The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1865

Sean rapped on his sister's door with a casual knock to signal his presence.

He'd been hoping to catch up with her for a bit, so as to get a read on Ophelia's take on the recent events. For example, had the car race they'd attended left a sour taste in Ophelia's mouth? And was Ophelia now harboring a grudge against him for the whole debacle with that project ?

But after a few knocks, there was no answer from within.

Hadn't he heard some noise just moments ago?

Why was it dead silent all of a sudden?

Had she fallen asleep?

Just as Sean was about to walk away, a sudden thought struck him and froze him in his tracks. What if his sister was in danger?

“Sis, I’m coming in, okay?”

Throwing caution to the wind, he twisted the doorknob and pushed open his sister's bedroom door.

The room was deserted, with the balcony door wide open, curtains billowing in the breeze, and snowflakes drifting in.

Where was his sister?

He stepped onto the balcony, only to be greeted by a world blanketed in white, with snow piled everywhere.

There were footprints along the edge of the wall and in the snow below, which were roughly the size of his sister's feet.

Could his sister have leapt from the balcony to the wall's edge and then down to the ground? Where was she headed?

Following the direction of the footprints, Sean's eyes landed on a corner of the garden where a few figures seemed to be missing.

The guards from Reflections Villa were clearly no match for them, and even the seasoned security team under Hans seemed overwhelmed. Within moments, they too crumbled to the ground.

As Arabella drew near, she detected a peculiar scent on the attackers – a custom knockout fragrance that had floored the Collins' guards.

What was this potent concoction?

She'd never encountered this fragrance before.

Luckily, she had been taking a special pill these past few days, which was an antidote for various toxins and fragrances.

The assassins, seeing Arabella still standing, exchanged puzzled looks. By all accounts, the fragrance should have rendered her unconscious upon first whiff.

Yet there she stood ,safe and sound, causing a conundrum in their midst.