The Knight of Light plants the sun in the eternal night.

Chapter 135 Earl Hayden's Plans for Leo (Part 1)

Leo actually really wanted to go back.

Moonlight Castle is indeed magnificent; its food, drink, clothing, and daily necessities far surpass those of Fluorescent Mushroom Castle, let alone Sunflower Castle.

but.

There's no place like home, and in the swamp manor, he's in charge, surrounded by familiar faces and confidantes.

Moonlight Castle felt unfamiliar.

Although Earl Hayden and the Hemingway couple were close relatives, he had little memory of them from his infancy, and now they were complete strangers to Leo. He felt out of place in the Glowing Fungus Castle, let alone Moonlight Castle.

But Earl Hayden had already spoken.

Leo couldn't refuse, so he nodded and agreed: "Okay, I also want to stay and spend more time with you, Grandpa."

"What's your father thinking?" Lady Holly asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice, as she linked arms with her husband. "Judging from this, does he intend to keep Leo at Moonlight Castle?"

Hemingway gave a wry smile: "You're overthinking it. Father is just close to Leo."

"Why don't I see him being close to Hex, Haa, or Hela?"

"We see each other every day, aren't we close enough?"

"Hmph, it must be because he saw how handsome Leo is and thought he looked like him—don't think I don't know, Father definitely complained to you about it, saying that Hextech didn't inherit the handsome bloodline of the Evening Primrose family, unlike him!"

"That's not true!" Hemingway firmly denied it, but behind his tough stance, there was a hint of guilt.

Earl Haydn did indeed complain to him about it.

I've complained about it more than once.

Of course, he also criticized Neanderthal and Lisa quite a bit, believing that his grandsons were all useless and none of them were like him.

The handsome bloodline of the Evening Primrose family is about to end.

Who would have thought that Leo's arrival would instantly ignite all of the old man's passion, making him see Leo as the last hope for the Evening Primrose family.

"Hmph!" Seeing her husband's righteous indignation, Mrs. Holly finally backed down. "That's for the best!"

There were far fewer people at the dinner party.

Life in the capital was affluent, with nobles and officials as numerous as hairs on a cow, so banquets were frequent, and the nobles were already tired of eating and drinking.

Therefore, each banquet only lasts for one or two days, and it ends right on schedule. Unlike banquets in remote places like the Glowing Fungus Castle, which last for several days of revelry, as if they've never had a feast before.

After the party ended.

Leo returned to his room to rest, and Pluto came over, frowning, and said, "Sir, we've been tricked!"

"What do you mean, 'scammed'?"

"We've been fooled by this little beggar, Vian. ​​She's not a boy at all; she's a girl!"

Pluto always thought that the little beggar Vian was a little boy.

So when Leo took her as his follower, he didn't stop him; he just treated it as picking up a knight to train.

He complained, "I took her to the knights' quarters and had her share a room with several knights before she revealed the truth: she's a little girl with short hair and looks like a boy. We were all fooled!"

Leo feigned surprise: "Really? — Honestly, I'll teach her a lesson when we get back to Swamp Manor."

"It would be best to give her a few lashes to teach her a lesson and discipline!" Pluto said, then shook his head and added, "But since you've already taken her in as a follower—you might as well train her as a female knight. If you have a daughter in the future, she'll need a female knight to protect her."

"You're thinking too far ahead, Lord Pluto."

"Not far, not far," Pluto forced a smile, quite confidently. "It's only a matter of time."

In his view, it was a foregone conclusion that Vanessa, who frequently visited Swamp Manor, would be taken by Leo.

Nobles typically marry around the age of twenty.

However, there are examples of people getting married at sixteen or seventeen; Leo was old enough to get married and have children.

Leo didn't want to talk about this topic and interrupted, "I might stay in Moonlight Castle for a while longer. You can take advantage of these few days to teach little Vian Knight her skills and see if she can ride a horse."

Early the next morning.

Neant, Lisa, and the others said their goodbyes, and Leo saw them off on the main road.

Upon returning to Moonlight Castle, they happened to see Bruuru leading a handsome young child toward the training ground.

"My lord," Pluto bowed.

The pretty little child also bowed and greeted him, saying, "Sir."

Xiao Wei'an had already taken a shower, and her hair was no longer a mess, but a neatly styled short haircut. However, she was still so thin that her chest was almost touching her back, and she didn't look like a girl at all.

He's just a little boy.

"Little Vian," Leo said sternly, "I already know who you are. Deception is a grave mistake. I should have thrown you out and left you to fend for yourself. Considering your past as a homeless person and your lack of knowledge of the rules, I will forgive you this time. But if you dare to lie again, I will not forgive you."

Little Vian replied sincerely, "Yes, sir, I will never lie to you again."

She paused, then defended herself, "But sir, I never said I was a little boy."

"Hmm?" Leo asked, puzzled.

Pluto immediately retorted, "How could you not have said that? You—ah, this—you really didn't say that?"

He thought back carefully and realized that Xiao Wei'an had never actually said his gender. It was just that he had a preconceived notion and assumed Xiao Wei'an was a boy based on his appearance, which led to the misunderstanding last night.

"I really didn't say that," Little Vian said, shrugging.

Pluto turned his head away, not wanting to talk anymore, while Leo smiled and said, "Okay, the misunderstanding is cleared up."

He nodded to little Vian: "I don't care if you're a boy or a girl. Now that you've become my follower, I will treat you the same. From now on, you will diligently follow Lord Pluto in your cultivation."

"Yes, sir."

There will be no more guests at the luncheon.

Only Count Hayden's family and Leo were present.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was quiet. Leo was not a talkative person, and Count Hayden also preferred not to speak while eating or sleeping.

Only Lady Holly, as the mistress of the castle, was polite to Leo. Seeing that Leo just smiled no matter what she said, she stopped wasting her breath and silently ate her meal, thus ending the luncheon.

After the meal.

Earl Hayden was going for a walk to digest his food and called out to Leo, "Let's take a walk together, grandfather and grandson."

"Yes, Grandpa."

The castle's large lawn was as bright as day. Earl Hayden dismissed the servants who were attending to him and spoke to Leo alone: ​​"I know you're not used to Moonlight Castle and want to go back with your brother and sister."

"It takes a little getting used to, but I'm still happy to spend time with you, Grandpa," Leo said.

"Yes, we are grandfather and grandson, blood relatives," Earl Hayden said with a smile. "I'm asking you to stay a few more days, firstly so that we can get closer, and secondly so that I can hear your thoughts on the future."

What are my thoughts on the future?

"That's right, you don't just want to be a manor owner for the rest of your life, do you?"

"Of course not, Grandfather!" Leo said frankly, "I was thinking that if the family could advance further, then after Father was promoted to Earl, I could make more contributions and be granted the title of Baron."

"This is a good way to make progress," Earl Hayden said, then scoffed, "but Leonard may not be able to achieve his goal."

He looked at Leo and said in a deep voice, "Linard always felt that the Fluorescent Fungus family could be promoted to earl just by missing a battle merit, but would the king really grant earls so casually? The ten earls were all promoted for their merits during times of national crisis, but now it's just a small border dispute."

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