With the rising of the sun, a new day began in Sardia.
General Bertrand was beginning his preparations for the Luxenberg army to depart. Supplies were being packed and the soldiers began to take down the makeshift camp they had built outside the city's walls. Bertrand planned to break camp the following morning and head home to Hannover.
The newly recruited summons all began to converge in Sardia. All 2,000 of the new soldiers would stay to help bolster the military presence. The new administrators would stay to help General Rapp manage the territory. The new merchants would return with the army to Hannover to help with trade and the spies were sent to the Grand Duchy of Maximillian, if anyone was going to target Luxenberg it would certainly be them.
The Grand Duchy of Maximillian was now only slightly bigger than the Luxenberg Dukedom. If they felt threatened they could easily create a justification for war. As one of the 3 Grand Duchys they held extreme influence over the Bulgar Continent. Including the Cruyff, Cassell and Luxenberg Dukedoms, there were 9 dukedoms in total. Plus there were 2 Marquisates, 1 of which was now a new neighbour of the Luxenberg Dukedom.
The new Luxenberg territory still had 3 neighbours on their borders. The Cassell Dukedom was on the northeastern border, while the Grand Duchy of Maximillian shared a long strip of Victor's northern border. Finally, the Dupont Marquisate was now on the northwestern border.
Victor's new Luxenberg realm was now the major player in the south of the Bulgar continent. Aware that making such noise in the south could get the bad sort of attention Victor began to plan on his next move.
For a month Victor remained in Sardia to help General Rapp stabilize the region. Due to the good treatment of the surrendered Cruyff soldiers, the citizens were a lot more tame and easier to sway their opinion on their new Luxenberg overlord.
With the assistance of the new administrators, Sardia began to improve from its original state. Streets were able to be repaired and cleaned. New goods and trade routes were now available to them through the port of Hannover.
Compensation for the fallen soldiers who fell in the recent war was now being distributed to their families which eased the tensions of those who were not fond of the Luxenberg occupation.
General Rapp had begun rebuilding the military in the region. The 4,000 summoned soldiers who were stationed in Sardia were now the base of the region's army. Many of the survivors from the war re-enlisted and slowly the army began to reform to its original size.
Seeing the slow but smooth progress Victor felt like his time in his new city was coming to an end. After doing some final check-ins with the general and the administrators, Victor and his escort of 120 Royal Scots Grey cavalrymen began their 3-week journey back to the capital.
With the wind on their side, the mighty steads of the party galloped steadfastly through the realm. While making good time the party was able to arrive almost 2 days earlier than anticipated. The sight of Hannover made Victor smile profusely. It had been over 2 months since he left his home for war and now he returned a conquerer.
News of Victor's arrival had spread and the people began to flood the streets of Hannover, singing his praises. The cheers of the masses filled Victor's heart with pride and joy. Street after street, the unrelenting encouragement from his citizens made being a Duke extremely rewarding.
Once Victor had arrived at the Luxenberg Palace he was greeted by his dear sister, Veronica. "Brother. Welcome home," she said warmly, giving Victor a tender and loving hug. Victor could only smile as he saw his beloved sister.
Beside Veronica was General Bertrand, who offered a bow to his returning lord. "My Duke, we have something serious to discuss immediately. Let us talk more inside," said the general in a serious tone. Concerned by his general's words, Victor rushed inside to hear what Bertrand had to say.
In the Duke's study, General Bertrand began to give his report. "During your absence, we have received 2 letters. The first letter is from the Grand Duchy of Maximillian. The Grand Duke wishes to meet you and discuss the future of the 2 territories."
Victor was uneasy at such news. Gaining the attention of the Grand Duchy of Maximillian was inevitable but to gain it so soon was not ideal. Victor could not afford to refuse an invitation. "What was the contents of the second letter general?" Victor asked while bearing an uneasy expression.
"The other letter is from the Dupont Marquisate. Marquis Dupont has expressed his intentions to visit Hannover and apparently offer you a favourable deal. He said he would leave for Hannover a week after he sent the letter. We received this letter 5 days ago so he shall be arriving in 2 days, assuming there is no delay. " General Bertrand replied.
"The capital of the Dupont Marquisate is a 5-week journey away from Hannover. Are you telling me that he sent this letter before we even finished our war with the Cruyff family?" Victor questioned, trying to understand why the Marquis would do such a thing.
"A swift rider galloping all day and night could reduce the time taken to get here by at most 2 days. So it would be fair to assume that they sent this letter shortly after defeating Harold Cruyff and his army in the field of battle," Confidently reported the general.
Both of the letters perplexed Victor. The first letter invited him to the Grand Duchy of Maximillian's capital to treat with the Grand Duke. It would require a month on the road before reaching the intended destination.
On the other hand, the letter from the Dupont Marquisate was extremely vague and suspicious. Regardless of Victor's opinions, both letters need to be treated seriously. Failure to do so could land the Luxenberg Dukedom into another war.
"Our most pressing concern is the arrival of Marquis Dupont. Talk to Sebastian and give him orders to prepare for an important guest. I will write back and aim to visit Grand Duke Maximillian in 2 months from today," Victor stated in a controlled tone.
Nodding at his lord's words, General Bertrand exited Victor's study to find Sebastian. With only himself in the study, Victor began to contemplate the nature of Marquis Dupont's visit. From Victor's limited knowledge of the Dupont family, they were a small but powerful territory. They had resisted invasions from their neighbours multiple times.
The Dupont family was led by Cedric Dupont, who had only 1 child, a daughter named Clarisse. She is a similar age to Victor and the presumed heir of the territory. Cedric Dupont had lost his wife in childbirth and his son to an unfortunate accident.
With Marquis Dupont's visit looming, Victor could only prepare for his meeting with a new neighbour.