Chapter 2190

Dropping the earlier look of quiet understanding, Thalia switched to a cold, deadpan expression. She pulled out her phone, tapped a few keys, and then held it up to Louise. On the screen were the same memory fragments Shannon had shown earlier. Only now, it had been turned into a full-fledged video. Unlike the original's muted subtlety, this version was enhanced with color grading, slow-motion, and close-ups. Every faint flicker of emotion in Louise's face had been dragged into the spotlight. The video had stripped every trace of softness from Louise's expression bare. She clearly hadn't expected to one day become the center of a dramatized memory clip, dissected frame by frame. Her eye twitched. She looked at Thalia with a rare flicker of speechless exasperation. Thalia met Louise's scorching gaze without flinching. "I just want an answer. If you refuse to give that to me, I'll have no choice but to post this video on the MysticApp forum." Thinking of Shannon's idea, she added, voice turning deliberately shameless, "I'm sure every practitioner of mystic arts and demon clan members would love a glimpse of the soft side from the Lady Ruler of Foxes." Louise was speechless. Thalia had never been what anyone would call obedient. She had always done things her own way, like leaving the clan to join the human-led mystic arts community as a half-demon. That alone was already considered a rebellious move in the demon clan. Therefore, Louise wasn't surprised she would resort to tricks. What she hadn't expected, however, was for the trick to be this… shameless. Threatening to turn her own parents' private, post-marriage memories into tabloid fodder? Seriously? No, this kind of tactic was likely not Thalia's idea at all. Instead, this stank of the handiwork of the person who had shown her that memory in the first place. "Did you really think you could post that without my permission?" Louise countered, her expression nonchalant as always. Before Thalia could respond, Louise cut her off. "Even if you had a backup and sent it out for everyone to see, it wouldn't pose a single threat to me." "What about your reputation?" Thalia asked. A chuckle escaped from Louise's lips, though her smile remained indecipherable. "You think I'd be where I am today if I cared so much about my reputation?" She wouldn't be the Ruler of Foxes if she were someone easily threatened by such a shameless trick. Thalia stared at her. Of course, she knew their plan could barely be seen as a threat; even Shannon was aware of that. Therefore, it was time for Plan C. Without warning, Thalia suddenly bolted in Louise's direction. The latter narrowed her eyes, assuming her daughter was about to get physical with her. She raised her hand in defense, only to feel a figure crashing into her arms. Her waist, too, was enveloped. The figure in her arms did nothing but nestle against her, silent yet heavy with years of unspoken longing. Thalia embraced Louise. Using an aggrieved yet clingy tone, she called out, "Mother…" Louise's body froze. Ever since Edmund's death, she had forgotten the last time Thalia embraced her like this or called her "Mother". Her daughter had become like a stranger to her a long time ago. There were reasons rooted in resentment from Thalia's side and reasons on her own part, too. Many years had passed, and Louise could no longer tell who was to blame anymore. Thalia now lay quietly in her arms. In the past, she would never have done anything like this because, in her world, the unloved would never get sympathy no matter how much they cried or begged. So, years ago, she gave up on trying to win affection that way.