STABLE BOY ; Trash of the Count's Family

09. TOLZ TERRITORY

When the sun set and they approached a small village road, Hans came out of the carriage and called for Choi Han to look for an inn nearby.

South untied himself from the carriage and stepped out with a yawn, going to check on the horses. It was a long day's journey, and they were probably tired already.

"Hi, Pengallope, Ponychael," he pulled their reins and made sure they were still nicely fastened, "just a little further, okay? Then we can rest— oh."

He held out a hand when the horse lifted a leg up at him like a dog giving its paw.

"Oh dear, did a rock get stuck in your hoof? Can you endure a little bit longer until we get to a stable?"

The horse huffed, annoyed at him.

"I'm sorry Pengallope."

Ponychael, in protest for the long journey, started chewing on his hair.

They heard the trod of another carriage coming from the opposite direction, the horses going too quickly for a path that wasn't very wide. They would have to slow down once they came closer to the Henituse carriage, so why would someone drive so quickly?

South looked over to see an old man crossing the road into their path.

Choi Han was running before South could react, and Hans was also shocked, having been in the middle of talking to him. Cale sighed, knowing what was coming.

-

"What do you think you're doing, impeding the path of a noble?"

They started their argument.

South felt so sorry for the horses.

They were being led directly into an old man and then had to be dragged back as if they were the ones at fault. It must have hurt their backs to have to stop and swerve suddenly with the carriage locked to them, especially at that speed.

It's not their fault their coach driver was incompetent.

South's eyes met the coachman on the Stan carriage, and that man was giving him a very furious glare, as if they had been the reason he would get reprimanded harshly after this. He scoffed.

"Sou," his own coachman sunbae interrupted, and he realized the two coachmen were having a glaring match from this distance away. "Go to the back. I don't want that piece of shit recognizing your face."

Wow, right up with the harsh language. The rivalry between coachmen that lead opposing factions' carriages is something not even nobles could understand.

"You're so overprotective," South grumbled.

"I lost my last apprentice to a bastard like that, no way am I risking that again."

Wow, that got dark.

South did hear the previous coachman apprentice died from a carriage incident during last year's capital excursion with young master Basen, but he didn't realize it was political. The incident was so insignificant since they were just commoners that they never really spoke about it. They just no longer had a coachman apprentice after coming home, and he never took another one in.

"Since when was I your apprentice?"

"You're my precious little Sou and I can call you whatever I want. Now go to the back."

"Yes, yes..."

-

It was very funny to see Venion scowl at Cale's hand like Cale had just picked up shit and then offered it to him. He wasn't even subtle about it. Cale looked just as amused— all he did was pat the old man on the shoulder.

South wondered how nobles survived if they were so afraid of commoner germs. Isn't it tiring to live like that?

"South, get down from there," the coachman groaned.

"I'm behind the carriage like you asked me."

Now he was annoyed. "I didn't tell you to use the luggage as a stepping stool to look over the top of the carriage. You're the one that falls asleep everywhere, so why are you always getting into places that would be dangerous to fall from?"

"Why are you complaining about everything I do?"

"Why are you never doing anything I want you to do?"

"Because then I wouldn't be your precious little Sou."

The coachman didn't respond after that. South felt victorious.

"Get down from there," oh, that's the Young Master, giving him another one of those disappointed dad looks. His arms are crossed and he's trying to decipher how he keeps finding his stable boy in weirder and weirder positions. "We're going to go to the inn now."

"Young Master, you're done talking already?"

"Get d— actually just get in the carriage, if we leave you out here you're just going to get in the way again somewhere," Cale said. "Take Hans' seat. He can walk."

Hans squeaks, "I'm walking?!"