Loki raised his eyes, staring directly at Selina with those green eyes. However, Selina at this moment withdrew her gaze, refusing to make eye contact with him, staring at her wine glass without saying a word.
"So you all think I should apologize, right?"
"You just haven't realized a problem yet." Selina still didn't look at him, her fingers lightly tapping the wall of the wine glass. "The matter between you and your brother is not about right or wrong, just like the key to all power struggles isn't about good versus evil, but the winner owns everything. Wealth, power, fame, and the stand of justice."
"If, in the past, your confrontations were back and forth, and it didn't completely determine a winner, then this time, I fear it's different." At this point, Selina finally looked at Loki, and indeed, found a trace of panic in his eyes. Very faint, almost imperceptible, but still present there, like a monster settled at the bottom of a quiet emerald-colored pond.
"He controls the Nine Major Kingdoms, and you no longer have any space to resist. He seems resolved to make you bow down, otherwise, he wouldn't have kept you locked up for so long, nor would he have given you no chance to escape. In this situation, arguing about who owes whom, who's right or wrong between you two, is unwise. You are a smart person, you should understand this, right?"
Loki's fingers tightly grasped the Magic Wand, he was silent for a while, and then spoke: "Perhaps from your perspective, if I were to admit defeat, tender an apology, it wouldn't be anything. After all, we are like blood brothers; he indulges me so much; as long as I'm willing to take a step back, our relationship will definitely improve?"
After thinking for a moment, Selina said: "Maybe it has nothing to do with your personal relationship, just..."
"Just that we must let another kind of relationship override the brotherly relationship." Loki sneered, "He is the Divine King of Asgard, and I am his subject."
"It seems you don't want to accept this ending." Selina said, "That's why you always do something outlandish, because you hope your relationship will always be that of brothers, and nothing else."
"You think I'm the only one who doesn't want this?" Loki asked her, "You think I'm the only one who wants to keep our relationship strictly as brothers?"
"I can't be certain." Selina said, "And neither can you. Because this time is different; he's not indulging you anymore. How do you know Thor hasn't changed his mind?"
Loki's fingers tightened again, seemingly falling into memories. Selina gathered her hair, saying: "You could cause big trouble on Earth again, see where his bottom line is. But if you miscalculate, the cost might be unbearable for you."
"You're right." Loki said, "I can't gamble whether Thor, who's already become a True God, hasn't changed his mind. But I want to know if he really..."
"The key lies in you." Selina reminded, "Whether you can accept being his subject, or resolutely refuse to compromise, sticking to a standoff, even if it means leaving home, exiling in the cosmos?"
Loki's Adam's apple moved, he took a deep breath: "I saw the Loki from the Central Universe, honestly, he doesn't seem that bad, perhaps being a Prince wouldn't be so bad?"
"I can't imagine leaving the Nine Major Kingdoms." Loki turned to stare at his wine glass, "Let alone being exiled by him. Perhaps I should learn how to make a living under the Divine King's hand in the guise of a foster brother?"
"I suppose you've thought about this issue for a long time." Selina nodded lightly.
"I can't say I never have." Loki said, "When I was killed by Thor, I seriously considered this issue. But afterward, his actions made me feel I was just worrying unduly."
"At that time, you felt he changed, but his actions told you he hadn't. Perhaps this time, your fears are also superfluous, just another overreaction."
"Not every time." Loki tightly gripped his wine glass, "Someday, someday..."
"Have I seen the Loki from the Central Universe?" Selina mused aloud, "I don't remember, but he should not be as distressed as you; otherwise, I should have a deep impression of him."
"He certainly didn't seem nervous." Loki glanced back at the barbecue area, where Thor was earnestly slicing turkey, inviting everyone passing by to taste it, while Sif prepared sauces beside him; both were chatting and laughing.
"I really don't know how he can stand Thor being played around by those people..."
Selina's head emerged with a question mark; she put down her wine glass and stared at Loki: "I assume you weren't talking about Thor's wife..."
"I'm not talking about this Thor." Loki turned his head back, "Perhaps their love is genuine, but my brother Thor is indeed very good at messing up all of his relationships and still thinking he's messed up everything."
"Don't you find it odd saying this as a younger brother?" Selina asked sincerely, "Hasn't anyone pointed out this problem?"
"What's wrong with it? I even stole his childhood friend's hair and sent an Evil witch to try to ruin his relationship with his ex-girlfriend."
Selina couldn't help but cover her head with her hand: "So are you doing this out of jealousy or... out of jealousy?"
"I already said, he's being played around by those people." Loki emphasized, "I just want to throw some cold water on him, don't look at me like that, if you knew his relationship history, you'd agree with me."
"Go ahead." Selina took a sip of wine, expression saying 'I'm curious to see what nonsense you can come up with.'
"He's having a love triangle with himself." Loki's first sentence almost made Selina spit out her drink, "Using a disguise to date humans, and ended up getting jealous of his own disguise, but he couldn't even win over himself. The woman liked the doctor he disguised as from start to finish, not Thunder God Thor Odinson."
"He spent all that effort to finally get Odin to agree to their relationship. The Father of All Gods even gave the woman a blessing, which is an honor that many in the Aesir can't attain. Then the woman decided she couldn't handle the divine power and gave up."
"Sif, on the other hand, has always been very steadfast, but I really can't comment on her choosing to sacrifice her life to save Thor's ex-girlfriend who got cancer, just to make Thor happy."
"Of course, the most ridiculous part is Odin. When he summoned me to the Fairy Palace and ordered me to ruin Thor and Foster's relationship, I thought I'd heard wrong. You can imagine how I felt at that moment, right?"
Selina shook her head: "Even if you are biological siblings, I wouldn't be surprised; after all, there's the whole family next door on Mount Olympus..."
"Turns out all God Clan is like this." Selina sighed, "Odin and Zeus are just mad in their own ways."
Then he tentatively asked, "You didn't go, did you?"
"I told you, I found a witch." Loki said, "Amora originally had a crush on Thor and was willing to intervene as a third party in someone else's relationship, but she didn't succeed."
"Sounds like you're the only sane person in this entire story." Selina said, "Normally, considering your reputation, I would think that you're deliberately slandering others to whitewash yourself. But my intuition tells me you're telling the truth."
"So, I have another concern." Loki said, "Can Thor really be a good lord of the Nine Major Kingdoms? Is he really worth my loyal follow?"
Supposing Loki's story is mostly true, Selina really hadn't seen any quality in the story from anyone other than being love-struck. So, whether he could be a good Divine King is a question mark.
Even if Thor performs well in other areas unknown to Selina, being love-struck is a flaw that could easily ruin everything. What if one day it acted up again, and he starts another intense romance with some Earthling? As the True God of the Nine Major Kingdoms, Thor could do much more than before as Prince Thor; then, the entire Nine Major Kingdoms could become part of their play.
Selina sighed deeply, 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 needs to be solved." Selina lightly tapped the bar counter with her fingertips, "Thor has become the lord of the Nine Major Kingdoms, his attitude towards Earth and the human race is crucial. The human Lady Jane Foster, who once had the most interactions with him, will certainly be brought up as an issue."
Loki paused for a moment. Selina said, "As long as Ms. Foster steps forward to denounce Thor and Asgard's actions, it's easy to cause a public opinion storm. If most of the human race stands up against Thor, the Rebirth Alliance might have to change course."
"He deserves it." Loki's voice carried a bit of anger, "Who told him to focus only on romance at the time, and not consider the consequences."
"Talking about it now is pointless." Selina said, "Regarding your current situation, I have a suggestion, but it's not free."
"What do you want?" Loki asked, "I'm not even an Asgard prince now, just an escaped prisoner. If you're thinking of demanding anything huge, forget it."
"It's absolutely not expensive for you." Selina flashed a sly smile, "Let's skip drawing maps and infiltrating the Fairy Palace, and directly discuss the crown."
Loki was sitting by the window of the Fairy Palace's bedroom reading a book. He had just taken a bath, his damp black hair lazily draped over him, obscuring the side view. When a shadow fell before him, Loki said without looking up, "Just put it on the table. Thanks."
"Are you sure?"
The voice startled Loki, and he flashed 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 angry shout came from the washroom.
"Ah, I forgot." Thor scratched his head, "But when have we ever knocked before entering each other's room? What's wrong with you this time?"
The Loki in the washroom was momentarily speechless. Indeed, he and Thor had never knocked before entering each other's room, but later, when he started appearing in female form, between brothers and sister-brother, it was different; Thor was more careful, and gradually, Loki got used to it too.
I forgot this universe's Thor is still a big fool. Loki sighed in his heart and pushed open the door.
"I don't see why you needed me to knock." Thor looked him up and down and said, "Or are you disappointed some trap on the door wasn't triggered?"
Loki sighed deeply, "Do you need something, Your Majesty?"