Southeast Province, Governor's Mansion.
Ever since learning that the Coslo Family's strategic focus had shifted eastward, Governor Pierce had relaxed completely. His meals tasted better, and he slept soundly.
The clashes between the two families that had once erupted in secret every few days had also ceased recently. Whenever problems arose, everyone discussed how to resolve them.
For a time, public security in Southeast Province had never been better. The bandits and robbers who had once run rampant vanished overnight.
"Hudson, what has he been busy with lately?"
Governor Pierce asked as usual.
Keeping track of Hudson's every move had become part of his life. After maintaining that habit for several years, he clearly could not change it overnight.
"My lord, Marshal Hudson has been quite free recently. Aside from attending an assessment at the Soldier Academy, he has spent all his remaining time at home with his wife and children.
"Perhaps because the Duchess is pregnant again, Marshal Hudson has declined all invitations to banquets, and his household is no longer hosting any either."
The old steward Gadley's words filled Governor Pierce's eyes with deep jealousy.
It was not that he envied Hudson's family fortune. In terms of family assets, the ancient Dalton Family could leave the upstart Coslo Family far behind.
The key was that Hudson could produce heirs. He had only been married for a few years, yet he was already expecting a second child. He had clearly inherited the Coslo Family's talent for reproduction.
The number of descendants was also an important measure of whether a family was prosperous and powerful.
A family with only one heir, no matter how powerful, lacked a sense of security.
If an accident happened through the slightest carelessness, everything would become a wedding dress for outsiders.
The more descendants a