Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 16:  Words of Gratitude Heard for the First Time  

Step, step.  

With every step she took, the throbbing pain in her ankle intensified, but Dorothea did not slow down. After all, she had finally found a clue about "that woman"—the one she had been searching for all her life.  

Her birth mother, her father’s remarried wife.  

The woman who had left the mansion the moment she was born.  

Dorothy Nebrant.  

Ever since Dorothea became old enough to understand, she had devoted herself to finding that woman. Though she was a noble, she used what little money she had to start a small business, earning and spending nearly all of her profits to search for her.  

It was for herself, but more than that...  

It was for her father, who had been so obsessed with that woman that he had lost all sense of reason. For the half-sisters who couldn't endure their father’s state and left first. And for the restoration of her crumbling family.  

If she could bring that woman back and make her father come to his senses, then the family would surely recover in no time. If that happened, her half-sisters who had left the family would surely return as well...  

Dorothea had no doubt about it.  

If they could all be together again...  

‘...Then I can be acknowledged too.’  

By her father, by her sisters, by everyone.  

She could finally prove that she was not just “the witch’s bastard” but the rightful youngest daughter of the Nebrant family.  

Because of the rumors spreading through high society about her illegitimacy, Dorothea was not even considered a potential marriage candidate. No, from the very beginning, she had never been treated properly as a noble.  

Her family was on the verge of ruin, and the label "the witch’s bastard" was a burden she could never shake off. No matter how much she wanted to erase it, it refused to disappear. Because of it, Dorothea had not even been able to hold a proper coming-of-age ceremony.  

She had long since passed the appropriate age for "debutante"—the official coming-of-age ceremony for nobles—but even now, at twenty years old, she had yet to make her proper debut into high society.  

No one was willing to invite Dorothea, the "bastard child," into the social world. No matter how much she begged, no matter how desperately she struggled, no one was willing to accept her.  

That was why Dorothea had no choice but to cling to the search for that woman. Finding her and restoring the family was the only way for Dorothea to achieve what she believed was a "normal family."  

Knock, knock—  

Dorothea, staggering slightly, stood before the family head’s room. She knocked on the door, and the sound of chatter spilled out from inside. Startled by the noise, she abruptly pushed the door open.  

"Father!"  

As expected, the room was filled with swindlers trying to deceive the family head. They flattered him, claiming that the items they brought were artifacts once used by a witch, offering them at a bargain price since he was a frequent customer.  

The family head paid no mind to the swindlers' words, but his gaze was fixated on the objects they brought. To him, the only thing that truly mattered was anything that bore traces of the witch’s remnants.  

The family head, who had been carefully observing the pile of junk brought in by the swindlers, spoke in a hoarse voice. He said he would buy everything they had brought.  

"I'll take it all."  

"Thank you for your business, Lord Nebrant! Thanks to you, it's worth the effort to find these witch's artifacts! Now, about the payment—"  

"F-Father! Wait, please, just wait!!"  

Dorothea, forgetting the pain in her legs, rushed forward in a panic, her face turning pale. Just how long had it been since he last bought this trash...?!  

Shoving the swindlers aside, she reached the family head and urgently pleaded with both him and the swindlers. The family no longer had any wealth left!  

"I-I'm sorry! But with our current finances, we can’t afford to pay for these items! P-Please take them back at once!"  

"What?! What nonsense is that? Didn’t you hear what the lord just said?!"  

"N-No matter how you look at it, we simply don’t have the money to pay you! Isn’t it obvious that we can’t buy them if we have no funds?! Take your things and leave at once!"  

"Wait, is this true?! Lord Nebrant! Please, say something! Surely you haven’t forgotten that you still owe us part of the last payment?!"  

Hearing the swindlers grow furious over the lack of money, Dorothea couldn’t help but feel afraid. No matter how much she had taken charge of the family's affairs, she was still just a twenty-year-old girl.  

There was no way she wouldn’t be frightened by these men raising their voices in anger. Clenching her trembling hands into fists, Dorothea desperately tried to think of a way to get out of this situation.  

"F-Father! You said it before, didn’t you?! That Rapunzel is ‘the guide to finding the witch’!"  

As Dorothea shouted, the family head, who had been silently staring at the pile of junk throughout the commotion, suddenly perked up. Noticing his reaction, she quickly continued.  

"You were right, Father! That child has revealed the witch’s—Dorothy’s—location!"  

"...What?"  

At the mention of Dorothy, the family head’s dull, lifeless eyes gleamed like those of a rotting fish suddenly given life. Strength returned to his gaze, and in the next moment, he rose from his seat and glared at the swindlers.  

"...Leave. Now."  

"B-But, my lord...! Do you know how difficult it was for us to acquire these items...!"  

"Did I not tell you to leave?"  

"...Our apologies."  

A moment ago, those swindlers had been shouting at her with fiery anger, yet now, before her father, they cowered without another word. The sheer absurdity of it left Dorothea feeling both furious and baffled.  

"Dorothea, now speak."  

Once the swindlers had left the room, only Dorothea and the family head remained. Unlike usual, his expression was serious as he fixed his gaze on her. Under his heavy stare, Dorothea tensed and shrank slightly.  

"You’ve found her? Dorothy?"  

Dorothea told the family head everything that had happened with Rapunzel, leaving out nothing. She explained Rapunzel’s ability to find the real Remnant of a Witch among piles of junk and the power of the mirror that Rapunzel had discovered.  

Even as she spoke, the story sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, making it difficult to grasp as reality. But Dorothea calmly recalled her time with Rapunzel and relayed it all to the family head.  

“—That’s how it happened. Rapunzel asked the Mirror Fairy where Dorothy was.”  

“...And the mirror answered with Dorothy’s location?”  

“Yes, but—”  

Dorothea hesitated for a moment, cutting off her words.  

“Mom, the mirror doesn’t want to say it. But if you insist, it’ll tell you. Just know that it tried to stop you.”  

She had meant to mention that the Mirror Fairy had been reluctant to reveal Dorothy’s location. However, she quickly shut her mouth, deciding against it. There was no point in bringing up something that might only irritate her father.  

“...It’s nothing. Anyway, the location the Mirror Fairy revealed is written here.”  

Dorothea handed over a piece of paper with Dorothy’s whereabouts written on it. The family head took the paper and let out a deep breath before slowly breaking into a gentle smile—one she had never seen on him before.  

“...I see. So that’s where she is.”  

A smile he had never once shown her.  

An uneasy feeling stirred violently in Dorothea’s chest. What if Rapunzel had lied? What if there was no such thing as the Mirror Fairy at all…?  

“F-Father, don’t you doubt my words? I only told you what I saw and experienced, but even I find it hard to believe. If Rapunzel was lying—”  

“It doesn’t matter. If there’s even a chance, I have to go.”  

“...? What? You’re going there yourself? S-Should I send someone instead? The place is farther than expected, so even now—”  

“No, I’ll go myself.”  

“Y-Yourself? But it takes over a month just to get there and back—”  

The family head abruptly stood up, as if there was no point in arguing. It was the most energetic she had ever seen him. As that unfamiliar sight filled her with a deep sense of unease—  

“Dorothea.”  

“Y-Yes!”  

“...Thank you.”  

For the first time in her life, Dorothea heard her father express gratitude. Her chest swelled with emotion, and she could hardly lift her head as tears threatened to spill.  

For the first time, she felt like she was truly family with her father.  

Having grown up without ever receiving a shred of parental affection, those few words—“Thank you”—were more precious and valuable to her than anything else.  

“N-No, it’s nothing. I didn’t do much...”  

“I’ll be back soon.”  

With that, the family head hurriedly prepared to leave. Without hesitation, he rushed out of the room, his steps quick as he set off for the place the Mirror Fairy had pointed out—where Dorothy was waiting.  

Seeing the family head’s carriage leave the mansion, Dorothea felt so overwhelmed with joy that her steps felt lighter. Humming a tune, she basked in the realization that the day she had dreamed of was finally within reach.  

“Hmm-hmm~”  

Once her birth mother, Dorothy, returned, her father would surely come to his senses. He would remarry, and the label of "bastard child" would disappear. Then, she could finally have her long-delayed debutante and start meeting suitors.  

Once the family, which was on the brink of ruin, was restored, she would contact the sisters who had left. She would tell them that their father had come to his senses and that it was safe to return. She would ask them to come back—just once, for the sake of the family.  

‘If we could all be together again, then…’  

Inside the carriage heading toward the annex, tears streamed down Dorothea’s cheeks.  

‘...Maybe we can finally live like a normal family…?’  

***  

Back in the tower, I lay sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. Dorothea had gone to report what the Mirror Fairy had told her to the family head, but...  

I turned my head slightly to see Sophia, who was sitting in a chair, absentmindedly knitting. I was curious about the knitting, but more importantly, I noticed the sour expression on her face.  

She had been pouting ever since she entered the tower, completely ignoring me. As I wondered why, I suddenly realized my mistake and called out to her.  

“Sophia unnie?”  

“.....”  

“Hey, lady.”  

Snap—  

At the word "lady," the knitting needle in Sophia’s hands broke in half. She immediately flung the broken needle at me. I quickly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the projectile.  

“Too slow—”  

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?!”  

“Then don’t ignore me! Why are you ignoring me?! Are you mad because I called you ‘lady’?”  

“Yes! I’m mad because you called me that! How dare you call me ‘lady’ when I’m still in my twenties?!”  

“But you’re married—”  

The moment I tried to say “lady” again, Sophia grabbed another knitting needle and prepared to throw it. Her posture was that of a professional pitcher, and her target was my head.  

I quickly tried to roll out of the way, but Sophia’s throw was faster than my reaction. With a sharp thwack!, the needle hit my forehead and bounced off.  

“Gaaaaahhh!”  

“That’s what you get for messing around!”  

Writhing on the floor, clutching my forehead in pain, I could feel a lump forming. Only after seeing me roll around did Sophia’s irritation seem to subside. She approached and checked my forehead, pressing gently to see if a bump had actually formed.  

Looking up at her as she rubbed my forehead, I finally asked the question that had been on my mind.  

“...By the way, who are you knitting for?”  

“Oh, this? I’m making some winter clothes for my baby and a scarf for my husband.”  

“Hmm—”  

“Why? Do you want to learn? I can teach you.”  

“No, I can’t do things that require sitting still.”  

“I can tell.”  

It was a joke, so why did she take it seriously? Did I really seem that incapable of sitting still? Back in my old world, I used to spend hours gaming in one spot.  

Feeling slightly dejected, I turned away from Sophia. She sighed before focusing back on her knitting. Apparently, she had multiple needles because when she reached into her skirt, a cascade of them tumbled out. Kind of impressive.  

“......!”  

Still sprawled on the floor, I idly rolled around to pass the time—until, like a bolt of lightning, a brilliant idea struck me. I shot up from the ground.  

“Let’s make a gift!”  

“...? What are you suddenly talking about?”  

“Well, first of all, Mom and I made up, right? She even unlocked the door to the tower. We also agreed on three meals a day plus two snacks! That means we’re a little closer now, don’t you think?”  

“...I wouldn’t go that far.”  

“No, we totally are.”  

I even had proof that Mom and I were getting closer.  

Right before Dorothea left to report to the family head, she had patted my head. I wasn’t sure if it was subconscious or if she meant it as a sign of affection, but…  

For someone who once hated my hair, to the point of finding it repulsive, to touch it so naturally—it had to mean something. Feeling more convinced, I quickly turned my attention to Sophia’s knitting.  

“...Are you really thinking about learning to knit?”  

“No! I just thought gifts should be handmade!”  

“...? Well, yeah. A handmade gift does feel more personal. It carries meaning.”  

“Exactly! Wow, Sophia unnie, you really know about these things. Is it because you’re married? Was it a love marriage?”  

“No, it was arranged between noble families. My family was on the brink of ruin, and I was basically sold off to my husband in exchange for him paying off our debts.”  

…For a moment, a heavy silence settled over the tower, like a lump of lead dropping into the air.  

“...Oh. Uh, I see. R-Right. Anyway, gifts should be handmade, right? That’s why I want to make one for Mom.”  

“Yeah? That actually sounds like a good idea…”  

Forcing myself to move past the awkwardness, I continued talking.  

Handmade gifts were the best. Well, money was even better, but cutting off my hair and giving her gold felt too impersonal.  

So…  

“Cooking is the best handmade gift.”  

“...? You’re not seriously…”  

Sophia, who knew me all too well by now, immediately caught on.  

This was why quick-witted married women were annoying.  

Slowly, I inched toward the open door. Sophia narrowed her eyes, already seeing through my plan.  

Like gunslingers in the Wild West, we faced off. I tensed, ready to sprint. She stood firm, blocking my path, puffing up slightly as if to intimidate me.  

“No way. Don’t even think about it. The lady said to keep the door unlocked, not to let you leave the tower. And no matter what you say this time, I’m not falling for it!”  

“Sophia unnie.”  

I flashed a bright smile at her—  

“I wasn’t asking for permission.”  

And with that, I dashed through the open door.  

I heard Sophia’s footsteps thunder behind me as she gave chase, but I didn’t look back. I sprinted straight for the kitchen.  

“You—YOU! Just wait until I catch you!”  

“Heheheheek!”