The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1500

Envy can be a bitter pill to swallow!

Arabella had been blessed with the good fortune of studying chess under the guidance of Mr. Albright for over a decade, starting when she was just a little girl. Was she seven or eight years old? Or could she have been even younger, around five or six?

Having someone to mentor her from such a tender age, no wonder she had surpassed them all in talent.

It was only now that they realized why, despite their overt and covert attempts to persuade Mr. Albright to take on protege, he had always refused. He had his eye on someone all along, and what an exceptional choice Arabella was.

With her by his side, why would Mr. Albright ever consider anyone else?

They would have chosen Arabella as their protege too.

They had made fools of themselves, thinking too highly of their own children's abilities.

"Does Arabella have any plans to take on any protege?"

A middle-aged woman stepped forward with great respect and addressed Arabella, "I would love to study under your guidance. Is there a chance you might accept me?"

Everyone was stunned.

The woman speaking was Mona, a renowned chess player famous nationwide, who had won a multitude of chess championships. It was shocking to see her, a figure of such esteem, willingly step down to learn from Arabella as a protege.

"I can tell your skills surpass mine, and I hope you would grant me the opportunity to learn from you. I truly love chess,"

Before Mona’s voice trailed off, another notable figure stepped forward.

"If Arabella isn't considering taking on any protege at the moment, might I at least add you on WhatsApp to get acquainted? I'm Atwood, the secretary-general of the Chess Association, and I greatly admire your play. The way you handled both offense and defense was nothing short of astonishing."

"Could you possibly give my kid some pointers?" A lady from the crowd approached with her child in tow, "My daughter has been studying chess for seven years, and every mentor has said she's immensely talented. You're about the same age; perhaps you could be friends."

"I'd love to learn from you as well."

As the crowd around Arabella grew, she was about to decline politely when a young woman's voice broke through.