Read Beauty and the Thief [Revision Hiatus] :: Chapter 10: Paternal Sin

WARNINGS
Manipulation and emotional abuse!

That response would loudly sound against the smile spread across Master Tao’s face. It was wide and celebratory, and yet? Tao Hua wasn’t celebrating at all. He froze, watching as Master Tao extended his hand toward him, but it didn’t land. Instead, it casually swung past and towards the bookshelf, picking out one book after another.

“Nonsense, son! This is good news. Don’t be sorry,” he laughed, nudging Tao Hua aside with the tap of his hands and directing his head to the bench. It was pressed against the opposite side of the bookshelf in all that looked uncomfortable. “If you needed help, you should have come to me, Tao Hua. I’m your father, you know?”

“R-Right…father.” Tao Hua’s stomach wrenched, churning the intense guilt and fear. He leaned sideways, away from his father’s arm, and tried to hide the look of disgust on his face. “You’re right…I should have gone to you. I’m sorry, I messed up.”

“A son unable to confide in his father is nothing more than a sin. What parent would that make me?” Master Tao placed a hand on Tao Hua’s back, causing him to writhe and nearly hurl up a few questionable words. “Come—let’s take a seat.”

Even if Tao Hua tried to resist, he couldn’t fight against his father’s firm grip. Master Tao directed him, and the two were on their way to play pretend once more.

Reluctantly, Tao Hua sat on that rather expensive seat, which to him was utterly boring. For example: fun seats bounced. This seat did not bounce; therefore, it was not fun.

Simply put: this bench was a bad bench. 0/10, not worth slapping.

As soon as Master Tao joined Tao Hua, he leisurely leaned forward and propped his elbows against his knees. Even crouched, the difference between father and son was worth mentioning. In the worst possible way, it made Tao Hua look small and powerless. Well, he didn’t look it; he was small and powerless in this situation.

Rest in pieces, Little Flower.

His father paid no mind and instead opened the book in his hands. The pages flipped until landing on one that caused his eyebrows to perk.

“See, for a bit I was actually concerned,” said Master Tao with a laugh so innocent it reeked of ulterior motive. He sat back and passed the open book to Tao Hua, who ever-so-reluctantly accepted. When he glanced down at the page, that’s when everything in his stomach truly cranked up and twisted violently.

“What is this…?” Tao Hua asked helplessly.

“A solution to your problem. What else?”

The page wasn’t anything to do with communication, or friends; it didn’t even have a single trace of merchant shit written on it! This was something far worse, and one Tao Hua had been avoiding for quite some time.

A page, almost brand new, but smelled older than any book he had. Its synopsis, simplified, described how straightforward it was to fix a marriage. Ugh!

Pressing a shaking thumb onto the page, Tao Hua vehemently resisted the urge to take his nail and rip at it aggressively. He was a man, not a cat. Though being a cat didn’t sound so bad in that moment.

Hesitating, Tao Hua finally asked, “Why are you concerned…?”

“I thought you’d turn out like your mother.” Master Tao’s head shook with an exhaustive smile, but Tao Hua only caught a glimpse of it. He whipped his head away from the book and his father so quickly, it nearly sent his blue bow flying.

This wasn’t enough to redden his eyes, however, nor did it make any tears fall. Tao Hua wasn’t typically affected by the truth of his mother—to explain it plainly, he never once got to meet her. She died at his birth, thus another was born. This was “The Village Letdown.”

It was true Tao Hua didn’t feel much for his mother—such was expected for someone who’d never once met the woman. But to deny there wasn’t a looming grief? Lying by omission, commonly defined as the act of intentionally deceiving someone not by lying, but by withholding information.

The victim of this deceit? Tao Hua.

But that was okay; he had his form of acceptance, and that was in the philosophy of “if it’s written, it’s alive.” Tao Hua, in that little book of his, brought her to life with each twist of a quill.

It all paired nicely with each picture drawn for him.

So, Tao Hua wasn’t hurt by the mere mention of his mother. He was more annoyed at being compared to someone he never got the chance to meet, and one where his existence was the reason they couldn’t exist. Twenty years, and he still couldn’t quite understand it.

“Oh, don’t be that way, Tao Hua.” Master Tao reached over and flipped the book back to its upright position. “Your grandfather really did a disservice to you—spoiling you and all. Too much, if you ask me.”

Ah, now that was the insult to win against all insults: the mention of his grandfather. Tao Hua couldn’t help but squeeze his hands into fists, and he tried desperately not to shatter his own teeth.

Master Tao patted down the book, withdrawing his hand, but it didn’t return to his side. This time, he reached up and pressed it against the back of Tao Hua’s head, causing him to lock up.

“See, there’re a few things I failed to teach you,” he began, gripping the back and forcing Tao Hua to face the page of the book. He leaned in, using his other hand to point to the subject. “The world out there is cold—nothing like those fairytales your grandfather fed you.”

A shiver ran down Tao Hua’s back, nearly dampening it wet, but despite his inner wailing, he was weakened in place. All he could do was stare down at the words laughing at him.

“You should already know this, and if you don’t, well, that’s my fault,” said Master Tao casually. His thumb grazed along the back of Tao Hua’s head, causing Tao Hua to squeeze his eyes shut. Only a few times did he move his hands, and that was to wipe off the sweat that pooled large. But Master Tao, with his wistfully coy smile, just continued. “It might be better if you spent less of your time lost in other worlds and started to learn about this one. Right, Tao Hua?”

Master Tao’s thumb pinched into the back of his neck, nearly causing Tao Hua to jolt forward and cry out in pain. But he was smart! Kind of. He knew how to choke back the sounds; that was through twenty years of practice. Instead, he took his trembling hands and tried to steady the book on his lap.

It was a lot harder than it looked.

To make matters worse, anytime he tried to read the title, it would blur more and more, until it was as cloudy as trying to open one’s eyes under the waters of a lake.

“It’s a joy!” Master Tao cheerily exclaimed, loosening his grip and trailing his hand down to Tao Hua’s shoulder. “Children. There’s nothing more rewarding than bringing one into this world. Marriage is simply a by-product of that and important to our survival.”

Tao Hua didn’t dare respond or move; he just watched as his father aggressively tapped against the page. “If you wish to survive, Tao Hua, that starts with being in your fiancees good graces. If you don’t know how, read.”

“U-Um…can we move on?” asked Tao Hua in a voice soft, nearly as quiet as the sound of a falling feather. It was his attempt at trying to control the situation, but it was no better than a kitten trying to command a household. “I get it—um, what you need me to do, and stuff…sorry, Father. I just…”

But the rest of Tao Hua’s words mumbled into noises more than they did syllables. No problem; however, Master Tao took that as a moment to continue.

“I’m not sure you do,” he said, patting his “son’s” shoulders. “Which is why I’m here: to guide you. How great is that, Tao Hua?”

His father looked more like a fox than he did human with that smile of his—it was earnest in all that was a pandering merchant. To this, Tao Hua also didn’t know how to respond.

The day started off brilliantly, and it was going to end terribly, and even worse if he spoke back. It was as if the heavens were screaming down at Tao Hua and casting a “bad omen” over his halo. At this rate, the inevitability of a terrible night was creeping in more and more.

“Right, Tao Hua?” His father squeezed Tao Hua’s shoulder tighter, leaning in to showcase that god-awful smile of his.

“…” Each line next to Tao Hua’s lips became more and more distinguishable from each quiver. He wanted to desperately rip off his father’s hand and throw it away, but Tao Hua knew better—he also had years of experience. So, resigning into his own stature was the best he could offer. He somewhat leaned forward and nodded. “Understood.”

That dream of being saved was becoming less and less like a dream, and more like a plea.

It was true when said one doesn’t understand how addicting sugar is when they go most of their life without trying it. Give them a taste, and the addiction rises tenfold without the skill of learning control.

To Tao Hua, the sugar was the person he met, and the inability to control it lived in how everything he ignored suddenly lit up brighter than the sun. Even if he could choke back his tears, he’d be even more of a liar to say he didn’t want that person to save him.

But that moment soon passed with a shiver and a look of disgust. He knew that the person, who probably had many people surrounding him, didn’t think twice about someone as obsessive as Tao Hua.

How sad a person he was.

Somehow, that hurt more than the way his father nearly crushed his shoulder. Glancing over, Tao Hua’s face fell to his father’s delight.

“Good boy! That’s the spirit!” Finally, Master Tao removed his slimy hand from Tao Hua’s shoulders. In a way, it was a weight, and once that weight was removed, Tao Hua nearly lopsided clumsily. His father didn’t give a shit; he just cheered, “It’s my job to ensure that future of yours is fulfilled.”

With a laugh, Master Tao sat back, crossing his legs and placing his hands on them. “Which isn’t easy, you know? You’ve always been such a difficult child—I also blame that on your grandfather. I’m glad you finally understood just how hard it is to be a father.”

Glancing to the side, Tao Hua contemplated a few things. See, if he just fell off this bench, maybe his father would show him an ounce of genuine care—you know, a care that’s unconditional. But that was stupid; he already knew the response.

So, Tao Hua fell into a slump, tapping his fingers to the beat of seconds, mouthing each number.

“Aaaaah, how lucky you are, Tao Hua, to have such a fortunate family.” His father let out a long, satisfied sigh, shifting comfortably in the seat. His next statement was said through words as dull as they were motivated. “And how lucky I am of a father to have such a son.”

The look on Tao Hua’s face was devastating. It was a dam of melancholic emotions, threatening to burst in a moment of “I give up.” For so long he’d successfully avoided his father, only ever seeing him when other people were around. Having run into him was the bad that was meant to be good.

All he wanted to do was make a friend.

The world was truly unkind.

Chapter end.

Authors Note

This was one of the harder chapters for me to write (not the hardest, though). A lot in this novel will be hard, emotionally, for me to write. Normally I enjoy writing fluffy and happy stuff! Though my next novel will have many different scenes depending on the arc. I've already written most of it, and some include straetgy settings, horror, and just genuine slice-of-life.

I want to assure readers that all my stories will always have a happy ending. Life's already rough.

Art and Illustrations

The illustrations finally started. Now, I want to say that my artstyle isn't magnificent by any measure. I struggle with a lot, so these will be sketchy at best. As long as they depict it, though, I'm happy!

When I get better, I can go over each and spruce it up.

So far chapter 12 is illustrated, and so is chapter 14 or 15. It depends on editing and if the chapter needs to be split due to length. Also, illustrations will be sporadic and not timed. It just depends if I'm ahead of my buffer and have time to draw.

As always, thanks for reading! Hopefully I understood how to do add warnings, if not, I'd like to learn.