The Glowera town of the Archendia country was closer to the capital Nightingale city. Therefore it was flourishing beyond limits. Many taverns, inns and market places were slowly growing up. When Nora opened her eyes. She shivered with the pain she had faced. Her hands went for her gut at once but the cut was not there anymore as it was never there in the first place.
"I know she is acting. There is no way that my daughter can injure her enough. She must have faked her sickness so that she did not need to meet the special guest of tonight" a shrill voice shook Nora and she looked around only to notice that she went back into the house of her aunt. It had been a decade since she had left this house. She could hear the noise slowly increasing and then the door of her room opened and her aunt entered. She had the same brown hair and black eyes as Nora. But her plump body made her eyes smaller and her movements sloppy. The wooden floor creaked around her weight.
"Hey, you! Wake up and start working. We do not have time for your acting when the Withermore are going to visit us." she spoke in a grudging voice. The Withermore! Nora remembered this name.
This name was the start of her bad life. Her nightmares and the darkness that had killed her future. She was accused of seducing the man and her image had gone down the hill after that.
She shivered just with the thought of it. That man had died. She had killed him herself when she had returned from the jail and then got a death sentence. How could he be alive?
"Just look at you. You are only sixteen yet you are acting like an old woman now. Open your eyes at once or my stick will help you." Sixteen. Nora held the blankets tightly as the dots started to connect. It was just a week before her birthday that she had met Withermore for the first time. Could it mean she had returned to her past or it was another nightmare she was seeing. But how? She had died?
"You will not learn will you?" she felt a strong pull and then her scalp started to burn. She could not help but wince as her aunt put all the pressure in pulling her hair.
"I said wake up!" she screamed hard enough to shiver the maid standing on the door. Nora opened her eyes and looked at her aunt. Sister of her mother, the woman who had inherited all the jewels of her mother and gold. And in exchange she had to take care of her. But what did she do? She ruined her life.
Her chest burnt and new hatred started to hit her.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Have you forgotten how to respect your elders? Have you forgotten your place in this house too?" She wrapped her hair around her hand and then pushed her head to the wooden post of her bed.
Nora remembered this moment, this scene from her past and the pain made her realize that she was living it again. All the memories of the past started to flood her at once.
Her face went cold and dark at once.
"Are you ready to wake up now?" Her aunt pushed her head three times and then she let go assured that this much would be enough for teaching her a lesson.
"You will be down in half an hour after washing yourself up and wearing the dress I have left for you." She did not spare another glance at Nora and left the room.
Nora looked at the red dress. She did not need to open it to know that the dress had a low cut and it had a large slit barely covering her thighs. The dress was her doom.
Yet, taking a deep breath. She wore it and looked at herself in the mirror. Her forehead was swollen but it was not because of the beating she had received right now. But she had been pushed from the stairs last night by her cousin.
But her eyes did not linger on it for longer. She looked at her beautiful brown hair and dark black eyes. Her face looked much younger and her skin. It did not have calluses yet. She looked beautiful.
Nora inhaled a deep breath. She had wasted one life in the hands of her relatives but she would not make the same mistake now. This time she would take her revenge from all of them and would teach them a lesson.
When she descended the stairs, she saw the three maids working for their family decorating the hall with new vases and fresh flowers. They have changed the painting in the hall too.
Her aunt was commanding every maid to make sure there would be no mistake. Her face was red with anger. When she heard footsteps, she turned to look at Nora. her anger slowly melted as she noticed Nora's newly developed breast was popping out of the tight dress and her underwear could be seen every time she took a step forward. She looked at a woman asking for it. Her smile grew wide and she nodded with satisfaction, especially when she noticed that Nora had painted her lips red and covered her injuries with make up. Even her hairstyle was seductive, matching the dress perfectly.
"Good! Now you are prepared for dinner." She waved her hands and asked Nora to come closer. "Listen, Nora and Withermore are important guests. They will decide the future of your uncle in the company. You have to make sure that he will be happy in your company. If you do that, I will let you give the entrance exam of the business school you are vying for. Do you get that?"
"Yes, Aunt. you have nothing to worry about."