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

"Leo..."

The Countess lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, and choked out, "Thank you, you're so right. Life is more than just the present hardships; there's also poetry and distant horizons. Life is a wilderness, not a road..."

Not to mention the Countess.

Doris and the maids at Taroburg also had tears in their eyes; this bowl of rich and fragrant chicken soup touched their tender hearts.

"I'm sorry, madam. Did I say something wrong that made you angry and brought you to tears?" Leo handed her a handkerchief.

The Countess took the handkerchief and hurriedly wiped away her tears: "No, no, no, you didn't say anything wrong. On the contrary, you've touched my heart... I think in this world, no one but you would say these things to me."

After wiping away her tears, she immediately looked at Leo with deep affection.

This moment.

The priorities have been reversed; she no longer sees herself as a high and mighty countess, nor does she regard Leo as a handsome country manor owner.

Leo was a man of understated talent and a mentor on life's journey.

She was a lost little girl, and a little fan of celebrities.

"Leo, are we friends now?" the Countess asked, her eyes full of anticipation as she held a handkerchief.

"Of course," Leo smiled slightly, "but I don't seem to know your name, Madam?"

"Marianne Rush." ​​The Countess smiled sweetly. "My father was Baron Rush. I married Earl Long Taro when I was twenty, but he passed away only three years after our marriage. I have been living alone all these years."

Then, the Countess went on and on about how she would pursue poetry and distant places in the future.

The first thing is to communicate with Leo.

"I'd like to station a knight at the Swamp Manor, specifically to deliver messages. I have so much to tell you, is that alright?"

"certainly."

The maid behind the Countess looked at the somewhat infatuated Countess, then glanced at the handsome Leo.

I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

His wife seemed to have been captivated by the country knight.

At dinner, the Countess ate her meal while talking non-stop, like a tap that had been turned on, her words flowing like a never-ending stream.

Life after marrying into Yubao was so restrictive that she probably never had a truly happy day.

Leo rarely spoke; he simply listened.

Listening is enough. What the Countess needs most right now is someone to listen to her, to listen to her constrained life and suppressed desires.

This atmosphere, along with the end of dinner, was about to come to an end.

"Madam, your bathwater is ready. You must be exhausted from the long journey from the Glowing Town. Please take a bath and get some rest," the Countess's personal maid gently reminded her.

The Countess immediately looked at Leo.

Her eyes held a kaleidoscope of thoughts, as if she were afraid to face the next moment, because one moment she was a nagging little girl, and the next she had to play the noble countess again, living behind a mask.

Leo also looked at the Countess and nodded gently: "Madam, you should get some rest."

But he blinked his left eye quickly.

The Countess received it, and although she couldn't quite understand the meaning behind Leo's wink, she inexplicably grasped it.

Perhaps soon, something worth looking forward to will happen.

So she gracefully stood up: "Well then, Leo, I'm going to take a shower now. Goodnight in advance."

Good night, madam.

Goodnight, Leo.

……

"Young master, you speak so...so philosophically." Doris brought over new clothes for Leo to change into.

Olivia had already prepared a bath for him.

As Leo took off his clothes, he asked, "After hearing this, do you feel like you've wasted the first half of your life?"

No.

"Um?"

Leo turned around, somewhat puzzled: "Nothing?"

"Yes, young master, your words are very philosophical. Lady Malena agrees with you. She's like... like she's already starting to admire you." Doris paused for a moment. "But this philosophy is useless to a maid like me."

"How so?"

"We are ordinary people, and our fates are predetermined from birth. Like me, I was taught to be a maid from a young age. I think only you, young master, and nobles like Lady Malena, are qualified to pursue poetry and distant places."

After listening to Doris's words, Leo exclaimed, "Doris, you are a wise woman."

"Ah, young master, you must be joking. How could I possibly be a wise man?" Doris chuckled, her tone light and cheerful.

Leo smiled and took it as a joke.

Those who can remain unaffected by inspirational quotes are truly wise.

At nine o'clock, ten o'clock, and eleven o'clock, Leo meditated in the master bedroom for three hours, but his meditation efficiency was probably not as good as his usual one hour.

The sound of a door closing came from the next room.

The Countess's maid had already left the room and returned to her own servants' quarters.

Leo opened the door, walked to the guest room door, his heart pounding. After hesitating for several seconds, he gritted his teeth and decisively knocked on the door.

Ding ding.

"Who is it, Poppy?" The Countess's voice rang out in the room; she was still awake.

He had been chatting with his personal maid, Poppy.

I've heard too many inspirational quotes; they're too stimulating, and I can't sleep.

"It's me, madam." Leo suppressed his excitement and tried to keep his voice calm, but it still trembled slightly.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Just when Leo thought his impulsiveness was wishful thinking and was about to back down...

Squeak.

The door opened, and in the dim light, the Countess, dressed in a nightgown, softly asked, "What is it, Leo?"

"Yes." A glint of light shone in Leo's eyes.

He pushed open the half-closed door, rushed into the room, and then casually closed the door behind him.

There were no lights on in the room.

Only the hyacinth bulbs on the balcony and the sunflower bulbs behind the door emitted a faint glow.

Even with just this little bit of light, Leo could still make out the Countess's face and her pair of watery eyes.

"You..." The Countess was about to speak.

Leo stepped forward, reached out and wrapped his arm around the Countess's slender waist, pulling her tightly towards him.

The countess then bumped into his arms.

Before the Countess could gasp, Leo kissed her forcefully, silencing her completely.

"Ugh...ugh...um..."

The night wind blew in through the window, swaying the leaves of the hyacinth bulb, and small insects circled around the glowing flowers.

The hyacinths sway and shake their heads, seemingly chasing away insects, or perhaps pondering how to form their flower language next.

The sunflowers, even when exposed to light, remain quiet and diligently perform their supplemental lighting tasks with their large, jade-plate-like flower heads.

The clock remained silent.

Amidst the creaking of the bed, the hands of the clock kept turning, from eleven o'clock to twelve...