But it can still be handled well enough.
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Why don’t you call me young master?”
“What is young master? I’m not really sure what you mean.”
“…”
The answer was simple. Always play dumb and insist that you know nothing!
* * *
…And so, after about ten minutes of confrontation had passed, I had been reborn as the most hopeless stable hand imaginable.
“You’re saying you don’t know how to feed the cows?”
“Yes.”
I was technically at risk of getting fired at this rate, but that was fine. All I had to do was be remembered as a hopeless new hire who would disappear in a day anyway. So I tilted my head slightly and said, “I haven’t been working here for very long. Aside from the most basic things, I don’t really know much myself.”
“Hmm…”
Stick to ‘I don’t know’ for everything, no matter what. I didn’t miss the faint look of disappointment that briefly crossed my brother-in-law’s face.
“Still, you’re dressed remarkably well for a day laborer.”
“What?”
I looked down at my clothes. They were anything but neat. They were worn out and even had dirt and dust on them.
Arseno then spoke in a low voice. “Most stable hands in my family don’t really wear clothes.”
“…?”
They were crazy b*stards who went around naked?
As if noticing my expression turning strange, Arseno smiled brightly and said, “Yes, your guess is right.”
That’s not even human behavior… Perhaps because I was a modern person who considered observing the proper time and place a given, and because I had also lived as a noble for a long time, even if I had pretended to be a good-for-nothing, everything he said was gradually becoming more and more shocking to me.
Without realizing it, I glanced toward Vientin. Hey, you should’ve told me that beforehand…! Although even if he had told me beforehand, I’m not sure I could have walked around without a shirt on.
Ah, it would really be troublesome if this guy took a liking to me. Actually, even being remembered as some peculiar and fascinating stable hand was dangerous. Because you never know how the butterfly effect will happen. The fact that my existence had already been remembered by someone from the past meant that something had gone seriously wrong.
After Arseno left, I remained behind. Shoving horse manure, I thought deeply. Did we come here for nothing? I had the nagging feeling that I had needlessly stirred up a hornet’s nest, and was just beginning to chew over my slight regret when Vientin professionally snatched the shovel from my hands as I was rapidly clearing away the manure.
“I can do it faster.”
“Ah.”
He gave a crooked smile. “It will be much faster if I do it.”
How could Vientin possibly be faster? Of course, he’s superior to me in stamina, physical strength, and defense. But I had a skill that could overcome sheer physical ability, didn’t I? It was just as I was looking at him with genuine doubt.
“I learned it from my older brother when I was young.”
“Aah…”
Now that made sense. If he learned it from that weird brother of his, there’s a high chance his shoveling skills are incredible.
As I nodded inwardly while recalling Arseno’s bizarre appearance, he spoke. “Still, it’s nice being here with you, Giselle.” Even Vientin, standing beside me, nodded in satisfaction, completely unaware of how I felt.
Even with his altered face, I recognized that look on Vientin. It was the look of a proud parent boasting about their children.
“Are you happy?”
He didn’t seem to notice the slight prickliness in my tone. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and asked back as though everything were perfectly peaceful. “Yes. Isn’t it nice?”
“Mmm…”
Of course, this was a problematic situation. But why? Why did I keep finding myself unable to suppress the smile creeping up at the corners of my mouth?
I think this is the first time I’ve seen Vientin look so at ease. I had never known that Vientin Kalinos could wear such a peaceful and happy expression. That was why I didn’t want to put the brakes on him now. Because the man I loved was happy.
* * *
…Had I gotten it wrong again?
After taking care of the horses like an ordinary stable hand, I had merely picked up a shovel with a comfortable grip and looked around warily. But suddenly, my vision began to sway dizzyingly. It felt as though a sudden wave of severe dizziness had washed over me. When I squeezed my eyes shut, Vientin grabbed my shoulder firmly.
“Are you dizzy, Giselle?”
“Yes.”
“I feel it as well. It seems something has gone wrong.”
Barely pulling myself together by leaning on his warmth, I hurriedly pulled out the time controller from my pocket. It was a magical artifact capable of immediately aborting time travel.
“The timeline is shifting again, Giselle.”
It was just as he said. Rummaging through my pocket, I gripped the time controller tightly. Time travel wasn’t as easy as expected, and it came with side effects. Closing my eyes and opening them again, I spoke with determination. “Vientin.”
“…Yes.”
“I think it’s because we left too strong an impression on the people here.”
“…From now on, let’s truly act like Worker A and Stable Hand B.”
“Sounds good.”
But if things went that smoothly, would that really be my life? Naturally, our attempt began to stumble right from the start. And surprisingly, the first stumbling block was Arseno.
* * *
Isn’t Arseno coming to the stables way too often? Normally, heirs don’t drop by the stables as if strolling into their own living room. So why had I happened to run into Arseno so frequently within the span of this single day? Even while I was bringing feed for the horses from the fields and drying it…
“Ah, hey, coachman.”
“I’m a stable hand.”
“Ahahaha! This or that isn’t basically the same thing?”
…What the? He was kind of annoying. I’ll put up with it because he’s Vientin’s older brother. Of course, even if he weren’t Vientin’s older brother, there was nothing a lowly time traveler like me could do. I’ll just stay quiet for now.
At that moment, he whistled toward Vientin and muttered, “Suspicious.”
“Huh? What is?”
“My younger brother has a mole here, too. Above his eyebrow.”
“…?”
Why was he suddenly bringing up his younger brother? I thought he obviously wouldn’t recognize him because his appearance is different.
It was the moment Vientin’s expression stiffened.
“Your way of speaking, too. You’re exactly like my younger brother.”
…I was certain we had disguised ourselves properly. No, not just certain. We actually changed completely! Vientin was still tall, but his appearance had definitely been changed.
Perhaps because I suddenly felt uneasy, I instinctively reached into my pocket. Inside was the controller that could stop our time travel. But… Zap! Crackle! Sparks shot out of the controller with a crackling sound. Startled, I hurriedly pulled my hand away and thought. Is something wrong with the controller?
…Had Arseno really recognized Vientin? Or did something go wrong simply because Arseno recognized our faces? That seemed much more plausible. If that’s the case, we have to leave as soon as the situation is wrapped up.
To do that, checking the controller was the most urgent thing. But would a mere stable hand rummage through their pocket and act distracted with the heir of Duke Kalinos standing right in front of them? No way. My head would be on the chopping block immediately. Besides, if I showed the controller for no reason and he took it away, wouldn’t that be disastrous?
As I stood there, pondering and staring ahead, Arseno, who had been staring intently at the disguised Vientin, rubbed his chin and grinned. “Why are you so tense?”
Vientin pulled his lips into a tight line.
Seeing him like that, Arseno grinned. “See? Even the way you use your facial muscles is the same. That’s not how a stable hand uses his facial muscles.”
What exactly is the way a stable hand uses his facial muscles? And how the hell does he even know something like that? What is going on? I stared at him in utter disbelief.
Arseno then winked at me and said, “Are you perhaps his long-lost twin?”
“…”
“This won’t do. I’ll have to tell Father.”
You crazy b*stard. Snap out of it!
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