The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1761

She slowly opened her eyes to find herself reclining in the plush comfort of an airplane's bed. This was a bedroom within the sky, and there was Romeo, crashed on the solo armchair by the bedside, fast asleep.

No sooner had she stirred than Romeo's eyes flickered open. "Awake? Bad dream?" he asked, voice tinged with concern.

"No, just a bit thirsty," she replied.

Without missing a beat, Romeo poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. "Your mom called just before we boarded. She wanted to chat with you, but I told her you were sleeping. Told her we'd be flying home and you'd see her tomorrow."

Mom? Home?

Arabella glanced at him, noting how naturally the words rolled off his tongue now. She took the water and sipped.

"Your brother Hans called too, checking in on you. I reassured him you're fine. Compared to what you've been through, this is just a breeze," Romeo said as he took the empty glass from her, setting it aside. He sat down next to her, tenderly stroking her hair and added, "He also mentioned that Erik skipped town, left his own daughter behind without a second thought."

“He must think that after all these years, even if the family is furious with Serena, they wouldn't actually take her life. At worst, they'd kick her out, but they wouldn't kill her."

Arabella's voice was calm as she dissected Erik's mindset, "But with Martha gone, he'll definitely make a move. It's just a question of who his next target will be. The Collins family is big, and keeping all of them safe around the clock is a tall order."

Dozens of servants with plans to visit family or travel for the holidays, or those staying at the Collins estate.

Key corporate employees from all over the place, who knew where they'd be for the festivities.