The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1828

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he grumbled, annoyance lacing his tone.

The servant bit her lip, struggling for words. In this household, nobody dared to rouse Sean from sleep—nobody but Hans. Yet, she dared not voice this truth, merely replying, "Next time, I'll be sure to wake you, Mr. Sean."

Learning that his sister had already had breakfast, Sean felt his own appetite wane. He nibbled on a few bites before setting off to find her.

At that moment, Arabella and Hans were about to check on Erik, who was locked in the basement, when a servant rushed in with urgent news.

"Mr. Collins, Ms. Collins, Erik's been motionless for quite some time," the servant said, breathless with worry. "We didn't dare to open the door and check, fearing a trick, but from the surveillance, he's been in the same position for so long, it looks like he might be dead."

Without hesitation, Arabella and Hans hurried down to the basement.

There lay Erik, sprawled on the floor. As Arabella moved to check on him, Hans held her back, "Let me go first."

Concerned for his sister's safety, he feared Erik might be faking.

Arabella nodded, watching as Hans approached and cautiously checked for Erik's breath. It took a moment before he announced, "He's gone, cold to the touch."

Arabella stepped forward to examine the body and concluded, "He died about two hours ago, around six-thirty this morning. Did either of you notice anything unusual at that time?"

She looked up, questioning the two servants nearby.

The servants, visibly shaken, shook their heads.

"We've been on watch the whole time, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and nobody has come by."

"Because Mr. and Mrs. Collins were worried about accomplices coming to rescue him, they set a trap outside. If someone had slipped him poison, we couldn't have missed it."