The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1912

"Wait a minute, Bella made a whole bunch of tarts, how come there's only few of them here?"

Louisa had barely finished her sentence when the chef brought out another cheese tarts. She quickly snatched up three and was about to go for a fourth when the plate was wiped clean.

"You bunch of pirates!"

David was fuming; he hadn't managed to get his hands on a single tart since the meal started. Before he could vent his frustration, the chef arrived with another plate. As soon as it hit the table, everyone dove in.

"Those aren't made by Bella, are they?"

"Who made these ugly tarts?"

Everyone withdrew their forks simultaneously, not a single tart taken, their faces filled with distaste.

"These are made by David."

The chef’s revelation drew everyone’s gaze towards David. If they heard right, David himself had called his own tarts ugly and was the first to pull back his fork.

Out of everyone, only Arabella reached out, took a tart, and took a bite. "Not bad, tastes good."

"Bella, you don’t have to force yourself."

"They're a hot mess. How can you even eat that.?"

"If they were salvageable, the chef wouldn't have brought them out like this. That means even the chef couldn't save these."

"Seriously, they're good." Arabella urged everyone to give them a try.

Out of respect for Arabella, the others considered trying one, but in the next second, the chef came out with another plate, making a point to mention, "These are made by Ms. Bella."

The scramble began anew.

The older brothers watched in disbelief as plates were cleared in seconds. They never imagined their elders could be so fierce in the battle for food.

Eventually, the meal ended amidst the chaos.