Spreading the Good News and Building a New Estate

Before long, the good news of Veronica's pregnancy spread like wildfire throughout the entire territory.

Whether they were high-ranking officials, ordinary citizens, or indentured servants of their territories, everyone was overjoyed upon hearing the news.

It should be noted that compared to other greedy and ruthless nobles, the Golden Sunflower Family is a breath of fresh air—they are kind-hearted and possess a strong humanitarian spirit!

For this reason, everyone in this territory can personally feel the benefits brought about by its vigorous development, and sincerely hopes that it will continue to maintain stability and prosperity and be passed down from generation to generation in the future.

Those who had suffered greatly as indentured slaves, in particular, were filled with anticipation for this.

According to the special agreement they signed with the territory, as long as they worked diligently for a certain period, they could be freed from their lowly status as serfs; moreover, the territory would generously grant them fertile land and substantial loan support!

This was undoubtedly an unattainable dream for the impoverished serfs living in other territories!

As for Victor himself, he never even considered hiding the fact that his wife was pregnant.

Seeing that the news had already spread like wildfire, they decided to go with the flow and announce it throughout the entire territory!

Not only did he give the entire territory another holiday, he also ordered the widespread distribution of celebratory red envelopes (even though each envelope contained only a few copper coins) throughout the territory, allowing everyone to immerse themselves in the joy and share in this happy time!

Speaking of which, Veronica's pregnancy was truly a wonderful surprise!

Shortly after Victor finished meticulously planning the territory's work schedule for the following year, one day, he went to Veronica's lab as usual to pick her up after work, only to be surprised to find that Veronica was not there.

After some inquiries, it was learned that Veronica was feeling unwell today, so she had gone home early to rest.

At first, when Veronica told Victor she was feeling unwell, Victor naturally assumed she had simply caught a cold.

So he hurriedly ordered Isaac to send a doctor to examine him immediately.

However, to everyone's surprise, after a thorough diagnosis, the conclusion was that Veronica was pregnant! This unexpected good news was absolutely exhilarating!

According to the calculations of the doctors sent by the Medical Department, Veronica is now exactly two months pregnant, which coincides with the two weeks after Victor returned to the territory—it seems that this is undoubtedly the fruit of love borne by Victor's hard work!

Upon hearing the news, Victor couldn't wait to share the good news with his parents.

Upon hearing this, the Baron and Duchess of Baron Wembley were overjoyed, their faces beaming with undisguised delight. (Victor had used his military achievements to secure a baronial title for Wembley from the kingdom, and now Wembley could once again be addressed as His Excellency Baron!)

As for this title, it will be inherited by Victor's younger brother, Enrique Golden Sunflower, which can be considered a gift from Victor to his father and brother!

Perhaps because he had lived two lives and was playing the role of a father for the first time, Victor couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of nervousness.

For this reason, in the past few mornings when he got up to exercise, he found himself unconsciously using more force when fighting his own guards; at the same time, his temperament also seemed to have become more impatient and irritable!

However, as perceptive as Victor was, he soon became aware of the unusual change in his own condition.

Considering that his beloved wife Veronica needed to rest and prepare for childbirth, allowing the guards to continue training at this time would likely disturb her and the baby in her womb.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Victor had no choice but to suspend his daily morning exercise routine once again.

Not only that, he also gave all the guards a long leave—temporarily reassigning them to the Main Camp within the territory to stand by, while only some essential defense forces were retained at the Lord's Mansion.

For a considerable period afterward, Veronica was undoubtedly the most pampered and cherished figure in the entire territory.

The level of importance attached to him was so high that it even surpassed that of Victor himself, who was Marquis Lord!

The Medical Department acted decisively, quickly dispatching a professional medical team to the Lord's Mansion. This team consisted of highly skilled and experienced members, including the first batch of female physicians recruited and carefully trained.

All of this stemmed from Victor's earlier suggestion to the Medical Department —given the future development of an open medical industry in the Two Rivers Territory, it would be necessary to have many female doctors to provide high-quality and attentive services to those distinguished ladies. Unexpectedly, the first person to enjoy this treatment was Veronica!

At the same time, Victor did not hesitate to pass on the good news to his father-in-law's family.

Because it was the dead of winter, the roads were rugged and difficult to travel, making transportation extremely inconvenient. Count and Count Benjamin, upon learning the joyous news that their beloved daughter was about to give birth, were anxious but unable to come and visit her in person.

However, they did not slack off because of this. Instead, they immediately organized a large team and sent a lot of precious items and letters full of deep affection to the Lord's Mansion.

These gifts not only included Veronica's favorite delicacies such as dried pears from the Golden Pear Territory, but also a variety of exquisite gifts totaling Dawan of dollars, each containing her deep love and best wishes for her daughter and unborn baby.

Furthermore, the letter specifically mentioned that when spring arrives and the long-frozen Blackwater River gradually thaws, Viscount Benjamin and his family will rush to the Two Rivers Territory without delay, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new life.

At the same time, Victor suddenly realized an important fact: Veronica's due date was actually in September of this year!

Recalling the previously planned itinerary, in August Victor had to embark on a journey with Alex and other prominent nobles to the distant Raine Kingdom to pay homage to the king!

Based on the time required for the journey, if all goes well, when Victor's child is born, he will probably still be inside the Raine Kingdom and will not yet be able to return to his territory.

This discovery deeply troubled Victor —after all, as a devoted husband and loving father, the fact that he couldn't be by his child's side when he was born was truly a source of immense guilt!

After much deliberation, Victor decided to write a letter to Alex.

The letter not only informed Veronica of her pregnancy, but also pleaded with Alex to grant him permission to stay with his wife and care for her during her pregnancy, so that he could not accompany the others to the Raine Kingdom.

However, when Veronica learned of this, she stopped Victor without hesitation and said seriously, "While informing Alex is not inappropriate, I strongly advise you not to take leave at this time. You should know that as a vassal of the King of the Raine Kingdom, it is your duty and obligation to pay homage to the King."

Then, she paused for a moment before continuing her analysis, "Moreover, this event is a grand occasion in which all nobles of Count and above from the Three Provinces of Vela are invited to participate."

If you choose to be absent, even if the king himself doesn't care, it will likely still cause dissatisfaction among many other nobles in the Raine Kingdom.

After all, our family has not yet grown strong enough to withstand such pressure, so it is really not advisable to establish too many hostile forces within the kingdom too early!

At this point, Veronica gently stroked her slightly protruding belly, her eyes filled with maternal love, and whispered, "I'm sure you wouldn't want our child to suffer from others' difficulties or exclusion because of these baseless disputes, would you?"

Finally, she held Victor's hand tightly and gently comforted him, "So, darling, you can go ahead with peace of mind. Trust me, the baby and I will be safe and sound, waiting for your return."

Don't forget to bring us back gifts!

Veronica's words warmed Victor's heart like a spring breeze, deeply moving him.

So when Victor picked up his pen to write to Alex, he had already made up his mind—he would not mention asking for leave at all, but would simply tell him the good news that Veronica was pregnant!

Time flies, and more than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

While Victor was with Veronica, he received a reply from Alex.

The letter revealed Alex's barely suppressed joy; he was clearly extremely excited about becoming an uncle.

Moreover, Alex solemnly wrote at the end of the letter that when spring arrives, he will personally travel from Silver Maple City to Two Rivers Territory to visit Veronica and the child in her womb.

Victor never expected Alex to respond so quickly.

It's important to know that there is no direct carrier pigeon route between the Two Rivers Territory and Silver Maple City. Normally, the message must first be sent to the Iron Birch Territory, and then it must be relayed through there to reach its destination.

It must have taken a lot of effort for Alex to reply to the letter so quickly this time.

And right now, Alex must be incredibly busy!

After all, there were many tasks ahead of him—he needed to carefully sort out the newly acquired territories, and spring was less than two months away. By then, Alex would likely still have a lot of complicated and trivial matters to deal with.

Who could have predicted that, amidst such a busy time, Alex would resolutely put aside his many important matters and travel thousands of miles to the Northlands to visit him? This action truly caught Victor completely off guard!

However, since Alex was coming, Victor wouldn't stop him. It just so happened that the Count of Benjamin's family was also coming, so they decided to have a family gathering. Just as Victor was happily preparing how to welcome his distinguished guest, he suddenly received a series of letters.

Surprisingly, the letter writers were all nobles who had interacted with Victor, including not only nobles from the Northlands, but also important allies such as the Iron Vine Family from the South and the Great Oak Territory from the East. Even more unexpectedly, several nobles from the Raine Kingdom Navy faction, who had only met Victor once and had recently established their own territory in the West, also expressed their intention to visit the Two Rivers Territory in the spring to congratulate Victor.

It should be noted that Victor had never informed any of the aforementioned noble families about Veronica's pregnancy. Yet, it is unclear how they learned of this information, but they all unanimously expressed their intention to come to Two Rivers Territory to offer Victor their sincere blessings and congratulations.

Only then did Victor realize that, without even noticing, he had already acquired such a pivotal position and far-reaching influence in the Three Provinces of Vela!

This undoubtedly troubled Victor greatly. If, as the letter stated, the nobles who were coming were all Count or higher, even if their numbers were limited, a rough estimate would suggest there would be at least a dozen or so families.

Adding the dependents from each family, the total number would likely approach a hundred or even more. However, given where Victor is currently located, it's clear that the place cannot accommodate so many guests!

Fortunately, Victor happened to be preparing to build a brand new residence.

Upon his return to the Two Rivers Territory, the officials learned that their lord had been promoted to Marquis and keenly realized that his current residence might not be sufficient to meet future needs and was not commensurate with the status Marquis should have.

Therefore, everyone joined together to advise their lord, suggesting that he should have a new mansion befitting his status as his future residence.

Victor naturally did not object and agreed to build a new residence.

This new residence is located in the eastern part of Wood Fort Town, adjacent to the sparkling Great Fish River and backed by green mountains, making it a truly beautiful place!

Today, Wood Fort Town is becoming increasingly prosperous, with a surge in permanent residents and the entire town brimming with noise and vitality; however, such a noisy and chaotic environment is clearly somewhat unbearable for Victor.

Therefore, he resolutely chose to place this brand-new Lord's Mansion in a location far from the bustling city center.

It's worth mentioning that although this place is a bit far from the core area of Wood Fort Town, it's only about ten kilometers away. If you ride a horse at full speed, you can reach your destination in about fifteen minutes.

Victor plans to build a luxurious estate here, covering an area of thirty hectares!

In addition to several magnificent detached villas, it also includes a variety of ancillary facilities and equipment, which will be able to fully meet the various needs of up to four or five hundred guests and servants when it is completed!

Victor already knows that a large number of distinguished guests will be visiting next spring, so he is anxiously rushing to the construction site, which is still in the midst of a bustling construction phase, to inspect the situation.

Despite the harsh winter weather, the workers continued their hard work without stopping. Fortunately, the foundation was completed before the ground froze, so the progress of the project will not be significantly affected by the severe weather.