Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 13:  Everything except what can't be found will be found for you (1)  

"...You're saying it can find a person?"  

At Dorothea’s expectant expression, I nodded for now.  

Wasn’t that right? This mirror seemed to be the fairy mirror used by the queen in the fairy tale Snow White. A real fairy lived inside it, and if asked, it would provide answers without hesitation.  

In the game, it was merely used to reveal the locations of the mansion's servants and escape routes. However, in the fairy tale, it had found a person based on the specific condition of being "the fairest of them all."  

So now that this game had become reality, wouldn't this mirror also be able to find someone outside the mansion? Just like how the witch queen in the fairy tale found the most beautiful person in the world?  

Dorothea took the hand mirror from me and examined it carefully before slightly parting her lips. Then, just as she tilted her head in uncertainty and looked at me—  

"How do—"  

"Miss? Sophia?"  

A maid suddenly appeared behind the open door, peeking in as she called for Dorothea and Sophia. Dorothea, annoyed at the sudden interruption, turned her head to look at the maid.  

"...What is it?"  

"Ah, well... The kitchen is short on staff. We don’t have any extra hands right now, so... I was wondering if you could spare Sophia for a little while?"  

Sensing Dorothea’s darkening mood, the maid shrank back. Sophia, seemingly aware of the tension as well, quickly spoke up before Dorothea could say anything.  

"Uh, since they need help... Would it be alright if I go to the kitchen for a bit?"  

"...Fine, go."  

Huh? She’s just leaving me here alone?  

I had expected Dorothea to tell her to come back later since she was busy, but instead, Sophia practically dashed off with the other maid, as if she had been waiting for this opportunity.  

She’s leaving me alone with Dorothea in this situation?!  

‘...She’s definitely still holding a grudge about me calling her an old lady earlier.’  

Next time I see her, I’ll just call her “old lady” without even bothering with her name.  

As I clenched my teeth and glared at the spot where Sophia had disappeared beyond the doorway, Dorothea handed the mirror back to me and spoke again.  

"So, how do you use this?"  

"Well... Last time, I did it like this—"  

I took the mirror and smacked it lightly with my palm while reciting the incantation to summon the fairy. This had worked last time.  

"Hey, mirror, could you come out for a moment?"  

Smack, smack. Smack, smack.  

Smack, smack. Smack, smack.  

After about thirty seconds of tapping the mirror with my palm, the surface rippled just like before, and soon, the image of a woman appeared.  

Her hair was an even lighter shade of blonde than Dorothea’s, resembling yellow wildflowers, and her eyes were a soft green, like the fresh sprouts of spring.  

And in those eyes, there was a sharpness, as if warning that everything about her came with thorns.  

At first glance, her beauty was undeniable, but that piercing gaze seemed to speak volumes about her personality. Ah, wait—was she even a person? Or a fairy?  

As the surface of the mirror finally stopped rippling, the woman inside flailed her hands as if to signal me to stop hitting it. I, too, ceased my actions and looked at the mirror fairy.  

—Ah! You!  

"Hey, Mirror, how have you been?"  

—Do you have any idea what I went through after you abandoned me in the bushes?! Some stray dogs found me and kept licking the mirror... Their tongues...! Ugh...!  

Hmm. Seems like she's been doing well.  

I nodded and handed the hand mirror to Dorothea. Today, it wasn’t me who had something to ask the mirror fairy—it was Dorothea.  

"Look at this, Mirror Fairy. This is the same mirror that guided me all the way outside the mansion when I was running the other day."  

"...Mirror Fairy?"  

Dorothea took the mirror and squinted at it, examining it from different angles. Then, with a scoff, she almost tossed it back at me.  

"Are you kidding me right now? What am I supposed to be seeing? A mirror fairy? Where is that supposed to be? Ugh, I can't believe I actually considered believing this nonsense..."  

"Huh?"  

I looked at the mirror again. Contrary to Dorothea’s words, it still reflected the image of the woman instead of my own.  

"W-Wait! You really don’t see her? Blonde hair! Green eyes! A scowl as bad as my mom’s!"  

"What? What did you just say about my expression?"  

"...No, that’s not the point... You seriously don’t see her?"  

I held the mirror out to Dorothea, but she simply swatted it away with an annoyed expression. Just as I was about to wonder what was going on, the mirror whispered to me.  

—...Well, you see, normal people can’t actually see me.  

"Huh?"  

—You need a certain special ability, I suppose... Anyway, you seem to have the talent to see me, but that woman does not.  

It requires a talent to see the mirror fairy? What kind of absurd ability was that? As I stood there, dumbfounded, Dorothea suddenly rose from her seat as if she had seen enough.  

"Enough. Return to the tower now. From now on, I’ll make sure you’re provided with proper meals—"  

"W-Wait! Hold on! This is real—!"  

Panicking, I pounded the mirror wildly while watching Dorothea limp toward the exit. Do something! I was smacking it so hard that a loud bang, bang, bang rang out, and finally, the mirror let out a scream.  

—Kyaaah! Stop hitting me! Seriously! What do you expect me to do?!  

"Hey! Siri! Find a way to make my mom believe you exist! Hurry!"  

—Ugh, seriously! Who even is this Siri you keep talking about…?! Ah, fine! How about this?!  

Whisper, whisper.  

What the mirror told me felt like a secret so shocking that I wasn’t sure if I should even say it. But there was no time to hesitate—Dorothea had already stepped one foot out the door.  

Without wasting a second, I rushed toward Dorothea, grabbed the hem of her dress, and—feeling a little guilty—revealed the secret the mirror had just told me.  

"Uh, Mom—your desk! The second drawer…!"  

"...What?"  

"The drawer has a false bottom, making it a secret compartment! And the name of the book inside is Tonight in the Duke’s Bedroom—?!"  

Before I could even finish the book title, Dorothea clamped her hand over my mouth and stormed back into the room. She locked the door behind her, her face flushed bright red, and shouted at me in outrage.  

"You—you!! How do you—!!"  

"Mom, reading those kinds of books isn’t bad. In fact, it’s healthy."  

"S-Shut up!! I just—I just borrowed it from a friend! It’s not mine!!"  

"It’s okay. I completely understand! I mean, I even understood when you put this dog collar on me! Respecting each other’s preferences is what makes a healthy family relationship!"  

"Yooou!!!"  

Dorothea trembled violently as if she was about to slap me across the face. Sensing the danger, I quickly lifted the mirror and held it up to her.  

Dorothea, seeing her own bright red reflection in the mirror, seemed to calm down just a little. Breathing heavily, she looked down at me, then took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself.  

Inhale, exhale…

"...How on earth did you know about that?"  

"I told you, this mirror answers everything. I just asked it how to make you believe in the mirror fairy, and its answer was Mom’s second desk drawer—"  

Before I could finish, Dorothea covered my mouth again, her glare practically cursing me to keep my mouth shut. If looks could kill, I would’ve been six feet under.  

"Anyway, that’s the truth. Do you believe me now?"  

"......To be honest, I still can’t fully believe it."  

"Really? Then should I tell you the title of the book at the very end of your bookshelf? Oh dear! Looks like Sophia knows about it too!"  

"...! Alright! Fine! I believe you! Just stop digging up people’s secrets!"  

Seeing Dorothea on the verge of bursting into tears from sheer embarrassment, I felt a little guilty. But this was the only way.  

If I hadn’t done this, Dorothea would never have accepted that the mirror was real. Feeling a bit sorry for her, I gently patted her back.  

"Heh, I thought you were just a fool, but you’re quite cunning, aren’t you? So you’re saying you want a separate ‘price’ for asking the mirror on my behalf? Fine. Should I buy you some pretty clothes? Do you want snacks? As long as it’s reasonable—"  

"No, I’m not interested in that. You already promised me three meals and snacks as part of the bet, so what more could I possibly need?"  

"...Then what is it?"  

I stepped closer to Dorothea, spread my arms wide, and smiled brightly.  

"...Call me ‘daughter’ in a loving voice, and I’ll help you."  

At that moment, Dorothea stared down at me in absolute shock.  

Her mouth hung open, and her eyes widened in pure disbelief.  

"...Why are you looking at me like that? Is it so strange for a mother to call her own child ‘daughter’? I always call you ‘Mom’ in the sweetest voice, don’t I?"  

"T-That’s because you chose to—!"  

If acting cute didn’t work, and even using items like the Red Thread of the Moonlit Ice Figure didn’t raise her affection, then I had to force Dorothea to recognize me as her daughter.  

If she said it enough times, maybe—just maybe—she’d open her heart one day.  

So I stretched my arms out even wider and took a step toward her.  

Dorothea flinched and instinctively stepped back.  

Each time she retreated, I took another step forward.  

The seemingly unbridgeable distance between us finally closed when Dorothea’s back hit the wall.  

And from the mirror in my hand, I heard yet another horrified voice.  

—Ugh, that’s creepy.  

I chose to ignore it as I continued closing in on Dorothea.  

"It's okay. I will never tell anyone about Mom’s secret."  

"...Well, I do appreciate that."  

"Anyway! Now you understand, right?! This mirror answers anything you ask— Huh? What do you mean except for what it doesn’t know? You mean there are things you don’t know?"  

What the heck, that’s unsettling.  

It knew all about Dorothea’s shady little secrets, so why was it suddenly saying something so ominous? Frowning, I lowered my gaze to look into the mirror.  

—W-Well, I don’t know everything! I can only tell you what I do know! It’s a bit much to expect too much from a mirror!  

"Hmm… Well, fine. Got it."  

I nodded, accepting the mirror’s words. If it really did know everything, that would be more like a scam than a magic item.  

Then, turning to Dorothea—who was still trying to cool down her flushed face with her hand—I asked,  

"So, do you have any questions for the mirror?"  

"...Yes. There’s someone I want to find."  

"Then could you tell me their name or some details about them—"  

Just as I was about to ask for the characteristics of the person Dorothea was searching for, a thought flashed through my mind.  

Wasn’t this the first time Dorothea had ever asked me for something?  

"…?"  

"...Now that I think about it, this is the first time you’ve ever asked me for a favor, isn’t it?"  

Strictly speaking, I saw this as an opportunity.

Dorothea disliked me when I acted cute, and she still disliked me even when I used the Red Thread of the Moonlit Ice Figure. But maybe, just maybe, this was a chance to improve her opinion of me—a chance to take one step closer to a real mother-daughter relationship.  

I grinned at her, and Dorothea flinched, instinctively pulling her head back.  

"Mom, you know how relationships work, right? You give something, and you get something in return. You take something, and you have to give something back."  

"...What? Ah, I see, you’re talking about that three meals and snacks deal, aren’t you? That much is—"  

"No, no. That bet was already my win, wasn’t it? You already recognize this mirror as a genuine artifact, after all."  

Our bet had been, "Find at least one real Remnant of a Witch by today."

Even though I had already shown her an authentic piece, the only thing Dorothea had acknowledged as genuine was this mirror.  

In other words, that bet was already my victory.  

So, whatever price I demanded for asking the mirror a question on her behalf—it had to be separate from that bet.  

Grinning widely, I slowly approached Dorothea. She must have realized what I was getting at because she let out a short laugh, her brow furrowing in irritation.