Crown Prince's Grand Wedding

Bathed in the spring breeze, Hudson, riding a tall horse, stepped out of Beda City under the ardent gazes of a group of noblewomen.

The Dragon Knight became a horse knight, but that did not diminish his personal charm in the slightest.

The only downside was the mini bear on his shoulder, which kept waving its paws at the crowd and stole a lot of the spotlight.

Clearly, Mr. Maxim, the breeding dragon, was left in the territory to continue breeding.

Hudson could have used the same excuse to stay and then ride the Giant Dragon to the wedding on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding.

However, in order to fit in and not to overshadow the groom, Hudson ultimately chose to travel with nobles from the province.

Regardless of the potential conflict of interest between the Coslo Family and Dalton Family within the province, they still had to deliberately present a united front when facing outsiders.

Unfortunately, with the two elders leading the way side by side, the noble lords following behind them also tacitly split into two groups, their camps clearly divided.

This put the neutral faction in a difficult position, as following them seemed inappropriate. They were forced to keep a distance and linger at the back of the group.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, Count Pierce was in a very bad mood. Putting aside the difference in the quality of their men, simply counting the number of men, the two sides were almost evenly matched.

One was an old aristocratic family that had ruled the Southeast Province for over a century, while the other was a newly risen, upstart family that had not yet established itself. Under normal circumstances, their influence was not even in the same league.

However, reality proved otherwise. The Dragon Knight's immense fame laid the foundation for the Coslo Family to gain a foothold in the market.

Leveraging its large population and through extensive marriage alliances, the Coslo Family managed to garner a group of supporters despite being at a disadvantage. Within the province, they established a foundation to stand on equal footing with the Dalton Family.

Competitors with a strong foundation and competitors without a strong foundation are two completely different concepts.

At the very least, the Noble Council, originally dominated by the Dalton Family, is now divided in two. Whether his next proposal will pass smoothly depends on how well each side tries to win over the neutral faction.

"Count Hudson, truly impressive. The Coslo Family's ability to produce such a talent as yours suggests their rise is inevitable!"

Faced with Count Pierce's tinged probing, Hudson simply smiled; the Coslo Family's rapid growth was indeed somewhat unexpected.

A year ago, very few nobles dared to openly stand behind him; little did they expect that after a series of marriage alliances, his supporters would suddenly grow so much stronger.

No wonder nobles are so keen on political marriages! Compared to other alliances, marriage is the quickest and cheapest way to form one.

"Governor Excellency, the prosperity of the Coslo Family is also the prosperity of the nobles of the Southeast Province. If we really want to talk about it, you deserve some credit for it as well."

As long as the nobles of the province are united, I believe everyone will have excellent opportunities for development, and we will soon become the strongest province in the kingdom!

That's the absolute truth. Among the many provinces of the Alpha Kingdom, the Southeast Province is not the largest in area, nor is it the most fertile, but it is the most unique.

Provinces larger in area than the Southeast Province have less Southeast Province land; provinces with more fertile land than the Southeast Province much smaller areas.

For over a century, the densely populated and fertile Southeast Province has been the largest taxpayer in the Alpha Kingdom, and its overall economic strength is undoubtedly the strongest in the kingdom.

If military strength were to develop further, becoming the most powerful province in the kingdom would be just around the corner.

The competition between the Coslo Family and Dalton Family, to some extent, also spurred the improvement of the province's military strength.

"Haha... Count Hudson is so generous!"

Laughter masked the awkwardness, and the previous tension vanished instantly. Clearly, Count Pierce was equally interested in Hudson's suggestion.

Competition is competition, but when common interests are involved, cooperation is still necessary.

With the bigwigs settled, the underlings following behind also relaxed. The three groups, which had previously been clearly distinct, merged instantly, as if they had rehearsed it.

Stepping into the Royal Capital once again, the towering city walls still stand majestically.

Upon seeing the banners of the two major families fluttering in the wind, the officers guarding the city, with keen insight, opened the city gates to their fullest extent.

Caravans and pedestrians entering and exiting spontaneously made way for the main road in the shortest possible time.

Everything was so natural, like flowing clouds and running water.

Fortunately, no nobles from several provinces arrived at the same time in the same carriage; otherwise, who would get through the gate first would have caused quite a stir.

The expected officials did not appear, clearly indicating that the King was still angry about the Southeast Province using war bonds to pay off its debts.

Frankly, this isn't Hudson's fault. He sold off his war bonds long ago and now only holds a token amount.

Unfortunately, the fact that the Coslo Family provided cash does not mean that all of their subordinates will also contribute cash.

It was an unspoken agreement among all parties that minor nobles with limited financial resources could use war bonds to offset taxes, and Lord Hudson was in charge of tax collection, readily accepted it.

In any case, he always paid more in cash than in bonds. Unfortunately, his integrity did not mean that other nobles did, and ultimately, bonds still dominated the tax revenue of the Southeast Province.

Even King is human; it's only natural for him to throw a tantrum and express his dissatisfaction.

Returning to his old haunts, Hudson received much better treatment this time. Unfortunately, he could only watch with envy as Count Pierce went to his own mansion.

The Coslo Family also has a house in the Royal Capital, but due to its location and size, no matter how much they renovate it, it still exudes a petty and small-scale feel.

It's fine for living alone, but it's not presentable enough for entertaining guests.

As a duke, Hudson was a well-known nobleman in the Alpha Kingdom.

A residence befitting his status is a rare resource even in the Royal Capital; it's not something money alone can buy.

Hudson simply stayed in the post station, monopolizing the reception area for the high-ranking nobles, which terrified all the post station staff.

High-ranking nobles prefer to stay in their own territories and rarely stay at post stations when they arrive in the Royal Capital. Under normal circumstances, these VIP areas are basically unoccupied, and are only occasionally used to accommodate visiting foreign guests.

Humans are inherently lazy; if the frequency of use is low, it's inevitable to become somewhat lax in maintenance and upkeep.

As it turned out, these worries were completely unnecessary; Hudson was never a picky person.

After a long and tiring day of travel, I was dragged to a banquet as soon as I arrived in the Royal Capital. When I got back to the post station, I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep immediately. I didn't have time to pay attention to the small details at all.

At the Emerald Palace, Caesar III, weary from his journey, greeted King George.

Both countries attached great importance to this marriage and showed their utmost sincerity.

Crown Prince Caesar went to the wedding with the highest honors, and King George, as a good older brother, even chose to personally escort his sister over.

Clearly, the purpose of staging such a grand event was not simply for the marriage alliance, but more importantly, to further deepen the alliance between the two countries.

Among the human nations of the Northern Continent, the Alpha Kingdom, the Warhammer Kingdom, and the Moxi Duchy are the three strongest. Even after the Beastfolk invasion, this power structure remained unchanged.

The Warhammer Kingdom is now embroiled in endless infighting, and the power to decide many matters in the Northern Continent has fallen into the hands of the Alpha Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy.

This should have been a good thing for both countries, but unfortunately, everyone is out of sorts right now.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Caesar III, as the host, took the initiative to start the conversation.

"George, the Orc Empire has declined, but the situation in the Northern Continent is still not optimistic."

In the past, we only had to worry about the threat of the Beastfolk. Now, we not only have to consider other races, but also face open and covert attacks from within the human race.

We won't even mention the distant Frankish Kingdom, the Iberian Kingdom, the Church, and other major powers for now.

The Dante Kingdom, the Black Forest Kingdom, and the South Bank Kingdom in the central part of the Light Continent are quite a problem.

Seeing that both of our families had been severely weakened, they could no longer restrain themselves and had already extended their reach to the Northern Continent.

Although it's just a trial at the moment, once the ambition has been revealed, it's hard to stop.

Even with a joint plan to build a monster army, it can only temporarily stabilize the countries of the Northern Continent. If our two sides fail to come up with strong measures soon, the choices of these fence-sitters will likely still disappoint us!

Adversity may not reveal true friendship, but it can forge alliances. A common enemy brought the Alpha Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy together.

"Your Majesty is right. The Central Three Kingdoms have indeed stretched their tentacles too far. If we don't give them a warning, I'm afraid everyone will forget who the true masters of the Northern Continent are!"

Unfortunately, my Moxi Duchy was weakened by the war, and now even if we wanted to teach them a lesson, we are powerless to do so.

However, your country is different. His Majesty has worked diligently for decades, accumulating a solid foundation for the Alpha Kingdom. It won't be long before the wounds of war are healed.

In our future actions, we are willing to stand in unison with your country to jointly safeguard the prosperity and stability of the Northern Continent!

George said, deliberately offering a compliment.

Relinquishing dominance outright isn't a matter of being cowardly. The main issue is that regional hegemony in the Northern Continent is completely meaningless to the Moxi Duchy, which is mired in a debt crisis.

After all, a region can only have one hegemon. For the Moxi Duchy, which has never been a hegemon before, it would be difficult to harbor such ambitions when it is so weakened.

Choosing to ally with the Alpha Kingdom at this moment is more about self-preservation than about fantasizing about expansion and advancement.

Not to mention George, even the current Caesar III doesn't have a strong desire for expansion; he's more focused on maintaining his existing power base.

"Archduke George saw the problem clearly. If it weren't for the Beastfolk invasion, how could the Northern Continent tolerate such a few people's audacity!"

However, at this time, we should remain cautious and not rush into anything.

If the three of them want to cause trouble, then let them cause as much trouble as they want. The problem is that they have the ability to start a fire, but not the ability to put it out.

Once we get through this difficult period, we'll have plenty of opportunities to settle accounts with them. No matter how much they've taken now, they'll have to pay it all back, many times over!

"Caesar III said with an air of dominance."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

An untimely cough completely ruined the atmosphere that Caesar III had created.

George, who had originally been full of confidence in the Alpha Kingdom, now felt uneasy.

The Alpha Kingdom's strength was multifaceted, with one important factor being the reign of Caesar III.

If he were to meet the Lord of Dawn and a mediocre ruler were to take the throne, the situation would be entirely different.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

George said sincerely.

The two countries have been allied for quite some time now, and the marriage alliance has already begun; it's too late to back out now.

Now he can only hope that Caesar III will live a few more years, providing a safe haven for the alliance between the two countries and stabilizing the current situation in the Northern Continent.

"Don't worry, I know my physical condition. I'm not going to die anytime soon. Let's talk about business first!"

In addition to the current severe international situation, we have a new problem – the debt crisis.

I'm not entirely sure about the situation in your country, but the situation in the Alpha Kingdom is certainly very bad.

Those troublesome nobles, for their own selfish interests, actually started negotiating with the kingdom at this crucial moment.

Without fear of being laughed at, given the current complex situation, the Kingdom's monster legion plan will most likely be scaled back.

How to handle this specifically depends on the outcome of the subsequent negotiations!

"Caesar III said with a worried expression."

These seemingly sincere words, when they reached George's ears, turned into deep frustration.

Before he could even cry poverty and play the victim, she had already blocked his path to borrowing money. How was he supposed to proceed?

Ultimately, he wasn't thick-skinned enough. After hesitating for a moment, Archduke George forced himself to comfort him, saying, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry too much."

Every family has a few troublesome nobles. Your country's finances are not optimistic, and our situation is even worse.

This year's tax revenue came almost entirely from war bonds printed in previous years; the national treasury is so empty it could run rampant. I can't even pay officials' salaries on time!

Keep going! As long as you persevere, you will eventually be able to...

The more George talked, the more something seemed off. It seemed that the financial problems of the Moxi Duchy were even more serious. How did he end up comforting people?

Realizing he had been tricked, George cursed Caesar III inwardly. However, on the surface, the two continued to chat amiably, though the atmosphere was somehow off.

Perhaps sensing the problem in his father's and brother-in-law's conversation, Crown Prince Caesar, who was acting as a guest of honor, seized the opportunity to speak up, "The banquet has begun. Let's discuss the remaining issues another time!"

George, since you've come all this way, I'll take you to experience the wonders of my Alpha Kingdom ..."