"Old Rore, that would be your father, right? I used to be a regular at his store when he used to operate in Jotunheim..."
Upon hearing Loki's words, Little Roland immediately broke into a radiant smile, saying: "Then you are an old friend of the Rore family. Come, come, come, quickly, take a seat! Panna, Panna? Could you get us two bottles of wine..."
Loki waved his hand and said: "Where is your father? He's not in the store?"
Little Roland's expression stiffened for a moment, then he wiped his hand on his apron and said: "My father died in battle. My mother went back to Jotunheim to run the store, now it's just me and Panna in the store."
After a while, a red-haired girl came out with two bottles of wine. Loki took a glance at her and noticed that her lower abdomen was slightly bulging. She seemed to be pregnant.
Little Roland and Loki sat by the window. Loki's seahorse, Helen, was put on a chair nearby. Little Roland curiously touched Helen and asked: "Is this your daughter?"
"Yes." Loki nodded. He stared at the two bottles of beer on the table. With an inexplicable impulse, he uncorked a bottle, poured the beer into a glass, and took a drink.
Loki never really liked to drink. Wherever he was, whatever he drank, he could always taste the repulsive bitterness of alcohol. However, at this moment, a gulp of cold beer seemed to make him much more awake.
"During the millennium war, my dad managed a transport ship. Unfortunately, it was ambushed by the Kree Empire on the supply line... He died in battle alongside several crew members." Little Roland shook his head. But he didn't show much sorrow. Most Asgardians are like this, everyone on this chariot is well-prepared for the possibility of dying in battle.
Loki wiped his mouth, turned his head to look at the street outside the window and asked: "Why is the street so bleak? I remember it wasn't like this the last time I came?"
"Oh, you must not have visited for a while then?" Little Roland said with clear realization. "Today is the anniversary of the Second Princess's death, all of Asgard has halted entertainment activities. The poor Second Princess… kidnapped by those damned Kree, and in the end, even got killed!"
Little Rore snorted and said: "If only I wasn't so young at the time, I would've shown those Kree just how formidable we are!"
His attitude caused Loki to pause for a moment. Loki blinked and asked: "But I heard that Odin had previously announced that Thor, not Loki, would be the heir of Asgard..."
Little Rore frowned, recalled for a moment, and said: "Seems like that was the case, but that was a long time ago. Even if she wasn't the heir, she was still a princess of Asgard."
Having said that, he lowered his head, speaking sorrowfully: "My father used to say that the princess was beautiful, kind, highly gifted with magic, gentle, and easy-going, without any of the airs of a princess."
Loki slowly widened his eyes, showing an incredulous look. He stretched out his finger, touched his lips, and hesitated before saying: "I once heard your father's friends saying that the Second Princess seemed to have come to his store and broke two vases. He even shouted at her to get out..."
"So what?" Little Roland waved his hand and said: "Back then... the Second Princess must have been a child, right? It's normal for children to be a little naughty."
"But I also heard that the Second Princess was frail and often sick, not at all as robust as the Grand Princess. And she didn't know anything about military strategy, only knew how to use magic..." Loki's voice held a hint of hesitation.
"Who did you hear that from?" Little Roland was puzzled, he looked at Loki and said: "The Second Princess was the most beautiful and noble princess in the entire history of Asgard. She was as clean and pure as the bright moon, the most beautiful pearl on the crown of Asgard..."
"But what a pity..." Little Roland shook his head, saying: "I don't have much memory from that time, but my dad would always say that all the goddesses of Asgard combined cannot compare to the hem of the Second Princess's dress."
Loki's expression could no longer be described as puzzled. He looked like he was thinking, "I don't get it, but I'm greatly shocked." He blinked rapidly and rapped his finger on the table, speaking swiftly:
"But she was not the heir, she was not valued, and how could she...My God, 'as fresh and pure as the brilliant moon', who came up with these words?!!!"
"What are you saying?? You seem a bit drunk." Little Roland grabbed the bottle of beer from Loki's hand and said: "Panna won't let me drink too much to avoid scaring our baby. You shouldn't drink so much either."
"But this really is..."
Little Roland sighed and said: "How can't you understand? If the Second Princess wasn't valued, how could the millennium war have started?"
After he said this, he looked around and lowered his voice: "There's actually a legend among the Asgard people. The discord between His Majesty Thor and His Majesty Odin was because Odin favored Lord Loki too much. It was said that the Father of All Gods only loved his little daughter, so..."
Loki had already covered his eyes, but Little Roland was still rambling on: "I've heard that when Odin announced that Thor was his heir, it was actually just a smokescreen."
"But the Kree Empire knew that the true heir Odin had in mind was Lord Loki. Thus, they kidnapped her and murdered her, which made Odin very angry..."
Loki was silent for a while, snatched the bottle of beer from his hand, gulped down a few mouthfuls, wiped his mouth, and then stood up abruptly, picked up Helen and walked out of the store.
He quickly arrived in the largest tavern in this district. Several Asgardians were whispering discussions while sipping their beer.
"Every year at this time, I think of it... Those Kree really deserved to die! If not for them, how could the Second Princess have met such a tragic end?!"
"Ah, don't mention it, sometimes I also wonder, if the Second Princess had really grown up, she would have been so beautiful and powerful... Those damned Skrulls would definitely be envious of us."
"If only the Second Princess were still alive. Maybe she would already be married by now. On the other hand, it's hard to say. Who would be worthy of the Second Princess? Beautiful, holy and gentle. Surely, only the strongest warrior would do!"
"But I think, Asgard can't find such a warrior who could possibly be a match for such a perfect princess..."
Standing at the tavern entrance, Loki was completely dumbfounded.