Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 20 :Rapunzel’s Job Experience (3)

‘Playing catch’—  

It’s a simple game where people throw and receive a ball back and forth.  

Normally, players wear baseball gloves while tossing the ball, making it both a sport and a casual pastime. However, since there were no baseball gloves here, they had to be extra careful not to hurt each other when throwing the ball.  

“My ball! My ball! Huff, huff, huff!”  

Hans threw the ball in a high arc, sending it down from the sky. Since it was his first time throwing a ball to someone, his aim kept missing me and landing elsewhere.  

I struggled to catch the ball, which was about to fall beyond the expected landing spot. As I dashed frantically to grab it, the dogs nearby thought I was playing with them and started running alongside me.  

Amidst the dogs, I executed a spectacular jump-and-catch!  

“Got it!”  

Leaping high into the air, I caught the ball. Hans and Sophia let out small gasps of admiration, their faces filled with amazement. Like spectators at a circus act, they even applauded.  

“That was amazing! You caught that in mid-air?”  

“This is nothing—yah!”  

I threw the ball back to Hans.  

The ball soared high and dropped precisely above his head. Hans caught it effortlessly. I had thought this before, but Rapunzel’s body seemed to have excellent athletic abilities.  

‘Come to think of it, that sliding move back then—I really thought I was dreaming.’  

A memory surfaced—the time I had slid under the maid’s skirt during my escape. At first, I thought it was just a dream, but in reality, it had only been possible thanks to Rapunzel’s remarkable physical abilities.  

“Then, can you catch this too?!”  

Hans smirked as he looked at the ball in his hands before throwing it even higher. I immediately sprinted after it. Once again, the dogs beside me followed suit.  

I ended up competing with the guard dogs, chasing after the ball alongside them. After an intense race, I jumped even higher than before and snatched the ball.  

Higher, faster.  

“Got i—!”  

...Maybe that was the problem.  

Since I hadn’t thought about my landing, my body crashed to the ground and rolled over once. Hans let out a horrified gasp as he watched me tumble on the grass—  

“But I caught it!”  

I triumphantly raised the ball high above my head, showing it to Hans. Only then did the guard dogs beside me let out a whimpering sound of discontent, as if to say, “Why are you playing alone?”  

I held the ball up to the dog beside me, letting it sniff it before throwing it toward Hans in a high, arcing trajectory.  

“Fetch!”  

As soon as I threw the ball, the guard dogs dashed after it, chasing straight toward Hans.  

“W-Wait! Agh!”  

The ball landed precisely on Hans’s head. The dogs, focused solely on retrieving the ball, pounced on him and successfully snatched it away.  

Flattened under the dogs, Hans let out a dumbfounded laugh. Then, getting back on his feet, he snatched the ball from the dog's mouth and tossed it back to me.  

“How do you catch so well? Try catching this one too!”  

The ball soared high once again in a perfect arc.  

“Heeheeheehee!”  

I sprinted after the ball, and the guard dogs ran alongside me.  

It felt as if a picturesque scene had unfolded in the garden. Sophia joined in, throwing the ball to me a few times, and we all laughed together as we enjoyed our game of catch—  

“The annex life truly seems enjoyable, Sophia. And... it’s been a while, Head Chef Hans. Have you been well?”  

“Ah...!”  

A woman appeared from the building, calling out to Sophia and Hans.  

She had reddish hair and sharp eyes, giving off a cold yet somewhat gentle aura. She appeared to be in her forties, though her reddish hair made her look quite youthful.  

At the sight of this woman, Sophia’s expression turned to one of shock.  

“B-Big sis— No, Head Maid, why are you here...?”  

“Am I not allowed to visit the annex?”  

“No, you know that’s not what I meant...!”  

Sophia approached the ‘Head Maid’ with a flustered expression.  

I had never seen Sophia this startled—except, of course, when I escaped from the tower. In other words, I saw this reaction from her every day.  

As I bent down to pick up the fallen ball and approached Sophia, Hans suddenly began clearing his throat.  

A ridiculously unnatural, exaggerated cough.  

“Ahem, ahem! Come to think of it, I need to start preparing lunch... I’ll take my leave first.”  

“......”  

The moment Hans quickly retreated with backward steps, Sophia shot a truly murderous glare at him. However, Hans had already long escaped into the kitchen.  

By this point, I could easily tell what kind of position this reddish-haired woman held here. She was called the ‘Head Maid,’ and there was an undeniable air of dignity about her.  

“Sophia.”  

“Y-Yes... Head Maid.”  

The Head Maid stepped closer to Sophia and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, as if telling her not to be so tense. But Sophia’s shoulders remained stiff and frozen.  

“I didn’t come here to ‘train’ you today, so don’t be so frightened.”  

"Then, for what reason..."  

"For today, I have business with that child rather than you."  

"Huh? Me?"  

As I was quietly playing with the dogs, the Head Maid pointed at me with a smile. Wondering what on earth this was about, I quickly toddled over to her. She gently patted my head before asking,  

"Your name... was Rapunzel, correct?"  

"Huh? Ah, yes. My name is Rapunzel."  

"Alright, Rapunzel. I've come today to inform you about your future treatment."  

Wasn't my status already settled as Dorothea’s foster daughter?  

The unexpected statement made me tilt my head in confusion. I looked at the Head Maid with a puzzled expression.  

"My treatment?"  

"Yes, from today onward, I will be providing you with 'education.' Take note of that."  

"Education... as my mother's daughter?"  

"...Unfortunately, that is not the case."  

Education? All of a sudden?  

Feeling bewildered, I turned to Sophia, but she only shook her head as if to say there was nothing she could do.  

I looked back at the Head Maid and asked again.  

"What kind of education is this...?"  

At my question, the Head Maid's eyes crinkled in amusement as she smiled.  

...Was it just my imagination?  

Because, for some reason—  

"It’s—"  

The way she looked at me as she smiled reminded me of—  

The expression of a child who had just received a brand-new toy.  

***

Another day passed.  

Awakened by the chirping of birds, Dorothea buried her face into her pillow and let out a sigh.  

Just ten more minutes. No, five more minutes. Just a little longer. Or better yet, she could just wait until the maid came to wake her up.  

The moment she resigned herself to drowsiness once more—  

Knock, knock—  

A knocking sound came from the door.  

Dorothea let out a frustrated sigh, irritated at how nothing seemed to go her way. She decided to ignore the maid’s knocking.  

Knock, knock—  

Twice.  

Knock, knock, knock—  

Three times.  

After finishing the knocks, the maid outside the door made no further attempts.  

Thinking they would just come back later, Dorothea allowed sleep to overtake her once more—  

Until—  

Click—  

The door opened, and the maid entered without permission.  

Who in their right mind would enter their master’s room without asking?  

Annoyance flared up in Dorothea, but the overwhelming drowsiness kept her from lifting her head.  

She decided she would scold the maid later—after she had properly woken up.  

But just as she was about to drift back into sleep, she sensed the maid approaching her bedside.  

Feeling extreme irritation at the presence so close to her bed, Dorothea, still half-asleep with her face buried in the pillow, growled,  

"...Get lost."  

"My lady, please wake up."  

"...I said, get lost."  

Who was this utterly disrespectful fool?  

Dorothea decided that as soon as she woke up, she would throw them out of the mansion without even writing a letter of recommendation.  

With that thought, she pulled the blanket over her head.  

However, despite Dorothea's threats, the maid did not leave the room. Instead, she gently shook Dorothea’s shoulder, urging her to get up.  

“My, my. What a troublesome young lady.”  

“Oh, for—who the hell are y—”  

Dorothea, unable to hold back her frustration any longer, turned her head to look at the maid who had woken her.  

Blinking sleepily, she slowly focused her vision.  

And standing right in front of her—was a small girl.  

Still half-asleep, Dorothea briefly wondered if such a small maid had ever been part of the mansion staff.  

Then, the moment she realized the girl’s identity, her eyes widened in shock.  

She stared at the little maid standing next to her.  

“If you don’t wake up now, I’m going to eat all of your breakfast, my lady.”  

“...?????”  

As if barging into the room without permission wasn’t enough, the one who had shaken her awake was—  

“...Why are you here?”  

None other than Rapunzel.  

Gone was her usual oversized white shirt. Instead, she now wore an ill-fitting maid uniform that hung loosely on her frame.  

Annoyingly, she was still wearing that red dog collar.  

And to make matters worse, she looked ridiculously proud of herself.  

With her hands firmly planted on her waist, Rapunzel stood tall with a triumphant expression. Then, puffing out her chest, she boldly declared to Dorothea—  

“Starting today, I am officially Mother’s personal maid for the next month!”  

At that overly confident and energetic introduction, Dorothea let out a deep sigh, covering her face with one hand.  

A sigh so deep it could have cracked the earth itself.  

After exhaling heavily, Dorothea lifted her gaze to Rapunzel and—  

“...You’re fired. Get out.”  

Immediately declared her dismissal.