Chapter 149: Chapter Hundred And Forty Eight

Camilla stood in the center of the dusty training ring. The cheering of the soldiers completely faded away. All she could hear was the loud, frantic beating of her own heart.

She looked up at the wooden balcony again. Damon was no longer looking down at her. He had turned around quickly. He was moving.

Panic flooded Camilla’s veins.

"I have to get out of here," Camilla thought to herself, her mind racing at lightning speed. "I have to disappear before he comes down."

She did not wait for the strict instructor to give her another order. She turned her body away from the center of the ring. She kept her head lowered, hiding her face.

She walked quickly toward the crowd of grey-clad soldiers.

She tried to run away. She slipped quietly into the mass of tall, sweaty men. She pushed her small shoulders between two large recruits, blending in perfectly with the sea of grey training uniforms. She moved like a ghost, dodging elbows and weaving through the narrow gaps in the crowd. She just needed to reach the back of the camp, jump the wooden fence, and disappear into the trees.

But Damon was faster.

Up on the wooden balcony, Damon did not use the stairs like a normal person. He was completely driven by a sudden, intense urgency. He vaulted directly over the wooden railing. He dropped to the ground below, his heavy leather boots hitting the dirt with a loud, powerful thud.

He immediately started running. He moved with incredible, terrifying speed.

Kade, who had been reading the royal report, dropped the parchment in complete surprise. He ran down the wooden stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.

"My Lord!" Kade shouted, completely shocked by the General’s sudden, wild behavior. "My lord!"

Kade called out again, running after him through the dusty camp. He had no idea why the General was sprinting toward the training arena like a madman.

Camilla managed to push her way through the last row of soldiers. She broke free from the crowd. She saw the open path leading to the supply tents. She took a deep breath, preparing to sprint for the fences.

Suddenly, a massive, dark shadow blocked her path entirely.

Camilla stopped walking instantly.

Damon stood directly in front of her. His chest was heaving up and down. He was panting slightly from the sudden, explosive sprint. His eyes were locked entirely onto the small figure standing in the dirt.

Camilla stood perfectly still. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides. She stared at the dusty leather of his boots. She did not dare to look up at his face.

The air around them felt incredibly heavy.

Damon took a slow, deep breath to steady his lungs. He looked at the oversized grey tunic and the messy brown wig.

"My Lady," Damon spoke.

His deep voice was incredibly soft. It was barely above a whisper. He made absolutely sure to keep his voice low to avoid the other soldiers hearing him. He did not want to cause a massive scene in the middle of his camp.

Just a second later, heavy footsteps crunched in the dirt behind Damon. Kade finally caught up to him, breathing heavily.

Kade heard Damon’s soft words.

"My Lady?" Kade asked out loud, completely confused. He stepped around Damon’s broad shoulder.

Kade looked deeply at the small, scrawny recruit standing in front of them. He looked at the dirt on the boy’s face. He looked at the dark, familiar hazel eyes.

Kade’s face went completely pale. His jaw dropped open in shock. He recognized her. It was really the Lady of the Benson mansion, dressed like a common boy, standing in the middle of the rough military camp.

Kade immediately snapped to attention. He bowed deeply from the waist, placing his right hand firmly over his heart in a gesture of respect.

"My Lady," Kade whispered, his voice full of disbelief.

Camilla realized she was completely trapped. But she never gave up without trying every single possible trick.

She decided to play dumb. She kept her head bowed low.

Camilla cleared her throat. She pushed her vocal cords down, deepening her voice as much as she possibly could. She tried to sound like a nervous, young teenage boy who was completely lost.

She bowed respectfully to the General.

"My apologies, General," Camilla said in her fake, deep, raspy voice. "I lost my way while looking for the kitchens. But I’m going back now."

She did not wait for his permission. She quickly turned her body to the side, fully intending to enter back into the thick crowd of soldiers and disappear.

But Damon did not let her go.

He stepped forward again. He looked at her fake brown wig.

Damon called her again. This time, he did not use her formal title. He used her actual name.

"Camilla," Damon said. His voice was incredibly soft, but it carried a heavy, undeniable weight. It was a command.

Hearing her name spoken so clearly, Camilla completely stopped moving.

She shut her eyes tightly. A wave of total defeat washed over her body.

"It is over," Camilla thought to herself, her internal voice filled with deep panic and frustration. "I have been completely exposed."

She kept her eyes shut, trying to calculate the massive damage.

"My delicate, innocent, weak noblewoman image is about to crumble entirely," she panicked in her mind.

Then, her assassin brain kicked in.

"Why am I even thinking of my image right now?" she scolded herself internally. "He is the Tyrant General! I am dressed as a man inside his military camp! He will surely have me arrested immediately for impersonating a man and a soldier! The punishment for this is death or the dungeon!"

Damon stood completely still, looking at Camilla. He listened to her panicked thoughts echoing inside his head. He knew she was terrified of being arrested.

Damon spoke, keeping his voice very quiet.

"What are you doing here, my lady," Damon asked smoothly, his dark eyes scanning her rough clothes. "Dressed like that?"

Camilla opened her eyes. She stared at the dusty dirt.

"I have to save myself first," Camilla thought to herself. Her internal voice turned completely cold and calculated. "I cannot let him throw me in the dungeon. I need a perfect lie. I need to use his ego against him."

She completely dropped the tough, boyish posture. She relaxed her shoulders to look much smaller and more fragile.

She slowly turned to face him. She tilted her head slightly upward. She pushed her bottom lip out in a very soft, very pathetic pout. She made her voice sound incredibly cute, sweet, and totally helpless.

"Everything I do," Camilla said softly, blinking her large eyes at him. "I do for you, my lord."

Damon stood frozen. He raised adark eyebrow in genuine surprise.

"For me?" Damon asked, completely confused by her sudden, dramatic shift in tone.

Camilla nodded her head slowly. She looked down at her dirty leather boots, acting as if she were deeply embarrassed to confess her true feelings.

"I wanted to learn how to defend myself from our enemies," Camilla lied smoothly, her sweet voice shaking just a tiny bit for extra effect. "And I wanted to surprise you with my new found skills."

She took a tiny step closer to him, playing the role of the devoted, clinging wife perfectly.

"I thought learning a few things here at the camp will be very helpful," Camilla explained, looking up at him with innocent, adoring eyes. "Because this way, I won’t be far away from you. I will not be out of your sight. I want to be near you, My Lord."