Camilla sat on the edge of the large wooden bed. She was still holding the uncomfortable white nightgown away from her legs. She waited in the quiet room. She knew someone else was going to come through that door soon. In these types of stories, there was always more trouble coming.
A few minutes later, she heard heavy footsteps in the hallway outside. The large wooden door opened again. It did not open quickly like before. It opened slowly and firmly.
An older woman walked into the room. She wore a dark gray dress that went all the way down to the floor. Her gray hair was pulled back into a very tight bun at the back of her head. Her face was covered in deep wrinkles, and her eyes were sharp and cold. This was the head maid. Camilla had read enough novels to know exactly who she was. The head maid was the person who ran the household, and she almost always hated the main character.
Right behind the head maid was an older man. He carried a worn brown leather bag. He had a thick white beard and small, round glasses resting on his nose.
The head maid stopped near the end of the bed. She placed her hands together in front of her dress. She stood very straight. She looked at Camilla, but her eyes did not show any kindness.
"My Lady," the head maid said. Her voice was flat and hard. It sounded like two rocks hitting each other. "I have brought the doctor to see you."
Camilla just stared back at her. She did not say a word. She could easily read the older woman's body language. The tight lips, the straight back, the cold stare. Camilla could see that the older woman meant trouble. She did not care about Camilla's health at all. She was just doing her job.
The doctor stepped forward. He put his heavy brown bag on the small wooden table next to the bed. He opened it and took out a small, clean white cloth.
"Please give me your wrist, Lady Camilla," the doctor said gently.
Camilla slowly lifted her right arm and held it out. The doctor placed his fingers on her wrist to feel her pulse. He closed his eyes and stayed very still for a whole minute. Camilla watched him in silence. After a while, he opened his eyes. He leaned forward and gently pulled down Camilla's lower eyelids to look at her eyes. Then, he asked her to open her mouth so he could look at her throat.
Camilla did everything he asked. She was completely calm. She knew there was nothing wrong with her body, except that it was very weak.
The doctor finally stepped back. He wiped his hands with the white cloth and put it back into his bag. He turned to look at the head maid.
"She is in good health," the doctor said. He sounded a little bit confused. "Her heartbeat is strong and steady. Her breathing is clear. She swallowed some dirty water from the well, but her body seems perfectly fine."
He paused and rubbed his white beard. He looked back at Camilla. Camilla just blinked at him with a blank expression.
"Maybe the dirty well water logged her brain," the doctor added, shaking his head slightly. "The young maid said she was speaking strange words about faraway lands and hidden money. That kind of shock can confuse the mind. But do not worry. With some rest, she should be fine in a few days."
Camilla rolled her eyes. "Water logged my brain?" she thought to herself. "What kind of fake medical science is this? I am an assassin, not a sponge." But she decided to keep her mouth shut. Arguing with an old book doctor would only make things worse.
The head maid nodded her head one time. "Thank you, Doctor. We will make sure she rests."
The head maid turned around and escorted the doctor out of the bedroom. She walked him down the hallway.
Camilla was left alone again. The room was very quiet. She laid back against the soft pillows and stared up at the red cloth above the bed.
She needed a plan. The strange voice in her head had given her a clear mission. She had to finish this novel. If she failed, she would be stuck in this body forever.
"How am I going to give this book an ending?" Camilla thought to herself. She crossed her tarms over her chest. "The story ended with Lady Camilla jumping into the well. That means the real plot is completely broken. I need to fix it. First, I need to figure out what to do next."
Before she could think of a good strategy, the door opened once more. The head maid stepped back inside and closed the door firmly behind her. The loud click of the door lock echoed in the room.
The head maid walked slowly toward the bed. She did not stop at the end this time. She walked right up to the side of the bed. She stood very close to Camilla. The respectful act she put on for the doctor was completely gone. She glared down at Camilla with deep anger.
"I do not know what our lord did to you," the head maid spoke. Her voice was low and full of poison. "I do not know why you felt the need to act so evil. Why did you have to sabotage his horse?"
Camilla stopped breathing for a second. She sat up slowly. "Sabotage his horse?" she repeated out loud, but the head maid did not let her finish.
"Our Lord, the General, is a good man," the head maid continued, pointing a wrinkled finger at Camilla. "He is trying to set you free from this loveless marriage. He knows you are unhappy. He sent you a divorce letter this morning to give you your freedom! And how do you repay his kindness? You want to kill him just because he sent you a divorce letter?"
Camilla blinked. She blinked again. Her mind was racing fast, trying to connect the pieces of the story.
"Kill him?" Camilla thought to herself. She looked at the angry head maid. This made absolutely no sense.
She remembered reading the novel very carefully. The original Lady Camilla was completely, helplessly in love with her husband, the General. She cried every single night because he never visited her room. She was so weak and shy that she could not even look him in the eyes. When she received the divorce letter from him, her heart completely broke. That was why she ran to the garden and jumped into the well.
"The real Camilla would never do that," Camilla thought, shaking her head slightly. "She is too in love to hurt him. She does not even know how to hold a knife, let alone sabotage a giant war horse. This is a massive plot hole. Someone else tried to kill the General, and they are blaming this weak, crying girl."
Camilla looked up at the head maid. She opened her mouth to speak. She was ready to defend herself with simple logic. She was ready to explain that a woman who wants to kill herself over a divorce does not have the energy to break a horse's saddle.
But before a single word could come out of her mouth, a loud, deep sound filled the quiet room.
GURGLE.
GROWL.
It was a very loud, very angry sound. It came directly from Camilla's stomach. The sound was so loud it actually echoed off the stone walls.
The room became completely silent. The angry head maid froze in place. Her mouth hung open slightly.
Camilla closed her eyes. She felt a hot wave of embarrassment wash over her face. She slowly brought her hands down to hold her empty stomach. She pressed her fingers against her belly. It felt completely hollow.
"Unbelievable," Camilla thought, letting out a long, tired sigh. "This stupid girl did not even eat before attempting to take her own life. Who jumps into a well on an empty stomach? Amateurs. Complete amateurs."
She opened her eyes and shook her head. She looked at the head maid, who was still staring at her in shock. Camilla decided to ignore the serious conversation about murder and divorce. Right now, there was a bigger emergency.
Camilla cleared her throat. She spoke in a very calm, normal voice. "Is there food in this house?"