Facing such a shameless and forceful demand, Francis couldn't think of any other way to save his brother from this woman's hands except to fight for that tiny, barely visible chance.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Elara, then agreed. "Fine. Then write the decree."
The royal decree was originally something only an emperor's harem could use, but with her, Benedict had directly granted her that power. In the entire imperial palace, aside from Benedict himself, her authority was the highest.
Elara went directly to get a decree scroll. In front of Francis, she wrote out the terms, stamped it with the seal of the Princess Residence, and threw it at him.
"Alright, let's go. Time to meet your brother."
The man in black who had been holding Francis let him go after seeing that, but still followed behind closely, staying alert in case Francis tried anything.
Francis looked at the decree in his arms, clenched its edges tightly, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his clothes.
Elara walked ahead. Just as she was about to leave the bedroom, she suddenly remembered something. She turned back to look at the room full of naked, injured men lying around, uncared for.
"Someone come in. Take all these people down and treat them properly. I'm not done playing with them yet. Don't let them die."
A servant kneeling on the floor immediately replied, "Yes."
Elara then raised her hand and pointed at the one closest to her bed, the one she had glanced at earlier. Among these seven or eight men, he was the best-looking and also the most seriously injured.
"Put him on my bed. I want to see him alive and well when I return."
This was the original host's habit. There was always a man waiting on her bed.
But the reason Elara kept him wasn't just to keep up appearances. In the original memories, this unconscious man was named Mathias.
Mathias had a high status. He was the son of a loyal noble who had already been dismissed by Benedict. He had a good reputation and was known as the most talented man in the capital of Plumera Kingdom.
The government system of this era was strange. It was somewhat similar to ancient China, but not quite.
The title of Grand Duke was like the Prime Minister, just below the ruler. But the court didn't have just one. There were three Grand Dukes, similar to the old "Three Lords and Six Ministers" setup.
Anyway, since she planned to rebuild the nation, she would definitely need capable people in the future.
Since this person had that kind of reputation, she would keep him and observe. If he truly had real talent, she would use him slowly over time.
"Yes."
After handling the room full of naked men, Elara finally took Francis and the silent man in black behind her to the secret underground prison of the Princess Residence.
By law, a place like this wasn't allowed in a princess's home.
But both the original host and Benedict shared a twisted interest in torture. Sometimes, when they were in the mood, they would bring beautiful men and women to the residence or palace. They would torture them together and excitedly discuss techniques through the screams.
Francis's older brother was named General Qi. The brothers were four years apart. He was locked up in the innermost cell.
Elara led the group around the final corner of the dungeon. When she saw the man chained inside, even she had to admit that General Qi was indeed very handsome. It made sense why the original host had her eyes on him.
The man was tall, around 190 centimeters.
He had trained in martial arts since childhood. His muscles were firm and strong, shoulders broad, waist narrow, legs long and powerful.
At this moment, both his wrists, ankles, and waist were bound by thick chains. There were bloodstains all over the chains. His clothes were already torn apart, soaked with blood, revealing his sculpted chest and lean abs.
Overall, he looked quite similar to Francis, maybe about seventy percent. But unlike the youthful look of Francis, General Qi was a fully grown man. His face and aura were sharper and more intense than his younger brother.
He was truly a rare and strikingly handsome man.
When he heard movement, General Qi's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't open them.
"Brother!" Only when Francis called out did General Qi open his eyes. He looked up, blood staining his face.
Seeing his brother in that state, Francis felt both angry and worried. He immediately tried to rush forward.
But as soon as he moved, the man in black behind Elara grabbed his shoulder, stopping him completely.
Francis froze, forced to watch as Elara casually strolled into the cell, standing in front of his brother and staring at him like she was examining a product.
"Elara! You already promised me!" Francis shouted in panic, afraid she would do something to General Qi.
Hearing that, General Qi frowned slightly. He didn't know what his brother had promised her.
But within a second, he looked away. The emotion on his face vanished. He let Elara stare at him without reacting. His long eyes lowered, calm and indifferent. There was no fear or avoidance, as if no matter what Elara did, he wouldn't respond.
After a long look, Elara seemed satisfied. She turned and looked at Francis, who looked tense and pressured.
"Why so anxious? I didn't say I was going back on my word. Come in and tell your brother what you agreed to."
The man in black let Francis go. Francis quickly stepped to General Qi's side. With a guilty and anxious face, he quickly explained the deal he had made with Elara.
"Brother... I'm sorry..." he said softly, lowering his head, filled with guilt.
He knew he shouldn't have made that choice without asking, but he had no other way. He couldn't just watch his brother fall into that woman's hands.
After listening, General Qi didn't show much change in expression. But when he looked at his younger brother, there was clear softness in his gaze. After a moment, he said a few words to comfort Francis. Then he looked at Elara.
"May I make one request to the princess?"
This was the first time since Elara entered the dungeon that General Qi looked directly at her.
There were deep blood marks on his neck from being tightly bound. His voice was rough and hoarse from injury.
"If we can complete what you ask, may I request that the princess let my younger brother go home? Let me take his place."
"Brother!!" Francis cried out as soon as General Qi finished, eyes wide. He turned to block him and glared at Elara with red eyes.
"Francis, move," General Qi said calmly.
His injuries were too severe. He was already half-disabled. But Francis was only seventeen. He shouldn't waste his life in this place.
Francis gritted his teeth and stood firm in front of him, not moving an inch. He watched Elara with full alertness. "No!"
Elara looked at the touching sight of the two brothers and let out a low laugh. "General Qi, I've already issued the decree. There's no reason to change it."
Even if she wanted to release one of them, she would have to wait for a better time, find a reason that wouldn't ruin her image, or wait until her character slowly changed.
But of course, none of this could be said now.
Not only could she not say it, she even had to do one more thing to make sure these two never forgot about her.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. To make sure you two don't try to escape or do something behind my back before wiping out those pests in Marigold City, I'll invite your grandparents to stay in the Princess Residence with me. We'll wait together for your return."
The House of Loyal Valor had no one left except these two young men. Elara did believe they would succeed in their mission. But since the original host and the Qi family had deep hatred, she had to do something to ensure they wouldn't try anything extra.
Besides, the two of them were talented military leaders. She couldn't afford to let them run off.
Also, she truly wanted to learn more about the state of Plumera Kingdom. In the original host's memory, there was only knowledge of pretty men, but nothing about the government or the outside world.
General Qi and Francis's grandparents had once been loyal officials of Plumera Kingdom. Their family had deep roots. They knew the country inside and out.
"Elara!!"
After the previous generation of the Qi family died on the battlefield, the two brothers were raised by their grandparents. The idea of using them as leverage was something Francis couldn't accept.
But just as he took two steps toward Elara, General Qi stopped him.
General Qi looked at Elara, still standing tall and smiling faintly.
"Fine. I only hope the princess will keep her word. Our grandparents are old. If anything happens by accident, I hope the princess won't hold it against them. Otherwise..." General Qi lowered his eyes. Though his face was still calm, there was a sharp glint in his gaze. "Even if we have to throw away the hundred-year honor of the Qi family, I will get justice for them."
Was that a threat?
The jailers behind her were ready to pin him down, just waiting for Elara to give the order to skin him alive.
But Elara was actually pleased by the threat. If he had no reaction when his last family members were in danger, that would be cowardice, not loyalty.
General Qi clearly wasn't a fool or a coward.
He carried the weight of a hundred years of family honor. He wouldn't betray easily, but his bottom line was clear: don't touch his grandparents.
Elara was a businesswoman and someone used to power. She liked people with clear boundaries. Those with limits rarely betrayed and usually had a strong sense of duty, making them ideal subordinates.
Her opinion of General Qi rose even more. But she didn't show it. Instead, she raised her chin slightly and looked at him with mocking disdain.
"Threatening me? You've got some guts."
With that, ignoring Francis's angry shout, Elara waved the two jailers aside and reached out to grab General Qi's chin, rubbing it a little.
The general's jaw felt pretty good.
Even though his chin was held tightly, General Qi didn't resist. With his body bound, he couldn't move anyway. He let her do as she pleased, his rough voice quiet but steady.