"Are you suggesting," Camilla continued, her dark eyes piercing right through the physician, "that my husband does not already like me? Are you implying that the legal wife of the General needs to carry dirty water like a peasant just to earn her own husband’s basic affection?"

Brie completely lost her confident posture.

The cold, deadly threat in Camilla’s eyes was absolutely terrifying. Brie felt a sudden chill run straight down her spine.

Brie moved back a little. She quickly took a stumbling step backward, putting more physical distance between herself and the desk. Her heart started beating fast with genuine fear. If the Lady formally accused her of slandering the General’s marriage, Brie could be severely punished or even fired from her prestigious position.

"N-no, My Lady," Brie stammered nervously. Her voice shook, completely losing its smooth, professional tone. "Not at all."

Brie raised her hands defensively, shaking her head rapidly.

"I’m just trying to help you," Brie lied quickly, trying to cover up her tracks. "I thought you wanted something to do. If you don’t appreciate my kind offer, it’s completely fine. I will fetch the water myself."

Brie realized her plan had completely failed. She needed to get out of the tent immediately before the situation got any worse. More importantly, she needed to take her evidence with her.

Brie rushed forward quickly. She reached her hands out across the desk to take back the empty ceramic bowl.

But before Brie’s fingers could even touch the smooth ceramic, Camilla moved.

Camilla’s hand shot across the desk like a striking snake. She snatched the bowl from the wood instantly, pulling it safely out of the physician’s reach.

Brie grasped empty air. She quickly pulled her empty hands back to her chest, her eyes wide with shock at Camilla’s sudden, incredible speed.

Camilla sat back down into the chair. She held the ceramic bowl comfortably in both of her hands.

"You are so very good at pretending, Miss Brie," Camilla said softly. Her voice was no longer angry. It was just highly amused and deeply observant.

Camilla lowered her head. She looked carefully at the bowl in her hands.

She turned the bowl slowly, examining the smooth, pale surface under the light filtering through the white canvas tent. She traced her finger along the bottom edge of the ceramic.

She felt a very tiny, almost invisible irregularity in the smooth surface.

She looked closer, noticing the very fine, completely hidden cracks running along the base of the bowl. They were tiny, hairline fractures that a normal person would never notice. But to someone trained to spot traps and weaknesses, they were as obvious as a glowing sign.

Camilla smiled a wide, highly victorious smile. She completely understood the physician’s dirty little game.

"Ah, I see," Camilla said out loud, tapping her fingernail gently against the cracked ceramic. It made a very dull, weak sound.

She looked up at Brie, her eyes shining with amusement.

"You deliberately brought this specific bowl," Camilla stated clearly, exposing the petty trap completely. "This bowl that is already about to break."

She held the bowl up slightly so Brie could see that she had found the cracks.

"You wanted me to walk all the way to the river in the hot sun," Camilla explained the trap perfectly. "You knew that the moment I filled this cracked bowl with cold water, the sudden weight and the temperature change would cause the weak ceramic bottom to shatter completely."

Camilla shook her head, acting deeply disappointed.

"The river water would have spilled all over my expensive green riding dress," Camilla continued smoothly. "I would have been completely soaked. All the soldiers on the training field would have seen me looking like a wet, clumsy, foolish mess. You wanted to embarrass me publicly in front of the entire army."

Camilla placed the cracked bowl back down onto the desk gently.

"How very stupid of you," Camilla insulted her coldly, her voice sharp and precise.

Brie stood perfectly still. Her face turned a very pale, sickly shade of white.

Brie thought to herself, pure panic exploding inside her mind.

"How did she know?" Brie screamed internally, her thoughts racing wildly with fear.

She stared at Camilla as if the young woman were a dark, terrifying witch.

"How did she figure it out?" Brie wondered frantically. "The cracks are so small! Nobody could see them! How did she know that if she fills that bowl with water, it will definitely break? Is she reading my mind?"

Brie had no answers. She was completely, utterly defeated by the Lady she had thought was a weak, crying fool.

Camilla smiled again. It was a very sweet, very deadly smile.

"You aren’t really bright for a highly trained physician, Miss Brie," Camilla mocked her openly, insulting her intelligence without any hesitation.

Camilla stood up from the chair. She walked slowly around the desk until she was standing very close to the frightened physician. She looked at Brie with serious eyes.

"I hope you don’t experience any sudden, tragic accidents at the medical tent today,"

Camilla whispered softly. Her voice sounded like a gentle warning, but the dangerous look in her eyes made it a very clear, very deadly threat. "The military camp is a very dangerous place. Things break so easily here."

Brie swallowed hard. Her throat was completely dry. She felt genuine, physical fear standing so close to this new, terrifying version of Lady Camilla. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Brie could not stay in the tent for another second.

Brie scoffed loudly, trying desperately to save the last tiny piece of her shattered pride. She quickly reached out and snatched the cracked bowl directly from Camilla’s hand.

Without offering a bow or saying a single word of apology, Brie spun around quickly and left the General’s tent angrily, pushing the canvas flap aside and marching quickly back out into the hot, dusty sunlight.

Camilla watched her walk away. She let out a small, satisfied sigh. She walked back around the desk, sat down in the General’s comfortable leather chair, and calmly picked up the ledger again, enjoying the peace and quiet.