I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Chapter 16

‘What do I do?’

Serena nervously glanced at Ophelia, worried she might start an unnecessary argument.

However, Ophelia neither softened her stern expression nor spoke a word, even as time passed. Leonard, standing beside her, remained equally silent.

‘This is odd. What’s with their expressions?’

Serena had been bracing herself, rehearsing potential comebacks in her mind, expecting them to lash out. Instead, their subdued reaction left her perplexed.

And then it hit her.

‘Wait a second. What position am I in right now?’

She suddenly recalled that she had almost fallen earlier and that Azaid had caught her.

“……”

With a sense of dread, she hesitantly lowered her gaze.

Piercing blue eyes were alarmingly close. Her neck, which had been feeling unusually warm, must have been due to Azaid’s breath.

Azaid, seemingly startled, was staring at Serena with a dazed expression. His hand, which had moved to catch her, was now wrapped around her waist.

Serena bit her lower lip and let out a faint groan. It was only now that she realized Azaid, having just received treatment, was half-naked.

And to make things worse, they were on a bed.

‘Oh, dear heavens…’

For a fleeting moment, Serena considered pretending it was a mistake and pressing the button to shut the door again. No—she regretted reopening it in the first place under the pretense of double-checking.

No matter how resourceful she was, she couldn’t think of a way to handle this mortifying situation. She wished Azaid would say something, but he remained frozen, as still as a statue.

His flushed face, likely due to the heat, made it seem as if Serena had been the one to pin him down. At that moment, Ophelia, as if finally regaining her senses, let out a trembling voice.

“This… this can’t be…”

She swayed as if she might faint. Leonard quickly stepped forward to support her, but his gaze remained fixed on Serena and Azaid.

‘I can’t let this escalate any further.’

Feeling a sense of urgency, Serena opened her mouth.

“Um, everyone, this, this is…”

But contrary to her bold attempt, her voice trembled, making her explanation sound unconvincing.

Azaid still held her and remained silent. Serena felt sweat trickling down her back as she hurriedly pulled herself away from his arms and waved her hands.

“This is a misunderstanding.”

“……”

“It’s just… it just happened by accident…”

Unfortunately, her words faltered and tangled at the worst possible moment. Serena’s eyes darted nervously as Ophelia suddenly let out a dramatic sob, like a heroine facing a dire trial, and fled the room.

“Lady Greenwood!!”

Serena reached out, calling after her, but Ophelia had already disappeared.

Her gaze naturally shifted to Leonard, who was still standing there, his expression oddly displeased.

“Sir Leonard, it’s not what it looks like.”

“I see nothing.”

“No, really, it’s not!”

“Understood.”

“I’m serious! It was truly an accident. Your Majesty, say something, please!”

Serena glared at Azaid with frustration, hoping he would explain. Unfortunately, with his back turned, he hadn’t even seen Ophelia’s dramatic reaction. Serena began to wonder if he was pretending to faint with his eyes open.

“Sir Leonard, I mean it…”

“Of course. Let’s say that’s the case.”

Despite her insistence, Leonard didn’t seem convinced. Instead, he smirked slightly, closed the door, and left.

The banquet ended inconclusively, with misunderstandings left unresolved. No matter how many times Serena denied the rumors afterward, Leonard only laughed and dismissed her.

Azaid, for some reason, seemed out of it and didn’t bother to clarify anything. Returning to her routine, Serena found herself the talk of the town.

‘The first woman to spend the night with the Emperor!’

The rumor spread like wildfire, far beyond Serena’s ability to contain it. It seemed the nobles who saw Ophelia running out in tears had fueled the gossip.

Wherever she went, she felt the gazes filled with envy, curiosity, and jealousy. Since the Emperor had never been associated with a woman before, the rumor spread like lightning.

Even Marie, a palace maid, had caught wind of it. Serena, noticing Marie sneaking glances at her, finally spoke up.

“Marie, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Me? I’m not.”

Marie feigned innocence, though the corners of her lips twitched upward as if suppressing a grin. It was clear she had a lot to say but was holding back.

“Is it because of the rumors?”

“So, it’s true?”

“No!”

“Oh, my goodness!”

Marie flinched at Serena’s sharp outburst but continued mumbling under her breath.

“But many saw you enter a room with His Majesty…”

“It was something urgent.”

“What could be so urgent?”

“Marie!”

Serena snapped again, but Marie only smiled mischievously and continued.

“And then Lady Greenwood ran out crying…”

“That’s true, but… Anyway, it’s not what you’re thinking!”

Serena scolded Marie with a firm glare. Marie reluctantly nodded, but her face still looked unconvinced, leaving Serena exasperated. Explaining further would only make things worse.

When Serena issued a stern warning, Marie reluctantly nodded, though her expression betrayed a complete lack of understanding. Serena felt a sharp twinge in the back of her head but knew that explaining further would only make things worse.

The rapid spread of rumors was partly due to what Greenwood’s young lady had done next.

Ophelia, who had stormed out in tears, hadn’t left Greenwood’s ducal estate since that day.

She withdrew from all social activities, fueling rumors of illness. In the midst of this, visitors who had gone to check on her jumped to conclusions based solely on Ophelia’s words, which led to the current chaos.

‘Ugh, whatever. If I just ignore it, the rumors will die down eventually.’

To Serena, such rumors were trivial. After all, some things become more tangled the harder you try to untangle them.

‘I’ll let it all flow naturally and focus on my work!’

As Serena stood up, Marie asked, “Where are you going?”

“To work.”

“You’re going to see His Majesty, aren’t you?”

“I said I’m going to work!”

Her resolve crumbled in less than ten seconds. Serena let out a loud yell before storming out of the room.

Her overreaction only served to make it clear how much the rumors were actually bothering her.

“She’s so shy,” Marie chuckled softly as she continued cleaning.

Serena headed to the Imperial Library located in the auxiliary palace. A gatekeeper greeted her upon spotting her.

“Back at work again today, my lady?”

“Good morning,” Serena replied.

“Have you finished all the books you borrowed last time? You checked out quite a few.”

“I read quickly.”

“Incredible. I can’t read a single word, so I envy you,” the gatekeeper said with a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Serena entered the library.

Inside, a circular hall with radiating shelves formed a fan shape, creating a magnificent sight. Quiet reading spaces were thoughtfully arranged, making it Serena’s favorite spot.

This was the National Library of the Croten Empire, accessible only to academy students or nobles with special permission.

Although it was located at the edge of the auxiliary palace, it was technically still within the Imperial Palace grounds, so access was restricted for security reasons.

Most people therefore used private libraries outside the palace. Among them, the Greenwood Library, a symbol of the Greenwood ducal house’s love for scholarship and tradition, was the most renowned.

‘One of the best things about being in the palace is having access to this place.’

With excitement at the sight of so many books, Serena headed toward the section on magical studies. She climbed the stairs, found her target section, and walked in—only to realize someone was already there.

“Ah.”

The moment Serena saw the neatly tied blue hair, she recognized him: Nocturne.

Caught off guard, Serena let out a faint gasp and quickly pressed her lips shut. But the sound had already drawn Nocturne’s attention.

His gaze shifted from the book to Serena, and a sly smile spread across his face.

“We meet again, Lady Vincent.”

“Good day, Count Harrison. You’re alone today, I see.”

Nocturne stepped closer and replied, “I didn’t bring Pai with me. Animals aren’t allowed in the library.”

“Ah, I see,” Serena responded awkwardly, her eyes darting around. As she struggled to think of a topic, something came to mind.

“Oh, about the document you restored for me last time—it got wet again later.”

“What?”

“In the end, I had to get a new one issued. It was too damaged to read.”

Serena gave an embarrassed laugh, realizing too late that her comment might be taken the wrong way. It could sound like she was criticizing his magical skills.

But she wasn’t making it up—she had indeed seen the document restored before her eyes, only for it to dry in a crumpled, unreadable state later.

Nocturne muttered to himself with a serious expression, “That shouldn’t have happened…”

Noticing his troubled look, Serena hastily added, “It’s probably because of the magic restrictions in the palace. I’ve heard spells sometimes malfunction here.”

The Imperial Palace was surrounded by a mana barrier that suppressed magical energy. Even skilled magicians struggled to perform spells correctly under its influence.

“That makes sense.”

Fortunately, Nocturne seemed satisfied with her explanation, though a hint of doubt lingered in his eyes. Still, he tactfully let it go.

After a brief pause, he smoothly changed the subject.

“By the way, Lady Vincent, what brings you here today?”