I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 26

“!!!”

Jack turned around abruptly, startled, his movements clumsy and jerky. Serena had woken up at some point and was now staring at him. She spoke in a calm but firm tone.

“Who said you could get up?”

“…What?”

Jack instinctively replied with a formal tone, only to frown at himself. He felt momentarily overwhelmed by her commanding presence.

‘Who is this woman?’

Her demeanor was entirely different from the first time he saw her at the apothecary. It gave him the impression that defying her was out of the question.

While Jack stood there, flustered, Serena approached him and pointed to the bed.

“Where do you think you’re going after losing that much blood yesterday?”

“I… I was just—”

“Absolute rest. Are you not aware that patients are supposed to rest?”

“…”

“If you don’t want another hole in your stomach, lie down and rest. If your wound reopens, I’m the one who’ll have to fix it, and I won’t be happy about it.”

Serena glanced sharply at his abdomen as she spoke, her tone firm and her expression fierce. It was a stark contrast to the indifferent air she had when he first met her at the apothecary.

Caught off guard, Jack found himself nodding and obediently returning to the bed.

Even as he lay down, he tilted his head in confusion. There was something about her command that made it impossible to resist.

***

Serena, satisfied after getting Jack back in bed, wore a smug expression. When she glanced at the clock, she realized it was already 1 PM.

‘Oh no! It’s way too late…’

She had intended to head straight to the imperial palace in the morning. However, Jack had been in distress all night, and she’d ended up falling asleep while nursing him, delaying her plans.

“Hey, Jack Gordon.”

“Just call me Jack.”

“Alright, Jack.”

Switching to a more casual tone, Serena’s sudden shift caught Jack off guard.

“I didn’t say you could drop formalities with me.”

“Well, you’ve been speaking informally to me without my permission, haven’t you?”

“Fair enough.”

Jack nodded in agreement and gave her a questioning look, signaling her to continue.

“Do you have a communicator? I urgently need to contact someone.”

“Who do you need to contact?”

“Because of you, I ended up staying out without permission, and now I’m going to get in trouble with the Head Chamberlain of the palace.”

“Ah.”

“So, do you have one or not?”

Serena’s casual, almost friendly tone amused Jack, and he let out a chuckle. He wasn’t used to someone reacting like this—it was refreshing. Jack gestured to his coat hanging on the chair.

“It’s in the inner pocket.”

Serena quickly reached into the coat’s inner pocket to retrieve the communicator.

Having spent most of her time in the palace, Serena hadn’t felt the need for a personal communicator. She was always on standby for Azaid anyway. However, faced with an unexpected situation like this, she briefly regretted not investing in one, even if they were expensive—or at least not requesting one from the supplies.

As the signal tone rang, the Head Chamberlain answered the call.

– Hello?

“Oh, Head Chamberlain, it’s Serena.”

– Se-Serena?! Where are you right now?!

The Head Chamberlain’s voice rose in alarm the moment he realized it was her. Jack, sitting nearby, could hear every word.

‘He sounds furious.’

When Jack mouthed the words mockingly, Serena shot him a brief glare before explaining herself.

“I was on my way back when I came across an emergency patient. I only meant to treat him, but it got past midnight, and I couldn’t return to the palace. I’m sorry, Head Chamberlain. I’ll accept any punishment when I return…”

– No, it’s fine! As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters!

“What?”

Serena was taken aback by his unexpectedly lenient reaction. In her previous life, when she failed to return before midnight, she had faced harsh scolding.

‘Is he in a good mood today?’

Given his unpredictable temperament, perhaps he was letting this slide because he was in an unusually good mood.

However, the next thing the Head Chamberlain said took her by even greater surprise.

– More importantly, have you not met His Majesty?

“His Majesty? How would I meet him when I’m outside the palace?”

Jack’s ears perked up at the mention of the Emperor. A moment later, the Head Chamberlain continued.

– Well, His Majesty left the palace to look for you.”

What? Who did?

After ending the call, Serena was left in a daze. She couldn’t quite process what she had just heard.

‘His Majesty left the palace? And he… went to Vincent Castle?’

The Head Chamberlain’s voice over the communicator had been filled with anxiety and unease.

Serena couldn’t believe the situation when she heard about it—how much worse must it have been for him? As she stood frozen, clutching the communication crystal, Jack spoke up.

“Do you have time to just stand there? If you don’t go, it’s going to be chaos.”

“Oh, right. You’re right.”

Snapping back to her senses, Serena hurriedly gathered her things.

In her flustered state, she didn’t even realize she had reverted to addressing Jack formally. Her mind was consumed with one thought: she had to drag that Emperor back from Vincent Castle.

Why on earth would he go there when I’ve made it clear we’re not on friendly terms?

The mere thought of the predictable chaos made her neck tense. Just as she was preparing to leave, Jack started to sling on his coat, clearly intending to follow. Serina stopped abruptly and said,

“Wait a minute. You’re supposed to rest today.”

“I don’t want to miss such an entertaining spectacle.”

“Spectacle? Don’t even think about coming with me.”

When Serena threatened him, Jack shrugged nonchalantly, his body language saying, Go ahead and bark; I won’t listen.

He had been following her obediently just moments ago, so this sudden change was baffling. Just as she was about to snap at him again, Jack made an intriguing suggestion.

“Then how about calling the Emperor and Leonard here instead?”

“Call them?”

“I know Leonard’s private communication code.”

“Oh.”

“You don’t want to compromise the patient’s recovery, and I don’t want to miss the show. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?”

Jack gave a sly grin, holding up the communicator. Serina hesitated, her lips parting wordlessly.

Going to Vincent Castle, which was on the verge of chaos, would only give her a headache. And she definitely didn’t want to show the Emperor her vulnerable side in front of Viscount Vincent.

Chasing me down just because I stayed out for one night—am I a criminal or something?

Seriena bit her lower lip in frustration. The man who usually took all day just to step out of bed was suddenly so quick today.

“Fine. Let’s call them here.”

At her approval, Jack smirked and activated the communicator. After a brief tone, the call connected.

“Leo. Where are you?”

— Crash! Bang!

Before Jack could say anything more, loud, chaotic noises came from the other end. It sounded like a complete commotion. After a moment, Leonard spoke, his voice frantic.

– Jack, sorry, but I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you back—

His tone was clearly frazzled. As Leonard hurried to end the call, Serina shouted in surprise,

“Don’t hang up, Sir Leonard!”

– …Lady Serina?

Leonard, startled to hear her voice, called her name. And surprisingly, the commotion in the background ceased immediately.

– Serena?

From the other end came the Emperor’s voice, Azaid, growling. Then, in a sharp tone, he demanded,

– Where are you?

Yet his voice carried an undertone of worry. After all, it was only natural to be curious when someone you saw daily suddenly stayed out overnight.

“Me? I’m at an inn.”

– An inn? Why on earth—

“Your Majesty! It’s Jack. How have you been?”

At that moment, Jack grabbed the communicator and spoke to Azaid in his usual sly tone. Serena cringed at his audacity, glaring at him. Azaid, catching Jack’s voice, asked sharply,

– What? Why are you with my physician?

His voice sounded angrier than before. A chilling intensity radiated through the communicator, making the air around them feel prickly.

Even so, Jack remained unfazed and replied playfully,

“Huh? Oh, we spent the entire night together.”

– …What?

“You said you were looking for your physician, right? I’ll send you the coordinates, so come here. Neither of us can move right now.”

– …Can’t move?

“You’ll understand when you get here. Just hurry up.”

With that, Jack ended the call abruptly. Azaid’s voice, clearly about to protest, was cut off. Serena gawked at him and demanded,

“Was it okay to hang up like that? His Majesty was in the middle of saying something!”

“It’s fine. He’s not going to behead me just for cutting him off mid-sentence.”

Jack chuckled, sitting casually on the bed with his shirt still unbuttoned.

“Don’t worry. That’s just how we are when we talk privately.”

“Do you really think His Majesty will come after such a rude ending?”

“Because I ended it like that, of course he’ll come.”

“What?”

“Just wait and see. He’ll come rushing over in no time.”

Jack grinned confidently.

And, as if proving his point, Azaid arrived not long after—with a very grim expression on his face.