The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1508

Phyllis was kicking herself. Tonight Gramps had brought her to the party with high hopes of becoming protege under the renowned Mr. Albright, but it turned out he already had his eye on someone else. After a quick huddle with Gramps, they decided to pivot and seek the mentorship of Queena instead.

But they had absolutely no clue that Arabella was Queena!

Recalling Arabella's entrance earlier that evening, Phyllis remembered feeling a pang of jealousy at her beauty. And when Arabella had solved that chess puzzle, Phyllis couldn't swallow her pride and had challenged her to a match, only to be utterly trounced.

Now, she glanced at Gramps, and they both shared a look of regret. They had failed to recognize Arabella for who she really was, and as a result, they hadn't made the best impression.

The chances of Arabella taking on a protege now seemed slim to none.

Roxanne was in the same boat. When Arabella showed up solo at the birthday bash, Roxanne figured she was a gatecrasher with no real backing and had bombarded her with a string of impolite questions.

Roxanne had even boasted about her granddad being chums with Mr. Albright, claiming she was practically like his granddaughter.

Now, with her cheeks burning in embarrassment, she realized that title was never hers for the taking, especially given Mr. Albright's fondness for Arabella, while she had only met Mr. Albright today, after all.

But he had been teaching Arabella chess for over a decade.

Madeline was also feeling the sting of regret. When her friend Lindsay had bumped into Arabella not once but twice, and an altercation ensued, Madeline had tried to mediate but inevitably sided with her friend. She worried that she hadn't made a strong ally in Arabella, making her own chances of being Arabella’s protege slim.

The most crestfallen of them all was Lindsay.

Before heading to the shindig, Bluno had made it crystal clear that she should do whatever it took to catch Mr. Albright's eye as a potential protege.

When Mr. Albright announced he already had his favorite, she and her dad had switched gears, aiming to win over Queena.

"Don't feel bad; you're not the only ones. I've been in the same tournaments as Queena and never recognized her."

During the preliminary rounds, Arabella would dispatch her opponents in under two minutes and then leave early.

In the finals, no one could match her, so she was never there long.

Plus, she always wore a mask and a wig, only showing her eyes, which made it tough for anyone to identify her.

And then there were the old friends of Eugene’s - a powerful bunch who didn't want young Arabella swarmed by paparazzi. They feared the more exposure she got, the more danger she'd be in. So even if a journalist snapped a photo of her in disguise, they'd think twice before publishing it.

That was why, in some videos, they'd only see Arabella's hands moving the chess pieces, her face never revealed.