I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Chapter 49

The next morning, Serena sat up in bed and was startled.

“Huh? I didn’t drink, so why do I feel hungover?”

Though it wasn’t as severe as the day after heavy drinking, her head felt fuzzy—exactly like a hangover. If Azaid hadn’t given her a hangover remedy in advance, she might have been crawling around by now, but Serena wasn’t aware of that.

Stretching while feeling a faint hangover, she found it odd. She hadn’t even drunk alcohol, yet here she was with hangover symptoms. It was truly strange.

Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember how she returned to her lodging last night. She vaguely remembered calling Azaid to the terrace, but after that, her memory was hazy.

‘This is strange. I must’ve been really tired lately. I can’t even remember what I did the day before.’

Shaking her head lightly, Serena shook off the lingering drowsiness. Waking up at the same time every day without an alarm was second nature to her.

She got up, washed, and changed into her clothes to head for the morning check-up. Familiar with the routine, she headed straight toward Azaid’s bedroom.

Today, there was no maid blocking her way. She smoothly reached Azaid’s door and knocked.

“Your Majesty, it’s Serena.”

Crash. Bang.

Huh?

Right after knocking, she heard a commotion inside and tilted her head curiously.

“Your Majesty? Is something wrong?”

“…”

“Your Majesty?”

The silence from inside made Serena a little uneasy. It seemed he was awake, but there was no response.

Was the noise just now from Azaid collapsing? Thinking this, she was about to grab the doorknob when Azade’s urgent voice stopped her.

“Wait a moment.”

His voice was slightly hoarse, likely because he had just woken up.

‘Such strange sleeping habits.’

Serena chuckled to herself, assuming he must have fallen out of bed while asleep. Meanwhile, a maid passed by carrying a basin of water, and soon Azaid granted her permission to enter.

When Serena entered, she blinked in surprise to see Azaid sitting on the bed, looking surprisingly tidy for the morning. It was a stark contrast to his usual disheveled state during their morning check-ups.

“Looks like you went through some effort this morning,” she remarked, sitting casually at the bedside.

“I might seem careless to you, but I do like to stay clean,” Azaid muttered, avoiding her gaze. His response made Serena laugh.

“What? Are you joking this early in the morning?”

She knew well from her past life how innately lazy he was. His sudden tidiness amused her.

‘What’s gotten into him?’!she wondered with a smirk.

Azaid opened his mouth as if he had much to say but stopped himself. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that showing her his unkempt face suddenly felt embarrassing. Even he couldn’t fully understand this strange feeling.

“There was a commotion earlier. Did you fall out of bed?” Serena teased.

“Well… something like that.”

“Are you hurt? Let me see.”

As Serena fussed over him, Azaid pulled the blanket tightly around himself, shaking his head.

“You tend to think of me as too fragile.”

“Well, in my eyes, you are,” Serena replied casually. She couldn’t help worrying since he looked like he could collapse at any moment. Azaid, however, scowled and declared firmly, “I’m not fragile.”

“Sure, sure. Got it,” she answered with a laugh, brushing him off as she took out a diagnostic artifact. It was a small device that fit perfectly in her hand. As her long fingers worked, Azaid’s heart started pounding again as last night’s events came rushing back.

‘Here we go again,’ Azaid thought, frowning slightly.

Serena was just about to place her hand on his mana core when he called out, “Serena.”

“I told you not to talk while I’m checking your pulse,” she scolded, glancing at him.

But Azaid didn’t stop. “I think something’s wrong with me.”

His words made Serena freeze. Forgetting her task, she looked at him with concern. “What do you mean? Are you feeling unwell?”

Worry filled her eyes as she awaited his response, ready to prescribe something if necessary. But Azaid shook his head.

“Not unwell, exactly… More like confused. I’ve never felt this way before.”

What could it be, for him to hesitate so much?

Frustrated by his vagueness, Serena pressed him for details. “You need to describe your symptoms accurately for me to diagnose you.”

“I think there’s something wrong with my heart.”

“Your heart?”

“It keeps beating too fast for no reason. Sometimes it feels like it’s sinking, and other times it’s as if my blood is boiling and I’m on a roller coaster.”

“So, your heart feels erratic, like it’s malfunctioning?”

“Exactly. I think my heart might be failing.”

Azaid lowered his gaze, and Serena, after a moment, asked for permission. “Excuse me for a moment.” She placed her bare hand on his chest.

Thump-thump, thump-thump-thump.

The moment her hand touched him, his heart started pounding wildly again. Serena observed his heartbeat with a serious expression. It was an ordinary morning, yet his heart was racing abnormally fast.

‘This is real. His heart might actually have a problem!’

He seemed fine until now, so why the sudden issue?

Azaid was truly a patient who kept her on edge. Cautiously, Serena asked, “Have you been angry or stressed out recently?”

“Angry…?” Azaid mused.

“Even something minor is fine.”

When she spoke to him in a softer tone than usual, Azaid thought back over the past few days. There hadn’t been many outright infuriating incidents, but plenty of things had been bothering him.

Particularly, Leonard’s report yesterday had been nothing short of devastating. The decision to hold the hunting festival in Greenwood Duchy was, in truth, merely a pretext.

The real purpose was to visit the duchy discreetly and investigate the duke. Thanks to Jack’s life-risking efforts, they had discovered that the official responsible for the smuggling lived in Greenwood Duchy. Unfortunately, the official was protected in an area near the duke’s estate, making it difficult to approach.

Although Jack insisted on handling it himself, Azaid had stopped him. Based on Jack’s earlier attack, it seemed the duke was already aware of their movements.

If they weren’t cautious, they risked losing everything, including their allies. Thus, Azaid had eagerly anticipated the hunting festival.

The plan was calculated: the duke couldn’t act recklessly against Leonard, who had come as the emperor’s escort. Leonard was to secretly approach the official and gather evidence. However, the sly duke had anticipated this and cut all ties beforehand.

“When I arrived, the entire family had already been dead for quite some time. It seems the duke took preemptive action.”

“Strange. To kill such a key official overnight… It’s as if there was information we absolutely weren’t supposed to discover.”

“There’s something else suspicious.”

“Go on.”

“There were no signs of resistance on the bodies.”

“Are you saying they committed suicide?”

“There were no signs of suicide either. It was as if their hearts simply stopped, like sudden death.”

“Was there evidence of poison?”

“None.”

“…This is truly baffling.”

Azaid was irritated at the thought of starting from scratch again. What were the odds that an entire family would suddenly die on the same day?

It wasn’t poison, murder, or even suicide—just their hearts stopping, as if cursed.

Was this a stroke of luck for the duke, or was it intentional? If it were the former, fate was certainly not on Azaid’s side. If it were the latter, it meant the duke was concealing something far more dangerous.

Azaid leaned toward the latter. Too many unsettling details made it hard to dismiss as mere coincidence.

This was Greenwood’s duke, after all. With his cunning mind, who knew what bizarre poison or trick he had devised?

‘What is he hiding? Why would he kill his subordinate so urgently?’

Azaid had always found the duke instinctively unsettling. It was a feeling that had lingered since childhood—a vague, ominous impression of the man.

And indeed, the duke wore a benevolent mask while committing heinous acts in secret. He clearly had some kind of scheme, but he concealed it so skillfully that it remained a mystery.

‘Should I inform Nocturne?’

Azaid hesitated briefly before shaking his head. Involving Nocturne without concrete evidence would only escalate matters unnecessarily.

‘Regardless, this isn’t a simple matter.’

Azaid concluded that a larger conspiracy was undoubtedly hidden behind this smuggling case.

“What’s with the serious expression?”

It was then that Serena urged him to answer, breaking his train of thought. Azaid belatedly remembered her presence and muttered an excuse.

“It’s nothing to be angry about…”

He was about to dismiss it as unimportant when he noticed how close they were.

Serena’s hand was still resting on his chest, and her bright, inquisitive eyes seemed as though they could draw the truth out of him. Azaid cleared his throat and gently removed her hand.

“I must have overworked myself lately due to heavy duties.”

“Is that so? You seemed rather relaxed for someone overworked,” Serena teased.

“And you, my personal physician, seem quite busy these days.”

“Of course, I’m always busy.”

“Really? Is that why a busy person like you goes on walks with Nocturne without telling me and even attends a ball as his partner?”

Azaid’s voice took on a petulant edge, and Serena blinked in surprise.

Come to think of it, it annoyed him. Walks were an unspoken routine between Serena and Azaid.

How could he hear secondhand that someone he always strolled with had walked with another?

‘The only person allowed to walk with Serina is me!’

Azaid didn’t realize how irrational his fixation was. Serena, feigning indifference, replied, “I don’t see why I must only take walks with Your Majesty.”

Azaid’s eyes narrowed sharply in response.