WAR LORD'S UNRIVALED GODDESS

Bitterness

"The college entrance exams should be out in less than four days."

Nora snapped out of her trance with Auriane's soft reminding voice that seemed to bring her back to reality. The thoughts and dreams that had been sleeping in her mind suddenly evolved, all around the college entrance examination.

She had so much high expectations for the college entrance exams and her dreams seem to evolve around it. Giving her hopes that she would accomplish the impossible feat and her destiny would finally land on her palms. She wouldn't need to suck up to her roots and cautiously walk on an egg shell path.

She wouldn't need to appeal to the one who contributed to her existence and she wouldn't be accountable to any misfeed or displeasure that causes a frown on his face each time she appeared in front of him.

She would be a fool to hope that he would one day love or treat her as a closest of kin. In his eyes and heart she should probably never had existed and should have been flushed out of her mother's womb from the moment she was conceived.

He had clearly made her understand his heart without any reservations.

"You're not worth my attention, taking care of you is all about maintaining my reputation." That said, if he was given the choice, he wouldn't have raised her or let her carry his name. He would have kicked her out of his life from the day she was born.

He had never liked the sight of her, declining to even hold her hand or picked her in his arms to console and dry her baby tears.

Regardless of what had happened or how she came by, in the end his blood ran through her veins and she had much more resemblance to him in a feminine form. She had never committed a sin and caused him to feel embarrassed, but he just couldn't stand the sight of her.

"Why?" Why had he shunned her, why had he never liked her despite the fact that they were blood related and she was his eldest daughter. She wanted to know why he'll rather consider her non existent and as well wished she had never been conceived in the first place.

He had condemned her even before passing a judgement or even give her the opportunity to prove her worth. He didn't mind being judgmental towards her and making bear to know that no matter what her efforts were, she would be nothing more but a stain.

A stain in his life.

"Your existence, you shouldn't have existed and you didn't deserve to get what I struggled to get in vain."

As if finally realizing the truth,Nora's eyes widened in shock and her lips trembled, slightly opening, yet not a single word came from it.

"Now, do you know why?"

He went silent for a moment, observing her without saying word, her head was dropped and could only look at her feet, but she felt his piercing gaze burn her body.

Once she least expected, he spoke again, his words not less hurtful than the sharp edge of a blade.

"You're just the daughter of a slut who crawled in my bed because of her greedy eyes. What right do you have to enjoy the fruit of my labour?"

The words that he spat out we're already known to her, but to hear him remind each moment only caused her much pain, that it'll he better to be oblivious of the truth behind her birth.

"I know that you didn't have any affinity with my mother, neither can I be certain about who she was. But can you not let me carry such a heavy burden and being reminded that I'm nothing but a bitter fruit." Even if her mother was the other woman, she didn't believe that Alfred wasn't willing to be intimate with her.

Perhaps he acted in a spur of time or desperate times led him towards her mother. After all, desperate times led to desperate measures, no?

"On what grounds do you dare hold me accountable?"

On what grounds?

On the fact and logic of genetics and her DNA, proving that his gifted sperm had given life to a living being that could breath, walk, play and express emotions contradictory to a machine that had been programmed in advance.

She was a human with feelings, but he had never treated her as such, what more... permitting her to to smile blissfully for having a closest of kin. However, considering him as a father, was akin to being an orphan or an abandoned child.

"You should be glad to have a shelter and daily meal. You've been given a yard, don't ask for a mile as well."

His words cut through Nora's chest like several blades. Torturing her mercilessly without any bit of affection and even if she had been aware of the truth,she still couldn't help feeling extremely bitter.

So bitter that the plain water in front of her seemed to have been filled with aloe Vera despite it looking fresh and pleasing in the eye.

So what if she had been cornered with Cindy's increasing humiliations. Her life had never been any blissful, just filled with bitterness and a tight knot twirling her intestines to the point where she felt like vomiting.

She stared at the empty glass of water that despite being bitter in her mouth had still been entirely gulped down her. As empty as the glass looked, so was her miserable life.

"Don't always give that empty expression, at least... don't let others figure it out."

Auriane sighed at her words, lifting the jar by her side she refilled Nora's glass with more water, before pushing it back towards Nora who seemed listless.

"Looking at your expression, the aunty and niece pair definitely wouldn't miss the opportunity to gloat over you." Cindy and Stella were too shameless, as long as they found an opportunity to humiliate and glaot over Nora, they definitely wouldn't miss it.

Stella looked gentle and caring from the outside, always giving one the impression that she was flawless individual who made mistakes on daily bases. Who would then blame her if one of her step daughters made complaints, they'll just think that it was normal for a step child and the step mother to have some quarrels or misunderstanding.

Such situations happened in the Moon district, compared to those families with step children, the house was always quite chaotic, unlike that of the White. That was where Stella had an advantage or rather, the advantage she shamelessly took.

Comparing a peaceful family of step children with another family in the society with step children who lived in chaos was a best option. By bringing out the numerous flaws of another, one tend to gain more benefit, more importantly if they could make cover the loopholes.

It didn't matter how much complaints they laid, it would never bring prejudice to Stella, at least...not until a deeper loopholes had been discovered.

"I understand the meaning of your words.", Nora said, revealing a rather bitter smile.

"It's been half a month since my pregnancy scandal happened. Though others sympathetise with my situation, it still can't hide the disdainful look that others cast towards me." Though Auriane had made great effort to minimize the impact of her reputation being smeared, it wasn't enough to completely dispel her of every accusations.

Nevertheless, it was better than nothing.

"You don't have to pay attention to what others say or think about you." The more she tried to explain herself, the more others would find her guilty of every accusations dumped on her relentlessly.

Cindy might look impatient and arrogant but she wasn't stupid, she probably understood this logic as well, so she kept spiting and taunting Nora with hopes that she would try to defend herself and the more Nora tried to defend herself, the more others would find her guilty of all accusations.

During Nora's pregnancy scandal, Cindy had been implicated as the vicious step cousin that watched her step cousin fall into the abyss without lifting a hand to help.

However, barely half a month had passed and Cindy's involvement had been totally cleaned up. Auriane's expression at the thought of the tricks that the aunty and niece had played. She wouldn't be surprised that Angel White had participated in the plot as well. Stella was wise, but no one knew that most of her wiseness was only gained from her precious dainty daughter who strategized in the dark.