IDED | Chapter 50

Episode 50

“So, you’re saying you enjoyed the walk with Nocturne?”

Azaid asked with a crooked smile. Serena, unaware of the subtle tone, responded honestly with her thoughts.

“Yes, I did. The forest path was so beautiful. I still go there often, alone these days.”

“Ah, so you mean it’s that beautiful?”

Azaid tilted his head, forcing a smile to mask his discomfort. It was only then that Serena glanced at him. For some reason, she felt like there was a thorn hidden behind his laughter.

‘What’s with him?’

Before Serena could come up with a response, Azaid muttered under his breath.

“Well, if you like it so much, you should continue walking with Nocturne. I’ll just stay in bed.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it better to walk with someone who takes you to beautiful places rather than forcing someone who doesn’t want to go?”

Azaid’s unreasonable stubbornness made Serena let out a dry laugh. She had finally gotten him used to the idea of walking, and now he was refusing altogether? This was beyond absurd.

There was no way Serena could overlook Azaid’s sneaky attempt to avoid their walks. And why did Nocturne keep being dragged into this? Unable to hold back her frustration, she shot back.

“What are you talking about? You need to walk every day! And for the record, I don’t care who I walk with.”

“What?”

Azaid’s expression twisted as though her words had delivered a deep wound. Meanwhile, Serena remained clueless about why he seemed so upset.

Moments later, Azaid replied with a visibly hurt expression.

“Well, I don’t care if I don’t go walking either.”

What on earth had made him so upset? Serena couldn’t begin to decipher Azaid’s thought process with her imagination alone.

‘What’s his deal? Why is he acting like this?’

The sudden crisis of Azaid refusing their walks made Serena break out in a cold sweat. The more she spoke, the sadder Azaid seemed to become. What was this strange feeling, like she was inadvertently making things worse?

Could it be that he doesn’t like me getting along with Nocturne? Does he think I’m stealing his friend?

Serena knew how much Azaid cherished his friends. It wasn’t completely incomprehensible if he was worried about losing one. With that in mind, she cautiously met his gaze and carefully spoke.

“Your Majesty… are you sulking?”

“Sulking? Don’t be absurd. I’m simply dissatisfied with your methods of treatment.”

“This kind of refusal to walk makes things difficult for me.”

“What does your difficulty have to do with me?”

“Hmm.”

It seemed like Azaid was overly attached to his friends. Thinking back to how he’d acted around Jack, it made sense.

Serena decided to try persuading him in a different way.

“Your Majesty, I’m not close to Nocturne.”

“Oh? Now you’re on a first-name basis with him?”

Why is that the point…?

Serena wasn’t used to comforting someone when they were upset, let alone thinking of ways to appease them.

As Serena hesitated in silence, Azaid subtly asked,

“Who do you prefer walking with?”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“….”

Azaid scowled as if he regretted even asking. He himself couldn’t fully understand why he wanted to outdo someone who wasn’t even there.

Walking with Serena was part of Azaid’s treatment, while walking with Nocturne was more like a date.

That stark truth left Azaid feeling inexplicably uneasy, like a thorn stuck in his throat.

Serena stared at Azaid’s frowning face. Even with that expression, his beauty was undeniable. He truly was a naturally gifted looker.

Caught in thought about his good looks, Serena let out a small laugh. Whatever was going on, it seemed like it would be best to side with the emperor for now.

“It might be silly to talk about preferences in this case, but I like it best when Your Majesty walks and moves on your own.”

Do you know how exhausting it is to drag you around?

Leaving the last part unsaid, she smiled brightly. Azaid’s face stiffened as he muttered.

“So you’re saying walking with me is a hassle.”

Azaid seemed determined to twist her words. Serena inwardly sighed before responding.

“No. I mean that seeing Your Majesty walk during our walks makes me happiest. After all, Your Majesty only walks if I’m there with you.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

Azaid’s voice softened slightly. Sensing her opportunity, Serena gently pushed further.

“I’d like to see that more often. It would make me truly happy.”

Before she knew it, Azaid’s expression softened, even melting. Trying to maintain a serious demeanor, he asked,

“So, Serena… You’re saying you prefer walking with me?”

“Yes. So please don’t refuse our walks, Your Majesty.”

When Serena affirmed it, Azaid stopped showing signs of displeasure.

Look at his lips curling upward. What’s with this unnecessary competitiveness?

‘Good grief. I feel like a doctor dealing with a childish patient.’

Relieved, Serena explained further.

“And partnering with Nocturne was just a necessity because of the situation in the library.”

“Oh, so that’s why.”

Come to think of it, Serina summoning him to the terrace yesterday and leaving her partner behind had seemed odd.

Reflecting on the incident, it seemed Nocturne had asked Serina to bring him to the terrace so he could speak with Ophelia.

‘Why involve Serena instead of handling it himself? And why make such a show of bringing her as his partner?’

Azaid didn’t like how overly friendly Nocturne seemed toward Serina.

If Jack’s carefree nature was worrisome, Nocturne was unsettling in a different way—someone even Azaid couldn’t fully understand at times.

As Serena muttered absentmindedly,

“Yes. I hope everything worked out. I barely remember what happened yesterday.”

Serena frowned, unable to recall the events of the previous night. Azaid gave a faint chuckle and said:

“You drank so much last night, it’s no wonder you can’t remember.”

“What? I drank last night?”

“Technically, you got drunk on chocolate. The ones you kept eating, saying they were delicious, were actually whiskey chocolates.”

“Oh no…”

The dull headache she’d felt since morning now made sense—she was hungover. Serena tried to piece together the hazy fragments of last night.

She vaguely remembered bickering with Azaid, but the details were elusive.

‘I feel like I did something I’ll regret…’

Feeling a strange foreboding, Serena stared intently at Azaid. She wondered if she’d grabbed his hair again, but his head appeared intact. Still, she cautiously asked:

“Your Majesty, did I… do something wrong?”

Azaid looked at her and let out a small laugh. It was clear she was troubled over not remembering the events of last night.

He was about to tell her it was nothing but suddenly remembered Serena biting his finger. The fleeting embarrassment flashed across his face, and Serena caught on immediately.

‘I must have messed up!’

For the past few days, she felt like she’d been embarrassing herself repeatedly in front of Azaid—grabbing his hair, making careless remarks…

As Serena racked her brain trying to remember, Azaid spoke.

“From now on, control your drinking. When you’re drunk, you’re no better than a beast.”

“A beast?”

In truth, Serena wasn’t much of a drinker. She only drank on bad days—after a grueling surgery or when feeling particularly down—to knock herself out with strong alcohol.

She had never turned into a “beast” while drunk.

“Yes. I had to stop you from crawling around on all fours.”

“That’s a lie.”

Serena firmly denied it, eyeing Azaid’s triumphant smirk. His expression made it clear he was teasing her because she didn’t remember.

Azaid chuckled at her obvious fluster. He found her reaction amusing and even a little endearing. Leaning in closer, he asked:

“Curious about what you did to me last night?”

“What did I do?”

“You’ll regret knowing. Maybe it’s better to stay in the dark.”

Azaid grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying dragging things out instead of giving her a direct answer.

“I won’t regret it. Just tell me, please.”

“Hmm…”

Azaid lightly tapped his fingers on the blanket as if debating. He pondered briefly whether he should reveal it without demanding anything in return.

Eventually, Azaid reached for Serena’s hand, gently lifting it. His firm, large hand easily enveloped hers.

His gaze locked on Serena, Azaid parted his lips. Slowly, he guided her finger toward his mouth.

It felt like everything was moving in slow motion.

Only when it was almost too late did Serena realize his bold intentions.

“What are you—ugh!”

Before she could finish, it was too late. Without warning, Azaid bit down on her finger—not hard enough to hurt but with enough force to startle her.

‘You’re the beast!’

As Serena gasped in shock, forgotten memories of last night began flooding back.

—

“Let go! Let… go!”

Her panicked attempts to push Azade away—

“No! I told you to let go, and now you don’t want to!” (slurred speech)

Her own resistance as she clung to his arm.

—

“…”

Serena’s lips parted slightly as she stared blankly, stunned.

Oh no. I can’t believe I bit the Emperor’s finger like some kind of dog.

The memory of Azaid’s startled expression made her ears burn with embarrassment.

Lowering her head, Serena avoided his gaze. She couldn’t bear to look at him. If there were a hole to crawl into, she would have gladly buried herself in it.

Azaid, suppressing the grin threatening to break free, maintained a dignified tone.

“You must have a lot of pent-up complaints about me, Serena.”