Chapter 2173

Edmund named the child Thalia. Always looking for a play with words, Edmund explained the name's origin on purpose. "'Thalia, Thalia,' they chanted and searched. But the wind answered only 'Ah, liar…'" Unlike him, Louise was a demon and not well-versed in flowery language. Still, she recognized the devilish tone in his words. Her expression darkened instantly as she glared at him. Before she could speak, Edmund chuckled and waved his hands in surrender. "Don't be mad, my lady. Did that not give you a little laughter? How could we possibly use such a vile meaning for our daughter's name?" He smiled and leaned in closer. Gently holding her hand, he continued, "Thalia comes from the word 'thallein,' as in the first blooming of the heart." Thalia originated from the word "thallein", reflecting his heart's stirrings and proof that he'd fallen for Louise. As a wish, he hoped their daughter, too, would one day find someone who moved her heart as he'd been moved. Be it human or demon, it was enough as long as she was happy. Louise finally stopped frowning. Though she ignored him, he eagerly scooted closer and charmingly added, "Actually, Thalia has another meaning. Don't you have another child named Reuben? Reuben rhymes with 'ruin,' while Thalia sounds like 'life.' "That just makes her a lot better! Isn't that cool?" Louise's irritation was eventually worn down by his antics. When she looked back at the tiny baby in her arms, her expression softened. "Thalia… Thalia Wynthorpe…" This was their child. Though born a half-demon by nature, she was… her treasure. Shannon watched silently in her divine soul form as Louise leaned her forehead against the baby's. There was a gentle joy and mother's love in her eyes. Shannon had never seen Louise like this before, perhaps Thalia had never seen this side of her either. The Wynthorpes had always claimed Lady Ruler of Foxes to mate with a human solely to create a half-demon with powerful supernatural strength and a vessel for the Ten-Tailed Elythune. To them, Thalia was just an experiment to fulfill the duty of the demon clan, because no one believed that the proud Louise would truly love a human man. But now that Shannon had seen it with her own eyes, she believed Thalia was never some experiment. She was a child born from the blossoms of love and affection of both her parents. … Time blurred and elapsed. In the blink of an eye, Shannon found herself watching the three-year-old Thalia. Wearing a tiny dress and two puffy hair buns, she was adorably delicate. She trotted around on her short legs through the forest and picked every pretty flower she could reach. Two foxes, clearly nannies, trailed beside her. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the forest, and the two foxes vanished. Then, Reuben's tall figure appeared before Thalia. His gaze was cold and scrutinizing as he asked, "So… You're the one she gave birth to?" The three-year-old looked up at her tall, imposing big brother and grinned, showing tiny teeth. She held up the flowers and offered them to him. Reuben gave a low snort. With a wave of his hand, every flower in her grasp was severed at the stem. Shannon watched Reuben's actions in disbelief. As a powerful demon over a thousand years old, Reuben was bullying a toddler! No wonder Thalia didn't like him later on. Little Thalia clearly hadn't grasped his hostility. She stared at the ruined stems of the flowers she'd worked so hard to gather. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, her round eyes brimmed with tears before she erupted with a wail. Watching the youngling burst into loud tears, Reuben's cold, stern expression faltered.