Elara woke up in a wave of sharp pain.
Even though she was trained from a young age to hide her feelings and stay calm, she couldn't help but curse inside.
Damn.
It felt like her organs were being torn apart. Her nerves felt like they were being cut one by one. Now she understood what it meant to be close to death.
But what was going on?
She remembered just a short while ago, she had been in her company, looking at the positive financial report of Plumera Group. Everything was going well this year. She had even thought about rewarding her hardworking staff.
She just went to the bathroom, opened a door, and suddenly blacked out.
Now she woke up with this terrible pain.
"Elara! Let my brother go! The white-scarf rebels are about to take over the border of Marigold City! And you're still playing around with my brother! Let him go! I'll fight you myself! Don't bring him into your palace and treat him like your toy! Do you hear me!"
A voice full of anger and desperation shouted from nearby. Elara's head started to ache again, as if something sharp was drilling into her brain.
She slowly opened her eyes through the pain and saw she was in a place she didn't know.
The room was large and fancy, decorated in an old style. It was shining with gold and jewels.
Elara had seen many rare treasures in her life as the only heir of Plumera Group, so she knew right away that everything in this room was real.
What shocked her more were the seven or eight naked men lying on the ground.
Each of them had pale skin and handsome faces. But they were covered in fresh whip marks. Some of the wounds were still bleeding. It was clear they had just been beaten.
The man closest to her, and the most injured, was especially attractive.
He was lying next to her legs, passed out from pain. His face was twisted from suffering, but he was still very good-looking.
He wore only a bloody white cloth around his waist. His bare back and long legs were full of whip marks and knife cuts. Some cuts were so deep the bone was visible. Blood had gathered under him, forming a pool around her.
Elara raised her eyebrows. Even though she was used to staying calm, she was still surprised.
What was happening? Was she kidnapped? Did someone bring her to a horrible torture room?
"Elara! Let my brother go! You'll never break him! He'd rather die than serve you! He's General Qi from the Qi family! If you keep doing this, there will be no one to protect the border of Plumera! Even the capital will fall!"
The boy kept shouting angrily, but suddenly a heavy sound cut him off. A man had appeared behind him and forced him down.
Elara turned her head and saw a teenage boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old. He was very handsome, but he was now on his knees. A man in black had twisted his arms behind him and held him in place.
Even though he was kneeling, his eyes were full of hate as he stared at Elara. He looked like he wanted to tear her apart.
Her head throbbed again.
What was going on?
Ding. Hello, Host. Welcome to the Ancient Fragmented Era.
Ding. Life signs are weak. Serious damage to internal organs. Ding. Pain reduction is now active. Estimated time left to live: 30 days.
Ding. To extend your life, you must stabilize the Plumera Kingdom and return it to power.
As Elara tried to understand her surroundings, a cold robotic voice suddenly rang in her head.
Her eyes narrowed. The terrible pain quickly faded after the second message. But her body still felt very weak, like she was about to die.
Before she could react, a huge amount of information rushed into her mind.
She raised her hand and touched her forehead. She started to accept the information.
Luckily, she had trained for years as the head of Plumera Group. She was used to handling complicated information and making fast decisions.
So even though this strange world felt crazy, she forced herself to calm down and sort everything out. She had to understand what kind of situation she was in.
The boy who had been forced to the ground was still struggling and staring at her with hate. The man in black who held him turned to her and knelt down on one knee.
"Your Highness, should I cut out his tongue?"
His voice was cold. He sounded like he didn't care at all. It was clear that the original Elara had given such orders before.
Elara turned her eyes away from the angry boy and looked at the man speaking. He was very handsome but gave off a scary feeling. He felt like a sharp, blood-stained sword hiding in the dark.
Now that she had received the information, Elara finally understood what was happening.
Even though it was hard to believe, everything she saw was real.
She was still Elara. But not the Elara from the 21st century.
She was now in a different time and world, a place called the Ancient Fragmented Era. Here, she was the only Princess Royal of a weak third-class country called the Plumera Kingdom.
She was the older sister of the current emperor, Benedict. He was her only family.
Basically, she had become a twisted version of a powerful woman from history.
The original Elara was known for being wild and cruel. She used her power to control and abuse men and punish women. Benedict spoiled her and gave her everything she wanted.
He was an even worse ruler. He wasted money and hurt people. The palace had turned into a mad house.
All the handsome men in Plumera Kingdom, no matter who they were, were taken into the palace. Benedict personally picked them out and gave them to Elara. She treated them however she liked.
Benedict also destroyed the rest of Plumera's strength.
The country was full of rebels, chaos, and corruption. It was about to collapse.
Now that Elara had learned everything, she had only one thought in her head.
This kingdom is finished.
She didn't know why she ended up in this world. But one thing was clear.
She didn't want to die as a failed princess.
...
"The plumera blooms in quiet grace. Its petals are soft as whispers of hope. It reminds us that even in the harshest sun, beauty endures and peace blossoms."
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