*Sssiiipp….
A remarkably long sip of tea had consumed half of the contents. Once again, Bara felt his dry throat moistened, waiting a few minutes before it returned to its parched state. Placing his tea cup elegantly on its small saucer, Bara gazed at the handsome man sitting across from him.
"Do you want more, Young Master?" asked the servant standing behind Prata, holding a tea jug in his hand.
"No, thank you..." Bara replied, feeling a slight bloating sensation in his stomach. This was already his third refill since taking his seat. The silence between him and Prata cast a chill over the otherwise sunny weather.
Currently seated in the beautiful garden of Karambit Mansion, the clear weather and gentle breeze brought a natural calmness and coolness. Rare and beautiful flowers exuded the soothing aroma of spring. High-quality tea and crispy snacks made mouths eager to express the joy within.
Everything was perfect for a delightful tea party that brought tranquility if it weren't for the wrong conversation partner. In front of Bara, Prata sat with crossed legs, a straight posture, and a lifted chin. His very elegant demeanour sips a cup of tea slowly, exuding perfect elegance.
His handsome face, beautiful dress, and sparkling jewelry elevated Prata's aristocratic aura by several levels. However, for Bara, he despised Prata's appearance from the depths of his heart. The overly long clothing hindered movement, useless trinkets only weighed down the body, and the graceful movements revealed that the body had never been used for combat before.
"Do you not like my appearance?" Prata's voice suddenly caught Bara on guard.
"Ah... yes... I mean... no..."
"Especially this earring... You gaze at it with disgust," Prata continued without caring about Bara's answer. His slender fingers caressed his ear, which hung low due to the weight of the earrings. Though he didn't show it, Bara's eyes displayed disgust.
Wearing accessories on the ears was taboo for a werebeast. Their hearing ability was one of their ultimate weapons for superiority against other species. Thus, piercing the ears and putting on weights was a form of blasphemy for a fighter like Bara. Prata's downturned ears indicated that his hearing ability was no longer as perfect as other normal werebeasts.
"*snort!... You'll wear it someday," Prata said.
"Impossible!" Bara retorted immediately.
Prata didn't pursue it further, only smirking in mockery. He then averted his gaze to the flower garden beside them. His eyes seemed to stare into the distance, searching for something in the beautiful scenery.
Once again, Bara felt his throat dry and wanted to refill his tea. However, he quickly stopped his hand, not wanting to refill it for the fourth time.
"Why did you want to meet with me?" Bara asked, attempting to break the game of silence between them. However, he was met with a silence that made Bara grit his teeth. If Prata weren't his father, he would have already struck him hard across the face. In the end, Bara could only take a deep breath and prepare to stand up, but before he could do so, Prata's voice was heard again...
"Do you know that this flower garden is Tendra's favorite? Each blossom represents Tendra's hard work, planting them day by day. Watering them every morning and fertilizing them with hands covered in dirt. No one acknowledges his hard work, yet strangely, this garden is often used to entertain guests. Every time they praise this beautiful garden, strangely, not a single person mentions Tendra. Odd, isn't it? Tendra seems to disappear along with all memories of him..."
Bara sat back in his chair and gazed at Prata, who was still staring blankly at the flower garden. Tendra was Bara's grandfather, who disappeared two weeks after Bara's birth. Prata, Devi, and Amara were Tendra and Sarala's biological children, yet strangely, none of them sought Tendra's whereabouts, as if Tendra had never existed in this world. Prata was the first person to say anything about Tendra since Bara could remember.
"Do you blame me for what happened to Tendra?" Bara asked, his forehead furrowed.
Prata snorted, and a small chuckle escaped from his mouth. It was as if he had just heard a very amusing joke, almost breaking his aristocratic manners. Without looking at Bara, Prata casually said, "I don't care about what happened to Tendra. He might not even be my biological father..."
Bara jerked back, nearly crushing the cup in his hand. His eyes widened, staring at Prata's still very relaxed face.
'What the hell is this guy saying!!! Does he not want to live anymore??'
Bara quickly looked at the servant behind Prata. The servant seemed unfazed his face still adorned with the same smile as before. However, Bara couldn't fathom what might happen if this servant report what he heard to Sarala.
"Hmm... Look at your face... It seems you're not as naive as I thought fufufu... The possibility that I'm not Tendra's son is quite significant. Even Devi and Amara might not be his children either. I wonder with whom Sarala slept to conceive the three of us... fufufu... interesting, isn't it?" Prata laughed.
THIS GUY IS REALLY SEARCHING FOR DEATH!!!!
Right now, Bara wanted to shut Prata up for good. He didn't know who might overhear their conversation, and if this talk leaked out, it wouldn't just be Prata's head that would roll; he would also be at risk. Perhaps Sarala wouldn't kill him, but he could bid farewell to his freedom.
Suddenly, Prata stopped laughing, and his eyes turned very serious. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Tendra wasn't cunning like Amara, not as brutal as Devi, and not as cowardly as me... He... was a gentle person, harboring no grudges, and cheerful... his presence brought warmth and joy... his hearty laughter brought happiness to those who heard it... he never had enemies and never interfered... he... he was a pure-hearted person... I even thought he wasn't a tiger beast... hahahaha... if only he weren't a tiger beast... if only he weren't a Mahendra..."
"..."
Bara didn't know how to respond. Prata's face didn't show sadness; his expression remained flat. But the sorrow was evident in his eyes. Bara could imagine that the relationship between Prata and Tendra was a close one. Perhaps Prata truly considered Tendra his biological father despite evidence to the contrary.
The prolonged silence returned, and once again, Bara's throat felt dry. He reluctantly had to gulp down the remaining tea in his cup, and the servant behind Prata quickly refilled it. This time, Bara didn't protest and allowed his cup to be filled to the brim again.
"Father, why did you want to meet with me?" Bara asked for the second time, this time his voice no longer sounded cold.
"…" Prata turned to look at Bara. This time, he gazed directly into his eyes, as if searching for something.
"Father, huh?" he said.
What now?
"Do you think I'm really your biological father?" he continued.
"HUH?!?" surprise escaped Bara's wide-open mouth and the shock was visible in his wide-eyed eyes..
"..."
Not hearing the continuation, Bara's mind went blank.
Suddenly, a grin formed on Prata's lips. "Pffft… hahahahaha!!!" and hearty laughter erupted.
THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT!!!!
"Hahaha… you don't need to worry… hahhaha…" Prata wiped his eyes, which were brimming with tears... Yet his laughter seemed unstoppable, "hahahaha… I'm your biological father… hahaha..." then he suddenly stopped laughing, as if a switch had been pressed. "The test was done right when you were born. If not, I wouldn't still be alive now, would I?" he said casually, winking one eye.
THE HELL!!!
WHAT KIND OF FAMILY WAS I BORN INTO!!! SOMEONE PLEASE REPLACE ME!!
Bara rubbed his face, which had stiffened. Trying to calm his pounding heart. He had seen many shocking things in his life, and never once had he lost control. Betrayals by the Adherent always made him think this was the limit of absurdity he would encounter.
But this family truly shattered that limit without a trace.
He was still trying to adapt to the reality that his grandfather might not be his biological grandfather. His father was his uncle, and there was a possibility that he might sleep with his grandmother, mother, aunt, or cousin. So when he heard that his father might not be his biological father, it was only natural for Bara to lose control of his expression.
"Seriously, can you tell me the reason you wanted to meet with me?" Bara said with frustration.
"Can't it be because I just want to have a conversation with my son?" Prata replied with a grin on his face.
FUCK!!! ENOUGH, LET ME SHOW YOU WHY THEY CALL ME THE REAL WOODCUTTER!!!
"You and I both know that's not the reason!" Bara retorted.
"hehehe…" chuckled Prata casually. But before Bara could explode, Prata continued, "I know you want to seek protection by being under Sarala. However, she's not someone you can manipulate so easily… Don't you understand the danger of the path you've chosen? Do you think being in the mouth of a dragon is safer than being in a snake's cage?"
Bara fell silent, staring at Prata's serious face, trying to discern the meaning behind the question. Why did Prata care about what he did? As far as he could remember, Prata had never communicated with Baralyn. Their relationship was very distant, with Baralyn being afraid of his father, and Prata always mocking his son.
Concern? Impossible, no?
Bara didn't know; he wasn't skilled at reading someone's face or understanding the intent behind their words. Although he could solve problems created by the Adherent, 80% of the methods he used involved violence. All problems would be resolved when you were strong enough not to care about what others thought.
Fuck Terra, you said I would enjoy this reincarnation!!! Then why do I have to think so hard like this?
Bara took a deep breath and spoke his truth, "I don't have another choice, do I? I don't want to wear earrings..."
Bara chose to be honest with Prata. If anyone heard this answer, he could only hope they would think he was going through a rebellious phase.
"Is that so?" Prata fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, you need to train your flirting skills," he continued.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" a big question mark formed on Bara's face. He was a Blood Master; his flirting skills were trained directly by countless courtesans and his wise wife. Bara was confident that he was number two to no one in flirting.
"Hmm... you can't accept it? Well, I'll tell you: your way will end with your body drying up, lying in a street corner! Indeed, you can arouse a woman's lust, making them interested in you. However, that method is only used by men who don't have a face as handsome as yours! Your way will not only make women interested but also drive them insane to the point of losing their sanity. And that's very dangerous for us; you can't imagine what women who are crazy about a man can do. If you don't want to end up having to being rape by many women, you better stop doing it," Prata replied while sipping his tea again.
"What?" Bara was shocked; Prata's answer reminded him of the incident when he met Anika. Back then, Bara truly felt that Anika would have pushed him to the ground if Alex hadn't been there.
"Well... it seems like being a slut isn't the path you want to choose, am I right?"
Bara nodded. Somehow, he felt that Prata was like a highly experienced mentor. Bara didn't want to be arrogant; arrogance led to defeat. A good fighter was someone who always learned from other fighters and kept evolving to become better.
"Do you know what I should do?" Bara asked without any hesitation.
Pride? Pff! All pride would be useless when your lifeless body lies on the ground.
"Well... it's true that being aloof will only push them away, but being too close will make you look cheap. First, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Then, you must figure out your goals and what you want from the women around you," Prata replied.
"My strengths... I'm handsome, even too handsome. I have a great body... and maybe my speaking skills. My weaknesses... hmm? Maybe being stubborn?" Bara listed.
"I think your biggest weakness is your high libido," Prata said with a smile.
"What?"
"Hehehe... I know you get very aroused when Sarala hugs you. You even greedily inhale her body scent... hahaha..."
"What? Is it that obvious?"
"Yup, I think Sarala is aware of it too, but she probably thinks it's just a phase of your adolescence," Prata explained.
"Fuck! Isn't this very dangerous?" cursed Bara.
"Yup, it's very dangerous... and stop cursing. A noble attitude is one of your weapons in this matter. It makes you look more classy and makes women cautious when approaching you," Prata explained.
"Sigh... then what should I do?" Bara asked.
"Well... first, you need to—"
The conversation between father and son continued until the sun was about to set.