I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Rapunzel (3)

Rapunzel hesitated. She put down the churros she was eating and stared at me. It was only for a moment, but a myriad of emotions crossed her face. I was nervous. I had no idea what words might come out of her mouth. She might even threaten me savagely. But I had to ask.

Even after some time had passed, Ellis and Ariel couldn’t enter the tower. No matter how much they were fighting the golden monsters outside, it didn’t make sense that they couldn’t defeat them and come inside. After all, there was already a record of a monster being killed by Ellis’s mace.

In other words, they were probably stuck outside, unable to enter because of the barrier.

So, I have to do it. No matter how scared I am, I have to move forward.

“Hmm.”

Rapunzel maintained her silence for a moment, as if contemplating, then opened her mouth.

“Siyu, you know. I’m Rapunzel, the princess who killed a maid and cursed the kingdom at a young age.”

“No, I want to hear your real story. What I heard was through the mouths of others. It was shocking at first, but seeing you now, my thoughts have changed. So, I want you to tell me, from the beginning to now.”

Rapunzel’s eyes widened in surprise at my words, then she smiled faintly.

“Siyu, you’re kind. But unfortunately, I can’t tell you.”

“Why, why not?”

Rapunzel got up from the bench and stretched.

“Ah~! Because Siyu hasn’t accepted my confession yet. And I still have a lot of things I want to do~ like playing the game where the prince on a white horse rescues the princess captured by the evil monster.”

Rapunzel, smiling brightly with her hands behind her back. For some reason, I felt a hint of bitterness on her face.

“Rapunzel, are you really confessing to me with a pure heart? Do you really like me?”

Rapunzel nodded, looking at me with unwavering eyes.

“Of course~! How could anyone in my position not like Siyu?”

What would others have done in this situation? Would they have doubted her words even more, not believing her? Or would they have pretended to accept her confession to uncover her true intentions?

In my case, neither. At least, I don’t think this girl is lying. If she wanted to get me to accept her confession to leave the tower, she could have threatened me in countless ways. If the condition for accepting her confession was for me to genuinely like her, she would have used her beauty instead of taking me on a date to an amusement park.

So, I believe she isn’t lying. In the short time I’ve known Rapunzel, she seemed like an ordinary girl. Not a villain who kills people and curses the kingdom without a second thought, but an ordinary girl like a friend my age.

That’s why I can say this. At least my feelings are genuine.

“Let’s date.”

“Huh?”

Rapunzel looked as flustered as I had been when I first confessed. She blinked and asked again.

“Really? You want to date me?”

“Yeah. Actually, I liked you too. Ahem.”

I said, feeling embarrassed. Ugh, I didn’t realize confessing my feelings directly would be this awkward. I tried to act nonchalant, but my face kept burning.

“Do you believe what I’m saying? I’m the wicked princess, Rapunzel.”

“Yeah, I believe you. To me, you seem, well, how should I put it…”

I added with a chuckle.

“You look like a puppy princess who gets excited and doesn’t know what to do when she likes something.”

Rapunzel couldn’t say anything. She just looked at me in silence. Ugh, was my line seriously that bad?

“Pfft! What was that!”

Rapunzel burst into laughter and lightly hit my shoulder. Seeing her laugh made me feel relieved. My line wasn’t that bad after all. As long as Rapunzel laughed, it was fine.

“Did you use that line on other girls too?”

“No, no! You’re the first! And I never had a girlfriend before coming here!”

“I’m just kidding~”

Rapunzel smiled softly and snapped her fingers. The tall amusement rides disappeared and turned into a cozy café. Two iced Americanos were placed on the table in front of us.

“How is it? I changed it because the café in your memory looked nice.”

“Yeah, it’s nice. But can you drink this?”

Rapunzel tilted her head as she looked at the drink I pointed to.

“People seem to drink it a lot where you used to live, right? Isn’t it a delicious drink?”

I said, trying to hold back a mischievous smile.

“Well, this is a bit too much for kids to handle. As you can see from my memories, only adults drank it. So, it might be a bit tough for you.”

I said that while drinking an iced Americano. Ugh, they even managed to replicate the unique bitter taste of coffee. But Rapunzel, who was created based on my memories, doesn’t know the taste of coffee?

Rapunzel puffed out her cheeks with a sulky expression.

“Hmph, are you treating me like a kid? Even Siyu drinks it, so why can’t I?”

Rapunzel confidently took a sip of the coffee and her eyes widened.

“Ew! Ptooey! What is this taste? Ugh, why do people drink this?”

“Hahaha! That’s why I told you. It’s a bit tough for you. Actually, I don’t really like it either.”

“Ugh, if it tastes like this, I’d rather have a child’s palate.”

Rapunzel stuck out her tongue, making a face that showed she had lost her appetite. I stood up and headed to the counter.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“This place, you see, is a café my mom started. It hasn’t been open for long, so I have some experience helping out. I’ll serve you a delicious drink instead of this coffee.”

I rummaged through the fridge at the counter and found some usable ingredients. As expected, since it was created based on my memories, all the ingredients from that time were there.

Humming, I made my favorite drink and presented it to her.

“Here, try this, Princess.”

“Giggle! Alright! I’ll see how delicious the drink Siyu made is! If it’s not tasty, you’ll be thrown in the dungeon, so keep that in mind!”

Slurp. Rapunzel’s eyes widened as she took a sip. She gulped it down continuously and then, with a satisfied and thrilled expression, exclaimed.

“Wow! It’s so refreshing! It’s really sweet and delicious! What is this? Siyu, you’re amazing!”

Rapunzel, delighted like a child. Peach frappuccino is a flavor that most people like without any dislikes. I felt even more proud because she liked my favorite drink too.

“Hehe, it’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“Yeah! It’s really delicious! No wonder Sihu likes it! Hehe!”

“Don’t drink too fast, or you’ll get a headache. Drink slowly.”

Rapunzel smiled bashfully and sipped her drink slowly through a straw. I thought she looked cute drinking, and then I realized we were dating, which made my face flush again.

As she finished her drink, Rapunzel fidgeted with her fingers and then reached out to hold my hand. I was startled but accepted it. My heart was pounding wildly, shaking my whole body.

“Thank you, Sihu. Since you gave me a good experience, I’ll tell you my story.”

Rapunzel seemed to struggle to recall her memories, her gaze dropping slightly to the table.

“I did curse the kingdom of my own will. The golden monsters roaming outside? I created them all. And I killed people too. Do you know why the wizard Gothel you heard about isn’t here?”

Huh? This isn’t right. Her words were different from the story I had imagined, and I was quite taken aback. I looked down at our clasped hands. I felt a tremor, unsure if it was my hand shaking.

As Rapunzel gestured, the café floor suddenly shook, and something burst out from beneath.

My heart, which had been racing, suddenly calmed down, and a chill ran down my spine.

A corpse, torn to shreds, with countless tiny holes in its bones. I was horrified by the gruesome sight. I instantly knew who it was. Gothel. The wizard who had imprisoned Rapunzel was already dead.

Rapunzel glanced at Gothel and then looked straight at my face.

“Say hello, this is Gothel. Foolishly tried to imprison and control me but was killed by my hand.”

“Ra, Rapunzel. Why did you…?”

“Don’t ask!!”

Rapunzel screamed so loudly it felt like my eardrums would burst.

“I’m explaining it to you as you wanted! This is me! This is who I am! I killed people and cursed this damned kingdom that imprisoned me! Yes, I want the kingdom’s destruction! If I could get out of the tower, I would have killed everyone!”

Rapunzel spoke rapidly, pouring out her pent-up anger.

“I’m sick of it. Do you know what it’s like to be trapped in this wretched tower? Everything becomes hateful. Just hearing the faint laughter of people outside drives me crazy! So I wished for the kingdom’s destruction! And then, my cursed hair, imbued with my magic, astonishingly broke through the tower’s barrier! So I used that power to take over the kingdom!”

She smiled brightly and gestured into the air. Then her hair rose up, forming a giant full-length mirror, revealing the situation outside.

Outside, Ariel and Elise were fighting golden monsters, but for some reason, they were fleeing. Bleeding. Even from the villagers.

“What, what is this!?”

“Do you know how you got here? I told you, didn’t I? I have taken over the kingdom. I planted hair inside people’s bodies. And I controlled them! The entire kingdom! You being here, the conversations you had with Bogart and the king! It was all according to my will! It wasn’t Bogart who brought you here, it was me! So!!”

Rapunzel pulled my clasped hands to her chest with a sharp tug.

“Try to break the curse by killing me, Black Reaper.”