I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 104
For the Child’s Future
“Three visits to… what was it?” Riji tilted her head. She couldn’t quite remember if it was “three visits to the cottage” or “three visits to the hut.” Juhwan had told her that if she went several times and showed sincere devotion, the master leatherworker might eventually agree to teach her his craft.
To be honest, she hadn’t believed him. No artisan would simply share their trade secrets with a stranger, especially when she had so little to offer in return as compensation.
Juhwan was a clever man who knew and could do many things. He was likely a far more incredible person than Riji could even imagine.
Still, the impossible was impossible. Just because he said something didn’t mean imagination would turn into reality. If the world were that easy, everyone would be well-fed and living comfortably.
‘That’s what I thought.’
But after visiting several times to plead her case—and thanks to something Juhwan had said, though she wasn’t quite sure what it was—the master leatherworker had finally agreed to teach her the most basic methods of leather processing.
He wouldn’t teach her the specific techniques individuals used to enhance quality. What Riji could learn were only the fundamentals: how to soften the hides of magic beasts, which differed from ordinary animals, without damaging them. The master had been blunt, stating he would not teach her a single scrap of his personal know-how.
Even so, such knowledge was usually reserved strictly for apprentices. It wasn’t something an outsider like Riji, who had no connection to the trade, should have been able to learn.
It seemed that when Juhwan spoke, even the impossible became reality. She wondered if there was power in those words he used—that “three visits” thing. It was amazing. Like magic.
As Riji watched Juhwan with these thoughts in her mind, he suddenly chuckled.
“You’re staring. You’ll burn a hole in my face.”
“…Was I staring that much?”
“Yes. My eyes followed me wherever I went—this way and that.”
“….”
She hadn’t realized she’d been staring so intently.
Juhwan’s playful smile made it feel as though he could see everything inside her heart.
It was embarrassing. She wondered if he now knew just how much she liked him, and how much she needed him.
Flustered by the thought, she suddenly wanted to escape his gaze. As if they were taking turns, Juhwan was now the one watching her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Riji hurriedly stood up and went over to Dorothy.
Dorothy was cupping water in her tiny hands and splashing it over her face. She seemed to be scooping plenty of water into her palms, but almost none of it was reaching its target. Only a few droplets clung to her nose and mouth.
“Dorothy, you have to wash properly.”
Riji adjusted the cloth she had tied around the girl’s neck to keep her clothes dry, then began to wipe Dorothy’s hair from behind with a damp towel.
Perhaps because Riji had spoken up, a bit more water actually made it onto Dorothy’s face this time. Still, it was a hasty, careless scrub.
Hehe. A soft laugh escaped Riji’s lips. Being near the child, the joy of being allowed to learn magic beast leather processing began to leak out again.
‘I’m so glad.’
Looking at the child’s slender nape, Riji smiled gently.
Learning how to process magic beast hides was, of course, for Juhwan’s sake. She wanted to be of some small help while staying by his side.
If she could process the hides of the magic beasts he hunted, it would not only be helpful but would significantly impact their income. She could increase the value of the materials, allowing them to fetch a much better price.
However, Juhwan wasn’t the only reason Riji had been so persistent in pestering the master leatherworker. It was also for Dorothy.
If Dorothy grew up as she was, she would inevitably become a woman with no place to stand in this world. Riji was trying to find the best possible path for her.
‘Sigh.’
Riji let out a small sigh. Juhwan was a good man, but he was also a strange one. The way he treated Dorothy—and Riji herself—was far too different from everyone else.
Being with him felt like living in another world. It was like living in a beautiful, enchanted castle adorned only with the loveliest things.
‘But…’
Outside the magic castle, the real world still existed. Magic only worked inside the castle where Juhwan was; it held no power outside.
It didn’t matter for Riji, as she had become Juhwan’s wife. But Dorothy was different.
There was no chance that another man like Juhwan would appear in the future. None at all. Dorothy would eventually be cast alone into a world inhabited by men who were the exact opposite of her father.
A long sigh escaped Riji’s lips.
That wasn’t all. If Dorothy grew up under Juhwan’s care like this, her thoughts and perceptions would become very different from those of other women.
Juhwan was truly the only person who treated women this way. Men and women alike were different out there. If she took even one step outside the house, Dorothy would fit in nowhere. There was a high possibility she wouldn’t even be accepted by other women.
‘Juhwan probably doesn’t realize.’
Even if they were happy now, Dorothy’s future was full of uncertainties. Misfortune and despair might come for her.
When that happened, the skill of processing magic beast hides would surely be a lifeline for Dorothy. It would create a path for her to survive in a man’s world.
In a world where a woman couldn’t survive unless she was provided for by someone else, it would at least give her the possibility of standing on her own two feet.
‘It won’t be easy, though.’
There were no female leatherworkers. They didn’t even take women as apprentices. Even if she mastered the skill, it would likely be difficult for a woman to break into the society of leatherworkers.
Still, this was the best Riji could do for Dorothy.
If she had to learn a new skill as an adult, the situation would be desperate. But if she learned and mastered it from a young age under Riji’s guidance, she could stand as a craftswoman in her own right without having to depend on others.
Even if she wasn’t recognized by other artisans, she could still make a living as long as the Guild existed. Even if she didn’t have a husband, possessing such a high-level skill would at least allow her to survive.
’Of course, it would be best if she could meet a kind, good husband and live happily.’
Dorothy, finished with her cat-like washing, was leaves her head to Riji while wiggling her fingers playfully.
Riji finished drying her hair and knelt down. Dorothy turned around to look at her.
“Mama, are you done with my hair?”
“Yes.”
Dorothy gave a bright smile and bounced over to the corner of the room to grab a rag. It was made from a piece of the child’s outgrown clothing.
Dorothy pressed it against the floor, scrubbing at the puddles she had made.
“Mama, I’m a good worker, right?”
“….”
Well, she couldn’t exactly say she was doing a good job. It looked like she was pressing down hard to wipe the water, but in reality, only half of it was gone. Dorothy was more clumsy at chores than Riji had been at her age.
‘Five years old.’
In any other household, a child this age would already be helping with most chores and even looking after younger siblings.
But Dorothy, who had lived almost entirely alone in the mountains since birth, had never had the chance to learn such things. By the time they started living together, they didn’t even have a place where such chores could be done.
Dorothy had only just found a true place to live after meeting Juhwan. Everything was just beginning.
And in this place, Riji was the mother. She was the only one who could teach Dorothy how to live as a woman.
A heavy sense of responsibility weighed on her shoulders. Could she, a woman so lacking that she had been sold by her own father, truly raise a child? She didn’t feel like she could do it properly.
‘I’m not confident, but I’m her mother.’
Riji took a soft breath. The future was in her hands.
If she ever intended for Dorothy to marry another man, she had to teach her not only the skills of leatherworking but also everything a woman needed to know.
In this world, everything from food and clothing to every single item in the house depended on a woman’s hands.
Riji herself wasn’t particularly skilled, and the thought that Dorothy might end up even worse was terrifying. If that happened, she would truly have to give up on the idea of marriage. She couldn’t let that happen.
Riji put on a stern expression and looked at Dorothy.
“Dorothy, the floor is still wet.”
“Oh… really?”
Dorothy stared at the floor and then, looking a bit discouraged, began to wipe the wet spots again.
Her hands were still clumsy. She moved the rag to another spot before finishing the first one.
Because Riji kept pointing it out and making her wipe again, it took a long time just to clean a patch the size of a palm. Riji wasn’t being angry, but Dorothy’s small back seemed to shrink as if she were sinking into the floor.
Perhaps finding Dorothy’s state pitiful, Riji could feel Juhwan’s restless energy nearby.
Riji flinched ever so slightly. He was a man who doted on the child excessively. She felt a bit tense, wondering if Juhwan would say something about her behavior.
If it had been Riji’s father or any other man, shouts and insults would have flown the moment something displeased them.
But Juhwan said nothing. Though he clearly cared about Dorothy and was paying close attention, he simply watched in silence.
When the floor was finally more or less dry, Riji finally offered the child a word of praise.
“That’s enough, Dorothy. It’s clean now.”
As Riji stroked her hair, Dorothy stole a quick glance at her mother’s face and then beamed.
“Yes. You did very well.”
Riji gave Juhwan a brief glance and gave the child a gentle nudge on the back.
“Go to Papa.”
“Okay!”
As Dorothy scurried over to Juhwan with a pitter-patter of footsteps, her husband scooped the girl up and hoisted her into the air.
“Papa! Dorothy worked really, really hard!”
“I know, Papa saw everything. Our Dorothy is incredible! Every time you wiped, the water just vanished. You’re amazing.”
“Right?”
Seeing Juhwan praise the child with such exaggeration, Riji felt a quiet sense of relief.
Neither Dorothy nor her husband blamed her for her actions. Her heart, which had been hesitant for fear of a sharp reaction, settled into a comfortable peace.
A person’s place is defined by those around them. If the people around you constantly criticize and shout, telling you that you’re worthless, incompetent, or stupid, you’re bound to wither away. Until now, Riji had always lived in such a place.
But Juhwan didn’t criticize her like that. Even when she did something he might not agree with, he waited for her to explain. He never shouted or got angry at her in front of the child.
*
That night, after the child had fallen asleep, Riji told Juhwan what she had been thinking, one thing at a time. Her anxieties, the future, the injustices of society, and the conclusions she had reached in her own way.
Yet, she felt she wasn’t explaining it properly. The thoughts in her head seemed to get jumbled up the moment she spoke them aloud. She thought that Anet would surely have explained it all much more articulately.
However, after listening to Riji’s rambling, Juhwan simply smiled and nodded.
“I see, so that’s what you were thinking.”
Juhwan pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to her hair.
“You’re right, Riji. I didn’t think of that. You’re right, that is how the world is. Yes, because of me…”
For some reason, Juhwan’s voice sounded a little sad. Did he think that he was the one warping Dorothy’s future?
Riji lifted her head to look into Juhwan’s eyes.
“But Juhwan, it’s not bad. It’s not a bad thing at all.”
A person who has never tasted delicious bread can’t even imagine what it tastes like. They spend their whole lives thinking that hard, crumbly, tasteless bread is all there is to the world.
Happiness is the same. Someone who has never experienced it simply lives a miserable life and dies miserably. If they don’t know what happiness is, they won’t have anything to envy, but such a life is worse than that of a beast.
She had never thought of it that way before, but now Riji knew for certain it was true. Because she was living it.
“I’d rather live ten years knowing what happiness is than live a hundred years without it. If I had to choose, I would choose even a single day of happiness. Dorothy is surely the same.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Juhwan, who was far more intelligent than Riji, seemed to have much on his mind. He was quiet for most of the evening. Occasionally, he would look at Riji and Dorothy’s faces and offer a gentle smile. That smile looked a bit sad, which made her heart ache.
And in the middle of the night, in her drowsy state, she heard Juhwan murmuring.
“Am I plunging them into misery just so I can be happy? If that’s the case…”
She couldn’t hear the rest of what he said. But was that really it? It absolutely wasn’t. Riji tried to tell him so, but she drifted back into sleep before she could.
She felt Juhwan’s lips gently touch her cheek. Her heart felt heavy with regret. She and Dorothy were so happy, and she worried that her inability to speak well had made Juhwan sad. That wasn’t why she had brought it up.
‘I’m sorry, Juhwan. I’m sorry.’
As she thought this, she heard Juhwan’s voice in her ear.
“I’m sorry, Dorothy. It’s my fault.”
It wasn’t like that at all, but as she was pulled into sleep, Riji felt a sudden urge to cry.
