Arthur had used mental communication with the Grangers before.
And after Hermione mastered externalized mental power, she would occasionally use it to communicate with her parents as well—mostly to save time and effort.
So Mr. and Mrs. Granger were already quite familiar with this method of communication.
The moment Arthur connected his mental power to theirs, he heard Mr. Granger's deliberately stern voice.
"Brat, you've got some nerve setting your sights on my daughter."
Arthur gave an awkward smile and wisely chose not to reply.
What was he supposed to say—
Your daughter is the one who set her sights on me?
Sure, he had his own thoughts as well, but he'd planned to wait until Hermione was an adult before doing anything.
Who knew the little witch would fall on her own first?
Fortunately, Mrs. Granger came to his rescue.
She shot her husband a glare and said,
"That's enough. You're a grown man—bullying a child, aren't you embarrassed?"
Mr. Granger immediately dropped his stern act.
The family hierarchy was instantly clear.
Mrs. Granger then turned to Arthur and spoke gently:
"Arthur, Hermione is my daughter. I know her very well. Once she sets her heart on something, she'll charge forward without hesitation."
"Now she's chosen you—and you're so outstanding. I know she won't be able to leave you for the rest of her life."
"So I'm asking you, please take good care of her."
Arthur was genuinely startled.
"Y-You're not against it?" he asked.
"I already have a fiancée."
Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes.
"And what good would opposing it do?"
"Even if I forced you apart and kicked you out of the house, do you really think we could keep Hermione here?"
"With her current abilities, do you believe she wouldn't run away with you without a second thought?"
Arthur thought about it for a moment.
…With Hermione's personality, that really was possible.
Mrs. Granger continued calmly:
"Besides, you possess magic, and even something like the Philosopher's Stone—an item that grants immortality."
"Mundane social rules simply don't bind you anymore."
"Outstanding men are never lacking in women. Even if you don't want it, there will be more and more around you in the future."
"All I hope is that you treat Hermione well and never neglect her."
Arthur was deeply moved.
A mother-in-law this open-minded actually exists?
He answered solemnly,
"Don't worry, Auntie. I swear I'll take good care of Hermione."
Mrs. Granger nodded in satisfaction.
In truth, there was another reason she felt at ease entrusting Hermione to Arthur.
She knew him—inside and out.
Over the past few years, she had watched him closely.
Mature. Responsible. Reliable.
Able to cook, considerate at home, and more doting toward Hermione than even she herself was.
Frankly, he practically spoiled the girl rotten.
It was no wonder Hermione fell so quickly.
That was why Mrs. Granger felt so reassured.
"Oh—right~" she suddenly added, as if remembering something.
She looked at Arthur meaningfully.
"You and Hermione are still young. There are some things that should wait until you're adults."
The implication was unmistakable.
Arthur understood perfectly and nodded helplessly.
Did he really look like some impatient lecher?
Besides, Hermione was still so young—he couldn't bring himself to do anything even if he wanted to.
He was an alchemist, not a degenerate.
For a true raising-game player, the fruit was only meant to be harvested once it was fully ripe.
(Hisoka the fruit farmer greatly approves of this statement and gives a like.)
Fearing Mrs. Granger might continue down this dangerous topic, Arthur hurriedly changed the subject.
"Um—Auntie, should we tell Hermione about this?"
Mrs. Granger thought for a moment, then decisively shook her head.
"I'll handle that."
Usually, when she scolded Hermione even a little, the girl would hide behind Arthur for protection.
With Arthur constantly indulging her, Hermione had grown rather bold.
If she found out her parents had already approved the relationship, her tail would probably stick straight up into the sky.
Now that she finally had leverage over her daughter, Mrs. Granger had no intention of wasting it.
Arthur didn't know exactly what she was planning, but judging by that mischievous smile—
Hermione was about to suffer.
Mental communication occurred at the speed of thought.
Though they'd spoken at length, only a few seconds passed in reality.
Hermione had no idea that such an important exchange had just taken place.
"Ahem. Hermione, I think we need to talk," Mrs. Granger said sternly.
Arthur felt the little witch stiffen in his arms.
Hermione climbed down and turned—only to see her mother staring at her coldly.
Mrs. Granger walked toward her bedroom, tilted her chin slightly, and motioned for Hermione to follow.
Hermione cast a desperate, pleading look at Arthur.
Arthur knew this was Mrs. Granger deliberately keeping her daughter in check.
So he could only pretend not to see her plea.
Still, he secretly sent a mental message:
Auntie, don't go too far.
Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes where Hermione couldn't see.
"Already feeling sorry for your little girlfriend?"
Then she looked at Hermione again.
"Why are you still standing there? Come on."
Hermione, seeing Arthur ignore her entirely, could only lower her head guiltily and follow her mother.
Arthur sighed inwardly, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
He knew that once Hermione came out, she'd definitely settle accounts with him for abandoning her.
So he decided to personally cook her favorite dishes—to shut her mouth.
By the time the food was almost ready, Hermione finally emerged from Mrs. Granger's room.
She let out a long sigh of relief.
The process had been nerve-wracking, but the outcome was good—
her mother had agreed to her relationship with Arthur.
The next second, Hermione pounced toward Arthur, who was still cooking.
"Stupid cousin! You actually teamed up with Mom to scare me!"
She started pounding his chest with her little fists—without much force, of course.
"I didn't team up with Auntie," Arthur protested.
"At most, I just ignored your look earlier."
"I don't care! You're still bad!" Hermione huffed.
"Fine, fine, I'm bad," Arthur sighed theatrically.
"Such a pity. I even made someone her favorite crispy shrimp balls. Guess in her eyes I'm just a bad guy now. Ah… love is gone."
Hermione froze.
She looked into the pan—golden shrimp balls frying away, some already placed aside to drain the oil.
Then she glanced at the other dishes, all of them her favorites.
Her tiny bit of grievance instantly vanished.
"You're the little glutton!" she snorted.
Then she grabbed a freshly fried shrimp ball and stuffed it into her mouth—burning herself but refusing to spit it out.
Arthur laughed and patted her head.
"Alright, take these dishes out first. Dinner will be ready once this one's done."
Hermione nodded obediently and carried the dishes out.
When it was time to eat, Arthur didn't forget to bring Ranni out of the Zen Garden.
At the dinner table, Ranni immediately sensed a subtle change in the relationship between Arthur and Hermione.
Never underestimate a woman's intuition in such matters—it was practically a natural talent.
However, Ranni didn't say anything.
She had expected this outcome long ago.
She knew just how outstanding her King was.
For a girl as inexperienced as Hermione to hold out for three whole years before completely falling—
That alone exceeded Ranni's expectations.
But when Hermione mentioned last night's operation, Ranni's mood instantly darkened.
Arthur had gone on an operation…
and hadn't brought her along.
That made her slightly unhappy.
She fixed Arthur with those beautiful eyes, her meaning unmistakable.
Arthur noticed it immediately and could only smile bitterly.
Keeping everyone satisfied really isn't easy…
So that very night, Arthur took Ranni on a trip to Gringotts.
The purpose was simple—
to let her see the vaults, look at the dragons guarding them, and incidentally retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup.
In truth, Ranni had little interest in Gringotts' vaults or dragons.
Arthur already had a vault in the Zen Garden, filled with massive amounts of gold generated by calendula.
As for wizarding dragons—
they were nowhere near as beautiful as Ifrit.
But Ranni was still very satisfied with this outing.
What she wanted wasn't the destination.
It was Arthur's attitude.
What Hermione had—she had to have.
What Hermione didn't have—she wanted as well.
As a princess of the Carian royal family, Ranni had always been strong-willed.
Only by Arthur's side did she restrain herself and reveal her gentler side.
She couldn't act cute like Hermione.
Instead, she expressed her displeasure in her own way—
considerate, restrained, and never making things difficult for Arthur.
Just like at the dinner table earlier.
She was unhappy that Arthur hadn't brought her to the Ministry,
yet she didn't say anything that would embarrass him in front of everyone.
She simply conveyed her dissatisfaction—
with a single look.
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