Chapter 558: Stark's Misfortune (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In the corridors of the Asgard Celestial Palace, a petite figure with a hammer walked briskly. The silky hem of her dress fluttered in the wind, and her long black hair danced with the breeze. Judging by her steps and demeanor, it was evident that she was quite upset.

As she swept through the corridor like a gust of wind, a head suddenly peeked out at the end of the corridor. It was Thor, and beneath Thor's head, several more heads appeared one after another, belonging to Sif and the three warriors of the Celestial Palace.

Thor watched Lady Loki's departing figure and asked, "What's going on? What's wrong with Lady Loki?"

"Why does she look like she's out for revenge? And she's even carrying your hammer? Is she planning to pick a fight?" Sif replied.

"A fight? Who is she going to fight?" Thor frowned.

Fandral, at the bottom, chimed in, "Something doesn't add up. Lady Loki usually detests fighting. When we spar, she frowns and avoids us."

"Correct," Volstagg grumbled, "Even if she wanted to fight, she should be using a staff. Why is she carrying Thor's hammer?"

"Speaking of which..." Sif looked up at Thor and said, "Did you just hand Mjölnir over to Lady Loki?"

"Since he's busy with business in space every day, he needs a good weapon for self-defense, doesn't he?" Thor replied confidently. He paused for a moment and continued, "Besides, I don't need Mjölnir right now. It's a weapon meant for battle and shouldn't be left neglected on a shelf."

Sif snorted and said, "I have a feeling that Lady Loki carrying it will lead to trouble sooner or later."

After speaking, the group emerged from the wall's corner. Thor stood in the middle of the corridor, hands on hips, looking puzzled at Lady Loki's departure. He said, "This is very unusual. Normally, when Lady Loki is angry, she has no expression and goes to that ancient library for conspiracies. What's going on today?"

Thor scratched his head but didn't notice that Sif, who stood beside him, had a complex expression.

After a moment of puzzlement, Thor let the matter go. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Dealing with politics these days is suffocating me. Let's go to the training ground and have a good sparring session. I want to see if you've made any progress."

"When you were away, we developed a new combined technique, perfect for countering your last move!" one of them exclaimed.

As they spoke, they started to move forward, but Sif didn't follow. Instead, she turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Thor noticed her absence and turned to ask, "Sif, what's wrong? Aren't you coming with us?"

"I... I have some matters to attend to. My family called me back. You know, after you cleaned up a lot of people last time, we're short-staffed now, and I have to work," Sif replied hastily.

Thor and the three Celestial Palace warriors were puzzled. Volstagg spoke up, "Thor, why don't you go after her and comfort her?"

"Don't be ridiculous; she'll probably beat me up," Thor replied to his closest friends. He added, "It's been like this since childhood. Every time you guys made me chase after her to console her, I ended up taking a couple of punches."

Hogun laughed, hugged Thor's shoulder, and said, "Have you forgotten about the times when you wielded great power? To be honest, you did a great job, and I got tired of those people a long time ago..."

"Let's not talk about that," Fandral interjected. "We should figure out what's wrong with Sif."

"What can be wrong with her?" Among the three warriors, Hogun and Sif were more familiar with each other. Hogun said, "Sif is a goddess after all, and her thoughts can be hard to fathom. Maybe she just needs some time to calm down. Let's go to the training ground and try out our new moves."

Hogun led Thor forward, but Thor looked back and saw Lady Loki, still furious, walking in the distance. She was walking briskly, muttering angrily to herself.

Thor extended his hand, motioning for the others to stop, and they all swiftly hid in the nearby forest.

"There's something seriously wrong here," Thor squinted at Lady Loki, then waved to the others behind him. "Let's follow her and see what's going on."

Meanwhile, Sif, heading in a different direction, gradually slowed down her pace. She stopped by a fountain, ran her hand over the armor on her leg, and sat down on the steps by the fountain's edge, sighing deeply with a hint of sorrow between her brows.

Just then, a shadow covered the ground in front of her. Sif looked up and was surprised to see Queen Frigga.

Sif quickly stood up and saluted, but Frigga stopped her and pulled her to sit beside the fountain. Sif turned her head slightly, seemingly hesitant to meet Frigga's gaze. However, Frigga didn't mind and smiled, saying, "What's wrong? Why have you come here again?"

Frigga looked around at the surroundings. They were in a small forest beside the Celestial Palace, and in the center of the forest was a tiny fountain. Frigga continued, "When you were young and in a bad mood, you used to come here often. My bedroom window overlooks this small forest. Every time, I would bring you back and make you a flower cake."

Sif also looked around at the surroundings, revealing a nostalgic smile for a moment, but it quickly turned into a look of concern. Frigga said, "Let's go, come with me to my room, and I'll make you a cake."

"Thank you, Queen. You're always so kind and gentle, unlike me. I..." Sif shook her head and said, "Everyone knows I'm a wild girl, a famous crazy girl. I don't go to the hot springs, I don't make flower wreaths, I spend every day in the training ground. Many people say I won't be a good wife..."

Frigga held Sif's hand and said, "Have you been listening to what others are saying?"

Sif lowered her head and replied, "I know that other goddesses wouldn't say things like that. They'd blush and run away when this topic comes up. But I know, the All-Father wanted me to be with Thor..."

Sif took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Frigga, asking her, "But now, Odin has changed his mind, hasn't he?"

Upon hearing these words, Frigga was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure. She fell silent for a moment and then said, "Yes, originally, you were the best choice for Queen, but now, Odin is leaning towards Lady Loki..."

"This involves a complex historical issue. If... never mind, there's no need to tell you."

"You should still remember the battle between the Asgardian gods and the Frost Giants, right?"

Sif nodded, and upon hearing Frigga's confirmation, she appeared somewhat disappointed. After all, when you become an option but are not chosen by someone else, it's natural to feel a bit down. However, at the same time, her brows relaxed a little, as if some pressure and responsibility had disappeared.

Frigga spoke with that gentle voice, as soft as a breeze:

"Back then, Odin and the Frost Giants engaged in a long and enduring war. The Frost Giants were already formidable within the Nine Realms, while the strength of the Aesir Gods was not as strong as it is now."

"This great war lasted for a long time, and both sides suffered heavy losses. In the end, it was Odin who sealed the victory, defeating the leader of the Frost Giants, Laufey, and bringing back a baby from their territory."

At first, Sif was fully engaged in listening, but when she heard the last sentence, she suddenly widened her eyes and looked at Frigga. Frigga nodded, confirming her suspicion, and said, "That baby was Lady Loki."

Sif's mouth dropped open. She turned her head as if recalling something and said, "So, that's why he always behaved differently from the Aesir Gods, physically weaker, inclined toward magic, and even showed fear of fire..."

Frigga nodded and said, "Originally, Odin bringing back that baby had political considerations."

"At that time, Odin was growing weary of years of warfare. He began seeking a way to establish peace throughout the Nine Realms. He hoped to raise Loki as a prince of Asgard and have him lead the Frost Giants. This way, both races would no longer go to war."

Frigga took a deep breath and continued, "I had lost a son before, so when I saw that tiny baby, I was overjoyed. I was sure that I would raise him to be an outstanding prince."

"In truth, everyone knows that Odin favors Thor more. I am aware of it too. So, I did my best to care for Loki, to make sure he didn't feel unhappy."

"However, during the years of raising Loki, Odin did develop feelings for him. So, the idea of Loki leading the Frost Giants was gradually put aside, and both Odin and I started treating him as a true Aesir God, granting him the honor a prince should have."

"But now..." Sif pondered for a moment and said, "Lady Loki has transitioned from being a prince to a princess, and it seems she still strongly desires this role. Moreover, if we put it this way, Lady Loki and Thor don't share a blood relationship, so that's why Odin..."

Frigga nodded and said, "Aside from the issue with the Frost Giants, you grew up with Thor, so you should understand his flaws the best. Although he has matured a lot and awakened from the pursuit of meaningless honor, he can still be reckless at times."

"That's just how he is." Sif defended Thor, "But I think that's a quality a king should possess—boldness, fearlessness, strength..."

Frigga touched Sif's hair and said, "Odin believes that Lady Loki's personality complements Thor perfectly. If she were to become Queen, she could assist Thor and compensate for his lack of strategic thinking."

Sif's mood turned a bit subdued. She said, "That's correct. My personality is more similar to Thor's, and I can be impulsive too. If we were together, it would be like putting two explosive shells into the same cannon..."

As they spoke, both of them laughed, seemingly imagining such a fiery scenario. Sif patted her armor, stood up, took a deep breath, and finally relaxed her furrowed brows. She said:

"In fact, I've been thinking that the culture in Asgard might be too traditional. Since Thor became the new king, I've been thinking a lot, including about him, Lady Loki, and even myself."

"I know that Asgardians strongly reject Lady Loki. In the past, I thought they rejected her because she enjoyed pranks and sometimes went too far. She even messed up my hair once."

"But now it seems I might have misunderstood the cause and effect of it all. It's precisely because Asgardians reject Lady Loki that she is so desperate to get other people's attention."

"I'm the same way. Everyone sees me as the future Queen, and they expect me to be like most goddesses—gentle, kind, skilled in magic, capable of educating children. Whenever I go to the training ground to wield swords and spears, they look at me disapprovingly."

"In truth, for a long time, my relationship with Thor didn't progress because of this. I always felt like they saw me as Thor's appendage, and it made me feel uncomfortable." Sif emphasized.

"Of course, Queen, you are a perfect Queen. Perhaps it's hard for you to understand my unconventional thoughts."

To her surprise, Frigga also stood up, smiled at Sif, and said, "Sif, do you know? The title of Queen is my second title."

Sif tilted her head slightly and asked, "What's the first one?"

"The First Sorcerer of the Nine Realms."

As Frigga spoke these words, her eyes blinked with a star-like radiance, and a kind of radiance seemed to emanate from her. Through this radiance, Sif saw boundless power.

The gentle and kind aura around Frigga faded away, replaced by a solemn and powerful presence.

Sif looked at the radiance shining from Frigga and showed a hint of envy. Then, she took a deep breath, placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, and said, "That's correct. Instead of becoming Queen, I should first become stronger."

At this moment, her face completely relaxed, and her determined expression filled with a touch of wild beauty. Sif turned around and said to Frigga:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and please thank Odin as well for me. I'm going to embark on trials in the surrounding dimensions. When Thor and Lady Loki get married, don't forget to call me back for the wedding." With that, she left.

Sif walked away so quickly that she didn't see the slight furrow in Frigga's brow when she mentioned "Thor and Lady Loki getting married."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 559: Stark's Bad Luck (Part 1)