After the concert, Shiller did not return to his room. Instead, he said to the goddess who had led him there, "I was in quite a rush last time I came, and I did not have the chance to visit the Queen of Gods. I fear that was quite impolite. Might the Queen be free at present?"
The goddess tasked with guiding Shiller, having previously met Loki, understood Shiller's importance and thus replied: "Sir, you may have to wait a moment while I ascertain from the Queen's handmaids whether Her Majesty is in her dwelling."
Shiller nodded, and after flashing a smile, the goddess teleported away. She returned in less than a minute. To Shiller, she said, "You may proceed to Her Majesty's quarters. She would be pleased to see you; follow me, please."
Shiller accompanied the goddess to Queen Frigga's quarters. Although referred to as 'quarters', they were, in fact, a standalone structure located to the side of the Main Hall of the Immortal Palace. A throne here symbolized the joint rule of Asgard by the Queen and the Divine King.
Indeed, Frigga did rule Asgard, but her jurisdiction was over the female gods, while Odin oversaw the male gods.
While the number of female Asgardian warriors was small, the goddesses each had their domains. Frigga's twelve handmaidens had different roles to play in the governance of Asgard and the logistics support for Odin's cosmic conquests.
Over the years, Frigga hardly ever made a mistake in her duties, which earned her the reputation of being the perfect Queen among the people of Asgard. One could argue that her logistic support was crucial to Odin's victories.
Before Shiller could enter, he heard Queen Frigga's voice coming from the Throne Hall:
"Sif, I am not saying that it is wrong of you to sharpen your martial prowess. After all, you too are a Valkyrie. But you must understand the reason I abandoned the title of the most prolific Mage among the Nine Major Kingdoms, forsaking the honing of my personal magical abilities, focusing on taking the reins of Asgard, and becoming the perfect Queen in people's hearts, is the reason I have earned such status and respect today."
Radiating tranquility, Frigga paced before the throne. "Many people feel pity that I gave up the magical practices that I had spent years on, including my former master. But I know that to truly stand alongside Divine King Odin, even at parity, the people of Asgard must respect me enough."
"My authority does not stem from Odin, but from every Asgardian who has benefited from my care, from every Asgardian Warrior who has received proper treatment and protection under my arrangements."
"They love me more than they love Odin because, while the Divine King is the thunder that drives them, the Queen is the gentle rain that comforts them. This is why I am not merely the Father of All Gods' appendage but his respected, beloved wife and the perfect Queen of Asgard."
Looking at Sif, Frigga continued, "I understand your distaste for being seen as part with Thor, and your reluctance to bask in the gleam of the Divine King's strength. You perceive yourself as independent and refuse to be contingent upon anyone, living on anyone's terms."
"If that is the case, you must realize that acquiescing to Thor in some ways is not surrendering to him. If your goal is to better Asgard, the people will see your sacrifices and accord you sufficient respect, just as they do the Divine King."
"Someday, the authority you accrue will elevate you to a position where you could stand alongside Thor without his tremendous power, like me today."
Stunned, Sif could not but admit, however reluctantly, the truth of Frigga's words. Because now, Palatial life had taken a slightly comical turn: whether Odin's three children or the Asgardian servants, butlers, or guards living here, they all heeded Frigga's words more.
Whereasm Awe and a hint of fear tinged Asgardians' voices when they mentioned Odin. They trod lightly around the Father of All Gods' name, reluctant to invoke it lest they incurred the great King's wrath. But when they mentioned Frigga, common Asgardians displayed the sort of affection seen in children.
After these evolutions within Odin's paternal power, it was apparent that he failed to express sufficient paternal love to win the love and attachment of the Asgardians.
Meanwhile, Frigga's selfless maternal love, honed over a thousand years, stirred something in every person, making them behave almost like children whenever they mentioned the Queen.
This included Odin himself, who needed Frigga's love even more; he was aware of his shortcomings as a father, and so he banked heavily on his wife to reaffirm his worth as a husband.
Sif felt a sense of regret since she would have to give up honing her martial prowess and the skills she had spent years developing. But she agreed with Frigga's words. If she wanted to stand alongside the Divine King without being anyone's appendage, she must establish her authority in Asgard, showcase her abilities to their fullest, and look after her kin.
During this process, she would, unavoidably, have to collaborate with Thor. Thus, conceding to him on some matters was inevitable.
Thinking about the infuriating group of relatives trailing behind her made her outraged at the thought of humbling herself to Thor for their sakes.
This future Queen of Gods was not very good at hiding her emotions. When that tinge of impatience climbed onto her brow, Frigga, seeing it, keenly read the irritation in her daughter-in-law's heart.
But instead of pointing it out directly, she smiled and said, "Children at your age are like stubborn calves. Refusing to give ground in an argument is basic, even if you understand in your heart, you absolutely refuse to admit defeat, thinking that losing face is the scariest thing in this world."
Sif bit her lip, obviously feeling a bit embarrassed at having had her feelings exposed. She had expected to hear Frigga urging reconciliation between husband and wife, talk of tolerance and understanding, but to her surprise, Frigga blinked and said:
"In fact, I agree with this. If I step back, I need to make sure the other side also steps back. I don't want to sacrifice and cooperate with him, only to hear him happily declaring his victory."
Sif gaped. Frigga stood before the throne, smiling at her daughter-in-law, saying cheerfully:
"So, I usually create a scene. After showing him that I am willing to back down, there would usually be some accidents that would distract him from gloating and douse that victorious confidence of successfully forcing the other side to compromise in a debate with a bucket of cold water."
Sif was a bit dazed. She asked, somewhat confused: "Create a scene? How do you make it happen?"
"Odin is always at war. So, I would choose a less urgent moment and have my maid delay the messenger bringing the news of the battle for a while. During that time, I would express my willingness to compromise to him. Just as he is about to smile, the messenger would bring the latest battle report. As you know, once he hears about fighting, he forgets about everything else."
Sif blinked. She had not expected this kind of detail in the interaction between the Divine King and Queen of Gods She had always thought that they harmoniously complemented each other.
Frigga seemed to see Sif's thoughts. The smile on her face became deeper, mixed with a bit of helplessness. The Queen of Gods shook her head and said: "Most couples in this world are constantly outsmarting each other. But this does not mean they are enemies."
"In other words, being able to fight each other means both parties are evenly matched. Only a balanced relationship can get further. Conversely, if one side completely suppresses and controls the other, the relationship becomes fragile."
"I completely agree with your words, Your Divine Majesty." Shiller came in from the door, bowed to Frigga, and said: "Loki always tells me that there is no field of psychology in Asgard, but I always say he is an excellent psychologist."
"I often wonder where he learned psychological skills from. Never thought that the real psychological master is here."
Frigga immediately showed a brilliant smile. From that expression, Sif knew that the Queen of Gods was truly delighted by the flattery. It was just the right degree of flattery.
"That's right. Since we still have a day of free activities tomorrow, I want to wander around the Immortal Palace. But I also know that it would be very improper to walk around the Immortal Palace without permission." said Shiller.
"Oh, so that's what it is. Actually, you've approached the wrong person, but it's a good thing that Sif is here too. She is currently in charge of the Palace's internal affairs..."
Hearing Frigga's words, Shiller turned to look at Sif. Sif was still in a daze, and it took Frigga's cough to snap her out of it.
She looked at Shiller, waved her hand, and said, "It's not a big deal. I'll speak with the guards and the Butler, then you can walk around freely in the Immortal Palace. But I still want to ask, is there anything important you need to do?"
"Not really, just that a prince of a Federation from the Centaurus was discussing business with me earlier. The music concert started halfway through our discussion, and we left some details unsettled. I want to go to his room and continue our conversation."
Sif nodded, not saying what she thought, just as Frigga timely said: "That's it. It's my nap time. You two go ahead, we'll meet tomorrow."
Thus, Shiller and Sif walked out of the door, one after the other. Shiller, who was ahead, had just stepped out of the palace gates when he heard Sif murmuring behind him, like she was talking to herself: "Create a scene..."
The moonlight of Asgard was still bright, illuminating Shiller's face, making his grey eyes lighter. Standing in the middle of the dance floor, Shiller looked down at the body of the Queen lying on the ground.
Following the trail of blood from the chest of the corpse, Shiller's gaze landed on the droplets of blood scattered at his feet. After mentally estimating the distance, Shiller looked up.
The skylight above the dance floor pierced through the entire structure which has seven floors. Apart from the three lower floors used for receiving guests, the top four are not open to the public and only guards, butlers, and other staff members could move freely.