The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1908

Reflections Villa.

After finishing breakfast, the housemaid brought over a stack of beautiful window decals. "These are all static clings. Just wipe the window with a damp cloth, and they'll stick right on."

"I'll take some; I want to help Bella put them up."

"Me too."

"I'm with Bella!"

"Bella, I will clean the windows for you. You can put them anywhere you like," said Arabella’s grandpa.

"Don't worry about me being too old. I can stand on a chair. Just tell me where you like them, and I'll stick them on for you!" said her grandma.

There was nothing left for the brothers. The housemaid said awkwardly, "We have more decals with fireworks and Happy New Year coming soon."

"Come on, Bella, let's go put up the decals." The elders were already escorting Arabella away with laughter and chatter.

"Hans, this isn't working!" Clark blurted out anxiously, "We finally made time to come home and spend it with Bella, and from the moment we got up, we've barely exchanged a few words with her."

Before he could finish, the elders had shooed them aside.

Their presence was barely acknowledged!

"Now I have to sacrifice myself." David decided, taking a few steps forward and then letting out a loud, exaggerated groan as he pretended to trip.

But the elders ahead were deep in their merry conversation and didn't even notice him.

Clark couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to the pitiful David, "They didn't even notice you."

Arabella, feeling a bit sorry for David, handed him a decal. David was just about to celebrate when he heard their grandma say, "David, you go stick it over there. Bella, wherever you want to put it, I can help you too."

Eventually, David took a single decal back to his brothers, gazing longingly at his sister in the crowd. There was a distance between them, not of life and death, but the fact that despite Bella standing right before them, they couldn't get close.

At that moment, a housemaid approached Louisa to report, "Ma'am, the photography team has arrived."

"Perfect timing to capture this moment. Invite them in," Louisa instructed, then turned to Arabella. "Bella, there will be a photography team taking pictures and recording all day. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me."

"Ms. Bella, we'll try to keep our distance and stay as unobtrusive as possible." the photographer assured.

"Bella's no stranger to cameras. She's received so much acclaim on stage, singing and playing piano. These cameras are nothing out of the ordinary for her."

Grandma's words reminded Louisa, "Right, of course."