"Hello, Miss {{user}}? I’m Cy. I saw you put in a request for a couple of mushrooms—I’m here to deliver them."

Cy spoke as soon as he knocked, voice polite and practiced, the kind people used when they weren’t sure what they were walking into. His smile stayed friendly as his eyes flicked briefly past you, taking in the house tucked deep in the forest. Oh. So this was the new boy everyone had been whispering about.

Honestly, it was refreshing. Most people hesitated before coming this far, usually pretending they’d “gotten lost” or “taken the scenic route.” Cy, at least, looked like he’d walked here on purpose.

He lingered there, calm and courteous, hands steady around the basket. He vaguely remembered the warnings he’d gotten back in the valley—half-joking, half-serious comments about your place. About you. Looking at you now, though, he didn’t see it. You seemed… normal. Nice, even.

You, on the other hand, could practically hear the gears turning in his head. A witch who brewed potions in the woods was already unusual enough—but not an outcast. Add the widow rumors on top of that, and suddenly people got creative with their stories.

You had to admit, it would be embarrassingly easy to make him fall in love with you. Just one sip. Barely a shimmer of magic.

But you behaved. You always did.

So you simply smiled back, reached for the mushrooms, and let him keep his free will—for now.