doctor he disguised himself as from start to finish, not Thor Odinson the Thunder God."

"He spent ages getting Odin to agree to their relationship. The All-Father even bestowed a blessing on that woman, an honor countless Aesir never receive. Then that woman felt she couldn't adapt to divine power and just gave up."

"Sif was indeed steadfast, but I really can't comment on her choosing to sacrifice her own life to save Thor's cancer-stricken ex-girlfriend, just so Thor could find happiness."

"And of course, the most outrageous is Odin. When he summoned me to the palace and ordered me to go ruin Thor and Foster's relationship, I thought I'd misheard. You should be able to imagine my mood at the time, right?"

Selina shook her head: "Even if you were blood-related, I wouldn't find it strange. After all, there's that whole Olympus clan next door..."

"As expected, gods are all like this." Selina exclaimed, "Odin and Zeus are just each crazy in their own way."

Then he tentatively asked: "You didn't go, right?"

"I said, I found a witch." Loki said, "Amora originally had a secret crush on Thor, even willing to intervene in someone else's relationship as the third party, but it didn't succeed."

"Sounds like you're the only normal person in this whole story." Selina said, "Normally, considering your reputation, I'd think you're deliberately slandering others to whitewash yourself. But my intuition tells me you're telling the truth."

"So I have another layer of concern." Loki said, "Can Thor really be a good ruler of the Nine Realms? Is he worthy of my wholehearted allegiance?"

Assuming Loki's story is basically true, then Selina indeed didn't see in this story any quality in anyone besides lovestruck foolishness. Whether he can actually do a good job as God King is a big question mark.

And even if he did a decent job in other areas Selina doesn't know about, lovestruck foolishness is the kind of flaw that can easily ruin everything. What if it flares up again someday, and he starts another earth-shattering romance with some Earthling? The things Thor can do as a True God of the Nine Realms are far more than what Prince Thor could do before; at that point, the entire Nine Realms would become part of their play.

Selina let out a long sigh, looked at Loki and asked: "Have you visited Ms. Foster?"

"I'm not crazy; why would I look for her?"

"This is a problem that must be solved." Selina lightly tapped the bar counter with her fingertip. "Thor has become the Lord of the Nine Realms; his attitude toward Earth and humans is especially important. That human Jane Foster, who once had the most interaction with him, will certainly be used to make a fuss."

Loki's movement paused for a beat. Selina said: "As long as Ms. Foster steps forward to accuse Thor and Asgard's actions, it can easily trigger a storm of public opinion. If most humans stand up against Thor, the Revival Alliance will likely have to turn the ship around."

"That's also what he deserves." Loki's tone carried a thread of anger. "Who told him to only care about dating back then, without considering the consequences at all."

"Saying this now is useless." Selina said, "Regarding your current situation, I have a suggestion, but it's not free."

"What do you want?" Loki asked, "I can't even count as an Asgardian Prince right now, just an escaped prisoner. If you want to ask an exorbitant price, forget it."

"Absolutely not expensive for you." Selina revealed a cunning smile. "Let's skip the map-drawing and palace-infiltration stage and talk directly about the Crown."

Loki sat by the window in the palace bedchamber reading a book. He had just showered; a head of black hair carrying moisture hung lazily down, blocking his peripheral vision. When a black shadow fell before him, Loki said without raising his head: "Just put it on the table, thanks."

"You sure?"

This voice gave Loki a huge start. He directly blinked into the washroom, slamming the door shut with a bang.

"What are you doing? Loki?!" Thor's voice came from outside the door.

"Why didn't you knock?!!" Loki's furious roar came from the washroom.

"Ah, I forgot." Thor scratched his head. "But when have we ever knocked when entering each other's rooms? What's with this new quirk of yours?"

Loki in the washroom was somewhat at a loss for words. Actually, before, he and Thor entering each other's rooms without knocking was normal too, but later, he would move about in female form, and brothers versus brother-and-sister are different after all, so Thor paid more attention, and over time Loki got used to it.

Forgot this universe's Thor is still a big idiot. Loki sighed inwardly. He pushed the door open and walked out.

"I don't see any part of you that needs me to knock." Thor looked him up and down and said, "Or is it that some trap you set on the door didn't trigger, leaving you very disappointed?"

Loki let out a long sigh: "Something the matter? Your Majesty?"