Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 22: The Unstoppable Young Lady (2)

"Nanny!!"

Dorothea, who had stepped out of her bedroom, immediately went looking for Cordelia. Cordelia, who had been instructing the maids in the hallway, bowed her head at Dorothea's call and greeted her.

"Good morning, my lady."

"It's not a good morning... What is the meaning of this?"

Dorothea roughly shoved a piece of paper toward Cordelia. It was the 'appointment letter' she had received from Rapunzel. Cordelia took the paper and began reading its contents in a calm voice.

"It says, 'Just as my lady said, whether I boil or roast, whether I make her a personal maid or not, I did as I pleased.' Is there a problem?"

"A problem? Did you just say problem? What were you thinking when you assigned that girl as my personal maid? And why are you suddenly teaching her maid duties? What can that girl possibly do?"

Dorothea lashed out, her voice filled with irritation. Cordelia, who had been listening calmly, responded without the slightest concern for Dorothea’s frustration.

"Yes, that's right. As my lady said, that child can't do anything."

"...What?"

"What could that child possibly do in this place? She was sold at the slave market, discarded by the head of the household, and now she is bound here for the rest of her life, with nothing but her 'golden hair that turns into gold' being exploited."

Cordelia held her head high and took a step closer to Dorothea. Faced with that pressing demeanor, Dorothea’s shoulders shrank slightly.

"T-That can't be helped. We need that hair for the family to prosper. Besides, calling it exploitation when it hasn't even been—"

"...My lady, you truly are the same as ever. Ever since I stopped being your nanny, you haven't changed at all. Really, just like back then, you are still so obsessed with the family—"

Cordelia couldn’t finish her sentence and bit her lips hard before letting out a deep sigh. Just how long was the young lady planning to hold onto this meaningless 'obsession'?

Looking at Dorothea, who still clung to her meaningless fixation, Cordelia struggled to suppress the emotions rising within her. Yet, the burning sensation in her chest made it hard to contain her feelings.

She had watched Dorothea since she was young.

She had always seen what Dorothea expected from her father, the head of the household, and what dreams she harbored through him, always staying by her side.

She knew why, unlike her other sisters, Dorothea remained in this household.

She knew why Dorothea tirelessly worked for a family that was crumbling apart.

There was no way Cordelia wouldn’t know.

Cordelia let out a scoff, taking another step closer to Dorothea. Seeing Dorothea instinctively shrink back in response to the pressure, still so easily intimidated, filled Cordelia with both pity and frustration.  

"...Anyway, every time I see that child, I’m reminded of someone. Now, who was it again? Someone who knew they would never be repaid, yet was exploited by their parents all their life. My lady, do you have any idea who that might be?"  

Dorothea's shoulders flinched at those words.  

When she lifted her gaze to meet Cordelia’s, her eyes no longer held fear—but anger. Yet, even under that furious glare, Cordelia did not stop.  

"Oh!"  

Instead, she clapped her hands mockingly, a smirk forming on her lips—  

"You’re just like the young lady who spent her entire life being exploited by the head of the household."  

"Nanny!!!"  

At last, she had spoken the words she had been holding back.  

Dorothea’s voice exploded in rage, as if demanding she stop, but to Cordelia, her reaction was nothing but heartbreaking. So much so that her expression softened into one of sorrow.  

"...My lady, you already know. You know, don’t you?"  

"......"  

"Even if the lord were to come to his senses, what you desire will never come true. Just how long do you intend to live at his mercy? No matter how much you wish for it, the lord will never..."  

Will never see you as family.  

Cordelia found herself unable to finish her sentence. The words were far too cruel to speak aloud, so cruel that they caught in her throat.  

In the end, she simply reached out in silence, brushing away the tears that had begun to gather at the corners of Dorothea’s eyes with the back of her hand.  

Yes, there was no way Dorothea didn’t already know. She must have realized it long ago.  

That no matter how hard she tried, she would never be acknowledged as family by the head of the household.  

That no matter how much she struggled, the ‘family’ she dreamed of would never become a reality.  

Yet, the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to give up—  

Perhaps that was proof of just how desperately she longed for it.  

With a voice thick with emotion, Cordelia murmured an apology as she gently stroked Dorothea’s cheek.  

"I’m sorry. This wasn’t what I meant to say..."  

"...It’s fine."  

Cordelia took a deep breath, trying to rein in the storm of emotions swelling within her. Then, offering a bitter smile, she took Dorothea’s hand, lightly brushing over the back of it in a soothing gesture.  

And with that, she redirected the conversation back to Rapunzel.  

"...The reason I’ve been teaching her maid duties is to prepare for the possibility that her sponsorship gets revoked. Rather than being locked away in the tower, it would at least be better for her to move freely as a maid within the estate."  

"...I see."  

"As for making her your personal maid—that was her request. I believe that Rapunzel might have a positive influence on you, my lady."  

"Rapunzel? On me? A positive influence? Just what were you thinking to reach that conclusion?"  

"Well... that’s..."  

Dorothea frowned in disbelief, her expression twisted in displeasure. Seeing this, Cordelia let out a quiet chuckle. Well, her decision had been made after witnessing how Rapunzel remained bright and unyielding, even after knowing she had been sold.  

'And, despite knowing what the sponsorship truly meant, that child called my lady "Mother" without hesitation… Perhaps, she carries the same heart as my lady.'  

A heart that desperately longs for family.  

That was why Cordelia had thought—perhaps the two of them could come to understand each other. Like wounded beasts licking each other's wounds, offering comfort.  

Because they shared the same yearning for family.  

Perhaps they could soothe each other's pain. Even if they were not truly family, perhaps they could become something close to it.  

Watching Dorothea, who looked utterly exasperated at the mere mention of Rapunzel, Cordelia clung to that hope. No—she wished for it more than anything.  

"You think my lady and Rapunzel are alike?"  

"...That might be the worst insult I've ever heard."  

***  

"Big sis maid, where's Mom's library?"  

"Mom...? Oh, you mean the lady’s library?"  

I stopped a passing maid, holding a broom and a rag, and asked for the location of Dorothea’s library. Seriously, how was I supposed to clean a place when they didn’t even tell me where it was?  

Of course, thanks to my knowledge from the game, I had a rough idea of where the estate's libraries were located. The problem was—there were five of them. And there was no way I was cleaning all of them!  

The maid eyed my maid uniform and the cleaning tools in my hands before covering her mouth in thought. After a moment of hesitation, she gestured for me to follow her.  

"Did the young lady tell you to clean the library?"  

"Yes, she said if she finds even a speck of dust, I’m fired."  

"Haha, that's harsh..."  

Letting out an awkward laugh, the maid guided me to Dorothea’s private library. But the moment she opened the door, we both fell silent at the sight before us.  

"...You must have really gotten on the young lady’s bad side."  

Oh, come on!! If she’s not a stepmother, she sure acts like one!!  

She only ever assigns me tasks that seem straight out of a wicked stepmother’s playbook!!  

Dorothea’s personal library had clearly been abandoned for years, coated in thick layers of dust and cobwebs. Just stepping inside made my nose itch from all the dust in the air—I felt like I might sneeze at any moment.  

The maid pinched her nose, struggling to breathe, and shot me a worried look as the dust swirled around us with every movement.  

"Will you be alright? If you need help..."  

"No! I'm fine! I'll try handling it myself first!"  

"...You won’t be able to do it alone."  

I also knew that cleaning a room in this condition until not a single speck of dust remained was impossible.  

Of course, that was only if I didn’t resort to any tricks.  

"Really, it's okay! I'll give it a go first, and if it’s too much, I’ll ask for help then!"  

"...Alright, but don’t overdo it. If it gets too difficult, promise me you'll ask for help, okay?"  

"Yes!"  

With a genuinely worried expression, the maid gave me one last glance before stepping out of the library, leaving me alone in this dust-ridden pit.  

Cleaning this place all by myself was obviously impossible, but...  

"...I guess I just have to trust this."  

Right before I had arrived at the library, I had secretly retrieved a piece of the Remnant of a Witch from my pocket. My secret weapon for this cleaning session was...!  

"[Fairy Silky’s Apron]!"  

A pristine white apron adorned with delicate frills, exuding a cute and dainty charm.  

In the game, it was said to be used by a fairy named Silky, who secretly helped with household chores. Functionally, it was a completely useless item.  

A cosmetic item, basically. In the game, it only changed Rapunzel's outfit, nothing more.  

However, this apron had a small Easter egg—  

If Rapunzel equipped [Fairy Silky’s Apron] while holding a broom and walking, a sparkling effect would appear along her path. As if she were magically cleaning as she moved.  

All of the Remnants of a Witch I had found so far had subtle but undeniable effects, just like in the game. That meant if I used this apron...  

Swish—  

I put on [Fairy Silky’s Apron], firmly gripped my broom with both hands, walked a few steps, and then turned back to look at the path I had just taken.  

"Yes!"  

Just as expected, the path I walked was now spotless, completely free of dust—without me sweeping or wiping anything! It gleamed as if I had polished it to perfection.  

"Ehehehe!"  

Overcome with excitement at the bizarre phenomenon, I dashed around the library. Just by running around, I could clean the whole place! The dust vanished with every step I took!  

This was exactly how fairy tale stepmother chores were supposed to be handled—with strange tools that made everything ridiculously easy! Just like how Cinderella had her Fairy Godmother and Kongjwi had her helpful toad.  

So really, I was just following the classic trope!  

Just as I finished cleaning the entire floor of the library without a single speck of dust left behind, I felt satisfied looking at the gleaming surface.  

But there was one problem—the bookshelves.  

The [Fairy Silky’s Apron] Easter egg only cleaned the areas I walked on. It didn’t affect furniture or anything else. Unless I physically stepped on something…  

"...Oh."  

A brilliant idea suddenly struck me.  

If stepping on something was all it took… then I just had to step on the books!  

I might not be able to walk on the shelves themselves, but books? Books could be placed on the floor.  

As a test, I pulled out all the books from one shelf and spread them across the floor. Then, like a Messiah walking on water, I carefully stepped across them—  

"Be cleansed!"  

Like magic, the dusty, aged books transformed into pristine, brand-new ones.  

Curious, I opened one to check if the contents had changed, but the writing inside remained exactly the same. Not that it mattered to me—I couldn’t read anyway.  

Having proven my theory, I immediately got to work, pulling out every single book from the shelves.  

Then, I ran across them at full speed.  

Pull out more books. Run again. Repeat.  

Since Dorothea’s private library wasn’t very big, it didn’t take long. The bookshelves were lined only along the walls, and there were only about ten of them in total.  

By the time I was completely absorbed in cleaning, half a day had passed.  

At last, everything except the dust on top of the bookshelves was spotless.  

Feeling victorious, I looked around the newly pristine library with a smug grin.  

Of course, the books were now scattered all over the floor, and the thought of putting them back was overwhelming…  

But hey, cleaning was the priority, right? I even restored the old books into near-new condition!  

"...Well, at least it’s clean now, so that’s a win!"