Mildred was panicking. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably. She stared down at the broken pieces of the figurine, knowing that her life was hanging by a very thin, very fragile thread. She had tried to frame the Lady, and she had failed completely.

Standing a few feet away from her, the head physician was also calculating her next move. However, Brie was not panicking like her young assistant.

Brie thought to herself, a very confident, hidden smirk plastering on her face. She forced her racing heart to calm down.

"When the General arrives, he will definitely be on my side," Brie reasoned in her mind. Her internal voice was full of proud arrogance and deep self-assurance.

She looked at her own white medical apron. She thought about her long history at the military camp.

"I am his head physician," Brie’s thoughts continued to plan. "I will use fact that I have always been by his side as a leverage. I was there even during near-death situations. When he was bleeding from enemy swords, I was the one who stitched his wounds. I saved his life. A man like the General respects loyalty and usefulness. He owes me. He will never take the word of a useless noble wife over my years of dedicated service."

Brie felt her confidence fully return. She was ready to fight back. But she needed to make sure she was not blamed for the broken treasure on the floor.

She stole a quick, side-long glance at Mildred, who was still crying silently.

"I will have to keep my distance from her," Brie thought again, her mind working coldly and selfishly. "I must make sure the General knows I had absolutely nothing to do with that stupid girl dropping the horse. I must stand away so that I won’t be implicated for breaking the figurine."

Acting on her selfish thoughts, Brie slowly took a quiet step backward. She gave Mildred some distance, completely abandoning the young assistant to face the General’s anger alone. There was no loyalty between them, only a shared desire for power.

Camilla saw the scene play out perfectly. She saw Brie stepping away from Mildred. She saw the hidden, arrogant smirk on the physician’s face.

Camilla laughed internally. It was a highly amused laugh.

"Look at her," Camilla thought to herself, shaking her head. "She is ready to throw her own assistant to the wolves just to save her own skin. What a wonderful, loyal friend."

Camilla uncrossed her arms. She placed her hands flat on the smooth desk. She looked at the two women with total disgust. She did not want to share her husband’s private space with them for another second.

She spoke out loud. Her voice was sharp, loud, and full of authority.

"Get out of my sight!" Camilla commanded firmly, pointing toward the front flap of the tent.

Brie and Mildred flinched at her loud voice. But before either of the two women could turn around and leave the tent, heavy footsteps sounded just outside the entrance.

The white canvas flap was pushed open abruptly.

Damon entered.

The Tyrant General walked into his private command tent with his long, powerful strides. His face was set in its usual hard, serious expression. Kade walked right behind him, holding a stack of meeting notes.

As soon as Damon stepped inside, he stopped.

He was surprised to see the two women in his tent. He expected to find his wife sitting alone, waiting for him as he had told her. Instead, he found the head physician and her assistant standing awkwardly near his desk.

Then, Damon lowered his eyes.

He saw the shattered stone scattered across his floor. He saw the broken head of the horse lying near the assistant’s knees.

Damon’s broad shoulders stiffened instantly. The calm, serious look on his face vanished.

"What is going on here?" He said.

His deep voice was filled with undeniable anger. The sound of his voice seemed to make the temperature in the tent drop ten degrees.

Hearing the General’s angry voice, Brie realized it was her moment to strike. She had to act first before the Lady could tell her side of the story.

Brie immediately forced wet tears into her eyes. She put a look of absolute, terrified panic onto her face. She started crying.

"General, Lady Camilla..." Brie began to speak. Her voice shook with fake sadness. She pointed a trembling, bandaged finger toward the woman sitting behind the desk. She was fully preparing to tell a massive lie about how the Lady had violently smashed the King’s gift in a fit of rage.

But Camilla did not let her finish.

Camilla was a master of reading a situation. If Brie wanted to play the victim card, Camilla was going to show her exactly how a true professional acted.

Instantly, Camilla’s entire demeanor changed.

She started sniffing loudly.

Sniff. Sniff.

She hunched her small shoulders forward, shaking them as if she were completely overwhelmed by deep, painful sadness.

"You two have been bullying me from the very beginning!" Camilla cried out loudly. Her voice cracked perfectly in the middle of the sentence. It sounded incredibly helpless and entirely heartbroken.

She stood up from the seat. She pointed a shaky finger at Brie and Mildred.

"Telling me to go to the river under the blazing sun with a damaged bowl!" Camilla sobbed, letting her voice rise in distress. "I was even told to clean things like a common maid! They treated me like dirt!"

She raised both of her hands. She put her hand on her mouth to control her loud cries. Real, wet tears started streaming rapidly down her beautiful face, ruining her perfect appearance. She looked exactly like a fragile, innocent noble girl who had just been terribly abused by cruel servants.

Brie and Mildred were completely surprised. Their jaws dropped open. They stared at Camilla, completely and entirely too stunned to speak a single word. They had never expected the proud, threatening woman from a few minutes ago to suddenly burst into loud tears. It was a complete shock.

Damon stood near the entrance. He looked at Brie, and then he looked at his wife crying behind his desk.

Brie finally found her voice. She stammered, Camilla’s excellent, Oscar-worthy acting catching her completely off guard. She needed to focus on the crime.

"But... but the figurine..." Brie pointed frantically at the broken pieces on the floor.

Camilla shook her hands in the air rapidly. She shook her head side to side in denial.

"It wasn’t me!" Camilla cried out defensively. "I didn’t break it!"

She turned her tear-stained face directly to Damon. She looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"I don’t know why they framed me, My Lord," Camilla sobbed, her voice full of tragic pain. She pointed at Brie again. "She even said our marriage isn’t harmonious! She said you don’t care about me and you will never love me!"