Chapter 150: Chapter Hundred And Forty Nine

She bowed her head very low to show her deep shame and regret. She let her shoulders slump forward.

"I didn’t want to bother you by asking for help," Camilla whispered sadly to the dirt. "And I didn’t have enough money to hire a private master to teach me basic defense skills at the mansion."

Damon stood perfectly still. He listened to her crying voice.

Inside his mind, Damon almost let out a loud, highly amused laughter.

"Didn’t have enough money?" Damon thought to himself, staring down at her bowed head. "You literally have a massive stack of paper bank notes worth one hundred thousand gold coins hidden under your winter dresses in the wardrobe right now. You are richer than most noble lords in the capital city."

But Damon did not say a single word. He kept his face completely blank. He wanted to see how far she would take this Oscar-worthy performance.

Camilla squeezed her eyes shut. She forced real tears to form in the corners of her eyes.

Tears began to drop slowly from her eyes. They slid down her dirty cheeks, leaving clean, pale tracks in the brown dust.

"I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me," Camilla sobbed softly, wiping a tear away with the back of her dirty sleeve. "I did all these things for you. I dressed in these ugly clothes and fought those rough men willingly. Just so I could be strong enough to stand by your side."

She sniffed loudly, looking completely heartbroken.

Standing right beside Damon, Kade was watching the entire performance.

Kade was a strong, loyal soldier, but he had a very soft, romantic heart. He completely, entirely fell for her brilliant acting.

Kade looked at the tears tracking through the dirt on her face. He looked at her oversized, rough grey clothing. His heart swelled with deep pity and respect for the young Lady.

Kade whispered softly to himself, his voice full of emotion.

"The lady truly loves the general," Kade whispered, wiping a sudden tear from his own eye. "She is willing to suffer in the dirt just to be near him. Why can’t both of them see it? Their love is so tragic and beautiful."

Damon heard Kade’s emotional whisper perfectly clearly.

Damon almost rolled his eyes. His loyal aide was incredibly gullible.

But Damon could not let this scene continue out in the open. A few soldiers were starting to turn their heads, noticing the General standing with a crying recruit.

Damon did not say a word. He suddenly reached out his large, warm hand.

He firmly grabbed Camilla’s small, trembling hand.

Camilla gasped softly in surprise. His grip was strong, but it was not painful.

Damon turned around. He pulled her gently but firmly behind him. He took her away from the crowded paths of the camp, leading her toward a quiet, secluded space between two large, empty supply tents where no one could see her face.

Kade followed closely behind them, acting as their personal guard.

Damon stopped in the narrow space between the tall canvas walls. It was dark, quiet, and completely hidden from the rest of the busy military camp.

He let go of her hand. He stepped forward, moving into her personal space.

He pinned her gently against the thick canvas wall of the supply tent. He placed one large hand flat against the canvas right beside her head, trapping her completely between his broad body and the tent.

Kade understood the need for privacy. Kade stood at the very entrance of the narrow space. The loyal aide turned his back to them, facing the camp, crossing his arms and guarding the spot so no soldier would accidentally wander in.

Camilla stood with her back against the canvas. She looked up at Damon. She was breathing slightly faster. His physical proximity was overwhelming. He was so tall, and his chest was so broad.

Damon looked down deeply into her hazel eyes.

He saw the wet tears clinging to her dark eyelashes. He saw the dirt smeared across her cheeks. He saw her red hair poking out from under the messy brown wig.

Despite knowing that she was completely lying, despite knowing that she was acting, seeing her cry caused a very strange, tight feeling in the center of his chest.

Damon slowly raised his free hand.

He brought his large, rough hand toward her face. He did not grab her jaw. He did not act rough.

Very gently, Damon used his thumb to softly clean the wet tears from her cheek.

Camilla completely stopped breathing.

His touch was incredibly warm and surprisingly tender. She felt the rough calluses on his thumb brush smoothly against her soft skin, wiping away the dirty tear tracks.

She stared into his dark brown eyes. She expected to see coldness and anger. Instead, she saw a deep, searching intensity.

Damon kept his thumb resting lightly on her cheekbone.

His eyes slowly dropped downward. He looked at her soft, pink lips. They were slightly parted in surprise.

For a brief, dangerous second, Damon felt an overwhelming, irrational urge. He wanted to lean his head down. He wanted to close the small distance between them. He wanted to touch her more than just wiping a tear. He wanted to kiss the clever, lying words right off her mouth.

His eyes darkened even further with sudden desire.

Camilla saw his gaze drop to her lips. She felt the sudden, intense heat radiating from his large body. Her heart gave a massive, violent thump against her ribs.

"What is he doing?" Camilla thought frantically in her mind. Her entire body felt frozen.

Damon heard her panicked thought. The sound of her internal voice snapped him completely back to reality.

He remembered where they were. He quickly pulled his hand away from her cheek. He dropped his arm to his side. He forced his facial muscles to become perfectly cold and completely unreadable once again.

He looked directly into her eyes. "Is that so?" Damon asked smoothly.