Usually, the General returned to the mansion late in the evening to sleep on his floor pillow.

Murry’s pleasant smile faded away completely. A deep look of sadness and worry completely covered his wrinkled face. He let out a very long, very heavy sigh.

Murry replied, his voice dropping into a quiet, serious tone.

"We received word a few hours ago that the general is extremely busy," Murry explained sadly. "He will not be returning to the mansion tonight. He is staying at the command tent."

Camilla frowned slightly. She remembered the shady military man, General Howe, who had arrived at the camp just as she was leaving.

"What is he doing?" Camilla asked.

"He is fighting for the valley General Howe took from him," Murry explained, confirming her suspicions. Murry shook his head slowly. "But it doesn’t seem to be going smoothly at all. The situation is incredibly tense."

Murry looked down at Camilla’s half-eaten plate of roasted chicken.

"I was very worried about his health," Murry continued, his voice full of fatherly concern for the young General. "I made sure a large basket of hot, fresh food was sent directly to him at the camp this evening."

Murry sighed again, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"But it was returned," Murry said sadly. "The messenger brought the basket back completely untouched. The General refused to eat a single bite. He is under an immense amount of stress."

Camilla listened carefully. She remembered the conversation she had overheard between Damon and his friend Syrus.

Camilla put her hands on the edge of the table.

"Is it the land that was taken from him when he had that accident?" Camilla asked, wanting to make absolutely sure she understood the full situation.

Murry nodded his head firmly. His eyes looked very sad and very proud at the exact same time.

"Yes, My Lady," Murry replied. He stood up a little straighter. "But it is not just a simple piece of dirt. This was the specific land that the former General... Damon’s late father... fought for with his own blood to get."

Murry looked toward the window, remembering the brave man who had died years ago.

Murry explained, his voice thick with emotion. "To the General, that valley represents his family’s entire honor. It is sacred ground. He absolutely cannot allow General Howe to keep it."

Murry leaned forward slightly, resting his hand on the back of an empty chair.

"For this reason," Murry continued, his voice becoming a soft, secret whisper. "The General made a very dangerous bet with Howe this morning."

Camilla leaned forward as well. She loved a good tea. "What kind of bet?"

Murry looked around the empty room, making sure no maids were listening. He lowered his voice a little more.

"A physical challenge," Murry whispered nervously. "A fight to the death tomorrow at noon. The General is going to pick his absolute best men to fight against General Howe’s best men."

Murry swallowed hard.

"I even heard a rumor from the returning messenger," Murry whispered, his eyes wide with amazement. "The General is going to pick one ultimate, champion soldier who will represent the Benson’s Army. And if that specific soldier wins the battle and reclaims the valley... that soldier will be rewarded with one hundred thousand gold coins."

Camilla completely stopped breathing for the second time that evening.

Her eyes went so completely wide they almost popped completely out of her head.

"A hundred... thousand... gold coins?" Camilla whispered out loud, her voice totally breathless.

She looked at the small wooden chest sitting next to her plate. That chest held five thousand. The reward Damon was offering was twenty times that amount. It was an amount of money so massive it could buy entire small cities. It was enough money to build a massive palace on a private island and buy a fleet of ships.

Murry did not notice her greedy shock. He was too busy worrying about the General’s safety and the outcome of the battle.

Murry continued speaking, his voice full of fear.

"But it will be incredibly difficult, My Lady," Murry warned her sadly, shaking his head. "General Howe is a very sneaky, very cunning man. He would never accept a death match unless he was absolutely certain he could win. Howe’s men are also very skilled. He has been hiring deadly, brutal mercenaries from the outer kingdoms. I am terrified for our soldiers tomorrow."

Camilla sat perfectly still in her padded chair. She stared blindly at her plate of chicken.

She heard Murry say that Howe’s men were highly skilled. She heard Murry say they were deadly mercenaries.

Camilla thought to herself. Her internal voice was no longer a greedy, happy squeal. It was suddenly completely cold, sharp, and highly dangerous.

"That is because they haven’t met me," Camilla thought proudly.

A dark, confident smile slowly formed on her beautiful face. She was the Black Widow. She had fought against the most deadly, highly trained killers in the modern world. She had survived explosions, bullet wounds, and sword fights against masters of martial arts. A few fictional mercenaries from an outer kingdom did not scare her in the slightest.

She knew exactly how to fight to the death. It was her absolute specialty.

Camilla completely snapped out of her internal thoughts. She looked up at the worried older housekeeper.

She reached out her hand and patted Murry’s arm gently, offering him total comfort.

"Don’t worry, Uncle Murry," Camilla spoke out loud. Her voice was incredibly firm, strong, and completely full of absolute confidence.

She looked him directly in the eye.

"Damon will take back that land tomorrow," Camilla promised him smoothly. "We are the Benson family. We won’t let our stuffs go to outsiders. That valley belongs to this house, and it will return to this house."

Murry looked at her confident, strong face. He felt a sudden wave of comfort wash over him. Seeing the Lady of the house acting so brave and so supportive of her husband made him feel incredibly proud.

"Thank you, My Lady," Murry said softly, offering her a very grateful bow. "Your faith in the General is truly a beautiful thing. I will pray for their victory tonight."

Murry turned around smoothly. He walked quietly out of the dining room, leaving Camilla completely alone with her dinner and her chest of gold.

As soon as thedoors clicked completely shut behind the housekeeper, Camilla jumped up from her chair.

She did not care about the roasted chicken anymore. She began pacing back and forth across the long dining room floor. Her eyes were shining with a brilliant, highly dangerous plan.

She thought to herself, rapidly analyzing the entire plot of the story.

"The author of this stupid novel has finally given me a real chance," Camilla analyzed internally. She slapped her hand against the edge of the table.

She remembered her decision from earlier. She wanted to help Damon defeat his enemies so the story would reach a peaceful ending.

"This is the perfect opportunity to help the male lead," Camilla thought to herself, nodding her head firmly. "If Damon loses this fight, he loses his father’s land. He will be miserable, and his enemies will grow stronger. If I fight for him and win, I solve one of his biggest political problem instantly."

She stopped pacing. She looked directly at the small chest sitting on the table.

She thought about the massive, unimaginable reward.

One hundred thousand shiny gold coins.

"I absolutely won’t let this perfect chance go to waste," Camilla promised herself in her mind. A wide, completely wicked, highly determined smile spread across her face. She clenched her right hand into a tight, solid fist.

"I am going to save my grumpy husband’s military honor," Camilla finalized her bold plan, her internal voice ringing with certainty. "And I also really, really want that massive reward. I am going to fight tomorrow."