Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 19 : Rapunzel’s Job Experience (2)  

“...What am I looking at right now?”  

Dorothea looked out the window in disbelief.  

The guard dogs, stationed at the main gate to watch for thieves or intruders, were chasing after a ball thrown by the chef, their tongues hanging out—just like Rapunzel’s.  

No, this much wasn’t even surprising anymore.  

The problem was that the one throwing the ball to Rapunzel was none other than the ‘chef’ himself. He was commonly known as someone with a bad personality, having been demoted here after getting into fights with his fellow cooks in the main building.  

Although he had prior work experience, which allowed him to retain his title in the annex, he was not well-liked even there. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he always looked angry.  

Dorothea had once passed by the kitchen and seen the chef yelling at his fellow cooks. His rage wasn’t like that of con artists who shouted in a petty manner—it was like a raging fire, completely different in scale.  

She had never seen him smile. Every day, he walked around with a perpetually furious expression. And yet, that same chef was now laughing loudly as he tossed a ball to Rapunzel. As if he had become a completely different person—  

“Indeed, the atmosphere has changed since that child arrived, hasn’t it?”  

“......”  

Dorothea, still staring down at the chef merrily throwing the ball, pressed her lips together at Cordelia’s remark. Looking at this scene, she had to admit that the mansion’s atmosphere had changed.  

“...The mansion has certainly become noisier.”  

“There’s a word for that—brighter, isn’t there?”  

At Cordelia’s sly smile, Dorothea frowned irritably. Brighter? No, the correct expression was definitely noisier.  

Ever since that child arrived, the mansion had been filled with the sound of running footsteps, loud voices echoing back and forth, and laughter ringing through the garden, which previously had only the sounds of birds and insects.  

If anything, this was noisy, not bright.  

“......”  

As Dorothea continued to observe Rapunzel running about noisily, Cordelia smiled and spoke again.  

“What have you decided regarding that child’s treatment?”  

“Father said to lock her in the tower and raise her like livestock.”  

“Ah—so that’s why she’s wearing a collar—”  

“That’s not it.”  

Dorothea cut Cordelia off with an annoyed response. Seeing Dorothea’s irritated expression, Cordelia giggled and then asked once more.  

“It’s like this for now, but if the Lord were to bring back his ‘former wife,’ what do you plan to do with that child then?”  

“...? What do you mean by her treatment?”

“The Lord said he would use that child as a guide to find ‘that woman.’ The usefulness of a guide was shorter than expected, and within less than a week of arriving here, that child had already lost her purpose.”  

“Well, that’s true...”  

“So if the Lord brings back his former wife, I was wondering what would happen to that child. The Lord surely won’t pay her any attention.”  

“If Father brings that woman back, then that child will...”  

…What should be done with her?  

If that woman returned to this place, Rapunzel’s role would be as good as over. Father was obsessed with that woman, not with the witch.  

In that case, wouldn’t it be fine to cancel Rapunzel’s foster sponsorship? The paperwork had just been sent to the ‘Ministry of Justice,’ and given the time needed for proper processing, it would take about three months.  

This place was quite far from the capital where the Ministry of Justice was located.  

Considering that the Nebrant family was in the ‘southern’ region of the kingdom, it would take about three months for the sponsorship paperwork to arrive and be processed.  

If that woman really returned and Father came to his senses...  

Wouldn’t the right way to ‘use’ that child be to cancel the foster sponsorship, lock her back in the tower, cut her hair, and turn it into gold to be stored as the family’s wealth?  

I had heard that was how she lived in the village before coming here...  

“......?”  

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Dorothea felt a strange sense of discomfort. As soon as an inexplicable displeasure settled in, she frowned, and Cordelia cautiously spoke up.  

“If nothing comes to mind, shall I consider that child’s treatment instead?”  

“...Fine, do as you please.”  

Not wanting to think about it any longer, Dorothea shut her eyes tightly and closed the window. Even through the closed window, Rapunzel’s laughter rang out, making her head throb.  

“...Do whatever you want—roast her, boil her, anything. Father said to raise her like livestock anyway.”  

“Yes, my lady.”

***

The incident began at breakfast.  

“Ugh...”  

“...? Rapunzel, are you crying?”  

At the sight of a complete breakfast for the first time since coming here, I couldn’t help but shed tears. Until now, I had survived purely by begging for food.  

I had pleaded for a bite from the guards watching over the tower, begged Sophia for a single piece of bread, and, with a collar around my neck, gone to the well just to fill my stomach with water.  

That was the entirety of my ‘meals’ since arriving here.  

For a young child who was supposed to be growing, it was an obviously insufficient diet. There were many nights when hunger woke me up before dawn. Each time, I had no choice but to suck on my own hair to endure it...  

“Ugh...”

“W-Wait… Why are you crying…”  

The thought that today would be the last time brought tears that wouldn’t stop.  

I scooped a spoonful of warm potato soup into my mouth, tears rolling down my cheeks like beads. Honestly, even though I had been promised three meals a day with two snacks, I hadn’t expected proper food like this.  

At most, I had imagined a piece of hard bread and cold onion soup. For snacks, I thought they’d be just some leftovers from the maids’ meals, and I had resolved to be grateful even for that. But…!  

“Ugh… The potato soup is so good…”  

Steaming, warm potato soup! Freshly baked bread that was still warm inside! And to top it off, the soup even had chunks of meat! Faced with a proper meal, I couldn’t help but feel moved.  

As I desperately spooned the soup into my mouth, Sophia, with an expression I had never seen before—one of genuine pity—gently wiped my lips.  

“…Eat slowly, no one is going to take it away from you.”  

I knew that no one would take it from me, but I wanted to savor every bit of this warm meal as much as possible, so I gobbled it down quickly. I couldn’t bear to let this food go cold.  

“Phew… That was delicious.”  

After finishing every last bit on my tray, I rubbed my now round and full belly like a tadpole’s. Feeling satisfied, I flopped onto the floor, and Sophia let out a small chuckle as she watched me.  

“When you meet the chef later, make sure to thank him. He’s the one who made sure you got your meal.”  

“Then should I go thank him now?”  

“…What?”  

I picked up the leash I had left in the corner of the room and fastened it around my collar, then held it out to Sophia. She stared down at the leash I was offering with a look of pure exhaustion.  

“…Sigh, if I say no, you’ll just run off again, won’t you?”  

“Hehe.”  

Sitting around in the tower all day was boring, and besides, I needed to exercise after eating. If I only ate like this, I’d probably just get fat and turn into a pig.  

When I extended the leash to her once more, Sophia let out a deep sigh before reluctantly taking hold of it. Her expression clearly said she had no choice.  

“If you sit on the ground and refuse to move like yesterday, I’ll drag you back by force. Just so you know.”  

And so, I gained a little bit of freedom and immediately headed down from the tower toward the garden. Since I had said I was going to thank the chef, I assumed we would be heading to the kitchen, but instead, Sophia led me toward the mansion’s front gate.  

“? This isn’t the way to the kitchen, it leads to the front gate. Don’t tell me… you’re going to abandon me…”  

“…Of course not. Why would you even say something like that today…!”  

Sophia looked like she wanted to say something, but the words seemed stuck in her throat. In the end, she swallowed them and gave me a bitter smile.

“That’s not it. At this time, the chef isn’t in the kitchen. He should be by the front gate, so let’s take a walk until we get there.”  

Sophia loosened the leash she was holding and nodded, letting me lead the way. I happily wandered through the grassy field, giggling at the ticklish sensation on my feet.  

As I was enjoying the walk—  

In the distance, I spotted the chef feeding the guard dogs. I turned to look at Sophia, and she nodded before letting go of the leash. Time to dash!  

“W-Wait! Not running—!”  

Ignoring Sophia’s cry, I sprinted forward and leaped onto the crouching chef’s back.  

“Uwah!”  

The chef let out a startled yelp, nearly toppling forward. I mean, come on, I’m this light, and he still went ‘uwah’?!  

“W-What the—?!”  

“Chef, it’s been a day.”  

“You—What are you suddenly—?!”  

Hanging onto the chef’s neck and dangling, I saw Sophia rushing over, panting as she bowed her head in apology.  

“I-I’m so sorry! I knew she’d run, but I didn’t think she’d jump on you…”  

“…Haa, whatever. More importantly, what are you guys doing here? Don’t you see all these dogs? What if they bite her—”  

“It’s fine, they won’t bite me.”  

I let go of the chef’s neck and hopped off, walking straight up to the guard dogs.  

Both the chef and Sophia tried to stop me in alarm—  

“W-Wait a second!”  

But instead of biting, the massive guard dog licked my face with its huge tongue.  

The chef looked completely baffled, as if he had never seen anything like this before.  

“Huh? These dogs are trained, so why…?”  

“I gave them snacks before. Good boy, good boy.”  

The [Witch’s Cookie Basket] I had scattered when I tried to escape the mansion on my first day—maybe because I had thrown treats for them twice, the guard dogs no longer growled at me.  

“They ate what you gave them? They were trained never to accept food from strangers. If it wasn’t from me or the old man, they wouldn’t even touch it—”  

“Well, when you’re starving, you eat whatever you get! Have you never gone hungry before?! A-Anyway! Chef, why are you here?”  

Sensing that the conversation was about to become a hassle, I quickly changed the subject.  

The chef frowned at me and flicked my forehead with his finger.

“Aren’t you being a bit shameless?”  

Despite clearly looking like he was in his early to mid-thirties, with an unkempt and scruffy beard, he still expected to be called ‘oppa’? If at least his face were clean-shaven, maybe—but seriously?  

“You won’t get any meat in your soup at lunch today.”  

When I looked at Hans with an expression of disbelief, he resorted to threats. Using food as leverage? That’s just low! This guy!  

“Ah, that’s too much!”  

“If you call me oppa, I’ll give you double the meat today.”  

“I won’t sell my dignity for a few chunks of meat.”  

I answered firmly, and Hans’s face turned red.  

It seemed he had finally given up on making me call him ‘oppa.’ Clicking his tongue, he sighed and turned his attention back to the guard dogs.  

I watched him for a moment before asking again.  

“So? Hans-ajusshi, why are you here?”  

“…The old stable master who used to take care of these dogs went back to his hometown last month. Until his replacement arrives, I’m in charge of them.”  

“Hm, I see.”  

“So? Why are you here?”  

“Me?”  

As I petted one of the dogs, I remembered the reason I had come. Oh right, I had wanted to thank the chef.  

I looked up at Hans and gave him a bright smile.  

“I came to say that breakfast was really delicious today!”  

“…What?”  

“You were the one who made sure I got breakfast, right? The potato soup was so warm and tasty, and the bread was soft and sweet. And you even added chunks of meat! I just wanted to thank you for that.”  

As I expressed my gratitude, Hans took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. He stared at the ground for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle and ruffling my hair.  

“Ahh! Hey!”  

“So, the food I made was the best meal you’ve ever had?”  

“Maybe the best I’ve ever eaten…”  

“Heh, is that so.”  

Hans tapped his fingers lightly on my head as if deep in thought. Then, with a small smile, he mumbled something under his breath—so quietly that only I could hear it.  

“…How long has it been since I last heard something like that…”  

“Hans-ajusshi?”  

“It’s nothing. Here, take this.”  

With a satisfied smile, Hans ruffled my hair again and pulled a small ball out of his pocket, handing it to me.  

I tilted my head in curiosity as I examined the ball, and Hans explained.  

“You said you’re friendly with the dogs, right? Then you can play with them for a bit. Keep them entertained for me.”  

“With this? I’ve never played with dogs before. Do I just throw it?”  

“Yeah, they’ll bring it back on their own. Just throw it far.”  

“Hm…”  

I turned the ball over in my hands, inspecting it. It looked like an old ball wrapped in leather. Judging by its size and hardness, the best game to play with it would be…  

I held the ball back out to Hans and asked,  

“Hans-ajusshi, do you know how to play catch?”  

“…Catch?”