The attendant released by Felix immediately sat down on the spot and coughed with difficulty. The attendants watching this scene from behind were startled by Felix’s momentum and couldn’t approach. They just watched with anxious faces.

I quickly grabbed Felix’s arm and commanded the attendants.

“Take him to a physician immediately.”

“Y, yes……!”

“We’ll clean up the glass cup right away too.”

While they busily tidied up the place, Felix also shook off my arm and sat down weakly in a chair. I still held his hand while trying to understand what on earth this situation was.

Before I could say anything to him, one attendant bowed and greeted Felix.

“We’re truly sorry. He’s new and doesn’t know anything……”

“Damn it, I told you not to run behind me……!!”

“We’re sorry…… It’s because we were careless……”

Before even finishing listening to the attendant’s apology, Felix angrily stood up abruptly from his seat. Thinking he might act threateningly again, I grabbed his hand strongly. Perhaps his excitement hadn’t completely subsided yet, as the power of the sun felt through his hand was fluctuating rapidly.

Felix, feeling the pulling force, turned his head to look at me.

‘His power is unstable. Wouldn’t it be dangerous if he goes out like this?’

Meeting his eyes, I shook my head, meaning don’t go. However, Felix lightly broke away from my hand.

“Wait a moment, Your Highness!”

Ignoring my desperately calling voice, he left the room as he was. Standing alone in the room, I was curious about why Felix had acted like that.

Just then, I heard whispers from Lecia and other attendants.

“Really, they should educate the newcomers properly…… Tell them to be careful when approaching His Highness the Second Prince.”

“Is His Highness still being severely on guard?”

Thinking the attendants knew something, I approached them and spoke.

“What does that mean? What kind of wariness does His Highness Felix have?”

At my question, the other attendants’ faces hardened stiffly. The air in the room instantly became cold.

“Uh, is this perhaps something I shouldn’t ask about……”

“Ahaha, Miss! Your face seems to have turned pale, are you feeling alright?”

While I was reading the attendants’ expressions wondering if I had misspoken, Lecia quickly grabbed my face and shouted loudly. Finding Lecia’s reaction strange, I closed my mouth. Belatedly realizing Lecia’s eye signals, I quietly shook my head and answered in a whisper.

“Yeah. I suddenly feel dizzy……”

“Lady Marina, you were startled, weren’t you? We’ll help you to the bedroom.”

“Miss is so delicate that I think I could carry her by myself. My arms are quite thick, you know.”

At the blatant order to leave, the attendants nodded and vacated the place. Not long after they left, Lecia shouted at me.

“Why did you bring up that story, Miss!”

“Huh? What do you mean? What story did I bring up……”

“The story about being on guard!!”

I just rolled my eyes not understanding. Seeing me like that, Lecia beat her chest as if frustrated and poured out words.

“No, do you really not know? It’s a story that all citizens of the Empire know! Miss, what should we do if only you pretend not to know like this!?”

……That’s how I was able to hear Felix’s deep wounds that I couldn’t have known from the original work directly from Lecia.

⁕⁕⁕

The next day. As soon as morning came, I immediately visited the huge library inside the separate palace with Lecia leading the way.

Because the scale was more tremendous than I had thought, I couldn’t help but take a big breath.

“Huh……!”

“Lady Marina, as you would know, this separate palace itself was originally built as the imperial palace’s library. Though many old books have been moved to other buildings, recently published books and newspapers gather here.”

“It looked like there were many books at a glance, but…… I didn’t know it would be to this extent!”

“Hoho…… Were you surprised? We also spend most of our time organizing books.”

I moved my steps to look at the books packed tightly from the high ceiling, but honestly the book titles didn’t catch my eye.

‘Felix living alone in this desolate separate palace with nothing but books…… is also ultimately because of that problematic incident……?’

Leaving behind brief impressions of the library, I rolled up my sleeves and muttered.

“Let’s see if I can show some skills!”

“Yes? Miss, what skills?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Lecia, could you find some romance novels as I asked?”

“Yes. It seems like it will take some time, so please sit for a moment!”

I sent Lecia elsewhere and decided to utilize the abilities I had accumulated as ‘Lee Su-jeong’.

‘The first principle of investigation! Collect materials perfectly!’

To begin an investigation, you must first gather clues! It can be said to be a preliminary stage for confirming criminal suspicion and entering full-scale investigation.

‘Ahem. Studying criminal investigation theory early is helpful like this!’

Though I was still a rookie police officer, I used to memorize criminal investigation theory textbooks whenever I had time to become an investigator.

The sergeant also encouraged me, saying I could become an excellent investigator seeing me like that.

‘I should put this knowledge to use in this life too. I’ll work hard, Sergeant!!’

Clenching my fist and strengthening my resolve, I began examining articles from ten years ago to confirm Felix’s past and the truth of the incidents surrounding him.

‘As expected! Since it was originally used as a library, there are many materials. Then shall we begin?’

[ Solium’s Sun Remains Strong! Solium’s sun who lay bedridden with an incurable disease, showing a healthy face…… ]

[ Many shed tears at the sudden death of the empress with weakened nerves…… ]

[ Where is the future of the two princes? Solium’s Sun remains silent. ]

Old articles passed before my eyes. This was a fact I knew from the original work too. The emperor, who repeatedly fell ill with an unknown incurable disease and recovered, was steadfastly ruling the Solium Empire. Even while keeping the crown prince’s position vacant.

‘This is exactly the cause of Kervic’s jealousy toward Felix.’

The emperor favored Felix, who was born with all the power of the sun. Naturally, Kervic and the empress opposed this. Moreover, Kervic, who had no power, couldn’t freely reveal Felix’s weaknesses for fear of being involved in legitimacy issues.

Meanwhile, Grand Duke Atium, the princes’ uncle, took Felix’s side, drawing the full structure of the succession war. And before both sides tore each other apart, the emperor announced his position for the dignity of the Solium imperial family.

「’Discussion about Solium’s next sun will be revealed when my life ends. Imperial succession will be decided after comprehensively confirming and judging whether my sons’ abilities are suitable for the throne.’」

The empire was turned upside down by the unprecedented declaration. However, no one could defy the absolute emperor’s words. The empress, who suffered mentally beside such an emperor — that is, Kervic and Felix’s mother — couldn’t overcome her weakened body and left the world before the emperor who had an incurable disease.

‘Instead, Kervic and those supporting him carried out their work underground. Specifically, the acts of cleverly tormenting Felix……’

While recalling the original work’s content and flipping through newspapers for a while, I was finally able to find the problematic article. The articles filling the front page of the newspaper all contained gloomy content.

[ Why Did Lady Fortisia Try to Stab the Second Prince in the Back? ]

[ What’s the Real Identity of the Nanny Who Targeted the ‘Little Sun’s’ Back? Is the Imperial Palace’s Security Alright Like This? ]

[ The Second Prince Moving His Residence to the Separate Palace, What Meaning Does the Emperor’s Decision Hold…… ]

It was an incident from over ten years ago.

A woman from the Fortisia family who was a nanny suddenly tried to kill Felix one day. She jumped from behind Felix, who was in an unguarded state, and swung a knife. Fortunately, she was caught on the spot by a knight standing guard.

She was executed a few days later on charges of attempting to assassinate a member of the imperial family, but reportedly never revealed why she pointed the blade at Felix until the end.

‘The problem is, that nanny was the only person who had poured affection on Felix……’

The emperor had long been notorious for not giving affection even to his wife, let alone his children. The empress strongly advocated being on the side of Kervic, the eldest among the same sons. And as if to show off, Felix always brought his nanny when participating in official occasions.

Even without gossip magazines inflating the story, everyone in the Solium Empire knew that Felix didn’t receive his parents’ love. Even I, who read the original work, knew that much. However, I had no idea about the nanny trying to kill Felix……

‘It’s something not even mentioned in the original work. Well…… since it was a 19+ dark romance story, most of the content was about him being captivated by Marina and tied to the bed doing this and that…… Naturally, it would have been difficult to express the setting of being sensitive to someone approaching from behind in the original work.’

I was wrong to think the original work’s information was everything. Thanks to that, I was severely scolded by Lecia yesterday.

“Even if it was ten years ago, how could you forget something related to His Highness Felix? Everyone’s already complaining greatly that His Highness Felix absolutely won’t open his heart to the attendants.”

“Huh. I see, I didn’t know that.”

Come to think of it, Felix had almost no attendants he kept close except for Kale. It meant he couldn’t trust even the retainers who had served him in the separate palace for a long time.

Reading the article and understanding the truth, everything I had found strange became understandable. Especially when Felix grabbed the attendant’s collar, his confused expression……

‘The experience of being betrayed by his closest person…… Could it be that trauma developed from the incident with the nanny?’

While he was the one who threatened the attendant, Felix was engulfed in fear. To the extent that he couldn’t properly hear me even though I called and stopped him several times.

It definitely seemed like the incident with Lady Fortisia, his nanny, had settled as trauma.

“Haah…… How pitiful.”

I unconsciously sighed at the bitter feeling.

Even when reading the original novel, Felix’s affairs were merely simple settings. Since the novel’s content itself focused on relationships with Kervic or Marina, things like Felix’s childhood were described in only a few lines.