The castle dungeon was not as damp and gloomy as the Border Town prison. Perhaps the Duke didn't want his basement to become a haunted house, or to smell a disgusting odor as soon as one went downstairs. On the whole, the dungeon was relatively clean. The decoration of the different cells also varied; some were empty, while others had not only beds but also wardrobes, tables, and chandeliers. Presumably, the Duke had originally intended to imprison some nobles here, and basic etiquette had to be ensured.

Roland even discovered a special cell in the corner. A large bed occupied half of the room's area, and chains hung down from the ceiling, but the shackles attached to the chains were wrapped in a layer of sheepskin, and various whips hung on the wall. It seemed that Duke Ryan also had some research in certain aspects, he thought. It was a pity that he would be leaving here in a few days and would not be able to ponder it properly.

As the most valuable prisoner, Sharahfi Hermon was naturally held in the best cell. If it weren't for the iron bars outside, one would have thought it was a luxurious bedroom. Sharing the room with him were the viscounts of the Maple Leaf and Running Wolf families, the eldest son of the Wild Rose family, and the second son of the Elk family. These families, along with Ryan the Lion, constituted the six major families of Longsong Stronghold. Of course, the Ryan faction had already been dismantled by Roland, and his wife and son were imprisoned next door.

Seeing His Highness the Prince appear in the dungeon, the nobles stood up one after another. Before they could ask questions, Roland spoke first, "Earl Hermon, you can come out now. As for the others, I will naturally release you when the ransom arrives."

"Father," Peyro was relieved to see the Earl's rosy complexion. He glanced at his friend, then looked at Roland, "Your Highness, I didn't see the name of the Elk Earl on the list. If he died on the battlefield, their eldest son should still be in the royal capital, and there is no one in the family who can take charge. Can Reyn Medd be released first to raise the ransom himself? I am willing to vouch for him."

"The eldest son of the Elk family, are you talking about Jacques Medd?" Roland shook his head, "He's back. Not only is he back, but he also came to the castle yesterday. But... I don't think he intends to pay this ransom."

Hearing this, Reyn leaned against the cage in disbelief, "Why?"

"He said you didn't protect your father well on the battlefield, and you are the executioner who killed Earl Medd."

"Why would he say such a thing? The one who killed Father was clearly—" Reyn suddenly shut his mouth.

Roland didn't mind and said, "You want to say that the one who killed the Earl was clearly me, right?" He walked to the cage, "Your father sent people to infiltrate my castle before the Months of Demons, wanting to burn the grain. Now he has followed the Duke, leading a large team of knights to attack my territory. I am just fighting back and repelling the invaders. So am I the murderer? Compared to the instigator Duke Ryan and the accomplice Earl Medd, who should be condemned more? Also, if Hils hadn't testified that you knew nothing about the grain burning incident, you would have been dead by now."

"..." Reyn was speechless.

"Your Highness," Peyro asked worriedly, "If no one is willing to pay the ransom, will you execute him?"

"That won't happen. I am always merciful," Roland grinned, "I will probably just take him back to Border Town and have him atone for his sins by mining in the North Slope mines for twenty years."

"The ransom... how much is it?"

"As a second son, with no chance of inheriting the title, the price is naturally not as high as the Honeysuckle Earl. Just one thousand numerical units of supplies will do." Roland looked at him with interest, "What, do you want to pay the ransom for him?"

"What numerical units, one thousand gold dragons?" The Earl, who had been released by the guards, interjected.

"Your son will tell you," the Prince made a gesture of invitation, "Let's go, there's nothing good to stay here for. As for the matter of the Medd family's second son, you don't need to rush. You can slowly go back and consider it."

As the group left the dungeon and walked to the castle gate, the Earl suddenly stopped, "Your Highness, I know that Duke Ryan's actions are unforgivable, but... his wife and son are innocent."

"Perhaps," Roland said noncommittally, "I don't plan to sentence them to exile or hanging or anything like that. I will only take them back to Border Town and imprison them." Until the day I ascend the throne, he thought. Now is not the time for womanly kindness. Releasing them without guilt would only make the waters of Longsong Stronghold even muddier. The eldest son has the legal right to inherit.

*******************

"What did you say!?" Sharahfi Hermon widened his eyes, looking at Peyro in disbelief, "Your Highness doesn't plan to live in Longsong Stronghold, and he's going to hand over the management of this city to you?"

Back at the Honeysuckle Earl's mansion, Peyro immediately told his father everything that had happened in the past three days in detail. When he heard about the proxy contract, the Earl couldn't hold back any longer. After receiving his son's affirmative answer, he stood up and paced around the room, his mood obviously complicated.

"Father, are you alright?" Peyro asked worriedly.

"It seems that our main opponents are outside the Elk family. Apart from them, the other three families are far behind us, whether in terms of heritage or strength."

"What?" He didn't recover for a moment.

"Opponents, opponents!" the Earl exclaimed, "You've disappointed me too much. His Highness has given you such a good opportunity, and you still haven't analyzed who your opponents are?"

"Uh, don't you find it strange?"

"Strange that His Highness the Prince is determined to return to Border Town? Of course, it's strange," the Earl stroked his beard, "But what does that have to do with us, as long as this contract is real."

That's right, Peyro thought. His Highness wouldn't go to so much trouble just to tease him. As for his reason for loving Border Town, he could think about it slowly later. But he didn't expect his father to be so receptive.

"I heard that the Medd family's kid is your friend?" Sharahfi suddenly stopped and said, "Go and bail him out tomorrow."

"You agree to me spending one thousand numerical units to redeem him?" Peyro was stunned.

"Think about it, Earl Medd is dead, and the eldest son is unwilling to redeem the second son. In this battle, apart from a few knights, there were almost no losses. Once Jacques Medd inherits the title, he will inevitably hinder your control... no, your temporary management of Longsong Stronghold." The Earl explained, "Why is Jacques unwilling to redeem Reyn? Because he is afraid that the other party will threaten him."

Okay, so that's the reason, Peyro smiled bitterly in his heart. But he knew that his father was right. Reyn had loved longswords and spears since he was a child, and he was very close to the knights in the territory, unlike the eldest son Jacques, who believed that hand-to-hand combat was unbecoming of a noble and preferred the romantic affairs of the royal capital. Although Reyn had repeatedly expressed that he wanted to become a knight, that was when he had no right to inherit. Now that there was no Earl's restraint, who knew if he would gather the knights under his command and kill the eldest son in one fell swoop? Spending money to redeem someone who made him uneasy, Jacques's decision was very straightforward and ruthless.

"My friend wouldn't do that," he said with certainty.

"Maybe, but after you redeem him, whether he intends to do so or not, Jacques will have a headache." Sharahfi continued, "As for the one thousand numerical units of supplies, we can choose craftsmen with higher values."

"When I was preparing the ransom for you, I had already transferred some craftsmen. If we add more, there won't be enough craftsmen in the territory."

"Don't worry, do you know that the Northland is now in chaos?" The Earl said confidently, "The four kingdoms' allied forces were all wiped out in Hermes, and the lords are forcibly conscripting the people of the territory into the army. There have already been a large number of refugees. We can take this opportunity to eat a little more, and even the monthly tribute will be saved in the future."

Peyro then realized that his father was also a business expert, at least much better at it than he was at going to the battlefield.