The morning air hung heavy in the candy-coated cottage, silence wrapping around Hansel and Gretel like an unwelcome blanket. Hansel sat at the table, running his thumb over the edges of his small wooden carving. Gretel leaned against the wall near the hearth, arms crossed, her eyes narrowed in thought.

“Do you think she’ll come back?” Hansel asked, breaking the silence.

Gretel scoffed. “Why would she? She got what she wanted—a warm fire and food. She was probably just another vagrant.”

“She didn’t take anything,” Hansel pointed out. “Not even the pendant. And the way she talked… it was like she was testing us.”

“Testing us?” Gretel rolled her eyes. “You mean testing you. She practically handed you a gold star for breathing while treating me like dirt.”

“She didn’t—” Hansel began, but a sharp knock interrupted him, cutting through the stillness like a blade.

They both froze.

“That can’t be her,” Gretel whispered, her voice taut with suspicion. “What if it’s—”

“Someone worse?” Hansel finished for her, his voice barely above a whisper.

The knock came again, louder this time. It was followed by a voice, smooth and cordial, yet brimming with an unmistakable authority.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t keep me waiting. It’s bad manners, you know.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Hansel and Gretel exchanged a glance, dread pooling in their stomachs. Hansel forced himself to stand, his hand trembling as he approached the door. He hesitated for only a moment before pulling it open.

The woman who stepped inside was like no one they had ever seen. Her presence filled the room, commanding and elegant. Her silver hair curled beneath a wide-brimmed violet hat adorned with roses, silk, and delicate silver embellishments. A cloak of deep purple swirled behind her as she strode forward, not waiting for an invitation.

She didn’t need one.

“Well,” she said, setting her hat on the table with deliberate care, “I see my house hasn’t fallen apart in my absence, though it’s clearly been tested.” Her sharp, pale eyes settled on Hansel, then Gretel, as though weighing them. “Children. How interesting.”

Hansel blinked, his voice catching in his throat. “You’re—”

“Rosina Leckermaul,” she said crisply, interrupting him. “Builder of this house. Owner of this house. And, by the looks of things, the only one here with any understanding of its rules.”

Gretel stepped forward, her jaw tightening. “If this is your house, why weren’t you here before? Why let us think it was abandoned?”

Rosina arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Let you think? You mean, you assumed. You’ve taken refuge in a place you don’t understand, breaking rules you didn’t bother to learn. And now you’re asking me why I wasn’t here to hold your hand?”

Gretel flushed, her fists clenching at her sides. “We didn’t mean—”

“Oh, spare me,” Rosina said, cutting her off with a wave of her hand. Her tone was sharp, but her gaze softened as it turned to Hansel. “I warned you, didn’t I? In your dream. Not to take what isn’t freely given. To stay out of the forest at night.”

Hansel nodded slowly, his throat dry. “You’re real,” he murmured.

Rosina smirked. “I’d hope so. Otherwise, you’d be talking to a ghost.”

She moved further into the room, her eyes flicking to the shelves, the hearth, the kitchen. “It’s a miracle this place hasn’t turned on you completely,” she said, almost to herself. “Though I suppose we have your brother to thank for that.” Her gaze settled back on Gretel. “And you, my dear, are a different story.”

Gretel bristled. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“And yet, here we are,” Rosina replied smoothly, lowering herself into a chair as though she owned not just the house, but the air they breathed. “I don’t need to be asked. This is my house. My rules. And whether you like it or not, you’re under my roof.”

Hansel swallowed hard. “Why are you here now?”

Rosina’s expression softened slightly, though her eyes remained piercing. “Because it’s time you understood the truth. About this house. About its rules. And about what lies beyond its walls.”

She gestured for them to sit. “Come. We have much to discuss, and I’m not known for my patience.”