The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1012

"Impossible! When Arabella beat Alma just now, I already felt something was off. Now that she's beaten Mr. Eugene, don't tell me you guys aren't suspicious?"

The girl's words ignited a spark of doubt among the crowd.

"Exactly, Arabella is just a student. How could she possibly beat Mr. Eugene?"

"Mr. Eugene is a renowned Master of chess."

"I find it strange, too. Arabella must have cheated! She must have an AI helping her!"

"A while ago, there was news about a chess player who cheated using artificial intelligence and got caught, right? But his methods were pretty amateurish. He used a tiny camera to capture the chessboard and sent it to his accomplices. They used computer AI to analyze the game, then sent him the next move."

"Arabella must have used some sort of smart chip. I demand a body search!"

"If Arabella really did stoop so low to beat Mr. Eugene, I believe she owes Mr. Eugene an apology, and Alma, too!"

"Her violin performance just now might also have been AI-assisted."

Everyone's speculative chatter reached Arabella's ears. She smirked, amused at the comparison of her brain to an AI.

"Maybe all her previous contests, including the SATs, were rigged too. If that's the case, I demand we involve the police!"

"I also demand we call the police and revoke her eligibility for all contests."

"I hope that Westerly College will take a firm stance and expel her. We can't let a fraud like her continue her education."

"You're just hurling baseless accusations!"

The folks from Westerly College came forward to defend Arabella, their faces flushed with indignation.

"Every move Arabella made was witnessed by all of us. How could she have cheated? And how would she have done it?"