"Aborted me?!"
Aria was genuinely shocked by what she had just heard. She knew her mother didn’t like her as much after what she had done to the villagers, and usually, she gave no damn about it because her mother was powerless against her anyway.
But abortion was far from her expectations because her mother had always emphasized how much of a blessing Aria’s birth was.
Aria was The Golden Princess. She was well-loved and celebrated by many since she was born. Her existence brought joy to people.
So, for her mother to say that she wanted to abort her...
Aria chuckled, but it was evidently less joyful than before.
"I am serious, Aria. If I had the chance, I would’ve aborted you."
"Too bad you can’t, Mom. Because I am here and very much alive," Aria scoffed. "If you want to kill me, you should’ve done it before I got my witchcraft back. That’s when I was the most vulnerable."
"It was unfortunate, indeed," Anastasia agreed. "But it’s fine. I can still redeem what I haven’t been able to do for a while. If only I’d done this sooner, those kind villagers would still be alive, and I wouldn’t have to cook with the blood of an innocent kid. You know this is all your fault, right, you filthy witch."
Aria thought she could listen to her mother talking all day about random nonsense and she would still be in a good mood.
But she was wrong.
She got pissed now, and she wouldn’t feel better before she had done something to this ungrateful old mother that she had spared for so long.
"Watch your mouth, old hag. Do you think I can’t kill you right now? You have no worth to me as well, and the only reason why I am keeping you around is because you are my mother!"
"I know that is a lie, Aria."
Aria’s eyes widened as she didn’t expect that answer.
Anastasia’s gaze was solemn, as if she had everything under her control all this time.
"You are waiting for the right time—I don’t know when it will be—to sacrifice me. You said that children’s souls are worth more than regular humans, and a pregnant mother was worth even more than anything. Do you think I don’t know what that means? I know you’re keeping me around so you can sacrifice me when necessary."
Aria was already powerless and vulnerable right now. She still heard everything, but she couldn’t even lift a finger, and the pain made it too difficult for her to chant any dark spell.
"I have read something in the scripture of the Sun Goddess. It is said that; One can redeem themselves by killing any source of evil," Anastasia muttered. She got up and walked towards her daughter. She grabbed the knife that Aria almost used to kill her just now and added, "I will redeem myself by killing you, the source of evil who has killed many. I shall be accepted by the Sun Goddess’ embrace after eliminating you, and I will start anew in heaven."
Anastasia aimed the knife at Aria’s neck and started stabbing her over and over, even though Aria was already on the brink of death at that point.
Aria had never thought this day would come when her mother would kill her. Her last thought was filled with the pain of betrayal, humiliation, and... despair.
’So this is what despair feels like... ha... hahaha... it feels terrible. This feels ten times worse than getting humiliated by Swan. No wonder Madam Harsetti told me that I need to feel despair before I can be the ultimate witch,’ Aria thought as she was on her last breath. She slowly closed her eyes with one last thought, ’Mother... why...’
*
Anastasia dropped the knife after she made sure Aria was dead. Her entire body shook when realization finally sunk in.
She had just killed her own daughter, and a trace of regret was plaguing her mind.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Beast King'S Crippled Mate