Thanks to Little Dumpling, Prince Nolan regained his advantage. Serena Feng no longer had to worry about sneaking Little Dumpling out and making Prince Nolan upset. But just as Serena was about to take her son back to the palace, something happened that made her cry out in dismay...
“Mom, can Grand Heir William come into the palace to teach me to read? The palace tutors are terrible.” Little Dumpling hugged Serena Feng's leg, acting spoiled.
After experiencing Grand Heir William's one-on-one fun lessons, Little Dumpling honestly couldn't bear the endless days of rote memorization and copying books in the palace.
“Grand Heir William isn't a palace tutor, he won't come to the palace.” Serena Feng knew that since William had resigned his post, he wouldn't return to officialdom.
“But... I like Grand Heir William. I want to learn from him.” Little Dumpling blinked, tears shimmering in his eyes.
Besides Mom and Dad, Grand Heir William was his favorite.
“You can come find me when you have free time.” William patted Little Dumpling’s head, looking gratified.
All that affection wasn't wasted—Little Dumpling actually missed him.
“Grand Heir William, I want to study with you. I don't want to go to the study room.” Little Dumpling lowered his head, kicking at pebbles, refusing to move.
Uh...
'So what would it take for Grand Heir to teach me?' Little Dumpling persisted, 'As long as you say it, I'll definitely do it.'
'You can't do it.' William couldn't help but sigh—father-son nature was truly strange. Little Dumpling was just as stubborn as the emperor. If he were an enemy, he'd be a headache to deal with.
'How do you know I can't if you don't say it?' Little Dumpling retorted, full of spirit. 'I can't do it now, but when I grow up, I definitely will.'
'Even when you grow up, you still can't. Grand Heir already said he'd never take students, only teach his own children.' William, worried Little Dumpling would be upset, added, 'But if you ever have questions, you can come to me. If I know the answer, I'll tell you.'
'If I become Grand Heir's child, will you teach me then?'
'Little Dumpling...' Serena quickly tried to interrupt, but Little Dumpling was lost in his own excitement. He clapped his hands and, before Serena could stop him, knelt in front of William: 'Adoptive father!'
'Bang—time froze!'
Serena and William were both stunned. They never expected Little Dumpling would actually say the words 'adoptive father.'
'Little Dumpling, you can't...' William started to object, but Serena interrupted him: 'I think Little Dumpling's proposal is pretty good. You deserve it.' William had given half the Wang clan to Little Dumpling and taught him generously. Now, with Little Dumpling's affection, Serena saw no reason to oppose it.
'He's an Eastlyn prince, the heir to the throne.' If Little Dumpling were just Serena's son, William would have already accepted him as his adoptive child.
'Putting aside all those titles, Little Dumpling is just my son—will you accept him as your adoptive child?' Serena believed it was a blessing for Little Dumpling to be taught by William. She was sure Prince Nolan might be displeased, but he wouldn't stop it.
'In troubled times, you need generals; in peaceful times, you need civil ministers. By the time Little Dumpling inherits the throne, the empire will be unified—he'll need civil ministers to rule. With William's reputation, it will be easy to attract talented officials.'
'With things at this point, what else could William do? He could only nod. "I accept." He would never have children of his own, so having Little Dumpling as his adoptive son seemed pretty good.'
'Great! Grand Heir, does that mean you can teach me now?' Little Dumpling was overjoyed at William's answer.
'With Grand Heir teaching him, he wouldn't have to copy and memorize books every day.'
'The tutors were so annoying—Grand Heir was much better.'
'Yes, from now on, Grand Heir will teach you.' William knew as much about imperial strategy and governance as the emperor, but had never had a chance to use it. Now, he could pass it on to Serena's son, making his studies worthwhile.
'Grand Heir, I like you so much!' Little Dumpling got up, hugged William, and then boasted to his mother: 'Mom, Grand Heir agreed to teach me! Someday I'll be as handsome as he is.'
'Vain kid—he's so young and already knows what it means to be good-looking.'
'From now on, don't call him Grand Heir—call him adoptive father.' Serena tapped Little Dumpling's head. Little Dumpling stuck out his tongue and obediently called, 'Grand Heir adoptive father.' No matter what, he never forgot to say 'Grand Heir'—in his heart, only William deserved that title.
'Good child.' William nodded, his eyes full of warmth.
'In this life, having a son was enough to satisfy him.'
William was happy, but Prince Nolan was not. When he learned that Little Dumpling had recognized William as his adoptive father just to be taught by him, Nolan nearly spat blood in anger.
'Pathetic. The dignified Eastlyn crown prince actually sold himself just to get a tutor—how foolish.'
Prince Nolan gnashed his teeth. If Serena hadn't protected him, Little Dumpling's butt would have been in trouble.
Unfortunately, no matter how unhappy Prince Nolan was, he couldn't change the fact. For the famous Grand Heir to accept an adoptive son, even if it didn't require an official announcement, a formal ceremony was necessary.
Once the relationship was established, Prince Nolan could only grit his teeth and watch Little Dumpling call William his adoptive father.
The ceremony was held in private, without any grand announcement, but everyone close knew what had happened.
From that day forward, Little Dumpling had two fathers—one who ruled the country, one who taught him books.
Serena watched the two most important men in her son's life and felt at ease. No matter what happened in the future, Little Dumpling would never be alone.
William was strict when teaching, but gentle at heart. Little Dumpling soon found that learning from Grand Heir was much more fun than memorizing with the palace tutors.
Prince Nolan still grumbled, but seeing Little Dumpling so happy, he reluctantly accepted it.
Little Dumpling worked hard, wanting to live up to both his fathers' expectations.
Serena sometimes teased Nolan about being jealous, but he just snorted and pulled her closer.
William, meanwhile, quietly felt content, knowing he'd finally found a child to pass on his life's learning.
The palace, once tense, now felt a little warmer. For Little Dumpling, the world had suddenly become much bigger—and much brighter.
And so, under the watchful eyes of his two fathers and his mother, Little Dumpling took another step toward his future.