The two sisters looked exactly the same; the only way to tell them apart was by their differently colored eyes.
Seeing their different reactions, Regulus Black chuckled to himself. Among twins, there was always one who was a little more mature.
"I am Duke Black, newly arrived. This entire Sleepy Hollow is now my domain. Misses Cook, which of you is Karenna? And which is Katalyn?"
Though Regulus Black's demeanor was cold and detached, everyone in Sleepy Hollow shared a similar coldness. In such a place, attitude was everything—and the duke's tone was plenty kind.
"I'm Katalyn. That's my sister, Karenna."
The dazed-looking little girl pointed to the silver-grey-eyed sister beside her, who was still tensely gripping her hatchet.
"Actually, I have another identity. I'm a very powerful wizard."
Regulus Black deliberately revealed his identity. At first, the two girls looked surprised—but then their expressions turned into unmistakable joy. Clearly, this had been the right move.
To further earn their trust, Regulus Black drew his wand and lightly tapped their clothes.
"Scourgify! Reparo!"
In an instant, the dresses they had dirtied and torn from work became clean and as good as new.
"So magic is real after all!"
The Cook sisters had never truly experienced magic's effects before, and now they were completely amazed.
"Actually, we know some magic too."
Waving her hatchet, Karenna blurted out their greatest secret. Realizing that this was rather rude, she sheepishly tossed the hatchet aside and lifted her chin, making it clear that everything she said was true.
"I came here because I heard your eye colors were unusual. I didn't expect you two to be so special—you might just become remarkable witches."
Regulus Black didn't ask directly what kind of magic they knew. Instead, he praised them again.
"Actually, we can summon the Headless Horseman,"
Katalyn added in a shy voice, then fell quiet, clearly embarrassed.
Judging by her hesitant tone, Regulus glanced back and forth between the sisters, noting their different attitudes.
"Well… it's like this. We need a freshly dead body. So… we haven't actually done it yet."
"And we're not sure if it would even work…"
Katalyn bashfully added on to her more assertive sister's explanation.
"You're not afraid of the Headless Horseman?"
How intriguing. Just how had these little girls inherited this magic?
From what Regulus Black could observe, although their physical constitutions were decent, they were even less magical than Squibs.
In other words, they didn't possess innate magical power. The magic within them came from the land itself—Sleepy Hollow. They were essentially wild witches, tethered to this place, unable to leave it. Someone, at some point, must have left behind the legacy of the Headless Horseman here. As long as a child born in this region could accept the magic, they would naturally receive knowledge of the ritual for creating the Headless Horseman.
"We're not afraid. Ever since we can remember, we've known we were different from other children. The memories of the Headless Horseman have always been with us—we couldn't forget them even if we tried."
"Then tell me… would you dare to kill someone?"
Regulus Black tried probing again. He wanted to see whether this inheritance affected their nature.
"We've never tried. So we don't know."
"Never thought about it. So we don't know."
Alright then. It's not that they wouldn't—it's just that they've never tried or even considered it. But if that time ever came, the legend of Sleepy Hollow would begin anew.
"Come with me for now. I need to speak with your mother."
Regulus Black still hadn't decided how to handle this situation. He had been eager to find witches outside the wizarding world, but now that he had, it was even more disappointing than he'd expected.
It wasn't that they lacked potential—but that their potential was so severely limited, it would be of little use to him.
Unless… he radically reshaped that potential.
In a Western fantasy setting, if a wizard sets his sights on a pair of little girls, how could he take them away without using force?
Should he say, "Come, girls, Uncle has something shiny to show you!"?
Of course not. All inappropriate ideas had to be cast aside.
Before the Collapse of the Feudal System (i.e., the Typical Medieval Fantasy Setting We Often Imagine)
Back when the feudal system hadn't yet broken down (that is, in the kind of medieval fantasy world we typically imagine), much of the farmland within a lord's fiefdom was cultivated by serfs. Though they weren't technically slaves, most of their personal rights were bound to the lord. They could be freely bought and sold by the lord—and of course, also given away as gifts.
To use an imperfect metaphor: they were akin to the "born-servants" often mentioned in domestic intrigue novels—if I tell you who to marry, you marry them; if I want you dead, you die; if I want to give you away, you're given away.
When it came to the daughters of serfs or tenant farmers, the lord could basically decide on his own to give them to a mage. Neither group likely had any concept of objecting. Even free farmers probably wouldn't dare defy a lord—let alone offend a magician.
And the notion of a poor girl relying on her beauty to rise in status and "become a phoenix perched in a tall tree" has existed across cultures and eras. It's not just a trope in female-targeted fiction.
With a flick of his wand, Regulus Black bundled the firewood the two little girls had chopped and had it float along behind him.
The few simple spells Regulus Black used during this process already had the girls' eyes glowing, full of eager longing.
They arrived at a house not far from the cemetery. The two girls set the floating firewood aside and happily opened the door for their guest.
"Katalyn? Karenna? Is that you?"
A woman busy in the kitchen, preparing semi-processed ingredients, called out. She'd heard an important guest had arrived at the mayor's home, so the meals for the next few days needed to be richer and more refined.
"Mama! Mama!"
Katalyn and Karenna threw themselves into their mother's arms, visibly delighted.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cook. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Duke Black. I happened to come across your daughters just now."
Regulus Black displayed perfect aristocratic etiquette and bearing—but instead of gratitude, he was met with even more hostility.
"Our home is tucked away at the far end of the town. How exactly did you just happen to come across my daughters?"
The mother quickly pulled her children behind her, standing protectively like a hen shielding her chicks, eyes full of vigilance.
"I still have to visit the mayor's house. The sheriff and the priest are waiting there to meet me, so I won't intrude any longer. Farewell."
Faced with this young woman's clear hostility, Regulus Black chose not to explain further and opted to leave first.
Watching their mother drive away the guest, the two little girls looked helpless. That was a wizard! A real, actual wizard!
"Mama, that Duke Black is a wizard—just like us. He's a wizard!"
Katalyn tugged at Mrs. Cook's apron anxiously.
"Then he must be a con man. There's no such thing as wizards in this world. You two must never have anything to do with him again—understand?"
Mrs. Cook practically snarled the words at her daughters, terrifying them both.
"Mayor, Sheriff, Father—good morning to you all!"
Back at the mayor's house, the three men were drinking morning tea. Playing bridge all night had been exhausting, and all three looked weary.
"Good morning, Duke Black. Please forgive our rudeness. Playing bridge through the night really took its toll."
Regulus Black knew exactly what condition they were in. After all, he'd spent the whole night using the Imperius and Legilimency Curses on them. There was no way they'd be in top shape now. They weren't like him—an undead Yin Corpse—with maxed-out stamina, endurance, energy, and magic.
"No need for apologies. I'm the youngest among us—it's my fault for not being mindful of your health. No more all-nighters from now on."
"Actually, being able to play bridge with a duke is an honor I quite enjoyed."
After downing a large mug of coffee, the mayor perked up slightly and quickly expressed that such exhaustion was nothing, so long as it pleased the duke.
"Yes, indeed!"
The sheriff and priest eagerly nodded in agreement. From Regulus Black's perspective, the memory conditioning had worked beautifully.
"About those two little girls we mentioned earlier—Katalyn Cook and Karenna Cook—I went to see them just now. I'm very fond of them."
Upon hearing this, the three town leaders exchanged knowing, suggestive smiles.
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