Alice nodded almost immediately before she stepped forward to hook her arms with her. "Yes, Queen sister. I was able to retrieve the street surveillance footage from that year. Come with me, I will show you."
Arwen nodded, walking in with her.
They stepped into her office, and Alice immediately pulled out a chair, urging her to sit before opening her laptop to retrieve the video file.
"And what about the information that I asked you to look into?" Arwen asked, her tone calm but probing.
Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly before she admitted, "That information is hard to retrieve." Then, glancing at Arwen, she added with a trace of frustration, "It seems someone erased the traces entirely."
Arwen shook her head gently, her voice soft as she reassured her. "It’s fine. Since it’s erased, there is no need to push further. You won’t be able to dig it out."
Alice opened her mouth to defend her skills, but before she could, Arwen added knowingly, "I am not doubting your skills, Alice. I just know the man —and his background —too well. His details won’t be easy for anyone to uncover if concealed purposely."
"You know already?" Alice asked, stunned.
Arwen gave a small nod. "I have guesses —guesses I am confident about. The rest ..." her gaze shifted to the laptop. She didn’t complete her sentence loudly. But in her mind, she said —The rest will be confirmed after watching the footage from that day.
Alice hesitated for a moment, curiosity flashing in her eyes. But when Arwen arched a brow and jutted her chin toward the device, she quickly obeyed, opening the file.
"Queen Sister, why did you ask me to retrieve such old footage?" Alice asked, her curiosity finally spilling over. She hadn’t yet checked the video herself.
Arwen’s gaze turned deep, her eyes fixed on the screen. "Because it holds the answer I have been looking for —the confirmation that I still lack."
Her words sounded too heavy, layered with meaning Alice couldn’t grasp. She gave Arwen a confused glance, but when she saw Arwen’s gaze fixed on the screen, she turned her attention back to the laptop and played the video, without delaying any further..
And after the first few seconds, Arwen saw herself walking on the street.
The angle wasn’t great, and the quality was grainy, but something about the way she walked made Arwen’s brows knit together.
She looked half-dazed, as if she wasn’t in her right mind.
"Queen Sister, is that —"
"That’s me," Arwen said flatly, unblinking.
Alice turned to glance her way, her brows furrowing slightly in disbelief. "It’s you, but why are you walking like that? Did something happen to you?"
Arwen didn’t answer. She had no memory of this. That was the day of the accident —yet she had always assumed she had simply forgotten the details. But watching the footage, it felt different.
Like, there was something else that never appeared and always stayed concealed behind the shell of the accident.
Her heart clenched slightly as something unsettled her from inside.
And just then, something at the corner of the frame caught her eye.
Alice clapped her hand over her mouth, trembling. "Q-Queen Sister, when did this happen? You seem so young. And —"
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