When life is so bad that you'd rather be held hostage, your next step is obvious. That's what Elaine realizes after a fatal accident slings her back to the past, where she wakes up as her powerless child self. All it takes is pretending that she's the daughter of her evil uncle the king to be captured by the enemy empire's tyrant. However, Elaine knows that she must struggle to prove her value as a hostage in order to survive. Or so she thinks... the last thing she expects is to take the emperor's heart hostage with her cuteness, of all things! It's not long before Elaine is adopted into the imperial family-- which includes a scary empress dowager and three equally intimidating princes. Earning their approval as an outsider seems like an uphill battle, but now that she's come this far, Elaine is determined to win over these formidable royals!