The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1506

“The real chess set is now held firmly in Mr. Albright's hands. Queena said that she had never gifted Serena with a chess set, let alone mentored her, so all the time it’s Serena who lied and made a fool of us?” The room seemed to swell with disbelief. Could Serena, the daughter of the Collins family, have woven such a deceitful tale?

The revelation was nothing short of a bombshell.

"Indeed, Queena is quite the craftswoman. She once made me a set," Eugene’s voice was laced with a touch of pleasure.

The set had been a playful project for Queena at the time, but from the very first glance, Eugene had coveted it for himself. Fortunately, the generous young lady had presented it to him on the spot.

That particular chess set, her maiden creation, was still treasured in the safe confines of his vault.

"Serena, say something." Lindsay pressed, her patience waning; what on earth was going on?

"Queena, is she really your protege or not?"

"Is there some feud between you two that led to this mess, or have you never actually taken her under your wing? Is she lying?"

Everyone seemed to be looking to Arabella for the truth of the matter.

Before Arabella could respond, Jarvis chimed in with a sly smile, "Knowing Queena as I do, she's far too busy to tutor anyone, let alone take on a protege."

The crowd was struck by yet another wave of astonishment. Mr. Jarvis' words implied that it was indeed Serena who had been weaving lies all along. Queena had never had the time to guide her.

"A lady from a rich family, lying through her teeth."

"Is it really necessary to puff herself up like that?"

"I can't believe how vain she is."

"You spread rumors about being Queena's protege, and now that you're caught, you think you can just walk away?"

"Your chess skills are so lacking, and you almost tarnished Queena's reputation. It's generous enough that she hasn't held you accountable; don't you think you owe her an apology?"

"Not even a simple 'sorry'? It's hard to believe how the Collins family raised you."

"Do your parents even know about this?"

Serena's eyes flickered with concern at the mention of her parents, fearing the scandal might reach them.

"I'm sorry."