Janet had changed her clothes, as did Ivan. The two of them were visiting the public prison, where many cages were erected to showcase various criminals as examples. In a way, it was similar to how some slave markets looked, precisely because prisoners of harsh sentences were treated worse than normal people, like sub-humans.

As they walked along, Janet gripped Ivan’s clothes tightly, as she was being jeered at by the scum of the city. Some remained quiet, while others claimed their innocence. However, Ivan could tell almost all were actually lying. The true innocents were quietly despairing about their future, while covered in dirt and grime. Dressed in rags, they looked no better than the poorest pauper.

But when they came to a certain cell, the man in question still retained a certain charisma. He was calmly seated on the ground, his rags the least messed up and grimy. His posture was clean and his expression was even. He acted like he wasn’t even in chains or in prison, but in his own home, waiting for guests. “Welcome. I trust that you found what you were looking for?”

At his quiet words, Janet peeked back around from behind Ivan and sneered slightly.

“Don’t believe him, he is a major con artist.”

Suddenly, Alec’s face shifted, revealing a quick moment of surprise and shock. However, he quickly righted his wrong and looked at Ivan with a smile.

“What a wonderful young lady. Is she the wife of my future master?”

Ivan smirked and crossed his arms.

“What is it with everyone wanting me to be married with this brat?”

A prisoner in a nearby cell responded, a chuckle escaping his throat.

“Oh? Then I can take her.”

Just then, Ivan’s demeanor changed rapidly. All the nearby criminals shuddered in fear and retreated into the corners of their cells, silencing the words from reaching their throats. However, Alec was still calm and composed, though he looked to be sweating profusely.

Janet giggled silently, hiding her smile with her hand as she got closer to Ivan, holding his side. Ivan looked over with an expression of disbelief, but then he turned back to Alec.

“Miss Janet, are you sure this guy would be able to run an entire region successfully? He doesn’t seem all that reliable.”

“Indeed he doesn’t. However, he has the gift of a glib tongue and that was probably why he was arrested. So the other nobles could get their hands on him.”

All of a sudden, Alec’s entire posture changed. He went from someone adopting a superior position, to a person bowing their head generously while prostrating.

“Oh, such magnificence! Such power and poise! If I don’t take this hand today, I will surely fall in the future!”

Ivan was disgusted by Alec’s flimsy attitude, while Janet had been lifted back onto Ivan’s shoulders where she rested on his head, running her hand absentmindedly through his hair.

“Alright, this should be enough. We can strike the wrath of the strongest man in the kingdom into him when we get back home.”

Ivan nodded, accidentally bumping his head against Janet’s nether regions. She blushed, squeezing Ivan tightly with her legs to stop his movement. Alec looked on with a bizarre expression, but he was a little happy.

They had to spend quite a bit of money they had taken from the treasures of Janet’s father, but later on, it would have been paid three times over. That was because Alec indeed had a good plan to run the region.

There are several factors that can solve issues when rebuilding, gathering forces, or making trades. Those would be money, power, or connections. However, a sub category that falls under connections would be charisma. Alec was capable of shifting the stance of others when they were absentminded. Constant exposure to his kissing up will make anyone happy, and his endless supply of compliments would stir the heart of even the coldest woman.

Especially so for the single Abigail. Even though she was a maid, she was still a looker. Seeing that Abigail was constantly near Janet and Ivan, he would try and be close to her as well. Unfortunately, his abilities would be super effective and end himself up in a lot of trouble, but that is for a different story.