The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1366

Half an hour later.

Serena heard the sound of a car outside and dashed out to see. Sure enough, her aunt and the rest of the family had returned.

Darren sat in his wheelchair, with Arabella pushing it forward, while Bard held Eunice's hand. Witnessing this scene, Serena suddenly felt like they were truly a family.

"Grandpa, Uncle Bard, Aunt Eunice, Bella. You're finally back!" Serena beamed, "I've been waiting for what felt like an eternity, and now you're here!"

"Why are you still up? It's late. You should be resting," Bard chided gently upon seeing her in a thin nightgown. "Come inside. It's cold out here."

Serena had purposefully shed her thick, warm robe for the flimsy nightgown, all to gain a bit of sympathy from her family.

Seeing her plan had worked, she chuckled, "I'm fine. You all must be exhausted after such a long night. Bella, let me help you with something."

She wanted to make a good impression in front of her grandfather.

"No need," Arabella dismissed her offer, wheeling past without playing into Serena's act.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Serena's eyes.

"Let's head inside," Eunice said, patting her back.

Seizing the moment, Serena clung to her hand and cooed, "Aunt Eunice, was Arlen's birthday bash fun? Tell me all about it! What happened?"

"It was alright," Eunice chuckled. "There were a bunch of fun things, like a clown act."

"That sounds amazing!" Serena felt envious but also miffed that her aunt hadn't taken her along.

"But the performances were lackluster, at least in your sister's and my opinion," Eunice continued with a smile. "You were lucky to miss it. There was this thrilling event tonight that got everyone's adrenaline pumping. If you had been there and seen all that, you probably would've been in tears."

Serena couldn't help feeling slighted internally. How did her aunt know she would cry? Missing out on such a fantastic party seemed so unfair!