I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 12

“Believe it or not, some people die from something as trivial as hot water.”

Serena crouched down with a faint smile, her golden eyes shimmering.

‘What sin did I commit in my past life to end up trailing the Emperor everywhere like this?’

She felt restless whenever the Emperor was out of sight, as if she were an abandoned child by the water’s edge. After all, her life depended on his well-being.

As Serena gazed at Azaid, her bright, golden eyes sparkled. Azaid, noticing her unusually cheerful expression, found himself staring at her without realizing it. When he became aware of his prolonged gaze, he abruptly turned his head and spoke coldly.

“Stop overreacting.”

Serena merely shrugged at his familiar dismissiveness and tried to stand up. Then, a thought struck her.

‘Wait a minute. Isn’t this a chance?’

An ingenious idea popped into her head—a way to prevent the Emperor from fainting at the banquet. Suppressing her excitement, she spoke with a serious expression.

“Your Majesty, for the sake of your recovery, alcohol is strictly forbidden for now.”

“I don’t usually drink much anyway.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? But there’s a banquet coming up soon, isn’t there? Absolutely no alcohol at the banquet!”

Serena emphasized her point with a fierce glare. Azaid responded with a tone that suggested he found her words unnecessary.

“That’s not your place to interfere. That’s also a part of my duties—”

“Are you refusing the prescription of your physician?”

“It’s not refusal, it’s just—”

“No. Alcohol. Ever. Period.”

“……”

Azaid was left speechless by Serena’s persistence. He had felt it before, but every conversation with her seemed to lead him into an unexpected corner.

Leaning slightly closer, Azaid approached Serena. When she didn’t flinch, he muttered softly.

“I’ve been meaning to say this.”

“Yes?”

“Stop interrupting me. I’m letting it slide because it’s you.”

With that, Azaid lightly tapped her forehead and stood up. Serena rubbed her forehead as she got up and asked hesitantly, “Since you’re feeling generous, may I ask you for one small favor?”

Her audacious request made Azaid chuckle dryly. She had turned his warning into an opportunity to ask for something.

He almost retorted but decided to be more lenient, recalling how she had handled Ophelia earlier.

“What is it?”

Folding his arms, Azaid asked as if willing to hear her out. Serena, with confidence, declared, “I want to attend the banquet too.”

“I didn’t know you were interested in such things.”

“Well, it’s not exactly that…”

Serena fumbled for words. Azaid, suspecting her intentions, raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you want to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t drink?”

Serena gave him an innocent smile, which plainly said, “That’s exactly it.” She didn’t even seem to have any intention of hiding it.

‘Honestly…’

Azaid found his gaze drawn to her unpredictable nature. It was probably because of the way she addressed him so straightforwardly.

Over the years, he had encountered many people who crossed boundaries and acted rudely. Yet, Serena felt different. While she occasionally overstepped, she never intruded too far.

Moreover, her actions weren’t motivated by personal gain. She didn’t try to curry favor with him and simply acted as she pleased, which he found oddly refreshing.

Her sole purpose seemed to be his treatment. Countless doctors had tried to help him, but none seemed as determined to save him as she was.

Perhaps that’s why he often ended up doing what she asked. Or maybe it was because she left him no room to be bored.

‘Still, bringing her to the banquet would be exhausting.’

Imagining her buzzing around and nagging him made Azaid want to avoid her presence at the banquet. Just as he was about to refuse, Serena spoke up, brimming with confidence.

“You never know! I might be able to save Your Majesty from a crisis.”

“A crisis, huh?”

Azaid paused at her words. The truth was, there wasn’t any real danger awaiting him at the banquet. It was, after all, being held in the royal palace. No assassin would dare target him there.

The real issue was Ophelia Greenwood, who was a recurring problem at every banquet. Memories of her causing a scene surfaced in his mind.

‘She handled Ophelia surprisingly well earlier.’

It was the first time he had seen Ophelia flee so quickly.

Ophelia had been fixated on him for quite some time. Backed by the Greenwoods, she relentlessly targeted any woman who came near him. Even Lily couldn’t escape her harassment whenever she visited the capital.

At that moment, a brilliant idea struck Azaid. Using Serena as a shield to keep Ophelia at bay seemed like an excellent plan.

“Fine. You might be able to pull it off.”

“Excuse me? Pull what off?”

“I’ll send you an invitation and a dress for the banquet.”

“Really?”

“But—”

Azaid lowered himself to meet Serena’s gaze. She looked ready to agree to anything he proposed. After a brief pause, he murmured, “You’ll have to protect me from Ophelia Greenwood.”

“Protect you?”

Caught off guard by the condition, Serena blinked at him. With a gentle smile, he explained, “The young lady of Greenwood has been a constant source of trouble. Stay by my side and fend her off.”

“By your side…?”

“Consider it an honor to stand next to me.”

Azaid smirked, and Serena’s lips parted in surprise. Standing by his side meant she would be his partner at the banquet.

‘That’s strange. Didn’t the Emperor partner with Lucy Carter at the last banquet?’

When Serena didn’t say anything, Azaid tilted his head and asked,

“Why? Do you dislike it?”

“No…”

“If you don’t want to, consider the invitation withdrawn…”

As Azaid started to step back, a flustered Serena grabbed his arm.

“I’ll do it!”

Fine. Anyway, being his partner would make it easier to keep an eye on him and stop him from drinking.

“Really? If you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

“No, to be honest, I never liked Lady Greenwood’s dress from the start.”

It caused His Majesty to get hurt, after all.

“What? Haha.”

Azaid let out a laugh, as if caught off guard by her remark. Serena stared at his laughing face.

Although he could be infuriatingly lazy, seeing him smile like that reminded her how strikingly handsome he was. Azaid finally calmed his laughter and said,

“It was a bit over the top, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“I’ll send over something more modest.”

“Thank you…”

Serena replied, scratching her cheek.

The next day, a tailor came to her room to take her measurements.

The Day of the Ball.

Serena stared blankly at her reflection, feeling awkward about her appearance. Her violet hair, which was always tied back, gleamed with an unusual luster today.

It was thanks to Marie, who had spent the morning diligently applying oil to her hair.

Her sleek hair had been elegantly braided and tied, making her look every bit the noblewoman.

And for the first time in her life, she wore an expensive and extravagant dress. The light purple gown was sprinkled with jewel dust, and its flowing fabric made a pleasant sound with every movement.

“It’s a bit much…”

“Not at all! You’re going to the ball as His Majesty’s partner!”

Marie exclaimed with excitement, showering her with compliments.

Until recently, Serena had no maidservants. After all, she was a mere baron’s daughter in name and had lived almost like a commoner.

Her father, Baron Vincent, had shown her no interest whatsoever, so it was no surprise.

Azaid, aware of her situation, had allowed her to choose an attendant from the palace staff, and Serena had picked Marie.

Now, she felt unexpectedly grateful to Azaid. Without Marie’s help, it would’ve been nearly impossible for her to dress herself.

“Still, it’s my first time at a ball…”

Serena murmured shyly, biting her lower lip. In truth, she hadn’t even had a proper debutante ball.

Usually, parents took care of such matters, but while hers existed, they might as well not have.

‘Ha. It’s not like the baroness would have cared about my debutante ball.’

Of course, Serena found their indifference more of a relief than anything. She’d always thought that their world and hers were entirely different.

And having never stepped into society, she had no fantasies about debutante balls. She simply preferred her quiet, day-to-day life of earning and surviving.

As an illegitimate child, she never even dreamed of standing on such a grand stage.

At that moment, Marie clapped her hands and cheerfully declared,

“My goodness, this is your debutante ball, Miss Serena!”

Serena let out an awkward laugh at Mari’s excitement.

“Oh, come on. I’m just going as His Majesty’s health monitor.”

Calling herself a “partner” was putting it kindly—she was more like a watchdog and a shield.

Today, Serena had two goals: to stop Azaid from drinking and to keep Ophelia at bay!

When Serena answered nonchalantly, Marie chattered on,

“Who else but a doctor would get to wear such a beautiful dress and jewelry?”

“Well, His Majesty…”

Serena began to refute but was interrupted by a knock from outside.