The two descendants, one is Francis, the eldest son of the Qi family. He is the only one in the Plumera Kingdom who still dares and is willing to lead soldiers and defend the kingdom.
The other is the younger son of the Qi family, who is now being held down on the ground by a man in black clothes. His eyes were filled with anger as he glared at her.
Unfortunately, the last bit of hope the previous generation of the Qi family had for the royal family was still wasted in the end.
Francis was so angry because the kingdom was now full of rebels. His brother, General Qi, originally planned to lead troops to defeat the rebellion. But just before he could start, he was unexpectedly discovered by the original Elara.
General Qi was tall, with striking good looks. He grew up in the military and developed an outstanding aura. He was a rare combination of bravery and handsomeness.
After being seen by the original Elara, she took a liking to him. The emperor of the Plumera Kingdom issued an order to capture him and send him to the princess's palace, forcing him to serve her.
General Qi resisted to the end, but Elara tortured him cruelly.
The day before Elara came into this body, the general who was supposed to go to war had already been tortured to the point of being half-dead. He was locked deep in the dungeon of the princess's palace.
Last night, because she didn't get satisfaction, the original Elara summoned all her male lovers to her room. Each of them was exhausted by her.
Francis looked very much like his older brother. Both were extremely handsome. Two years ago, the original Elara had already taken him into her palace.
This morning, after hearing that his only brother had also suffered the same fate, Francis was filled with rage and stormed into the bedroom. That was the moment Elara had just opened her eyes.
System 92's voice rang again in her mind.
It sounded a bit nervous, likely because of how Elara had sternly questioned it earlier.
System 92 said softly that this was its support function, but to maintain balance, the tools and rewards would only be given after the related task was completed.
It told her not to find it troublesome. These tasks would guide her, and completing them would be helpful to her plan of taking over the empire.
System 92 was now very worried that Elara might refuse the tasks and just demand the reward directly. If she insisted, it would be helpless.
But to its surprise, after hearing the task, Elara didn't argue. She simply nodded.
System 92 paused.
Elara ignored it. As long as the rewards were fair, she saw this as a business deal. That was perfectly fine.
She had always been in business. If the trade made sense, she wouldn't reject it.
She began to think about the task.
System 92 sensed her thoughts and paused again, then let out a deep sigh of relief.
Thankfully, though Elara was sharp and clever, she had principles. She wasn't like those who just wanted to take advantage of it.
Elara didn't know what the system was thinking. After a few seconds of thought, she looked at Francis.
The boy who was pinned down but still not giving up reminded her of the senior employees in the Xia Corporation, who had followed the company since her parents' and grandparents' time.
Those employees had loyalty like the Qi family. They had deep feelings for the company they served.
But even so, Elara couldn't be sure that if the Xia Corporation ever collapsed, they would still stay by her side.
Of course, that was just a made-up thought. The Xia Corporation wouldn't collapse.
But here, the Plumera Kingdom was already falling apart.
The Qi family had always been brave and smart. There was no way they couldn't see the truth. Yet they remained loyal, always shedding blood for the kingdom.
Elara didn't know how to judge such a family. But what the original Elara and her brother had done was truly inhumane.
"Can I act differently now?"
System 92 quickly replied that she couldn't. She could slowly change things bit by bit, but not act completely different right away. People in this world believed deeply in spirits and gods. A sudden change would raise suspicion.
System 92 added that the Qi family was now one of the only remaining useful noble families. Gaining their favor would be important to her.
Elara chuckled and said, "I'm not allowed to act out of character, but you want me to gain their favor? How should I do that? Bring both brothers back to my room and keep using them?"
System 92 instantly became quiet again, not daring to speak. It watched Elara carefully. Though she looked delicate and beautiful, her personality and aura were very strong. When her tone changed, the system didn't dare reply.
Then Elara's voice turned amused, "Forget it. I don't care about their favor. As long as they obey me and do what I say, that's enough."
After all, people can be trained.
She didn't need their affection. If she could train them to follow her orders, they would do what she said no matter what kind of person she was.
That was enough.
System 92 heard her tone and suddenly felt uneasy.
Sure enough, Elara slowly stood up and walked to Francis. Under his angry stare, she reached out and lightly pinched his chin. Her gaze was playful.
Her expression, her behavior, looked exactly like the original owner of this body. Even the system got confused for a second, wondering if Elara really had fallen for the boy and wanted to do something inappropriate.
"You mean that only your brother can defeat the rebels? That as long as he goes, those pests will be wiped out right away?"
As she asked, the man holding Francis undid his mute seal.
Francis immediately shouted, "Yes!"
The Plumera Kingdom, which his ancestors had protected for generations, had been ruined by these two siblings. The officials with morals had either left or joined the traitorous regent.
Thinking about the hopeless state of the country, Francis felt deep sorrow and despair.
If it weren't for the honor and loyalty passed down through the Qi family, he would have begged his brother to take their remaining people and escape this fallen land.
Elara laughed softly. Her gaze looked down on him, as if he were a clown.
Just as Francis was about to explode in anger, Elara knelt slightly and touched his face like teasing a courtesan.
"Fine, then I'll give you a chance to face reality. Let's see whether your family belongs on the battlefield, or locked in the palace, serving me."
Francis glared at her like he wanted to kill her.
Elara ignored him and kept acting like the original person, stroking his neck with a casual hand.
"I'll give you ten days. If your brother can't put down the rebellion in Marigold City in ten days, then he must come back, give up his title, and with you, serve in my palace."
Francis's eyes widened with fury. Marigold City was three days away by horse, even without rest. That left less than seven days to crush a large rebel force that had already taken several border cities.
And…
"My brother is still wounded and locked in your dungeon!"
This woman was just trying to humiliate and torture them!
Elara smiled and grabbed his chin again. "I said 'you' two."
Francis paused.
Elara stared at him and said, "Your brother is too hurt to even ride a horse. So I'm not being unreasonable. You go with him."
Francis's angry eyes widened even more. He didn't believe this woman had any kindness at all.
Sure enough, Elara let go of his chin, took a silk cloth from her sleeve, and slowly wiped her hand.
"Your brother can't even fight right now. He'd just die if I sent him. But I haven't tasted him yet. I don't want him to die."
"So you go with him. You're both from the Qi family. If you fail, at least you'll both come back together, realize the truth, and serve me, right?"
Francis looked like a wild animal, breathing heavily, eyes red with fury.
Elara expected him to curse again, but instead, he took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and stared at her.
"What if we succeed?"
Oh? Not bad. He held back and even knew how to bargain.
Elara's opinion of General Qi shifted slightly. He wasn't just hot-tempered. To endure like this meant he had real strength. Maybe he learned it during his time locked in the palace.
Elara smiled. "If you succeed, I'll stop bothering your brother. How about that?"