The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1781

Ms. Collins gracefully let bygones be bygones, and Steward could hardly contain his happiness.

Soon enough, Steward brought over a gift box that looked even larger than a cake box, adding, "This is something Sean had specially delivered just now."

It was the fruit of their brainstorming, conceived while they were out in the cold, struggling to come up with the perfect surprise!

Sean approached his sister, presenting the box, "For you."

Arabella, unaccustomed to Sean's newfound politeness and gentleness, reached out to accept the gift and said, "Thanks, Sean."

Hearing his sister repeatedly call him by his first name, Sean suddenly understood why his brothers always rushed home at every opportunity to spend time with her. Her voice had a way of touching one's soul.

Who wouldn't want to be home every day if they had a sister like her? Compared to the agile, cool-faced girl she once was, his sister was now the picture of obedience.

"Bella, go on, open it and see what Sean got you!"

The others were getting curious.

"Such a big box, surely it's not jewelry or anything of that sort?"

"Sean, with your love for betting on stones, you didn't give her a rock, did you?"

"No way, a stone would be too heavy for Bella to even lift!"

Steward, overhearing this, forced a helpless smile. Mr. and Mrs. Collins probably had no idea how strong their daughter could kick; despite her slender frame, she could probably lift a 200-pound barbell if she wanted to.

With everyone's eyes on her, Arabella untied the ribbon and lifted the lid of the gift box to reveal a pair of boxing gloves???

The room filled with confused faces. Sean's smile was both wicked and charming, "The best boxing gloves in the world. Once you're ever upset, you can take it out on me."

"I really like it; thank you, Sean," Arabella accepted the gift with grace and confidence.

Sean, who was starting to feel a bit of regret from the crowd's reaction, suddenly felt redeemed by his sister's approval, "Really?"

"Yeah." Arabella offered a smile, "But I won't use them to hit you."

Upon hearing this, Sean joked, "Well, if you find them uncomfortable, feel free to just use your fists."

"Would you just shut it?" Louisa was dying to make him go back and buy a different gift, “Do you think your sister is like you, living a life full of fighting and killing?”

"This is just a homecoming gift; there's still the New Year's gift, right?" Kenneth quickly intervened, while shooting Sean a look that clearly said, "The New Year's gift is something different, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, yeah, Sean's got a New Year's gift as well. Something he spent ages choosing, definitely not like this one," Steward hurriedly tried to smooth things over.