Has the knight lady who married into the countryside fallen into depravity today?

Ophelia's voice rose at the end, and that rare coquettish tone, when it reached Klein's ears, felt like a feather gently brushing against his heart, making him extremely pleased.

He was about to reply when a completely unexpected yawn rolled down his throat.

The beautiful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted.

Ophelia's eyes softened with a hint of helplessness. She pulled her hand away from his grasp and gently pushed away the man's warm arm.

"If you're sleepy, get some rest," she urged softly. As she withdrew her hand, her fingertips accidentally brushed against his sleeve, sending a tingling sensation through her.

Klein didn't move. He leaned back, his back pressed against the soft headboard, exuding a lazy, easygoing air.

"I may be tired, but even if I close my eyes now, I might not be able to fall asleep." He shifted to a more comfortable position, turned his head, and gazed at her gently. "It's not easy for you, Sir Knight, to open the door tonight. I can't just lie down and go to sleep after only a few words. That would be too much of a loss."

Ophelia was speechless at this somewhat roguish yet frank statement.

She glared at him feigning anger, but her golden eyes were shimmering with moisture, and that hint of intimidation was greatly diminished by the gentle moonlight, making it seem more like she was being coquettish.

"Whatever you want." She turned her face away, the temperature at the base of her ears rising again.

Klein looked at her still habitually straight back, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

Now that the topic had been started, he had indeed become quite interested. The manor's nightlife was monotonous; apart from meditation and tinkering with alchemy in the laboratory, there were few moments as leisurely and intimate as this.

"Honestly, I never imagined my life would turn out like this." Klein crossed his arms behind his head, his body completely relaxed.

These words piqued Ophelia's interest. She moved half an inch closer to him, turning to the side, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulder: "So, what were you originally planning to do?"

"Be a transparent country baron, mind your own business in the land, as long as everyone has enough to eat and wear. Spend the rest of your time in the laboratory, wrestling with those complex magic circles and strange alchemical materials, and maybe one day you'll accidentally blow up a crucible and end up covered in soot," Klein replied casually.

Ophelia instantly pictured the scene in her mind, turned her head, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

After the laughter subsided, the room fell silent for a few seconds.

Ophelia looked down at her right hand, which rested on her knee, while her left hand, tainted by the siren, was habitually and carefully hidden in the deep shadows of her skirt. A question that had been weighing on her mind for a long time was finally brought to her lips, carried by the cool night breeze.

"Klein," she called his name, her voice slow and tinged with a barely perceptible nervousness, "what were you thinking when you first saw me?"

At that time, she was tainted by the siren's blood and bore the empty title of honorary knight, being thrown into this remote countryside by the bigwigs in the capital like a hot potato. She thought she would be met with fear, disgust, or hypocritical sympathy.

Klein let out a long breath and turned to meet her beautiful golden eyes with a serious expression.

"To hear the truth or a lie?"

"The truth," she answered decisively.

"Very beautiful." He answered without even pausing for half a second, his voice confident and his gaze clear and sincere. "So beautiful that I fell in love at first sight."

Ophelia had prepared herself for a long-winded speech, such as "I admire your bloodshed for the Empire" or "I sympathize with your plight." But instead, the man opened with such bluntness that it was impossible to respond.

She was completely stunned. The temperature at the base of her ears rose sharply, and even her fair neck and delicate collarbone flushed with a striking blush.

Klein didn't give her a chance to bring up the past or evade the issue; with a smile on his lips, he threw the question back at her.

"It's your turn. The illustrious knight of the Empire, what are your thoughts upon our first meeting?"

When Ophelia was asked this question, her thoughts drifted back to the day they first met.

A casually dressed young baron stood at the manor gate, looking somewhat uneasy, as if he had just come from the alchemy workshop.

"Silly," she commented, pursing her lips.

Klein immediately protested: "I call this being approachable and down-to-earth, without any aristocratic airs."

Ophelia ignored his excuses, a slight smile playing on her lips, and continued, "But he's a good person. We get along very well, and it's easy on me."

Klein, who had been given the "friend zone" card for no reason, pouted and was about to retort when he heard a very soft addition from beside him.

"Of course, he's fairly good-looking."

A very soft voice drifted over, carrying a hint of arrogance.

Klein's rebuttal, which was on the tip of his tongue, got stuck in his throat and he swallowed it back. He turned his head to look, and Ophelia had already turned her face away from the window, leaving him only her bright red ear and her slightly undulating, thin back.

The moonlight outside the window shone on her long golden hair, creating a sacred and soft halo.

This comment put Klein in a fairly good mood. He didn't push his luck and expose her shyness, but instead gave the knight ample time to calm down.