Chapter 277

「……」

Are kids today really this mature?

Watching William and Charlotte, who had just settled their lifelong fate in two sentences and were now hugging tightly, whispering to each other, the adults from both families were momentarily stunned.

After a moment, Anna, the one most familiar with raising children, was the first to react, biting her lip and speaking as gently as she could:

"William! What are you doing?!"

"I'm proposing—and I succeeded."

After using a handkerchief to remove the milk candy stuck to his face and returning it to his little wife, William said seriously:

"We've already agreed: as soon as we graduate, we'll get married. First child will be a boy, second a girl, and the third should ideally be twins—one boy and one girl…"

"Cough, cough, cough… let's talk about that later."

Seeing the increasingly strange expressions on the faces of the fat Prime Minister and his wife, Leon cleared his throat awkwardly, dragged his brother back from in front of the other family's cabbage, and said with some embarrassment:

"William… he's always liked imitating adults. These two children probably don't even know what marriage means, so you really don't need to take it seriously…"

"That's not true—Charlotte knows what marriage is!"

After shooting a resentful glance at Leon, who had dragged away her husband, the Prime Minister's younger daughter pouted:

"It means staying together for life—eating, sleeping, playing games, never separating. When we grow up, we'll have lots of little babies and raise them together…"

"And exchange resources."

While Anna was pinching his ear and scolding him, William turned his head to add:

"For example, when your father needs military support and wants my brother and the Raynes family to agree to something, he can offer positions in return—like giving me a seat on the county council."

"William?!"

Hearing her brother's words, Anna stared at him in shock:

"How do you know about this? And… and I haven't even told you about it yet…"

"I heard it from Professor Logan."

William said calmly:

"Last week, during a history quiz, Melanie copied someone else's answers—and also copied their name. She was afraid her parents would be called in, so she paid me with her allowance to help her sneak into Professor Logan's office and steal the test papers.

When I stepped on her shoulders and climbed through the window, Professor Logan was chatting with the homeroom teacher of Class Two in the break room. They were talking about which first-year students had troublesome backgrounds, and mentioned your older brother briefly."

Ah! You're betraying me again!

Hearing William expose another deadly secret, Melanie shuddered all over, leapt off her chair, and clung to Leon's leg, terrified Anna would scold her again.

But at this moment, the adults had no attention left for her cheating—they all stared at William, the little adult-like boy, with astonishment.

…

"Your younger brother is truly… gifted!"

William, who was unlikely to inherit the dukedom, had only received a casual glance from the fat Prime Minister before—but now he truly regarded him with new respect.

At his age, the Prime Minister himself couldn't even urinate and play in mud properly, let alone understand interest exchanges or county council seats. This child was undoubtedly a rare genius!

Moreover, the Lionheart Duke and Princess Veronika are betrothed; he may very well step down from the dukedom early. If this child has me as his ally, he might even compete for the dukedom.

At that time, the Montier family would be allied by marriage to the new Lionheart Duke, and connected to the Princess—and even the future Queen's husband. Their influence would surge dramatically. Even after my term ends and I leave the Prime Minister's post, the Montier family would remain a powerfully influential clan!

And the cost to gain all this? Merely the happiness of my younger daughter… hmm… besides, she seems quite happy with it?

Looking at his little daughter, who held a milk candy in her mouth, her face glowing with joy, then at William—though chubby and boyish, speaking with clarity and precision, growing ever more impressive in his intelligence—the fat Prime Minister pondered briefly, then smiled warmly at Leon:

"Your Grace, although this is merely a promise between two children, it need not be treated as a joke.

Your younger brother is exceptionally gifted and will surely achieve great things. I see that Charlotte truly likes him. If you are also inclined, perhaps we could let the two children continue playing as they are?

If they grow apart later, it will simply be the playful words of children, and won't affect the friendship between our families. But if they grow closer and become even more closely bound, that would be even better. What do you think?"

"…"

I feel… kind of stunned…

Watching the fat Prime Minister, whose words were uncertain but clearly leaning toward turning this playful arrangement into reality and marrying off his daughter, Leon hesitated, then turned to look at William in Anna's arms.

"Big brother, agree."

Meeting Leon's probing gaze, William spoke slowly and calmly:

"I heard from Professor Logan and others that the Raynes family has had many troubles—you're facing serious difficulties and need someone to support you. Charlotte's father has exactly that ability. And it's not just you, Big Brother—I also need help to realize my own dreams.

If you accept this, Charlotte's father gains an ally, his position as Prime Minister becomes more secure and longer-lasting, you resolve your current troubles, Charlotte gains happiness, and I gain support to achieve my dream… Why hesitate over such a win-win situation?"

This child… is truly extraordinary!

Watching William calmly lay out his thoughts, distilling the core advantages and disadvantages in just a few words, the fat Prime Minister's eyes sparkled with admiration—he grew even more pleased with this "future son-in-law," still in elementary school.

Although William's words sounded overly focused on interests, most fathers would dislike such an approach.

But the Prime Minister, entrenched in the kingdom's political arena, was the greatest political broker of all—he spent his days mediating among factions, leveraging his influence to advance agendas and broker agreements. This slightly utilitarian style of communication was his daily routine before and after every meeting—he knew it better than his own breath.

And the very skill he had cultivated over decades of political struggle—the most important one of all—had now appeared in a child. The fat Prime Minister was utterly delighted, even feeling a strange sense of recognition: "This child is like me."

"This child is so clever!"

He stared again at the chubby little boy before him, then slowly squatted down, gently patted William's head, and smiled with exceptional tenderness:

"Come, tell Uncle what your dream is. Maybe I can help you achieve it right away."

"That's perfect. I want to overthrow the royal family and become king myself."

Oh, so your dream is to overthrow the royal… what?

Huh?!?!?!?!