Chapter 679: This child is like me?

"..."

Are children nowadays... all this precocious?

Watching William and Charlotte, who had just settled their lifelong commitment in two sentences and were now huddled together whispering, the adults from both families were momentarily stunned.

A moment later, Anna, who was most experienced in managing children, was the first to react. Biting her lip, she said 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 with a straight face:

"We've already discussed it. We'll get married as soon as we graduate. Then the first child will be a son, the second a daughter, and the third would be best as twins..."

"Cough, cough, cough... Let's talk about that later."

Seeing the increasingly bizarre expressions on the faces of the Fatty Prime Minister and his wife, a rather embarrassed Li Ang gave a dry cough. He hauled back his younger brother, who was brazenly poaching someone else's cabbage, and then said with some awkwardness:

"William... has always liked to imitate adults. These two children might not even know what marriage is, so there's really no need to take it too seriously..."

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

After glancing unhappily at Li Ang, who had snatched away her husband, the Prime Minister's youngest daughter pouted and said:

"It means being together forever, never separating when eating, sleeping, or playing games. When we grow up, we'll have lots of little babies and grow up alongside them..."

"And exchanging resources."

William, who was currently having his ear pinched by Anna as a form of discipline, turned his head and added:

"For example, when your father needs military support and wants my brother and the Laien family to nod in agreement, he can offer up some positions in exchange... like giving me a seat as a county councilor."

"William?!"

Upon hearing his younger brother's words, Anna couldn't help but say, her eyes full of shock:

"How do you know these things? And... and I clearly haven't told you about this yet..."

"I heard it from Mr. Logan."

William said with complete composure:

"During the history quiz last week, Mei Lan Ni copied someone else's answers and even copied their name. She was afraid of being called in by her parents because of it, so she used her pocket money to hire me to help her steal the test papers from Mr. Logan's office.

When I stepped on her shoulders to climb through the window, Mr. Logan was chatting with the homeroom teacher of Class 2 in the breakroom. When the two of them were discussing which first-year students had troublesome backgrounds, they mentioned Big Brother twice."

Ah! You betrayed me again!

Hearing William spill another deadly secret, Mei Lan Ni couldn't help but shiver all over. She scrambled off her chair in a hurry and hugged Li Ang's thigh, terrified of being disciplined by Anna again.

However, the few adults present were no longer concerned with her copying test papers; they were all looking at William, who seemed like a little adult, with eyes full of surprise.

"This younger brother of yours is truly... gifted!"

Regarding William, who was unlikely to inherit the title of Duke, the Fatty Prime Minister had only glanced at him casually earlier and hadn't paid much attention. But now, he truly looked at him with new eyes. When he was at that age, he couldn't even play with mud properly, let alone talk about interest exchanges or county councilor seats. This child was absolutely a rare genius!

Moreover, the Lionheart Duke before him had a marriage contract with Princess Xia Luote, and it was very likely he would step down from the position of Lionheart Duke early in the future. If this child had himself as an assistant, it wasn't impossible for him to vie for the dukedom.

By that time, the Mondier family would have marriage ties with the new Lionheart Duke and would also have established a relationship with the Princess, or even the Queen's husband. Their influence would surely soar. Even if his own term ended and he stepped down from the Prime Minister's position, the Mondier family would still be a great family with astonishing influence!

And the price to pay for all this was merely his youngest daughter's happiness... Hmm... Besides, she seemed to think she was quite happy?

Looking at his youngest daughter, who was holding a milk candy and looked full of joy, and then looking at William, who—despite his blockheaded appearance—spoke with clear logic and precise expression, the more he thought about it, the more he felt the boy was exceptionally clever. The Fatty Prime Minister pondered slightly, then smiled heartily and said to Li Ang:

"Duke, although this is just a promise between two children, it doesn't necessarily have to be treated as a joke.

Your younger brother is naturally clever and will surely achieve great things in the future. And I see that Charlotte truly likes him. So, if you are also willing, why not let the two children play around like this for now?

If it's not suitable in the future, then naturally it will just be a joke between little children, and it won't affect the friendship between our two families. If they get along well in the future, it would naturally be even better to have a marriage between our families. What do you think?"

"..."

I think... I'm a bit stunned...

Watching the Fatty Prime Minister, who—though not entirely certain in his words—had a strong intention to make this fake act real and marry his daughter over, Li Ang hesitated for a moment, then looked at William in Anna's arms.

"Big Brother, agree to it."

After receiving Li Ang's "searching" gaze, William said unhurriedly:

"I heard Mr. Logan and the others say that the Laien family has had many incidents, and you have quite a few troubles right now that need someone to help you out. Charlotte's father happens to have that ability. And it's not just you, Big Brother; if I want to realize my own dreams, I also need people to help me.

If we agree to this, Charlotte's father gets external support and sits more securely and longer in the Prime Minister's seat. You can solve the troubles you're currently facing, Charlotte can find happiness, and I have an assistant to realize my dreams... With such a win-win situation, what is there to hesitate about?"

This child... is truly extraordinary!

Watching William, who was stating his thoughts unhurriedly and had dissected the main stakes in just a few words, the Fatty Prime Minister's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he became increasingly satisfied with this "future son-in-law" who was still in elementary school.

Although William's words sounded a bit too focused on interests, most fathers probably wouldn't like that.

But in the kingdom's political arena, the Prime Minister was originally the biggest political broker. His daily work was mediating and negotiating between various parties, using his influence to push political agendas and facilitate agreements. This slightly utilitarian way of communicating was almost his daily routine before and after every meeting; he was simply too familiar with it.

And one of the most important abilities he had cultivated after decades of struggling in the political arena had actually manifested in a child. This truly surprised the Fatty Prime Minister, and he even felt a strange sense of identification, as if "this child is like me."

"This child is truly clever!"

Staring again at the blockheaded little boy in front of him, the Fatty Prime Minister didn't rush to urge Li Ang for an answer. Instead, he squatted down with some difficulty, patted William's head, and said with a particularly kind smile:

"Come, tell Uncle, what is your dream? Perhaps Uncle can help you realize it right away."

"That would be great. I want to overthrow the royal family and become the King myself."

Oh, so your dream is to overthrow the Wang... huh?

Huh?!?!?!?!

(End of chapter)