Envy can be a bitter pill to swallow!
Arabella had been blessed with the good fortune of studying chess under the guidance of Mr. Albright for over a decade, starting
when she was just a little girl. Was she seven or eight years old? Or could she have been even younger, around five or six?
Having someone to mentor her from such a tender age, no wonder she had surpassed them all in talent.
It was only now that they realized why, despite their overt and covert attempts to persuade Mr. Albright to take on protege, he had
always refused. He had his eye on someone all along, and what an exceptional choice Arabella was.
With her by his side, why would Mr. Albright ever consider anyone else?
They would have chosen Arabella as their protege too.
They had made fools of themselves, thinking too highly of their own children's abilities.
"Does Arabella have any plans to take on any protege?"
A middle-aged woman stepped forward with great respect and addressed Arabella, "Il would love to study under your guidance. Is
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthere a chance you might accept me?"
Everyone was stunned.
The woman speaking was Mona, a renowned chess player famous nationwide, who had won a multitude of chess championships. It
was shocking to see her, a figure of such esteem, willingly step down to learn from Arabella as a protege.
"I can tell your skills surpass mine, and | hope you would grantthe opportunity to learn from you. | truly love chess,"
Before Mona's voice trailed off, another notable figure stepped forward.
"If Arabella isn't considering taking on any protege at the moment, might | at least add you on Whatto get acquainted? I'm
Atwood, the secretary-general of the Chess Association, and | greatly admire your play. The way you handled both offense and
defense was nothing short of astonishing."
"Could you possibly give my kid spointers?" A lady from the crowd approached with her child in tow, "My daughter has been
studying chess for seven years, and every mentor has said she's immensely talented. You're about the sage; perhaps you
could be friends."
"I'd love to learn from you as well."
As the crowd around Arabella grew, she was about to decline politely when a young woman's voice broke through.
"Mr. Albright, | heard that Queena is also attending your birthday party. Has she arrived?"
The speaker was Alma, who smiled with easy confidence, "If Queena has come, | wonder what she would make of this game.
Simple, or intriguing?"
It was then that the rest of the guests remembered this illustrious individual.
"Right, Queena! | almost forgot about her."
"I heard she's won twelve world chess championships. Whenever she competes internationally, the title is hers for the taking."
"She's known for her aggressive play, pinpointing her opponent's weaknesses and striking swiftly and ruthlessly. Even at a
disadvantage, she can turn the situation around in no time."
"I've seen her match videos, and even though you only see her hand moving the pieces, it's such an elegant hand."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
"Her gis truly electrifying."
Hearing this, Bluno felt a glimmer of hope that his daughter might have a chance at mentorship, chiming in, "Such a gwould
hardly impress her, right? Where is she? Would we have the chance to witness her brilliance?"
"Mr. Albright, if Queena wished to study under you, would you accept her as a protege?"
"Her skills must be far superior to this young lady's, right?"
"Mr. Albright, has Queena arrived?"
"If she could challenge this young lady to a match, that would be the ultimate spectacle!"
The guests thought that if Queena could make Arabella look foolish, they would feel much better.
After all, it was hard to accept being outdone by a young girl, but there were also those who were eagerly anticipating; if Mr.
Albright insisted on Arabella as his sole protege, they might still have the chance to study under Queena.
Rumor had it that in a recent high-profile man-versus-machine match, Queena had defeated an Al, stunning the world and
becoming a legend.
However, up until now, very few had ever seen her in person.