Anara then focused her gaze on the child, who appeared to be cheering in response as they both spoke. "But I can say it suits a unique child like her perfectly."
"Then it's agreed," Orion responded before he shifted his attention to his cheerful, giggling daughter and gently rubbed her tummy.
"From today onwards, your name is Grace. Do you like it?" Orion asked.
His words and actions seemed to elicit a response from Grace as she extended both of her hands outward and laughed even louder, bringing smiles to both Orion and Anara's faces.
"I think she likes it," Orion remarked as he turned his attention back to Anara.
"I think so too," Anara replied.
She observed as Grace gradually calmed down from her laughter, growing quieter and occasionally yawning.
Orion, who had wanted to spend a bit more time with his first child, couldn't help but frown. "What's wrong?"
Anara sighed, noticing Orion's frown. "I think it may have to do with the fact that I might have given birth to her prematurely."
"Prematurely?" Orion said, his frown deepening, with a raised eyebrow.
Now that he thought about it, Anara had given birth in an extremely short amount of time, which was unnatural for humans. He had initially attributed her early birth to the fact that she was a tree nymph, so he was both surprised and concerned that there might be some issues with Grace.
"Yes, Greta decided to check her for any problems after she was delivered and found that her internal organs were too weak, which might result in complications later. Greta used her gift to strengthen them, but as a child, it caused her to consume too much energy to stay awake or function properly. Since Grace doesn't seem capable of eating yet or possess a tree of her own to recover, that's why I decided to place her in mine," Anara explained.
"But don't worry; I'm confident that after a few years or months, once she learns to speak and walk, she'll gain control of her body, and it won't be an issue anymore."
Although Orion wanted to ask Anara a few questions and discuss how to handle the situation in case it worsened, he realized that there was no need to do so.
Anara was just as clueless as he was when it came to raising a child, and considering that there were no records of tree nymphs ever giving birth in the village, Grace was a special case. Orion understood that they would care for her like a normal child while making necessary adjustments along the way since she was far from ordinary.
Releasing a deep, helpless sigh, Orion knew there was nothing more he could do for Grace at the moment.
He nodded in resignation and handed her back to Anara.
He observed as Anara carefully cradled Grace in her arms and then turned to place her back into the tree, following the same procedure other tree nymphs used to enter their tree.
"Is that safe?" Orion asked.
"Don't worry, it's safe. Since we both share a special connection that allows her to use my tree, and her energy can also be restored while inside it, it's probably the safest place for her at the moment," Anara reassured Orion with a nod.
"What about you, though? Where will you stay?" Orion asked, raising an eyebrow.
He was concerned about Anara's well-being, considering that Grace didn't seem capable of doing anything by herself anytime soon, and Anara wouldn't be able to use her tree in the meantime.
"I can easily go for several days without needing my tree, so there's no need for you to worry," Anara assured him.
She playfully stretched her hands and pinched Orion's cheeks as if trying to turn his frown into a smile.
"Besides, I can get in there and stay with her if I want to. It's quite a unique experience, you know," she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Orion stared at her as if he had just been playfully tricked, and Anara erupted into a peal of laughter, clearly enjoying her little joke.
"It seems like you have become naughtier since giving birth," Orion said as he stretched, wrapping one arm around Anara's waist and snaking his hand into her thin, deep green dress so that he could properly grab her golden-coloured buttocks before driving his fingers between her thighs and beginning to slowly caress her golden flower. This caused Anara to let out a deep moan.
"I will deal with you later," Orion said with a smile as he watched her frown, probably realizing the underlying meaning of what he meant. Regardless, Orion continued, "But for now, I would like to ask you a question. "
Anara raised a brow at Orion's words. "What is it?"
Orion cleared his throat and knelt down, taking Anara's hand with one hand.
"Anara, will you be my partner?" he asked.
Initially confused by his sudden gesture, Anara's eyes widened in surprise as she sought confirmation. "Are... Are you sure?" She understood the significance of this request – a partner was a sacred pact between two individuals, binding their lives together.
Anara wanted to ensure Orion was fully aware of what he was asking. "There has never been a case of a tree nymph becoming the partner of a villager before, so I think that you..."
Orion interrupted her gently. "There has also never been a situation where a tree nymph has been impregnated by a villager before, so I don't think there's anything to complain about."
Normally, this should have been an easy task. Orion could walk up to any woman in the village who didn't have a partner, regardless of age, and offer himself without the need to fully care for the child.
However, he realized that even though Grace might influence her decision, whether she wanted to become his partner depended on her own desires.
Meanwhile, Anara continued to stare at Orion in deep thought.
