Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 24: My Mom Has Changed (1)  

Dorothea had a dream from her childhood for the first time in a long while.  

It was a dream of her younger self, envying another child with their parents.  

She no longer did, but in the past, the mansion used to host an annual event inviting the families of the servants. It was a family gathering where the servants' children could visit the noble mansion where their parents worked.  

These children, who rarely had the chance to see such things, wandered through the mansion, marveling at the luxurious furniture, intricate decorations, and vast gardens. Their eyes widened with wonder as they explored this new world.  

Realizing that their parents belonged to this world, the children felt admiration and pride. That was why their faces were always filled with smiles during the event.  

The sight of the servants and their families sitting together in the garden, happily sharing packed lunches, filled young Dorothea with unbearable envy.  

She had a family, yet had never once experienced such moments. What she felt was not mere despair but something even worse—deep, relentless envy. Every year, during the event, Dorothea watched them with eyes full of jealousy and resentment.  

She usually had a nanny by her side, but even the nanny had her own family.  

"Miss... If you don’t mind, would you like to join my child and—"  

"...It’s fine. It would be awkward if I were there."  

On the day when everyone was with their parents, Dorothea was always alone.  

One day, she could no longer hold back that overwhelming envy and went to find her father. She truly did not want to be alone. She wanted, just like everyone else, to spend time with her parents.  

The only person she could call family was her father.  

She hurried to his office, something she rarely did, acting like the child she usually refused to be. She begged him to open the door.  

She threatened to cry if he didn’t. To throw herself on the floor and scream. To make a ruckus until he finally let her in. She pounded on the office door with her tiny fists.  

In the end, her father’s butler, looking troubled, opened the door for her. He said that her father was busy, but Dorothea ignored his words completely and ran straight to her father.  

Back then, just like now—  

Her father’s gaze never strayed from the worthless junk cluttering his desk.  

"A, Father... Can we have lunch together today...?"  

Dorothea held out a 'special event lunchbox' she had taken from the kitchen, her voice trembling. She exaggerated her gestures, making herself appear larger, desperately trying to catch his attention.  

"T-The weather is nice! You wouldn’t believe how warm and sunny it is! The breeze is cool, too, so, um, in the garden, we could—"  

She forced herself to smile, trying her hardest to gain his approval. She pushed through the discomfort, stretching her lips into an artificial grin, doing everything she could to be loved.  

Look at me.  

Not at that trash—look at me.

Just like other parents, she wanted him to look at her and smile.  

“Dorothea.”  

But the response was always the same.  

“I’m busy today. Eat by yourself.”  

A reply so cold, it sent chills through her.  

Dorothea swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat, forcing down the tears that threatened to spill.  

On any other day, she would have run back to her room to cry. But that day was different. Was it because of the distant laughter of children? Or had the emotions she’d suppressed for so long finally burst free?  

That day, for the first time, Dorothea defied her father. She snatched the piece of junk from his hands and hurled it out the window.  

“Dorothea!!!”  

Her father’s furious voice rang behind her, but she didn’t stop. Tears streaming down her face, Dorothea ran straight to her room.  

Like a fugitive, she rushed inside, reaching for the lock—then hesitated.  

Surely, after getting so angry, he would come looking for her.  

She didn’t mind being scolded. She just wanted his attention, even if it was only for a reprimand. So instead of locking the door, she simply crawled under the blankets, waiting for him.  

But, laughably, he never came.  

She stayed up all night, thinking he might come at dawn. But nothing happened.  

The next day, she decided to apologize and went to see him. Yet, her father treated her with the same indifference as always.  

He neither scolded her, nor punished her, nor forgave her.  

That was the first time Dorothea wondered if they were truly ‘family.’  

Maybe they weren’t family at all. Maybe she wasn’t his real daughter, just a stranger with no blood ties to him.  

Otherwise, how could she explain his cold neglect?  

That evening, the butler came to see her.  

“Miss... The Lord is merely unwell. The only cure for him is the ‘former wife’ who left.”  

“Unwell...?”  

“...Yes, we are doing everything we can to bring back the ‘former wife.’ Please wait a little longer. We will continue searching for her so that the Lord can return to his senses—”  

Her father was sick.  

And the only cure was ‘that woman.’  

As soon as they found her, everything would return to normal.  

So, she just had to wait.  

...Now, Dorothea understood why the butler had said those words to her.  

The idea that her father was ‘sick’ had been nothing more than a white lie to comfort a child.  

But back then, young Dorothea believed him completely.  

She convinced herself that her father was ill, that everything would go back to how it was once ‘that woman’ was found.  

That once that day came, he would love her as his family.  

That, just like the servants’ families she had seen at the event, they too would become a warm, happy family.

From that moment on, Dorothea fought desperately.  

She took care of her father, struggling to keep the household from collapsing. After all, if the family fell apart, there would be no home left for them to return to.  

She had to hold on, at least until they found that woman.  

Even as her father’s wastefulness grew worse, even as more and more people abandoned her, she had to protect the household.  

Hoping that her father would return to normal.  

Hoping that the estate would once again be a home for everyone.  

Hoping that she would finally have the family she had always dreamed of.  

That was how Dorothea lived her entire life.  

And because she had lived that way for so long, she couldn’t give up—even knowing her efforts were meaningless.  

If she gave up, it would mean denying everything she had worked for, her dreams, her entire existence.  

But...  

“...I’m tired of it.”  

Dorothea murmured into the empty air as she sat up groggily in bed. She had dreamed of the past for the first time in a long while, and now, she let out a weary sigh, running a hand over her face.  

She had a vague idea why she had that dream.  

It was probably because of the nanny’s words—how she and Rapunzel were alike. And because of the self-loathing she had felt toward Rapunzel.  

She had spent her whole life longing for a family, yet she had ended up resembling her father—the man who never wanted one.  

The very father she had despised the most.  

The realization made her sick to her stomach, and a bitter laugh escaped her lips.  

“...This is all because the nanny said something unnecessary.”  

***  

“...Are you ready?”  

“Yeah!”  

I wore [Silky’s Apron], tucked a broom between my legs like a witch riding a broomstick, and stood atop a skateboard. Sophia stood behind me, ready to push.  

“...Are you sure about this? This is right in front of Miss Dorothea’s room.”  

“When Mom wakes up and sees the hallway all clean, she’ll love it. Right?”  

“......”  

To anyone watching, it probably looked like I was just messing around, recklessly riding a skateboard in the hallway.  

But this wasn’t just some random prank—this was an extremely efficient cleaning method.  

[Silky’s Apron] had an Easter egg ability: when the wearer moved while holding a broom, their path would be automatically cleaned. I had already used it to rid Dorothea’s personal library of every last speck of dust.  

The maids had been astonished, wondering how I had managed to clean that dusty, neglected study all by myself. Without hesitation, I revealed the secret of this ‘apron’ to them.  

I told them that when you wore the apron and walked with a broom in hand, the places you stepped would be instantly cleaned!  

Of course, they were skeptical at first.  

But once I demonstrated it, they had no choice but to believe in the incredible power of this apron!

The maids all begged to borrow the apron, so I lent it to them.  

But strangely enough, no one besides me could use [Silky’s Apron].  

Was this another one of those ‘talent’ issues the Mirror Fairy mentioned?  

Regardless, from that moment on, I started helping the maids clean places that were either too difficult or overwhelmingly dirty—of course, in exchange for proper compensation.  

Today's request: hallway cleaning!  

I immediately put on [Silky’s Apron], grabbed a broom, and hopped onto the skateboard.  

I’ll say it again—riding the skateboard was for efficiency.  

Since Silky’s Apron had the Easter egg ability to ‘clean the movement path,’ that meant—  

The faster I moved, the faster I could clean!  

If I rode the skateboard while wearing Silky’s Apron, the cleaning efficiency would double—no, triple—no, maybe even quadruple! This was absolutely not for my own amusement!  

As I urged Sophia to push faster, she let out a resigned sigh but placed her hands firmly on my back. With her fingers pressing against me as if ready to push—  

“Alright... Here you go!”  

“Yeah!!!”  

With a strong shove from Sophia, my body shot forward on the skateboard, racing down the hallway.  

“Sophia! Is it working?!”  

“Yes! It’s working perfectly!”  

“Heeheeheehee!”  

As expected! My theory was correct!  

In the game, there were no rideable mounts, so I had never tried this. But this world was reality based on the game! Meaning, the ‘cleaning movement path’ Easter egg also applied to rideable objects!  

As my speed started to drop, I stomped my left foot hard against the ground, propelling myself forward again. The skateboard picked up speed instantly, and the rush of wind against me felt exhilarating.  

It felt like I was doing something mischievous.  

You know how schools tell you not to run in the hallways? Well, here I was, not only running but skating through the halls of a noble mansion!  

As I continued soaring through the corridor—  

Creeeak—  

“Whoa—Wahhh!”  

A door suddenly swung open, and Dorothea stepped out.  

‘But it’s way too early for Dorothea to be awake?!’

I tried desperately to stop the skateboard when Dorothea suddenly appeared, but with all the momentum I had built up, it refused to come to a halt. Instead, my attempt to force a stop threw my body off balance, and I went tumbling forward.  

"Ugh—!"  

Luckily, there was a cushion—no, Dorothea—right in front of me, preventing me from crashing onto the hard floor. Instead, I ended up in a position that looked like I was hugging Dorothea.  

Or… did she catch me?  

With my face buried in her stomach, I quickly regained my balance and stood up. Seeing her wince slightly, I gently patted her belly and asked,  

“Uh, Mom. Are you okay? Your stomach must hurt…”  

"You…!"  

Ah. This is the scolding pattern.  

I shut my eyes tight, bracing myself for Dorothea’s wrath. But instead, I only heard the sound of a heavy sigh from above me.  

Peeking up at her cautiously—  

“…Haah. From now on, don’t run in the halls. And don’t ride this either.”  

“…? Ah, yes.”  

Dorothea gave my head a small tap before turning toward Sophia.  

But surprisingly, she didn’t scold Sophia on my behalf.  

She simply told her to prepare breakfast and then walked off somewhere.  

I turned to Sophia with wide eyes, only to find her looking just as shocked.  

She had clearly expected us both to get scolded, yet there was only confusion left in her expression.  

“…What was that?”  

Did… Mom change?