I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 42

“Ah, we should go in.”

Serena quickly closed the door and turned her gaze to Azaid. The table was filled with steaming stew, freshly baked bread, and perfectly sliced ribs, all arranged beautifully.

If she had pressured the chef to prepare all this since morning, Ophelia must have been up early as well.

“Quite the effort you’ve put in.”

As Serena admired the table and approached, Azaid gestured with his chin for her to sit across from him. When she complied, he instructed the attendant standing by to bring new utensils.

“Lady Greenwood brought this over. Is it okay for me to eat it?”

“It’s too much for one person to finish anyway.”

“But wouldn’t Lady Greenwood be upset if she found out?”

“It’s mine now, so it doesn’t matter.”

Azaid  responded nonchalantly, but the Greenwood family’s attendant standing nearby clenched his fists tightly.

Serena subtly glanced at the attendant. As expected, his piercing eyes glared at her as though he wanted to kill her, his expression screaming, “Go ahead, try eating it.”

As Serena hesitated, Azaid ladled some stew into a bowl for her and ordered the attendant.

“You can leave now.”

“…Understood. Let me know if you need anything.”

The attendant reluctantly complied and exited the room. Being alone with Azaid now made her feel slightly less burdened.

Picking up a spoon, Serena remarked, “I feel like I’ve made enemies in this household. You know it’s all Your Majesty’s fault, right?”

“My fault?”

“Of course! It all started when I became your partner. If I end up as a corpse someday, make sure to investigate it as a murder.”

Azaid paused mid-bite and glanced at her. Serena, unaware, continued speaking. She didn’t know that he had been discreetly protecting her all along.

From the moment she entered society as the Emperor’s partner, she became a target in social circles. Especially here in Greenwood, the domain of Ophelia, the so-called flower of high society.

Even if they couldn’t touch the Emperor, they might try to target someone under his wing. That’s why Azaid had secretly assigned a bodyguard to her—to protect her and ensure the Emperor would be informed immediately if anything happened.

But he had no intention of telling Serena about this. She’d likely feel pressured and shut herself away in her room if she found out.

Smiling to himself, Azaid reassured her, “That won’t happen.”

“You’re too carefree.”

Serena grumbled, taking a bite of the stew. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow, this is amazing. What kind of dish is this?”

“It’s Greenwood’s specialty.”

“That explains it. I feel energized with just one bite.”

Serena continued eating the stew enthusiastically, exclaiming in awe. Watching her for a moment, Azaid asked, “Serena, be honest.”

“About what?”

“The morning checkup was just an excuse, wasn’t it? You came for breakfast.”

“Of course! Eating well is essential for proper checkups. Besides, the food served to Your Majesty is always delicious.”

Serena twirled her spoon as if her reasoning were obvious.

“Unbelievable.”

Chuckling, Azaid pushed the plate of ribs closer to her. Serena accepted without hesitation, stabbing a piece of meat with her fork and eating it eagerly.

Azaid watched her eat with fascination. He’d lost his appetite earlier, finding even the stew unappealing, but seeing her enjoy the food made him hungry.

Maybe that’s why breakfast with Serena always tasted better. Taking a bite of the stew, he murmured, “It’s good.”

“Eat plenty.”

“Don’t act like you cooked it.”

“You’re so petty.”

Serena pouted before focusing back on her meal. That day, Azaid finished an entire bowl of stew. Serena had two.

Before the ball began, Azaid left to meet with the Duke. Left alone, Serena packed her things and headed to the Greenwood estate’s library.

She planned to select and summarize the books she needed over the next two weeks. Showing her access pass, she entered the library, and her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

The rumors hadn’t been exaggerated. The library was far larger than she had imagined—more like a grand archive than a library.

Bookshelves lined up tightly, with ladders provided for access. True to its nickname, “the Duke’s treasure chest,” the collection was enormous.

The books were meticulously categorized by subject, reflecting the Duke’s personality. Rare, out-of-print books were also present, making the collection even more impressive.

Eyes sparkling, Serena walked toward the section on ancient magic, unable to hide her excitement.

To think he’s hoarding all these treasures for himself.

Coming from a family of scholars, the library lived up to its reputation. Lost in exploring, Serena momentarily forgot her original purpose and wandered through the shelves, flipping through various books.

Realizing she was getting distracted, she approached a ladder to retrieve the books she needed.

The ladder was unlike the movable kind found in libraries; it was a sturdy, wooden, staircase-like structure with enough space behind it for someone to hide. It seemed like an ideal spot for a game of hide-and-seek.

As she climbed halfway up, she heard hushed voices from behind a nearby bookshelf.

“Did you get it?”

“Who do you think I am? With this, that pompous bastard won’t be able to act superior anymore.”

“Just thinking about how he humiliated us… It’s because he’s so confident the Emperor has his back.”

There wasn’t just one voice—at least three people were speaking.

A secret meeting? That sounded ominous.

Hearing them mention the Emperor, Serena held her breath and stayed still, listening closely.

Then a high-pitched voice chimed in, “Those bastards stick together, don’t they?”

Among the nobles, there were always those who whispered about the Emperor’s origins. The higher one’s status, the more enemies they seemed to attract.

The nobles who sought every opportunity to find fault with the Emperor were not few. However, with Azaid being the sole member of the imperial family and wielding immense power, they dared not act openly.

‘Is it just gossip? From what I overheard earlier, it seems they’re plotting something suspicious.’

Serena, recalling the incident that had occurred in this place, discreetly descended the ladder without their notice.

She then quietly slipped behind the ladder and hid herself. It was at that moment, as she pressed her ear to the wall, that she heard a voice.

“What are you doing there?”

“!!!”

Startled by the sudden voice, Serena turned to the side. There stood Azaid, crouched and looking down at her. She hadn’t even noticed his approach.

It seemed he had come looking for her after finishing his meeting with the duke. As soon as Azaid spoke, the noise from the other side came to an abrupt halt.

Fearing that her eavesdropping might be discovered, Serena quickly grabbed Azaid’s hand and pulled him down beneath the ladder.

“What are you doing—”

“Shh! Be quiet!”

Serena hissed, lowering her voice to a growl. Azaid froze as her hand once again covered his lips. Ignoring his reaction, Serena pulled him closer to ensure they were completely out of sight.

It was a tight fit due to Azaid’s larger build, and her vision was filled entirely by him. Surely, he must have felt the same way.

Pressing herself tightly against the ladder, Serena firmly covered Azaid’s lips with her palm to silence him. She shook her head, signaling him to please stay quiet.

At that moment, footsteps approached. One of the three individuals seemed to be heading toward their direction to investigate the noise.

Serena’s heart pounded in her chest. Her palm, still pressed against his lips, seemed to grow increasingly warm.

Tilting her head slightly, she peered through a small gap in the ladder toward the light, catching a glimpse of a face.

‘That person…’

It was one of the men who had previously harassed Nocturne. He must have been holding a grudge after being humiliated by Nocturne. The man glanced around before speaking.

“There’s no one here. Oh… wait. Ah, it’s just the librarian.”

The librarian was the older gentleman they had greeted upon entering this place. He had kindly printed out a pamphlet of the library’s book catalog for Serena.

This library’s well-maintained organization was likely thanks to him. Soon, two other men joined him, grumbling as they came closer.

“Looks like the librarian was talking to himself again. That old geezer muttering all the time is creepy.”

“You can barely hear him coming. It’s like he’s a ghost librarian or something. Heh.”

Their conversation had devolved into unpleasant gossip about the librarian. The disdain in their words made Serena want to cover her ears.

The men resumed their discussion in front of the ladder.

“How about we do it during tonight’s ball? It’ll be the perfect chance to humiliate him.”

“Wouldn’t it be risky to ruin the ball? It’s the opening event of the hunting festival.”

The timid-looking one hesitated, prompting the loudest of the group to snap in frustration.

“That’s exactly why it’s better! We’ll make sure Nocturne can never step foot in this house again.”

The man clenched his fist and slammed it into his open palm with a menacing grin. The tallest of them held up something in his hand—it looked like an orb.

‘Wait, isn’t that a magic orb?’

Serena had read about such things before. The core found within the heart of magical beasts held special powers, making them valuable for research among sorcerers.

Usually, the core shattered upon the beast’s death, making intact magic orbs extremely rare. However, the one they were holding appeared flawless.

“They really are planning something dangerous,” she thought, her expression growing serious as she listened intently to their hushed conversation.

After detailing their plan, the men left the library. Serena held her breath, waiting until their footsteps faded entirely.

Finally, she let out a sigh of relief and turned to Azaid.

“I’m sorry. You must’ve been really startled…”

Her words trailed off as she realized just how close Azaid was. Far closer than she had anticipated.