I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 1

Serena was a 19-year-old genius doctor, the youngest ever to be appointed as a royal palace physician.

From a young age, she was hailed as a prodigy, renowned for curing every disease she encountered.

She loved and respected her patients more than anyone, often treating the poor free of charge.

But even someone like her faced a major challenge.

“I won’t eat it.”

That challenge was none other than the troublesome emperor sitting right before her.

A lazy man whose sole activity seemed to be lounging in bed!

“Your Majesty, I heard you had a fever again yesterday. I’ve prepared a decoction to reduce it.”

Wearing her professional smile, Serena held out the medicine once more.

After having experienced one regression already, she had memorized a rough list of Emperor Azaid’s troublesome antics.

‘Stay calm, stay calm.’

If she failed to coax this childish emperor into taking the medicine again, it would be the end.

‘I don’t want to die again.’

Nervously, Serena desperately hoped the emperor would grab the bowl of medicine soon.

But the emperor was no ordinary troublemaker. He was a “progressively evolving nuisance,” always coming up with unpredictable behavior.

“I hate bitter things.”

With a scoff, the emperor turned his head away from the medicine.

This time, it seemed he planned to use the typical “it’s too bitter, I can’t eat it” excuse often used by children.

‘Ugh, I can’t just leave him to die…’

A small crack appeared in Serena’s smile. She was tempted to grab his face and pour the medicine down his throat.

‘Yes, I’m doing this to save my own life… but wouldn’t it be better if we both lived?’

Struggling to calm her boiling frustration, Serena silently repeated the word “endure” ten times in her mind.

After a brief pause, her professional smile reappeared. Acting as if she had anticipated this, she pulled out a glass jar filled with candy.

“I prepared this just in case. If you eat a candy after taking the medicine, the bitterness will fade.”

At her bright smile, Azaid’s interest seemed piqued.

He tilted his head slightly, looking directly at her.

In his crystal-clear blue eyes, he saw her awkward smile reflected back at him.

A moment later, as his hand stretched toward the medicine, Serena’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

But his hand moved away from the medicine and instead pointed at her.

“You—what’s your name?”

“Excuse me?”

Caught off guard, Serena questioned back instead of answering. He continued.

“You’ve been acting suspiciously for a while now.”

“…”

Startled, Serena’s eyes darted around nervously. Perhaps noticing this, Azaid’s sharp gaze became even more piercing.

“Why are you so desperate to make me take this medicine, huh?”

‘Because if you die, I die too, duh! And what’s so suspicious about a doctor trying to care for her patient?’

Feeling as though her insides were about to explode, Serena screamed internally but maintained a calm exterior.

“As the royal palace physician, it is my duty to prioritize Your Majesty’s health above all else.”

“Prioritize my health.”

Azaid chuckled, and the maids behind him sighed in unison.

Well, when a handsome man laughed, admiration naturally followed.

But Serena felt absolutely nothing, even at that handsome face smiling.

To her, he was just an annoyingly good-looking, insufferable troublemaker of a patient—nothing more, nothing less.

“Indeed, so wouldn’t Your Majesty consider taking the medicine, in light of my sincere efforts?”

With gentle words, Serena once again offered the medicine with a sweet smile.

But Azaid snickered and outright refused.

“Your face screams ‘I’m lying.’”

“That’s….”

“How do I know it’s not poison?”

“…”

“I trust no one. I know my body best, so leave me alone.”

Clearly irritated, Azaid lay back down and pulled the blanket over himself.

As a habit from his days of confinement, he rarely left the bed.

‘Ugh, this paranoid hypochondriac… Can he just take it for once?’

It seemed like Serena could almost hear the sound of her blood boiling in her head.

She barely managed to stop herself from exploding.

The very person who had pushed his maids to tears last night with a fever nearing 40 degrees was now refusing to take his prescribed medicine.

No matter how skilled a doctor might be, how could they save an emperor who stubbornly refused treatment?

‘Does he have a death wish? Should I just help him along? No, leave him be—he’ll probably drop dead on his own soon enough.’

Serena shook her head, chastising herself for her insolent thoughts.

No, he must not die.

If she failed this time too, she’d meet yet another pointless death.

Forcing a smile, Serena spoke.
“If you’re worried, I’ll taste it myself.”

“You, personally?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Let’s see you try.”

The emperor turned his body slightly, propping himself up on an arm pillow, his gaze fixed on Serena.

As he moved, his robe loosened, revealing a glimpse of his chest.

It was inexplicable why his presence seemed to grow more intoxicating the sicker he became. The maids blushed, coughing awkwardly as they averted their eyes.

Even in his disheveled state, his regal aura was undeniable.

But Serena didn’t flinch. She calmly tasted the medicine, and only then did the emperor finally reach for it.

However—

“Cough!”

Before he could even drink the medicine, Azade coughed up blood and collapsed.

Shortly after, Serena was executed on charges of attempting to assassinate the emperor.

It was her second death.

And so, when she regressed a third time—

“Ugh! Damn that emperor!”

Serena grabbed her violet hair in frustration, her eyes blazing with determination.

This time, she made up her mind.

If she was doomed to die anyway, she’d go down fighting that wretched emperor.

Serena calmed herself and sank deep into thought.

What was the point of being a genius doctor if the patient refused to follow prescriptions?

No renowned physician could save that cursed emperor.

‘I pitied him, calling him a tragic emperor, and this is how he repays me? Twice?!’

Shaking with anger, Serena unleashed a stream of expletives she’d been holding back.

Azaid Khan Croten.

The sole direct descendant of the Croten Empire and a bastard born of a lowly maid.

Unlike the other members of the imperial family with crimson eyes, Azade’s eyes were blue. Red eyes symbolized the power of Croten and served as proof of the imperial bloodline.

The royal family of Croten, a nation of fire, displayed stronger crimson hues as their power grew.

Seeing Azaid’s blue eyes at birth, the previous emperor banished him to a remote palace, dismissing him as powerless.

No one cared whether he lived or died. Those without the power of fire couldn’t claim the throne anyway.

When the former emperor fell ill and his death loomed, a bloody power struggle erupted among the princes and princesses of Croten.

The imperial family was wiped out in the chaos.

Desperate, the nobles sought out the abandoned prince, Azaid.

Though powerless, he still carried imperial blood. Their plan was to marry him off and continue the bloodline.

But once Azaid ascended to the throne, he revealed his true nature. He did, in fact, possess the power of the imperial bloodline—power that rivaled that of the first emperor.

His blue eyes weren’t a sign of weakness.

Blue flames were stronger than red.

The late emperor had completely overlooked this.

Azaid’s mother, Medeia, had deliberately hidden his power to protect him from the political turmoil of the imperial court.

Her foresight was extraordinary. Thanks to her, the capable but doomed imperial family was wiped out, leaving Azaid to inherit the throne uncontested.

Azaid essentially had the banquet prepared and only had to pick up his spoon.

The nobles, overwhelmed by his power, were forced to kneel.

They had planned to install a puppet emperor but ended up with an uncontrollable tyrant.

The only silver lining was his mysterious illness, which kept him from using his power frequently. Being of low birth, he despised relying on others and lived in utter laziness.

He was a wild beast, through and through.

Serena suspected his illness stemmed from his blue eyes, which differed from other imperial descendants.

But no matter how much she theorized, she couldn’t properly investigate.

That cursed emperor detested being touched, making even an examination impossible.

‘Why even bother having a royal physician? Might as well hire a fortune teller to ask for blessings!’

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Serena bit down on her lip.

Proper management was the only way to extend his life, yet the emperor showed no intention of cooperating.

It seemed the trauma of his isolation haunted him deeply.

So far, Serena had tried her best to coax him with kindness.

In her first life, she had been too afraid to act against him and ended up dying pitifully. In her second life, she thought she had learned better.

She managed to prolong his life longer than before, but he still died in the end—and so did she.

She’d been killed twice already.

Dying. Over and over.

How much longer would she have to clean up after that emperor?

Recalling the hell she’d been through, Serena’s fists trembled with rage.

“That damn emperor… I should’ve at least yanked out his hair before I died!”