Betrothed to Sif

Sif wasn't wearing warrior's leather armor today. Instead, she wore a blue-and-white long dress with a lace corset that especially accentuated her figure.

Her hair was styled in a simple shoulder-length look, completely replacing her former valiant air with the gentle grace of a refined lady.

Apocalypse's eyes lit up. Even including the memories of his past life, he had never seen Sif dressed like this.

She had looked valiant in her leather battle armor before, but there really hadn't been much to admire about her figure.

"Thor, don't you have any thoughts about Sif?"

"What thoughts? She's my brother."

"Uh... she's a woman, and a stunning beauty at that. You never noticed?"

"So women can't be brothers?"

Come to think of it, Thor's personality was rather unusual even in Asgard.

Despite his high status, he had little concept of power.

He loved fighting, yet he was exceptionally compassionate.

He was tall and handsome, and with the added advantage of being a divine prince, there should have been no shortage of women around him. Yet aside from Jane, his fated woman, Apocalypse had never seen him flirt with any other women.

On top of that, he could be quite a goofball, completely lacking the majesty of a divine prince.

If his halo were stripped away, he was more like an overgrown boy. Other than having fun, he truly had no particular ambitions.

Apocalypse was helpless. Was Thor playing dumb, or was he genuinely dumb? He gestured with his hands and said, "Women have different body structures and different ways of thinking. You treat her like a brother, but does she treat you like one?"

Thor said carelessly, "Who cares whether she has breasts or a J? Anyone who fights alongside me is a brother!"

Sif, who had just walked over, happened to hear that and immediately went black-faced.

Then she shot Apocalypse a vicious glare, seemingly blaming him for leading her prince astray.

Apocalypse felt wronged. Thor had said that, so why was she glaring at him?

Today was a formal occasion, so Sif did not greet Thor as she usually did. Instead, she bent her knees slightly in a lady's curtsy. "Prince Thor, the Queen Mother asks that you come over. The banquet is about to begin."

"Alright."

The banquet was held in the royal palace. As Apocalypse walked, he looked around, especially at the dome overhead.

The royal palace was grand and magnificent. The dome alone was dozens of meters high, with no pillars obstructing the view.

It was covered in depictions of Asgard's history, though they were all peaceful scenes, with nothing unusual apparent.

But Apocalypse knew there was another layer beneath it.

That layer was Asgard's true history: a bloody history of conquest filled with violence and slaughter.

The royal palace's great hall.

The Allfather Odin, who had been weak and unconscious only two days ago and had nearly been killed in his sleep by Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, was now radiant as he delivered a speech from the throne.

"During the days of my illness, Loki took up the responsibility of defending our divine realm. Not only did he thwart the Frost Giants' plot, but he also killed the invading Laufey, displaying the majesty of Asgard's divine realm... A toast to Loki!"

"To Loki!" Everyone raised their cups and cheered.

"Loki had originally intended to press the advantage and completely destroy Jotunheim. However, Thor, in his compassion, did not hesitate to destroy the Rainbow Bridge and joined forces with his good friend Tang Tianqi to stop him. Let us raise our cups to the compassionate prince we are fortunate to have. To Thor!"

"To Thor!!!"

This time, the crowd cheered even louder.

After Odin finished speaking, Queen Mother Frigga stepped forward and said a few words as well.

Neither of them mentioned Apocalypse's reckless use of the Rainbow Divine Needle. After all, the true culprit was Loki.

Instead, they deliberately or otherwise exaggerated Apocalypse's contributions, emphasizing his friendship with Thor.

It seemed they had not deviated from the facts and had even credited Loki, but with the emphasis shifted, the meaning was vastly different.

Jotunheim had escaped disaster, and the surviving Frost Giants might even feel grateful to Thor. In the future, their anger would be directed solely at Loki.

If Apocalypse had not figured out some of the causes and consequences last night, he would probably have been grinning foolishly like Thor right now.

Thor would likely never know how much his parents had secretly done behind the scenes so that he could rule the Nine Realms peacefully.

It seemed the divine race did not only compete in strength. They could play political games quite skillfully too.

As he was thinking, Odin and Frigga joined hands and loudly announced, "After deliberation and approval by the Council of Elders, we have decided to grant Thor's good brother and the hero of this battle—Tang Tianqi—the title of Prince!"

Apocalypse froze. Seriously? They were willing to pay such a price?

What kind of title was Prince? It ranked only below a royal prince.

If Loki and Thor were unfortunate enough to die, a prince could even possibly succeed to the throne as King of Asgard.

Sif, who had witnessed everything last night, also looked puzzled. Apocalypse had indeed helped.

But granting him the title of Prince? That was nowhere close.

Although many Asgardians were also doubtful, with the Allfather, the Queen Mother, and the Council of Elders all fully supporting it, it was an unquestionable divine decree!

Thor patted Apocalypse on the shoulder. "Tang, it's your turn to go up."

Apocalypse glanced at Thor. Did this guy really not think anything was wrong?

It seemed that in the original story, passing the throne to that dark-skinned Valkyrie woman had truly been a wise choice. Just about anyone would do a better job than this big idiot.

Applause rang out as everyone watched Apocalypse, welcoming him.

Apocalypse was not very pleased. The trap was far too obvious. Did they really think he had Thor's level of intelligence?

If he went up, it meant he accepted the Allfather and Queen Mother's goodwill. From then on, he would be bound to Asgard. If anything happened to Asgard, he could not simply ignore it.

If he did not go up... well... if anything happened to Asgard or Thor, he would not ignore it anyway.

Since that was the case, he might as well accept their goodwill.

There was no reason to refuse free benefits.

Apocalypse stood and waved to the applauding crowd.

Countless Asgardians were also examining this strange newly appointed prince. Quite a few quietly asked one another about his origins.

The instant he accepted the scepter representing his status as prince, Apocalypse sensed a mysterious energy fluctuation appearing outside the royal palace.

He glanced at the Allfather and Queen Mother, but neither seemed to have noticed.

Apocalypse found it strange. There was no reason the Allfather could not sense an energy fluctuation that he could. Could it be an Asgardian?

But the energy signature was clearly different.

After the investiture ceremony ended, everyone was free to eat and drink.

Thor shouted, "Tang, come over here! Last time, I was in a mortal body and you drank me under the table. Now that I've regained my divine power, let's have a proper contest!"

Then he suddenly saw Frigga approaching behind them, and his voice immediately dropped. "Mother."

Frigga was clearly in a very good mood. She sat down gracefully and said, "Prince Tang, now that you are one of us in Asgard, I will speak plainly. What do you think of Sif?"

Apocalypse thought, Is Frigga asking me to help persuade Thor? In the original story, it was Odin who tried to persuade him, but he failed.

He could only say, "She's wonderful. She's beautiful, and she's a strong fighter."

"Since that is so, how about I betroth her to you?"

"What?! Me?" Apocalypse was stunned.

This was not how the story was supposed to go. Shouldn't it have been Thor?

Apocalypse looked at Thor, only to see him wearing an unconcerned expression, as though he were waiting to watch a show.

"Wait, you said betroth? I thought Asgard believed in free love."

Frigga smiled. "Of course we choose freely. Asgardians live for thousands of years. If two people are not truly in love, how could they possibly remain together for so long?"

"I already asked her. It only depends on what you think."

Apocalypse looked at Sif. Her eyes were lowered, and her hands were folded on her lap. She was trying hard to look like a graceful, composed lady, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her.

Sif's feelings for Thor had originally been more like admiration for an idol.

She was the only woman in that combat squad. Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg were all rough men beyond measure.

Only Thor was handsome and a prince, so it was inevitable that she would develop some feelings for him.

If Thor had responded, those feelings would naturally have taken root and blossomed. But Thor showed no interest at all, so they were snuffed out with a splash.

After meeting Apocalypse on Earth and interacting with him several times, she gradually developed feelings for this powerful man who was no weaker than Thor.

But Apocalypse had always assumed she and Thor belonged together, so he had never noticed Sif's many little thoughts and gestures.

If this relationship had developed normally, no one knew how long it would have taken to progress. They might even have missed their chance.

But last night, Apocalypse had carried Sif in his arms and run into Queen Mother Frigga.

As a woman, Frigga naturally understood women best.

If Sif had not liked a man, how could she possibly have acted so obediently and cooperatively?

Thus, Sif was included in the plan to win Apocalypse over.

The Allfather and Queen Mother worked on both fronts, granting Apocalypse a title while bringing Sif and Apocalypse together.

Though Sif felt things were moving a little fast, the Allfather and Queen Mother were personally arranging the match. This was no ordinary courtship, and since she already liked Apocalypse, she agreed.

Apocalypse said, "You don't know this yet, but I already have a wife."