“This is the design I want you to make” Lotte Graham, the second chance FL, drew what looked like a very bad potato on sticks wearing a crop top.

Why the fuck do you look so proud after creating that disaster?

“That’s… a brilliant drawing miss.” I smile awkwardly. What can I do, go against a female lead and more importantly, a noble? “Could you elaborate more on your design so I can get the most accurate dress possible?”

“Hmm. Okay. So frills here.” She pointed at the hem. “Lace, with shiny sequins. And the dress goes like- woosh here.”

Woosh where.

“Right here.” She circles almost half of the potato stick drawing.

“……”

"And like splash diamonds near the neck line here. Do you get what I mean?"

No, I don't get what you mean.

“That’s weird.” She mutters under her breath. “I’m sure she designed this dress for Duchess Wolfram for her wedding.”

That’s supposed to be a secret- wait, maybe it got revealed further down the line. Did I get myself dragged out of my mob life? Did I also tailor for her in her previous lifetime - if so, was I not able to realise the cliches and drama surrounding this family? Was I not able to predict a second chance happening?

Since she’s reversed time, is this an alternate timeline or the original timeline? Does this create an endless loop? What butterfly effect will come out of me knowing she’s a time traveller? What is this, Steins Gate?

No, this is supposed to be a shoujo romance world. Space-time continuum doesn’t apply here. What string theory? What theory of relativity? Physics doesn’t work in this world.

My brain really hurts. How do I deal with this, when I don’t know what future she’s seeing?

A felt a rustle in my dress pocket, which pulled me out of the self-rant cycle.

Oh right. My hidden card- or was it still hidden in the future? Was Jin revealed to everyone as a mind reader and shape shifter too? 

… Jin, I want you to listen carefully to her thoughts; this girl can tell the future. Our livelihoods depend on this.

><><><><><><

On the carriage ride back home, I glance out of the window lifelessly at the brown brick road as it leads into the market. After a long sigh, my eyes land on today's newspaper sitting on the opposite carriage seat. The news header was about Duke’s wedding announcement happening next month, just as autumn sets in. The leaves were already slowly shifting into warm tones of yellow and brown.

At least Lotte was bad at explaining and drawing the dress. I cannot imagine what I’d do if she debuted with the same dress design, but earlier than Janet’s wedding.

It would be a shit show.

Not only would Janet be accused of copying a Count daughter’s dress, I would not be able to trust that she’d be able to keep her mouth shut about the designer of the dress like Janet does (so far, but I still have to figure out how that leaked in the future). 

I never understood how time travellers were okay with stealing future innovator’s ideas and gallantly walk around like they came up with it. It’s a disservice to the actual people who came up with these ideas. Even more, they have the AUDACITY to make these people their underlings. 

They'd go “I came up with this idea (that you’d have came up with a few years down the line)” and the other person is like “Wow this is exactly what I was thinking, but you also solved the parts that I had troubles with. You’re such a genius! Let me work under you.”

Not only does that inhibit their potential to become entrepreneurs leading their own business, they now have someone above them limiting their freedom of creativity. It’s very different having a boss and being a boss.

How would they know that they're capable of such amazing things just in a few years? They wouldn't know the future like this second chance girl does. All they know is "I had trouble, this amazing genius solved it for me. She is now offering me, an outcast who no one believed in, financial support." Therefore they will follow this person who believed in them during their lowest times.

Then again, people are selfish creatures. Because this girl went through a bad life before, she wallows in self-pity and hate towards her abusers, disregarding any minor issues that doesn’t revolve around her. What matters most in her head is for her to survive.

I can’t fault with that.

Ah, I went into another rant again.

I slowly brushed the fur on the small ball of hamster snoozing on my lap, as the carriage rocks left and right. After a few minutes, the horses slow into a stop as they reach the market.

“Time to go back into the pocket.” I nudged the sleepy fur ball whose golden beady eyes slowly opened and flickered. After looking around, he drowsily steps into the pockets and went back to napping. I descend from the carriage and make my way through the crowded market.

I have to grill information out of Jin once I get home.