Loki picked up his cutlery and skillfully sliced his food with elegant movements. Frigga complimented him with a smile, saying, "Loki, seeing you reminds me of myself when I was young. Odin always used to say that you resemble me a lot, right?"
Frigga's gaze landed on Odin's face. Clearing his throat, Odin said, "Indeed, you resemble your mother more."
"That is my honor." Loki replied indifferently.
Once again, Frigga's smile froze slightly on her face and she changed the subject, "Helen is quite like you too. It is not purely about appearance - it is also about the mischief she caused in her childhood. Unfortunately, she does not have a big brother to clean up after her..."
Loki paused for a while and replied, "Yes, Thor not only fights bravely, but he also takes care of his family. As a result, Asgard's warriors are willing to fight alongside him..."
Almost fully losing her smile, Frigga looked at Loki and said, "You know this is not a test. I'm not looking for the correct answer..."
Loki, with his head down, cutting his food, glanced at Odin's expression and then said, "Sorry, mom, I just feel under the weather, maybe it's too cold."
"Enough, Loki." Odin put down his cutlery and looked at him, "I never taught you to speak like this. You do not need to act as if I am coercing you in front of your mother. Stop your antics!"
Loki also put down his cutlery, extremely impatient as if he had finally lost his temper. He stared down at his now chopped up food and sneered,
"I'm sorry, I answered inappropriately during this so-called test. But I don't have a better response since I have never participated in a family dinner before. Hence, I don't know what to say and just answered from my regular experiences."
"This is not a test." Frigga responded with sorrow in her voice, "I just hope that we can sit together and chat as parents and child and talk about our family's future..."
"Then why is it me sitting here, and not Thor?" Loki questioned Frigga, "I can sit here and chat for a million years but still won't have the authority to decide the future of this family."
Loki sighed, "I'm not intentionally being sarcastic or trying to provoke you. This is just a fact."
"Frigga, your warmth should not be bestowed upon such a cold man." Odin's hands lay flat on the table as he addressed his wife, "Haven't you noticed? He is exactly like Laufey, heartless and cruel."
"Odin!!" For the first time, Frigga screamed out loud. The queen, known for her grace, had never raised her voice so sharply. She exclaimed, "This is our family gathering, why would you bring up someone else's name?!"
"We all know why." Odin stared back at Frigga, "You surely can't believe that your son, always considered intelligent and quick to understand by you doesn't know the truth about his origins yet?"
Frigga slowly turned her gaze towards Loki, who was still sitting in the same position, staring at his plate and said, "Apologies, mom, when I said I was cold, I was only joking."
With a pained expression, Frigga reluctantly closed her eyes. Her hands clenched tightly onto the edges of the table. Eventually, she released a grip, and with a tired look, said, "If all my actions are just a waste of time, then I've had enough."
"Sometimes I really wonder if I am crazy to have a husband and son like you two. You're not family, not friends, not even strangers, you're enemies!"
"We are born to be enemies." Loki swiftly responded.
The next moment, a dining knife was pointed at Loki's forehead, forcing him to slowly retract and rest his head against the back of the dining chair.
Odin looked into his eyes and said, "Your biological father met with a similar fate on a cold night like this, having his head severed by me, because he, like you, had provoked me."
Loki straightened his back, took a deep breath, and slightly turned his head to address Odin: "Father of All Gods, your benevolence is known throughout the Nine Realms, and your reputation reverberates across the cosmos. Would you be happier if the main course before you now were my head?"
"Loki!!!" Odin stood up, his eyes firmly fixed on Loki: "You've broken your mother's heart and enraged me. I truly don't understand why you're so incorrigible!"
Loki glanced at his helmet, which he left on the seat next to him, and said, "Thor is not here today, so I don't know what to do next. Usually, I should have stolen his helmet by now and disappeared from everyone's sight."
"Unable to catch up with me, Thor can only stomp in place out of frustration, then pretend to be magnanimous by saying 'it's just a prank', urging you all not to be angry with me."
Loki stood up, grabbed his helmet and, with a type of behavior he has never exhibited before – almost punk-like, tossed it onto the dining table, upsetting the tableware and smashing plates.
Frigga and Odin looked on in shock, Loki returned their gaze, saying: "Let's call this a rehearsal, I assure you, during the actual family dinner, I will attentively listen to Thor's views on the future, and clap... more promptly than any of you."
Having said this, he retrieved his helmet and put it on. Before he turned to leave, he whispered, "Because I know, only I am listening to what Thor is actually saying."
Loki turned around and walked away, leaving Odin and Frigga stunned, as if they didn't recognize their own son.
However, Helen jumped down from her chair, turned her eyes, and quickly chased after Loki.
Loki walked across the bridge of the Fairy Palace, his cape flapping behind him. One after another, formidable guards passed by him, saluting him. But Loki only looked straight ahead, walking away at high speed from the dimming sunset of Asgard.
He crossed the bridge, bypassed the training ground, and arrived at the dock of the Rainbow Bridge. When he teleported away, Loki didn't notice that a small figure was following him.
Returning to his apartment on Earth, Loki tossed his helmet on the floor and threw his cape onto the couch. He leaned back on the sofa, his hands trembling uncontrollably, trying to hide his scared expression.
Suddenly, Loki heard a noise behind him. He turned back, but saw nothing. So, he stood up to find out what had made the noise.
However, just as he was standing up, he felt something hit his chest. Loki stumbled back a few steps, looked down, and saw Helen clinging to his chest like an octopus.
"Helen, stop it, I'll call Pepper to come and pick you up." Loki looked away, reaching for the phone on the couch.
Helen opened her mouth as if to speak, but she slowly frowned. Then, with a gentle force from her arm that was around Loki's neck, Loki was flung two meters away.
"What are you doing?! Helen! I don't have time right now..."
Loki raised his voice, but at this moment, a square-shaped, orange teleportation gate suddenly opened in the place where he originally stood. A group of strange people in armor that looked like black riot gear stepped out.
The leader, holding a piece of paper, glanced at the paper and then Loki before he resolutely announced:
"Loki, the TVA Time Variance Authority has confirmed that you violated the cosmic Time Variance Act and are labeled a time criminal, prosecuted throughout the cosmos."
"Now, you're under arrest."