I Raised Snow White!

[Prologue] – A Story 13 Years Later

Boom! Boom!

In stark contrast to the dark room I was in, fireworks exploded outside the window, dozens of them filling the sky. They were dazzling in form and color.

A green firework shot up into the night, bursting with a loud boom, scattering like stars across the dark sky. The sight was so breathtaking that I found myself instinctively craning my neck to watch.

In celebration of the coronation, each firework was grand and splendid. From beneath the castle, I could even hear soft, melodic singing, likely from the ongoing celebration party.

If I could, I’d get closer to the window to enjoy the fireworks. But that wasn’t possible in my current predicament. I looked down at the chair I was seated in.

“How did it come to this…?”

My upper body was bound to the chair with rope. My hands and feet were tied, making it impossible to get up. A small mercy, though, was that my mouth hadn’t been gagged.

Each time I struggled to escape, the wooden chair scraped against the marble floor, making an unpleasant noise. I sighed and turned my gaze back to the window.

Thirteen years.

It had been thirteen years since I found myself inside this “parenting simulation game” called Snow White. I thought I’d done a decent job raising Snow White… But maybe it was because I’d possessed the character of the “Evil Queen”, her stepmother.

In both the game and the original fairy tale, Snow White’s stepmother met a brutal end. She danced to her death in red-hot iron shoes… that kind of horrific fate.

At first, my goal was simply to avoid that tragic ending by taking care of Snow White. But as time passed, my relationship with her grew to the point where we genuinely felt like mother and daughter.

So I thought maybe I wouldn’t meet the same end as in the story…

Creak.

Lost in my memories, the door suddenly opened, flooding the dark room with bright light. The unexpected glare made me squint and close my eyes instinctively.

Click, click.

The sharp sound of heels echoed on the marble floor, gradually drawing closer. I held my breath and opened my eyes slowly.

A woman stepped through the door, the bright light framing her familiar face. Yet, for some reason, her presence felt strangely unfamiliar today.

She had ebony hair and skin as pale as snow, with striking red eyes that gazed directly at me, like drops of blood on a porcelain surface.

It had been two years since I last saw her.

Now twenty years old, the princess had grown into a complete adult.

The face that once held a hint of youth now exuded a mature aura, and she seemed a little taller than me, though she used to be shorter.

Click.

The princess approached me, seizing my chin roughly and forcing me to look up. Her gaze was sharp and filled with anger, making me instinctively avert my eyes.

Even though I looked away, I could still feel the fierce intensity of her stare. Her grip on my chin grew stronger, pressing my face so hard that my mouth hung open awkwardly.

“So, you’re really a witch, aren’t you? The witch who left me without a word.”

“I-I just… because of a ‘promise’…”

Crack.

As I tried to explain, her grip tightened as if she couldn’t bear to hear my excuses. My jaw clenched painfully, forcing my mouth open.

“Oh, so you could ignore the ‘promise’ you made to me, but you have to keep promises made to others?”

“…”

I had no retort to her words. She was right; I had broken the promise made to her by fleeing the palace.

Her grip on my chin trembled slightly before she released me with a sigh, then stared at my face as if drilling into my soul.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. Whatever the process, the fact that you’ve returned here is what counts.”

“W-Why…”

My voice wavered, almost on the verge of tears.

I knew it was wrong of me to break the promise, but I couldn’t understand why she was acting like this. Did she hate me so much that she’d go as far as tying me up?

The princess let out a hollow laugh, as if my tearful voice was absurd, then gently lifted my chin again, though this time her touch was cautious.

“You want to know why?”

The princess’s thumb brushed across my lips, smearing them slightly. Our eyes met, and her ruby-like gaze softened, as if in satisfaction.

“It’s because you don’t understand that I have no choice but to act this way.”

Her eyes curved gently, showing no hint of malice. Although she’d effectively kidnapped me, her gaze seemed to say, “This is perfectly reasonable.”

“If you try to run from me again, I’ll put a collar around your neck. Understand?”

“Sniff… sob…”

“Do you understand, my witch? No—”

Her fingers, which had brushed against my lips, now moved down to trace my neck. The coldness of her touch sent chills down my spine.

“My mother?”

Her chilling fingers felt as though they were tightening around my throat like a collar.

How did it ever come to this?

Since I possessed the body of Snow White’s stepmother, I was confident I hadn’t done anything to harm her. I didn’t enjoy tormenting children, and I certainly didn’t want to follow the original story’s fate and die.

All I did was raise Snow White with the dedication expected of a stepmother.

Thirteen years ago, on the day I became possessed by the body of Snow White’s stepmother, ‘Vivian’…