"Princess, you're overthinking. This is my only request."
Next to him, Francis stared at Elara, terrified she would order someone to beat his brother to death.
After being captured and brought to the princess's residence, he had learned that this cruel and ruthless princess hated nothing more than being disobeyed, especially when someone dared to negotiate terms with her.
But after two seconds of tense watching, he saw that instead of getting angry, Elara just let out a soft laugh.
Her slender figure leaned in closer to the man tied in chains.
"No one has ever dared to bargain with me. But if you really want me to agree, it's not impossible. After all, the only reason I'm still standing here talking to you is because of that face and body I haven't tasted yet. So, General Qi, let's make a deal. Think carefully about what you can offer to make me say yes."
Elara said all this with a calm face, but deep down she was swearing.
She used to be seen as a noble, efficient, and decisive CEO-type woman.
Now, just to keep up this ridiculous character, she had to act like some perverted woman obsessed with men.
Elara was speechless inside, cursing System 92 again, but on the outside, she had to keep up the lustful expression.
"Elara! You're going too far!"
Francis, who was still worried about his brother, suddenly redirected all his anger toward her after seeing her behavior.
General Qi looked up at him and calmly said, "When I return from the rebellion, I'll accept whatever punishment the princess gives me."
"Brother!"
Just when everyone thought Elara would take this chance to drag General Qi into her palace and torment him, she suddenly let go of him.
She looked down at the two brothers with a cold smile.
"Heh. I've seen plenty of handsome men. You two are decent, but people really shouldn't overestimate themselves. When I feel like spoiling you, you can be as willful as you want. But now? This is the first time someone dared to go against me. Do you think offering yourselves is enough to calm me down? Do you two think you're worth that much? Or that you're that important?"
Francis, who had been so worried about his brother being humiliated, suddenly felt a new wave of anger.
What was she saying? What kind of attitude was that?
She had already used them both completely, and now she had the nerve to act so shamelessly?
But General Qi stayed calm. His eyes remained fixed on Elara.
"What does the princess want?"
Elara smiled. Since she had already sacrificed her image, she wasn't going to settle for just General Qi.
"You two aren't enough. When you return, take me to your army camp. Let me pick for myself."
In this chaotic world, the first thing she needed to survive was her own power.
Though Elara was a princess, her position was just an empty title.
Not just her. Even Benedict, the current emperor of Plumera Kingdom, was nothing more than a hollow figure.
On the surface, they looked like they held all the power. But in truth, everything was shaky.
Whether it was the corrupted officials in court or the regent who held his own army, one wrong move and both Elara and Benedict could be dead.
So what she needed most right now was a way to get her own force, and General Qi was the key.
The only problem was, she couldn't act out of character.
So in the end, she had to continue pretending to want handsome soldiers just to justify her goal.
Even she thought this method was ridiculous.
Sure enough, the moment she said it, both brothers started objecting.
Francis began cursing loudly and was immediately silenced with a palm strike by the silent man behind him.
General Qi coldly refused.
"Princess, the Qi family's army is built on generations of loyalty and sacrifice to Plumera. Even if I die, I will never hand them over."
Elara expected this answer and didn't get angry. She reached out and lightly patted General Qi's face.
"What are you thinking? There's no one better in your army than you two. I never planned to pick from them anyway."
"What I meant was, after you crush those rebels, bring back all the good-looking ones. I want to pick slowly."
General Qi paused, his lips pressed tightly together.
Elara looked at him and smiled.
"But if you don't bring enough to satisfy me, then I'll really have no choice but to pick from your army. Do you understand?"
Beside them, Francis stopped struggling.
He still glared angrily at Elara.
General Qi stayed silent for a few seconds. His dry lips moved slightly, and finally, he gave a small nod.
"Yes."
Elara was finally satisfied.
She kept in character and patted his face again, even gave it a few strokes.
"Good. That's how a general should behave. Don't forget it."
After agreeing to the terms, Elara turned and left the dungeon, not caring what the brothers said behind her.
Once outside the door, she spoke to the guard.
"I'm not done with the Qi brothers yet. Go get a doctor from the royal hospital. Have him travel with the general to Marigold City. Use the best medicine. If he dies or becomes crippled, and I can't enjoy him properly later, I'll bury that doctor with him."
The guard trembled and quickly left.
"Yes."
Inside the dungeon:
As soon as Elara left, Francis rushed to grab the keys from the guard and unlocked the chains.
But General Qi was too badly injured. His bones were broken in many places. He couldn't even stand.
Francis supported him right away. As he helped him, he felt angry and ashamed.
"Brother, our grandparents are old. Elara hates them. If they get dragged into her palace, who knows what they'll go through."
"And this deal she made with us… that woman is clearly a pervert! All she cares about is collecting men!"
She already had a palace full of men, and she still wanted them to bring back more?
They were going to war, and yet they had to act like bandits, stealing men for her from their own kingdom.
Francis looked at his brother's bloody wounds and felt a mix of sorrow and disgust.
"Brother, once we're out, you rest. She won't make this easy for us. She definitely won't let anyone treat you. I'll secretly get medicine. You need to recover. Once we get to Marigold City, I'll take care of everything on the battlefield."
Francis was younger, but he had trained in martial arts from a young age.
Even after being brought into the palace, he never stopped training every day.
Before being taken, he had already followed his brother onto the battlefield. He wasn't as experienced as their father and elder brothers, but he wasn't weak. He could definitely fight.
General Qi didn't show much concern on his face. He seemed to be thinking about something.
After Francis finished ranting, he suddenly asked, "Francis, has the princess done anything strange lately?"
Francis blinked. "Why do you ask?"
He remembered the group of naked men in her bedroom last night.
A mix of pity and disgust flashed through his eyes.
"Not really. She broke seven or eight men last night. I think one of them was Mathias from the Pei family."
General Qi was quiet for a moment. He leaned on Francis's shoulder and stood up.
He looked at Francis's troubled face and quietly said,
"From now on, don't say her name so casually in front of her. Have you forgotten what happens to those who call her by name?"
Francis opened his mouth to argue. But then he remembered how that morning, in a panic over his brother, he had rushed into her chambers, shouting her name and cursing her.
Not just once. He did it again earlier.
If that silent guard hadn't silenced him in time, he might have cursed her whole family.
But Elara didn't punish him like before. Instead, she made a twisted bet with him.
Even if the bet was shameless, she hadn't whipped him or tortured him like usual.
Francis froze in place.
General Qi leaned on him and looked out of the dungeon.
"Let's go. We don't have much time. We only have ten days to pacify Marigold City. There's a lot to do."
Francis shook off his thoughts for now and helped his brother move.
"Alright. Later, you can sit and rest. Let me handle everything."