I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 100

It was that dream again. Serena quietly retraced the lingering fragments of her dream. Lately, she had been dreaming of the boy often.

His face was vivid, yet upon waking, she couldn’t even remember the color of his hair. It felt as though something was deliberately blocking her from knowing.

As if an opaque film covered her eyes, everything became hazy the moment she woke up.

As Serena blinked, trying to focus, someone gently brushed her hair.

“You’re awake?”

Warm lips lightly landed on her hair before pulling away. Leaning slightly towards Azaid, Serena mumbled sleepily.

“Mm… What time is it?”

“You can sleep more. It’s still before sunrise, Rena.”

Azaid pulled the blanket up and whispered gently. Serena’s eyes opened wide at the mention of the pre-dawn hour.

It was curious to see Azaid awake at this time. Now that she thought about it, he was holding a letter in his hand.

Had he received a telegram at this hour?

It seemed Azaid was reading under the faint light, careful not to wake her. Sensing her gaze, Azaid lowered his head and lightly kissed her lips before asking:

“Did I wake you?”

“No. But why are you awake at this hour? It’s not like your nocturnal habits have returned.”

“Well, I received a rather bizarre letter.”

Azaid chuckled briefly and handed her the letter.

“A bizarre letter?”

“…Nocturne has disappeared.”

“What?”

Surprised by Azaid’s slow response, Serina sat up. Nocturne, who had been receiving treatment at the palace until yesterday, had disappeared. Wrapped in her blanket, Serena asked:

“But he hasn’t fully recovered yet, has he?”

“Exactly. There was no urgent reason for him to leave like this.”

Azaid murmured meaningfully as he scanned the letter again. Serena glanced sideways at the letter’s contents.

[I’ve gone to rest in peace.]

How many times had Azaid repeated that short sentence in his mind?

“Did he not mention where he was going?”

“No. But I think I know where he went.”

“Where?”

“Look here.”

Azaid pointed to the end of the letter with his finger. At that moment, a gray cat appeared on what was previously a blank space.

It was a simple concealment spell—an elementary attribute magic activated by the mana of a designated person. It was Nocturne’s easiest method of communication.

Recognizing the image, Serena tilted her head.

“Is that… Pie?”

That characteristic curve of the mouth was undeniably Pie. Azaid nodded lightly and said:

“It doesn’t seem like he left on his own.”

“How can you tell?”

“This is a sort of code he uses when he’s trying to hide something.”

Azaid pointed at the image of Pie. It appeared to be some sort of secret code shared between them.

Serina immediately thought of Duke Greenwood upon hearing that Nocturne might have been taken away.

“Surely… the Duke didn’t…?”

“Who knows? We’ll find out once we track down this cat.”

Azaid replied calmly, as though he was accustomed to such situations. Even though his friend had been taken, and his fate was uncertain.

The one who seemed more worried was Serena, especially given Nocturne’s fragile physical condition.

“Will he be okay?”

“At the very least, they won’t kill him. Seeing as he followed without resistance, he must have a plan to uncover something.”

‘They won’t kill him?’

Serena asked in alarm:

“Then… Are you just going to stay put?”

“Of course not.”

Azaid seemed to already have a plan. What he said next carried significant weight.

“The Founding Festival is coming soon anyway. Nocturne seems to be buying time for that.”

What on earth was he talking about?

Serena blinked at Azaid, who suddenly mentioned the Founding Festival and timing.

Indeed, the empire’s grand festival was approaching. During this time, even provincial nobles traveled to the capital to attend the celebrations.

It was the busiest period for both official reports from the territories and social events.

“What does the Founding Festival have to do with this?”

“It’s connected. It’s the perfect time for Lily to officially come to the capital.”

“Ah.”

At the mention of Lily, Serena’s eyes lit up. Lily Lowell was the Marquis of the North, known as the Empire’s Shield.

She rarely visited the capital because she was tasked with defending the border against magical beasts. But the Founding Festival was one occasion she could not miss.

Hearing that Marquis Lowell would be coming gave Serena a sense of relief.

‘If Marquis Lowell gets involved, both Pie and Nocturne will be found easily.’

The title Empire’s Shield wasn’t just for show.

Before awakening her crest, Lily was already renowned as a skilled knight. But after her awakening, the Lowell family’s prestige had soared to unprecedented heights.

Her ability was search magic. While Serena didn’t know the specifics of how it worked, she knew it was extremely effective against magical beasts.

A knight skilled with sword energy combined with search magic was nearly invincible.

If Lily Lowell was on the case, finding Pie—and subsequently Nocturne—wouldn’t be difficult.

“And we have the perfect excuse to summon her.”

Azaid took back the letter from Serena as he spoke softly. His sharp gaze had softened slightly.

When Sebastian had died suddenly, Azaid had immediately thought of Lily. Knowing the death was caused by magic meant that Sebastian’s end wasn’t meaningless.

At least, they wouldn’t be fooled by the Duke a second time.

If anyone could uncover who was behind this twisted magic, it was Lily.

‘Once we find the Awakener, we’ll understand what the Duke is scheming.’

Azaid gathered his thoughts and pulled Serena close, burying his face in the nape of her neck.

“Want to sleep more?”

“The sun’s about to rise.”

“Then… shall we continue?”

“You’re unbelievable…”

Serena clicked her tongue as she watched Azaid spouting suggestive remarks since morning. Yet, she didn’t avoid his wandering hands—proof that she was of the same ilk.

“Come here.”

“Mm.”

When Serena opened her arms, Azaid pushed her back onto the bed. The small sparks floating in the air vanished immediately afterward.

Serena’s daily life had also begun to change.

“Huh? Are all these invitations really for me?”

Serena stared blankly at the basket full of invitations Marie had brought her, utterly dumbfounded. As she remained stunned, Marie babbled away.

“They must all be people trying to get on your good side, Lady Serina.”

“Or maybe they’re watching closely, trying to find any faults?”

“Well… there’s that too… But the head maid already screened them beforehand.”

Serena half-listened to Marie’s words while flipping through the invitations. When she was partnered with Azaid, threatening letters used to arrive, but now it seemed people were desperate to invite her.

‘What’s with this sudden shift in attitude?’

Serena was bewildered by the social circle’s rapid change of stance. But it wasn’t as though she didn’t know the reason.

Now that her relationship with Azaid was publicly acknowledged, Serena was the hottest topic of the social scene—the lucky one who had secured a man no one dared to covet.

Muttering absentmindedly as she skimmed the invitations, Serina said, “Do I really have to go?”

It felt bothersome and burdensome.

These were noble invitations, after all. Ignoring them entirely didn’t seem appropriate. Just as she was contemplating, a hand reached out from behind, and the basket of invitations floated upward.

“If you don’t want to, there’s no need to go.”

“Your Majesty.”

Serena turned around to face Azaid. Casually, he handed the basket to Leonard and continued speaking.

“Should I tell them not to waste their time?”

His tone almost suggested, ‘Who’s been bothering my woman?’ which made Serina chuckle.

“What are you saying? It’s not like they’ll stop just because you tell them to.”

“Then I’ll just burn down a few gardens again.”

“Do you want to be branded a tyrant?”

“If necessary, I wouldn’t mind.”

“I prefer benevolent rulers, Your Majesty.”

“Then I’ll have to become one.”

Azaid changed his stance as easily as flipping his palm, and Serena burst out laughing. Hearing her clear laughter seemed to please him, and he leaned forward, resting one arm on the sofa’s backrest.

As their gazes naturally met, Serena, still seated on the sofa, looked up at Azaid.

After a brief moment of silence, Azaid lightly kissed her forehead and whispered,

“I’ll do anything you want.”

No matter what it is.