Loki, holding Helen, hastily fled from Asgard Commercial Street.
On the way to the Fairy Palace, he was in a daze, and all he could hear were the Asgardians sighing, praising the moonlike beauty of the Second Princess, and cursing at the damned Kree.
Loki couldn't understand how things had turned out this way, when he was in Asgard, no one paid him any attention. However, after his death, he had become the most perfect princess in Asgard's history.
Despite being more intuitive about human hearts than others, Loki hadn't formally studied psychology and sociology. If he had this educational background, he would know that beings with humanity and wisdom share a common characteristic that can be roughly summed up as "the social desire for sanctification".
People always have beautiful fantasies about what they can't obtain. They haven't truly owned such things, yet they praise these things to others more zealously than those who do. Essentially, they're praising the perfect image in their heads.
This, in itself, is behavior seeking validation: I've idealized something in my mind, and felt it was perfect. If someone else also finds it perfect, it means they share my values and we will have something in common to discuss.
This is the human activity of seeking common values in social interactions.
However, praising something that many people have and hold differing opinions about can lead to a feeling of insecurity regarding acceptance.
So, in order to attain recognition and a sense of validation, it is safest to sanctify and praise something that is no longer present. This is the easiest way to garner agreement from others.
A thing that cannot demonstrate any new qualities, regardless of how much it is praised, will not shatter people's illusions with any negative behavior,
The part of people that craves security constantly reassures them that choosing this topic is the most suitable and safe.
Digging deeper, from a societal perspective, relationships between people develop from shared illusions.
Once such a shared fantasy is widely accepted by the majority, it's likely to be sanctified from multiple angles, ensuring that there are plenty of topics when people begin to form relationships.
Essentially, once a shared fantasy reaches this level of universality, sanctification is inevitable.
This is not a personal desire, nor the desire of ordinary people in need of a topic, but rather a common societal desire stemming from human nature.
When Sylvie was alive, she might have just been a frail princess, Thor's sister, Odin's little daughter, but such a banal persona couldn't provide Asgardians with enough topics.
So, her image was repeatedly embellished, she needed to be beautiful yet kind, gentle yet strong.
Only then can two Asgardians meeting for the first time, or others from the Nine Major Kingdoms, start a conversation with "The beautiful Second Princess really suffered," and end with "those damned Kree."
The reason they don't use Thor as a topic is that Thor, the current ruler with actual power, being the topic might touch upon prohibitions. Also, the living Queen Thor could only accept praise, but the deceased Second Princess Loki can attract gossip.
While people enjoy creating gods, they find it even more amusing to dethrone them. The more perfect they make up their images, the more the gossip circulating amongst them becomes enticing.
Perfect images can initiate conversation, but rumors and gossip are more likely to tighten relationships. Essentially, people shy away from being disrespectful to the living, but it's okay for the deceased.
Returning to the Fairy Palace in a daze, Thor was still waiting in the reception hall. Sylvie had been taken back to rest by an attendant, and at this time, Thor was sitting silently on the main seat, devoid of her usual gentleness, like a majestic statue.
"I suppose you're wondering why in this cosmos, Loki has been portrayed this way?" When Thor began to speak, her tone seemed somewhat indifferent. She said:
"Because, wars need a banner, the more perfect the victimized Second Princess is, the more damned the Kree are."
Loki is somewhat stupefied, standing behind the table. Thor gets up, clinging onto her chair armrests. When she stands in front of Loki, the ends of her golden hair brush against his cheek.
This Queen Thor is resplendent, but what makes the deepest impression is a suffocating murderous intent in her eyes, as if years of warfare have turned her heart into a blade.
"I need my subjects and generals to courageously forge ahead for me, filled with resentment and willingly sacrificing their lives." Thor turns her back to Loki after flipping her cape and continues:
"They will do so not because they genuinely approve of Loki…" Thor slowly shakes her head and adds: "My sister was just a child when she disappeared, what charm could she have displayed?"
"Just because, I said she is the perfect princess. Everyone must say the same. I'm their monarch. They are not admiring Loki, they are fearing me."
Loki regains his bearings slightly, as though he guessed what Thor was going to say. He fixes his gaze upon her silhouette.
Thor returned to his chair and said, "You must remember that day too, when Odin called us over to announce that I am the sole heir, and you are nothing."
"The question you didn't dare ask back then, I can pose for you now. If Thor is an heir, what about you? If Thor is to ascend to the throne, what about you? Thor will receive respect from everyone in Asgard, what about you?"
Loki stared straight at Thor. The queen before him was drastically different from his brother.
The Thor he knew would never say something so brutal. He wouldn't brandish the knife knowingly, just to check for blood on it. This Thor incited fear in him.
However, this hardened queen, a veteran of countless battles, had long abandoned useless tenderness. With a scoff in her eyes, she gazed at Loki, asking, "The question you dared not ask Odin, I'll ask for you. What sets you apart from me?"
"You've spent your entire life seeking answers to these questions. Yet the answer is so simple, you might find it absurd," Thor tilted her head to look at Loki and spoke, "The answer is, there's really no difference between us; they were just licking Odin's boots out of fear."
"When the king they fear speaks well of someone, even their shortcomings turn into merits, and even those unworthy become worthy. Authority can erase any flaws."
"Have you never thought about it carefully?" Thor revealed a smile and said, "Was I really better than you back then? Were we really so different? Was the disparity so large that it justified the Asgardians' ignorance and prejudice towards you, and their adulation for me?"
Loki tensed, lost in his memory. However, the sudden change in his expression made it clear that the truth was not as he expected.
Two children of roughly the same age — how distinct could they be? Even if their characters and martial skills differed, they shadowed each other. They got in trouble together and were also righteous together. On what solid evidence could others judge them so differently?
"Loki, come here." Thor called out to him. Loki remained still, but seeing the change in Thor's expression — the transition from sunny to overcast — his heart sank, involuntarily drawing him towards her.
Thor sat in her chair relaxed, while Loki stood rigid, immobile. The height difference didn't alter their relative positions—Thor never failed to deliver her sharp remarks.
"We grew up in the same family. We might seem different but are actually quite similar. Don't think I'm reckless, careless, or gullible nor are you any better."
Loki opened his eyes slightly, about to refute, but Thor beat him to it: "I was once lost amidst the Asgardians' praises. Weren't you lost in their indifference and ostracism?"
Thor stood up once again, facing Loki directly, her piercing gaze stabbing into his.
"Why didn't that smart, calm, and logical brain of yours remind you that their prejudice was baseless? Why didn't it stop you from becoming what they've prejudged you to be?"
"They say you're too introverted, so you become more introverted. They say you have a weak constitution, so you give up martial arts completely. They say you have a wicked character, so you play even more pointless pranks…"
"Loki..." Thor gently extended her hand, caressing Loki's cheek, she looked him in the eyes and added, "Are you exacting revenge on them, or are you just indulging yourself?"
"Anyway, I don't gain anything. Why shouldn't I?" Loki's eyes cooled, he stared directly into Thor's and stated, "If I become more lively, train in martial arts, or learn to conform, what would I gain?"
"And if I learn to be calm, recognize myself, and stop wallowing in glory, what will I gain?" Thor's eyes curved into a small smile, "Anyway, whether or not I change, the throne is mine, it will never be yours. So, what right do you have to ridicule me as a reckless fool?"
"You damn…" Loki gritted his teeth. The next second, Thor's hand, resting on his cheek, nudged his head to the side with a slight push.
Loki, head tilted, stood silently with his black hair covering half his face. Meanwhile, Thor moved to the back of her chair, resting both hands on it and said, "You aren't the first Loki to come here, but seemingly you're the most special."
"That's why I'm telling you all this, Loki... Loki..."
Thor's voice lowered, her tone strangely mournful and tender against her usual temperament. When her brows furrowed, her vibrant flames seemed to flicker out, replaced with a voice as dry as firewood.
"Don't fret over their opinions, don't worry about how those courtiers, who fear power but lack integrity, view you. They're not one of us, they're not your friends."
"Wash away all traces they've left on you, remove all labels they've assigned you. Make them fear you, not tolerate you."
"Don't rejoice in their approval, instead make them grateful for yours."
"If you wish to stomp over their heads, you must first convince yourself that you're already there, eventually reaching a point where you think it beneath you."
"That's your only way to acquire power."