Simon nodded. "We need to provide some compensation."

Although on the surface it was said that the freedmen had the right to come and go as they pleased, this was merely a pleasant fiction. In reality, the lord could revoke this right at any time. While the five barons, due to Simon's status, did not resort to such actions, it did not mean they would passively accept their losses. If Simon could not offer a satisfactory resolution, they might use it as an excuse to break away from the Gonzalez family's control and no longer be his direct vassals.

Of course, everyone knew Simon would not allow them to do...