Rapunzel’s suppressed emotions, which had been vented by the fake version of her, were no longer in control as her hair returned to ordinary brown strands. I panted heavily and looked around. The golden locks that had attacked us lost their will and now hung lifelessly like regular hair.
“Phew, phew… we did it.”
We really did it. Me, a coward until now, managed to stop Rapunzel’s hatred.
That’s when someone hugged me from behind.
I turned my head to see Elise, not as radiant as Rapunzel but still charming with her daffodil-like yellow hair, grinning maniacally.
“You did it, honey! Your new brave side was impressive!”
[Get off our Prince!]
Ariel dashed over and tried her best to pry Elise off me, but Elise’s strength was unmatched and she didn’t budge an inch.
I chuckled at the sight.
“Thanks, everyone.”
[No problem! This is nothing! For our Prince, I’d pluck stars from the sky!]
“Kyaaah! How do you pluck stars? Do you even know what space is?”
[Ugh! Don’t mock me! S, space is…]
“What is space?”
Ariel’s pride wounded, her face flushed red as she pleaded with me to explain. I pointed skyward with my hand, mouthing “beyond Earth,” and she broke into a wide grin before declaring confidently.
[The Cloud Kingdom!]
“Kha hahaha! Cloud Kingdom? There’s a Cloud Kingdom called Space?”
Elise burst into laughter teasing Ariel, whose face was about ready to explode.
[Shut up! You crazy woman, what do you know?!]
I left the bickering duo behind and approached the moment I’d long awaited. On the bed, Rapunzel, who had been bound by her own hair, was finally free. But something felt off.
Her expression flickered with countless emotions, like someone deeply confused. Yet when she noticed me approaching, she smiled warmly—a smile brighter than any sunlight.
“Siyoo.”
I rushed to her side at her call. Seeing her gentle, kind smile finally put me at ease. As the tension melted away, my legs gave out, and I fell onto the soft bed.
“Ahh!”
The fluffy mattress enveloped my face. From above came a soft giggle, and Rapunzel smirked down at me.
She gently stroked my hair.
“You’ve worked so hard.”
As her soft fingers brushed against my cheek, my face heated up. Up close, Rapunzel looked more beautiful than any celebrity or woman I’d ever seen.
“You too. Hey, by the way, they said the tower’s barrier is gone! We can finally leave! All that’s left is for me to give your hair a pretty trim!”
I was puzzled. I expected her to jump with joy, but instead, Rapunzel only offered a subtle smile, her lips tightly sealed.
“Mommy, mommy, what’s going on~? Seeing you two makes me jealous enough to k*ll!”
[What?! What are you doing?! He’s MY Prince!]
Turning awkwardly to the voices of jealousy behind me…
“Haha, well, you see…”
Pock. Huh? What was that? A soft sound came from beside me. Simultaneously, a tender touch grazed my cheek.
Elise and Ariel’s eyes widened in shock. Turning my head, I saw Rapunzel blushing shyly, smiling brightly while meeting my gaze directly.
“Hehe, I just branded you as mine. Everyone saw it, right? Siyoo is my boyfriend!”
“Hey, your guts are showing? Time to slice that big mouth and stuff ’em back inside!”
[Shock! Hate! Jealousy! There’s a psycho over there! Stop joking! The Prince is MINE!]
Panicking under the fiery tension, I found myself at a loss. Then Rapunzel grabbed my cheeks with both hands, turning my face toward hers. Her breath was warm, almost brushing my lips.
Rapunzel stared intently at me, while I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze due to embarrassment. My heart raced wildly, and my mind went blank.
[No way! No way this is real?! What are you doing?! Are you really gonna…?!]
“Hooh, that mouth needs fixing. Let me tear it off. Just wait~”
Elise cracked her knuckles audibly, while Ariel prepared to throw a water-made window.
“Aaaaah! Rapunzel, this is dangerous! If we keep this up…”
“Siyoo.”
In an instant, before I could comprehend what happened, a soft, sweet sensation pressed against my lips. The rich strawberry scent filled my mouth. Blinking my eyes, I saw Ariel and Elise charging toward us murderously, yet my eyes remained fixed solely on Rapunzel.
Rapunzel’s face glowed pink as she beamed radiantly.
“I’ll always love you. And we…”
A single tear trickled down one of Rapunzel’s eyes.
“Should break up.”
“Huh?”
Did I hear that right? Was there something wrong with my hearing?
Everything in front of me turned golden. Precisely speaking, uncontrollable waves of golden hair swept across my entire field of vision. To make matters worse, an overwhelming pressure pinned my body, rendering me immobile.
“This, what is this?! Raaaaaargh!”
Even speaking became difficult. Clenching my teeth against the pain in my throat, I shouted.
“Rapunzel—!”
What’s happening? Didn’t I already destroy the personality in her hateful hair?
“Sorry, Siyoo.”
Swish! A golden blade appeared beneath my feet. Or rather, upon closer inspection, it was broken shards of a sword. Something’s not right. Why? That question lingered endlessly in my mind.
“I thought… I was okay.”
All I could see was golden hair. The floor beneath me, the ceiling above, everything—even the wall with windows—was covered in hair.
Even Ariel and Elise had vanished.
“Rapunzel! What’s going on?! Are you alright?!”
“No, I’m not. Not at all. It’s terrible enough to rip my heart out, to split my stomach and spill all my guts.”
From behind came Rapunzel’s voice. Turning my head sharply, the hair parted like curtains wherever my gaze landed.
And inside were countless… countless Rapunzels.
But instinctively, I knew. Among them, the one standing at the very front was the real Rapunzel.
Her face wasn’t normal. Her once-pink, elegant dress was shredded, her body bruised and battered, her tangled hair sharp as blades.
Dark circles lined her eyes, and her once-beautiful, loving gaze now brimmed with indescribable hatred and fury. bl**d tears streamed down her cheeks, pooling at her chin.
“I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”
The other Rapunzels charged forward en masse. They coalesced into a massive wave of golden hair, and from within emerged upper torsos wielding weapons, swinging to claim my life.
“I thought I was fine too. I dreamed of a future with you. I wanted to go on adventures together, visit your world, and enjoy dates. I wanted to spend every moment with you. Truly… I meant it…”
Rapunzel hung her head, staring trembling at her own hands.
“But when the personality binding me disappeared, I realized…”
I stood dumbfounded watching the wave approach. No thoughts entered my mind. I merely gazed at Rapunzel, listening intently to her words.
“That it had been carrying my emotions for me. You thought you cut my hatred, but you didn’t! Instead… ha ha ha! The flood of forgotten feelings overwhelmed everything inside me!”
Rapunzel wiped her face with her hands, tearing her skin as she did so.
The wave was almost upon me. At this rate, I’d d*e. My whole body would be torn apart.
“I can’t stop myself. I tried so hard to hold back, but I can’t. Those who locked me away, the villagers who cursed me, even the people laughing and living peacefully despite my suffering—they’re all going to d*e! I’ll shred them, trample them, make them cry bl**d tears, and writhe in agony!”
Rapunzel screamed, her facial muscles twitching violently.
“My anger won’t fade. My boiling emotions won’t vanish just because I’m with you! And guess what? I actually enjoyed killing Godel. Controlling my parents and villagers with my hair made me happy! Now I get it! I know what I truly am!”
She looked at me and smiled helplessly, yet chillingly.
“I’m the curse destined to end this wretched world.”
