Chapter 70

The memorial is still with her, and they just skipped the imperial approval step and went straight to pulling from the national treasury? Hah, how is that any different from daylight robbery? Was Lord Gregory trying to tell her that he now ruled the capital, and he could ignore or even replace the imperial power of the Plumera State?

Elara sneered slightly and looked down in thought for a moment. She didn't get angry. She just said calmly to Tres, "Got it."

She walked toward the innermost study of her sleeping quarters. "Has anyone come into my quarters lately?"

"Except for the first two days, Imani sent his personal servant every day to deliver stew. On the second night, he even came in person, but after learning that you had taken Mathias to stay at the villa outside the capital, he seemed upset and left. After that, he only had his servant walk around the main hall once a day, and when he found you still hadn't returned, he didn't come in person again, though he did walk around the back courtyard a few times."

The back courtyard? That place was filled with handsome men the original owner had somehow captured. What was Imani doing there? Meeting other spies? Gathering information?

It was impossible that the man Lord Gregory had sent was there to engage in some house drama.

"He never entered my sleeping quarters?"

"No." Elara checked her study carefully. Every tiny detail looked exactly as it had before she left a few days ago. She had ordered that no one was allowed to enter the study, not even to clean, so there was a thin layer of dust on the desk and scrolls, almost invisible.

She had also set up a few small traps for theft, and none of them had been triggered.

It seemed that the mysterious master hiding in her estate really hadn't visited recently.

"I understand. You may go."

Tres disappeared. Elara called Uno to help her clean the study.

After cleaning, Elara was just about to ask System 92 where the Qi brothers were when she suddenly heard a young servant's panicked voice outside.

"Your Highness! General Qi and Francis brought a large group of people and are now outside the Princess's estate!"

Princess's residence, main hall.

Elara sat in the main seat, looking at the two men standing below. It had only been a few days since she last saw them, but something about their presence had changed.

Thinking back carefully, the first person she saw when she woke up in this world was Francis, who had come to scold her on behalf of his brother, General Qi.

She had sent them out to suppress the rebellion for her. That was only eight or nine days ago. But now, seeing the Qi brothers again, Elara felt like a long time had passed, as if she had been in this world for ages.

Francis was one of the only two remaining direct descendants of the Qi family. He was straightforward, handsome, and had a talent for leading troops that matched his brother.

After leading the army these past few days, some of the youthful rashness and bluntness had faded from him. It was like a fine piece of jade that had begun to be polished. His facial features, which still held some immaturity before, now carried a trace of grim sharpness, and there was a calm presence around him that made him resemble General Qi more closely.

As for General Qi, his tall and strong frame hadn't changed. His features were still striking, his shoulders broad and firm. His legs, wrapped in military trousers, were long and straight, giving him a powerful and grounded appearance.

There was still blood on his body, making him look like a demon who had just returned from hell.

The killing intent that surrounded General Qi was far stronger than that of Francis. He was like a deadly blade that had taken countless lives on the battlefield. Just looking at him gave people a sense of danger, as if getting too close would result in getting cut.

The previous soul had also been insane. It was attracted to Francis's aura and locked him in the dungeon of the Princess's Residence, trying to break this blade with its own hands.

"We've already done what you asked! I hope you… Your Highness, will also keep your promise. Let my grandparents go and let my brother leave the residence!"

Francis stepped forward and threw a bundle wrapped in leaves.

The thing rolled twice on the ground. It was a bloody human head.

The nearby attendants were horrified. Even though corpses often showed up in the Princess's residence, at least the princess didn't usually chop them up.

Panicking, the attendants wanted to seize Francis, but Elara spoke and stopped them.

She glanced at the head, then quickly looked away, hiding the discomfort rising inside her.

Although she had known from the start that this era was full of chaos and violence, seeing a real severed head for the first time still made her physically uncomfortable, even with her strong will.

"Is this the rebel leader?"

Elara kept her eyes on Francis's face.

Francis stared back at her. "Yes."

Nine days ago, when she first sent them out, Francis never thought he and his brother would come back alive.

The things this woman had done before were too cruel. Every man she targeted met a terrible end. So when she suddenly let them go out to fight the rebels, he didn't believe it was a real mission. He thought it was just another twisted scheme to torture them, especially since his brother had just been terribly injured in her dungeon. In that state, going to war was the same as sending them to die.

But he didn't expect that shortly after they left Plumera City, royal doctors caught up to them.

They said they had been sent by her and insisted on healing his brother.

Francis thought they were lying or maybe disguised enemies and tried to capture them.

This woman was always cruel. When would she ever do something kind?

But before he could act, his brother came out despite his injuries to meet the doctors. After asking a few questions, he actually agreed to their treatment.

Francis had strongly objected at first, afraid they might poison his brother.

But then something surprising happened. After receiving treatment, his brother started to recover quickly. By the next day, most of his injuries were already healed. The doctors left that evening, saying their job was done, and left behind a large amount of what they called the finest healing medicine.

The medicine was indeed miraculous.

Their army had long experience fighting on the battlefield, and clearing out rebels was something they were good at. Even though their numbers were smaller and the enemy had several times more people, with his brother leading them, they won easily. The entire rebel group was wiped out in less than a day, and their own men barely got hurt.

His brother shared the healing medicine with the civilians who had been kidnapped and held by the rebels.

The rescued civilians recovered quickly and knelt in gratitude, bowing to them again and again.

Francis had grown up in a military family. His dream was always to protect the nation. But he had been kidnapped and trapped in the residence when he was still a boy. His talent and passion had nowhere to go.

So this was actually his first real experience fighting in war.

Seeing civilians who should have been under their protection go through such suffering, and then still bow to them in gratitude, left Francis with a heavy heart.

It wasn't relief he felt. It was something bitter and blocked.

Despite all the terrible things he saw during the mission, none of the traps or twisted punishments he expected ever happened.

Though he still couldn't fully trust Elara, he had to admit that this time, she hadn't done anything to harm them.

Before coming back, Francis remembered what his brother told him the night before and kept repeating it to himself. Today he had to speak politely. No matter what. She had finally started to change. He couldn't give her a reason to turn back.

With that in mind, he forced himself to speak calmly. "Yes, he was the rebel leader."

Elara told someone to remove the head, then turned her gaze to Francis and his brother with a faint smile.

"Very good. You both did well." Her eyes then moved past them and looked at the large group of bound men kneeling neatly outside the hall. "Are those the people you brought back for me?"

"Yes," Francis answered again.

These men were captured after defeating the rebels. Knowing what life in the Princess's residence meant, Francis hadn't picked from innocent civilians.

These were all criminals, opportunists who took advantage of chaos. Sending them here was what they deserved.

To avoid her finding fault with them later, he brought back three hundred men at once, letting her choose or do whatever she liked with them.

Just as Francis responded, Elara heard a sweet sound from System 92 in her mind.

[Ding~ Congratulations. You've recruited 300 prisoners. Current completion rate for Task Three: Initial Power Base is now 839/5000. Keep it up and good luck.]

Elara's smile deepened slightly. She turned her attention to the silent Francis's brother.

"I'm very pleased. I will not forget the promise I made."

She looked at a nearby attendant. "Take General Qi to see Old Du and Madam Du, and make sure they are safely escorted out of the residence."

"Yes."

Francis quietly let out a breath and waited for what would be said about his brother.

But after speaking that one sentence, Elara didn't say anything more, like she had forgotten about the other half of her promise.

Francis started to grow anxious again.

He waited a little longer, then couldn't help but say, "Your Highness! What about my brother? You said before…"

"Don't worry. I still have something I want General Qi to do." Seeing Francis return to his old impatient self, Elara smiled slightly.

"You…" Francis widened his eyes in frustration. He thought she was about to go back on her word.

But before he could finish, his brother raised his hand and stopped him. "Francis, don't be rude."

General Qi calmly pulled Francis behind him with one hand. His gaze fixed on Elara, voice steady. "Please give your orders, Your Highness."

Elara's smile grew. Looking at the two brothers, whose faces were nearly identical, she spoke gently. "It's nothing difficult. Both of you come closer. I'll explain everything."

At the same time…

At the Gregory estate.

Lord Gregory looked at the man wrapped in bandages in front of him. "The hundreds of boxes of gold and tax silver arrived outside Plumera City yesterday. I had the ones officially marked as disaster relief brought in too. Tomorrow is the minor sacrifice day. Are you prepared?"

Captain Yang grinned. "Of course I've been ready. It's hidden in the secret path under the altar. As soon as the ritual begins, while everyone's focused on the ceremony, we'll move the goods. No one will know a thing."

Lord Gregory nodded, his narrow eyes filled with darkness. "And what about the Blood Garment Tower? Is everything set?"

Hearing this, Captain Yang couldn't hide his excitement. His eyes sparkled with vengeance. "Of course! You spent so much to hire assassins from the Blood Garment Tower. I won't let you down. By tomorrow night, Plumera State… heh, will have no more princess. Rest assured!"

Lord Gregory didn't look nearly as thrilled. He gave a cold, meaningful smile. "I hope so."