I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 137

137. Side Story 2: Finding Dad’s True Happiness (10)

2024.03.22.

“Hahaha!”

Matthias found Ashid’s expression, which brightened dramatically at the permission to be picky, quite amusing.

He laughed heartily for a long time before speaking.

“Don’t worry, Ashid.”

“Yes!”

“It’s not because you’re picky that I dislike you.”

It was half a joke.

A sort of grumbling about how he resented Ashid for stealing his daughter’s affection.

However, Ashid seemed to have taken his words somewhat differently.

“I am well aware that you don’t like me.”

Matthias chuckled playfully at his strangely serious tone.

“What’s with the seriousness?”

“If you don’t like me, I will change that too. I can make up for my impoverished childhood by achieving more feats. I cannot completely erase the memories of my childhood, but if you dislike it, I will even buy a title…”

Matthias said with a blank expression.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“I apologize for once being of such lowly status that I was unworthy to be with someone as noble as her.”

Matthias ran a hand roughly through his hair and rebuked in a low voice.

“You’re by Sien’s side, yet you still don’t understand.”

“Yes?”

“Your status doesn’t matter. I have no intention of opposing what Sien deems acceptable.”

“That is…”

He seemed to want to ask why Matthias was being difficult and imposing conditions on someone Sien approved of.

The reason was simple.

It was simply because his heart would ache if Sien married right away.

‘Isn’t it okay to indulge in that much selfishness?’

Matthias, with no intention of revealing his true feelings, opened his mouth.

“Your status, whatever it may be, is of no concern to me. Frankly, the reason I oppose you is…”

“…Yes. Please, speak.”

Ashid’s Adam’s apple bobbed with tension.

Matthias looked at him as if it were nothing and said.

“It’s merely a father’s desire not to send his daughter away.”

“The meaning of those words is…”

“It’s not that there’s a problem with you.”

“…”

“So, don’t say things like your status is lowly. That’s disrespectful to Sien, who chose you.”

Ashid’s expression crumbled slightly at the unexpected words.

A subtle mix of emotion and relief washed over his heart.

He tried to hide his turbulent feelings and opened his mouth.

“I understand… I am simply grateful for your words.”

He bit his lip, trying his best not to show his emotions.

But for Matthias, it was all too easy to catch the raw expressions of a man who had lived only half as long as he had.

“What’s with that touched expression?”

Ashid bit his lip tightly.

It wasn’t just a touched expression; he was genuinely moved.

That’s why he couldn’t say anything.

He stared at Matthias, who wore an indifferent face, and repeatedly bit his trembling lips.

‘Is this what it’s like to be around Sien-nim?’

Even Matthias, whom he had thought was a villain, was moving him.

He was reminded of his childhood, when he had been abandoned on the streets and wandered from place to place.

It felt as though the painful trauma deep within him, created by that time, was slowly being healed thanks to Sien and her family.

Matthias glanced at Ashid, who stood silently, and said with a cold expression.

“Hmm, it seems you need some healing.”

“Yes?”

“Healing, I said. Healing.”

It was causing cognitive dissonance to hear him say ‘healing’ with a face so cold it seemed like he would kill everything.

Ashid could only nod, unable to answer.

But Matthias shrugged as if it were nothing.

“Alright. So, tomorrow, we’re going somewhere else. Not the ice wall.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Aren’t you going to ask where?”

“I don’t mind. I will go anywhere Matthias-nim leads.”

Matthias thought.

‘…Well, maybe having him as a son-in-law wouldn’t be so bad.’

That thought briefly crossed his mind before disappearing.

***

Matthias and Ashid headed to a rural village side by side.

Once, Matthias had informed the village’s youth leader and the lord of the territory that he was the head of the Mirmod family.

But they seemed to be quite tight-lipped.

There were still people in the rural village who didn’t know that Matthias was the great head of the Mirmod family.

Was that why?

As soon as they entered the village, the women who were farming near the entrance immediately approached Matthias.

“Oh my, who is this!”

“Matti, is that you? I thought you had eloped!”

Ashid glanced sideways with a bewildered expression at their overly familiar behavior towards Matthias.

But Matthias didn’t seem to care about their casual conversation and said comfortably.

“Eloped? Nothing like that happened.”

“Haha, nothing happened, but you only come after 15 years?”

“That’s true, too. Actually, something did happen.”

“Oh, what happened?”

Matthias lowered his voice secretively.

“I went to the capital and faced various trials.”

“Hey, we won’t know if you say it like that!”

“Should I tell you in detail? You wouldn’t believe it. Actually, I was a duke…”

“What nonsense! Haha, anyway, I can already tell you’ve been through thick and thin.”

The women cackled, looking at the easygoing Matthias.

Only Ashid, who knew that Matthias’s words were not a joke but the truth, wiped the sweat from his brow.

Ashid listened to their banter, looking around with an uneasy expression.

‘What is Matthias-nim’s intention in coming here, and why is he letting me hear his conversations with them? Besides, how great are these people that they treat Matthias-nim like this…’

Could it be that the Mirmod family’s infamy hasn’t reached this rural area?

Either way, it was a rather confusing and unfamiliar situation for Ashid.

Then, one of the women suddenly spoke.

“But why did only you come? What about our Sien!”

“Is something wrong with our cute baby, or something?”

Did they not know that Sien Mirmod was the little kid they used to adore?

Either way, it was quite confusing and unfamiliar to Ashid.

Then, Matthias laughed good-naturedly and waved his hand.

“Haha, there’s no way something’s wrong with Sien. She’s doing well at home right now.”

“Then bring Sien next time! I miss our little kid.”

“I will. Be satisfied with me today.”

“Haha! Of course!”

Even though lighthearted banter was exchanged naturally, Ashid flinched, watching the villagers treat Matthias so casually.

But Matthias was acting as if all of that was natural.

One of the women, watching Matthias act like a fox, showed him a potato covered in dirt and said.

“Then, shall we quickly make some soup with this potato? It’s a special treat! Let’s go and catch up after a long time!”

“Ah, let’s go. I’m excited to think about eating potato soup after a long time.”

“Yes, let’s go quickly. Ah! But who is that young man next to you?”

It was quite a late greeting, but Ashid answered lightly.

“I am Sien-nim’s…”

Then, Matthias took over his words and said naturally.

“He’s a subordinate.”

Ashid couldn’t deny the fact.

It was true that he had once volunteered to be Sien’s subordinate…

And the women were almost turned upside down by those words.

“To think that our Sien would have a subordinate!”

“Sien has made it big!”

“Let’s go quickly. Let’s go and continue the story!”

In the boisterous atmosphere, Ashid wore a difficult expression to adapt to.

Matthias shrugged, looking at him.

***

In fact, there was nothing special about why Matthias brought Ashid to the rural village.

It was because he kept feeling uneasy about Ashid’s appearance of revealing his lowly status and hunching his shoulders in a pathetic manner.

‘If he sees with his own eyes that Sien also grew up in the countryside, he won’t say weak things because of his status.’

In fact, he had to be cold-hearted to verify his prospective son-in-law, but somehow, Ashid’s miserable face kept catching his eye.

‘No, why am I acting as if I’ve already accepted him as my son-in-law?’

He felt very uncomfortable thinking that way.

Matthias washed his face roughly and turned his thoughts elsewhere.

‘If you want to know Sien well, you have to know about this rural village too. If he says useless things like the countryside is uncomfortable, he’s immediately disqualified.’

He felt a little more comfortable thinking that this was also part of the verification process.

He looked around and smiled contentedly.

It was this rural village that created Sien’s happy childhood.

Sien used to run around and have fun here.

So Ashid, who volunteered to be Sien’s husband, had to know about this rural village.

‘Besides, I have things to do.’

Matthias looked around with a determined expression.

The place where he was reminiscing about the past was the village hall.

Ashid, Matthias, and the trio of women were gathered at the village hall, cooking and eating potato soup.

Matthias ignored the women’s unspoken pressure to take a spoonful of potato soup and started talking.

“A five-year-old Sien grew up here.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“She was so cute!”

Matthias glanced at Ashid and asked the women.

“Do you all remember Sien from that time?”

The most important thing he wanted to do was to brag about Sien.

Matthias wanted to let Ashid know ‘how cute, lovely, and adorable Sien’s childhood, which he wanted to marry, was’.

‘If he knows how lovely Sien was, he might not even dare to covet her.’

In his memory, the women in this rural village sincerely loved Sien.

Every time he heard their praises, he felt how amazing Sien was!

That’s why he came here.

And his intention worked wonderfully.

The women started to passionately express their feelings, almost throwing their spoons on the floor.

“Oh my, she was so cute!”

“She caught all the scammers when she was young.”

“She was so cute!”

The praise, no, the adoration for Sien’s cuteness continued for a long time.

Matthias watched the women recite Sien’s achievements for over an hour and wore a proud expression.

“Yes, my daughter was this amazing.”

Ashid, who had been listening to all the words, also nodded silently.

If Sien were here, she would have said, ‘Please, everyone, stop it! I’m so embarrassed!’ The endless bragging was continuing.

And Ashid, who had been silent, began to speak.

“Shouldn’t we build a statue of Sien-nim here?”