The guards ask what happened to the general's face. He tells them that he met an assassin. He says that all of them placed their hopes on him. They hope that he will take care of his body. Don't worry, he says. He knows what to do. The guards don't believe that the general is an assassin, but they do believe that his highness has asked him to kill the man. The general coughs and says that if he continues like this, he will be blinded by the beauty of Madame Bovary. If he can't keep her, then he'll be a villain, and the country will be ruined.