“What did Alexander mean by ‘having the ability’?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Wilhelmina looked around the room. “It means being able to come here. If I weren’t the Queen, do you think Annabel or anyone else would let me near these confidential documents?”
Each seemingly ordinary box contained a shocking secret, and only those at the core of the empire were qualified to enter.
“CX… it’s here, Albert,” Wilhelmina read the number, finding a cabinet. “718A5… D, hmm, D-5.”
“Fifth layer?” Albert asked, looking at the box above. “What was the last word?”
“Let me think,” Wilhelmina’s eyes brightened, “Boston! This is the box!”
She reached to pull it out, not noticing a smaller box above it. By the time she saw it falling, it was too late to dodge.
“Watch out!” Albert pushed her onto the cabinet, protecting her with his body. The box hit his head and rolled to the floor.
Wilhelmina held her breath, motionless, feeling Albert’s chest rise and fall against her. Their breaths merged, and the sound of their rapid heartbeats filled the silence.
Albert leaned closer, prompting Wilhelmina to instinctively close her eyes. Suddenly, the shadow over her moved away as Albert distanced himself to pick up the box. She cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment.
After a minute, Albert regained the box. “Are you okay?” Wilhelmina finally asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied, not looking at her. “The box is light.”
“This is the second time you’ve saved me today,” Wilhelmina said softly.
“Isn’t this my mission?” Albert responded lightly, and the atmosphere relaxed.
Wilhelmina sat on the floor, examining the box containing the secret of her parents’ death. There was a password, which posed no challenge for her. She quickly decoded it and lifted the lid.
Albert sat across from Wilhelmina, both looking into the box. Inside were several document files, a few storage disks, and a thin photo album.
Wilhelmina opened the album, her eyes slightly reddened. “It’s an old family photo,” she said with a laugh. “My mother loved using antique cameras. These are all our photos.”
In the photo, a blonde little girl, only one or two years old, looked like a little angel. Her parents surrounded her, everyone laughing—a clearly happy family.
