I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 53

Serena dreamed. It was unclear whether it was a fragment of a forgotten childhood memory or a past conjured by the dream itself.

The only certainty was the primal instinct surging through her—she needed to escape this space. Yet her tightly bound body wouldn’t budge, and Serena gradually found herself immersed in the dream.

In the dream, Serena was seven years old. Judging by her short, boyish haircut, it seemed to be from the time Lydia’s mischievous prank had forced her to cut her hair.

The memory of wearing a hat pulled low over her head out of embarrassment suddenly surfaced, souring her mood.

In the dream, Serena was tied to a pillar. Her hands and feet were bound tightly, leaving her completely immobilized. With her heart pounding, she glanced around her surroundings.

Straw, emitting a musty odor, was carelessly piled up nearby. By the door stood a precariously placed lantern, its faint light barely sustained by pig fat.

It looked so dangerous that a single spark could set the straw ablaze, leaving no chance of escape.

She didn’t know who had abducted her, why they had done so, or for what purpose. Just as fear began to creep in, someone spoke.

“Sorry… this is all because of me…”

The voice belonged to a boy with a gentle, melodious tone. Serena had thought she was alone, but it seemed someone was tied up behind the pillar with her.

Serena didn’t know the boy, but in the dream, her dream-self seemed familiar with him, responding with deliberate calmness.

“Does it matter whose fault it is? Let’s focus on getting out of here first.”

“It’s okay. Just wait a bit longer… My mother will come.”

The boy sounded remarkably composed, as if he’d experienced similar situations before. Serena, on the other hand, was trembling in fear, as this was her first time being kidnapped.

However, she couldn’t afford to cry and complain to the boy, who was already consumed by guilt.

Serena had never been one to throw tantrums. She had no adults to indulge her. Crying had only ever earned her beatings or abandonment.

“You’re not some mama’s boy waiting for your mom to come. What if she doesn’t? Then what? Are we just destined for some fishing boat?”

“…You know, if you’d just fix that sharp tongue of yours, you’d have more friends.”

“I have plenty of friends. What’s your deal?”

“Funny. I’ve never seen you introduce anyone to me.”

“That’s because I haven’t been here long enough! …Ugh, like you have any friends either!”

When Serena retorted, huffing, the boy chuckled softly. His laughter was so pleasant that it eased some of her tension.

“Looks like we’re just two friendless kids becoming friends.”

“I told you, I have friends!”

“Sure, sure.”

The boy merely smiled indulgently at Serena’s protests. And when their conversation ceased, Serena realized, to her surprise, that her nerves had eased significantly. She also understood that this was the boy’s way of comforting her.

But it didn’t last long. The dream suddenly halted, and flames erupted around them.

“…! Help…!”

Had the warehouse finally caught fire? The sound of screams echoed from various corners, suggesting others were trapped inside.

Amid the chaos, Serena clutched her forehead, sobbing. Something must have fallen and struck her.

Beside her, the boy stood motionless, seemingly in a daze. Even as flames licked at the space around him, his body bore no trace of soot.

“Snap out of it! What’s wrong with you? Huh?”

Serena shook the boy, her voice quivering with fear, but he didn’t respond. The fire made it difficult to see his face clearly.

Blood streamed down her forehead, blurring her vision. The boy’s expressionless face, faintly visible through her tears, was chilling.

“Say something… Please… I’m scared…”

As Serena’s tearful plea escaped her lips, the boy slowly turned to meet her gaze. For a brief moment, emotion flickered in his wavering eyes.

Then—

“I found them!”

At someone’s shout, the warehouse door burst open, and a woman dressed in splendid attire entered.

Without hesitation, the woman dashed through the flames and wrapped her arms around the dazed boy.

As she comforted him, tears welled up in his clear eyes and trickled down his cheeks.

“Mother…”

His trembling body leaned against the woman as he took short, ragged breaths. The moment Serena realized someone had come to rescue them, her strength gave out completely.

Following the woman, knights clad in white armor streamed into the warehouse. Their cloaks bore an emblem of a lily nestled within an open shell.

“It’s real… They really came to save us.”

The thought of adults coming to her rescue sapped the last of Serena’s strength. Her frail body, which had endured so much, collapsed easily to the floor.

And then, darkness.

In a dimly lit bedroom.

Azaid sat quietly, staring at Serena as she slept. He hadn’t lit the lamps, fearing the light might wake her.

The bright moonlight streaming through the window faintly illuminated them. A peculiar glint flickered in his vivid blue eyes.

Serena was breathing softly, deeply asleep. The pallor and fear that had overtaken her face earlier were replaced with warmth and vitality.

Despite that, an inexplicable unease gnawed at Azaid, compelling him to wipe away the cold sweat on her forehead repeatedly.

He carefully brushed aside the strands of violet hair clinging to her cheek. Her hair, usually neatly tied back, now lay loose and tousled across the pillow.

This wasn’t how he’d wanted to see her with her hair down. Gritting his teeth, Ajade clenched the towel in his hand.

“It was the library storeroom under the librarian’s care.”

“What was she doing there?”

“She went to retrieve a book and got caught in an accident. According to the librarian, Serena froze the moment she saw the flames.”

“And he just left her there alone?”

“Well… He claimed his first instinct was to extinguish the fire. Being in the Duke’s forest, he must have panicked.”

According to Leonard’s report, the librarian had simply been inexperienced. But that inexperience had nearly cost Serena her life.

The librarian had assumed Serena’s reaction was due to excessive smoke inhalation. Believing she’d be fine once taken outside, He’d made the careless decision to leave her to fend for herself.

While the librarian’s response had been inadequate, it didn’t appear they had intended to harm Serena.

The Duke belatedly learned about the fire and began investigating the circumstances of the accident. However, he was unaware that Serena, a key witness, was currently in Azaid’s bedroom.

Only Leonard and one person from the Imperial Palace knew of Serena’s presence in his room. It seemed that the librarian, feeling guilty, kept the matter discreet to avoid causing Serena any trouble.

It was just an accident. He knew that—yet, why did he feel such uncontrollable anger rising within him?

“…Ha.”

Azaid let out a frustrated sigh, running his hands over his face. His bowed head and the labored breaths he took made it clear that he was far from composed.

It was strange. Why did his heart feel as though it had dropped into a void?

Through his fingers, Azaid gazed at Serena’s face. He had almost lost her because of a single moment’s misstep.

If he hadn’t wandered off from the group and lost his way.

If he had simply passed by, even knowing there was a fire.

If he hadn’t assigned a guard to her, leaving him unaware of the blaze…

Serena wouldn’t have survived.

Azaid recalled her pained expression just before she collapsed. The fear that had overtaken her face was unlike her usual self.

What had terrified her so much that she could barely breathe? What had triggered her to act as though her deepest fears had been laid bare?

‘Could she have been caught in a fire as a child?’

The librarian mentioned that Serena lost consciousness as soon as the fire began. If so, it was likely that the flames had reawakened some deeply buried trauma.

The most perplexing thing, however, was that Serena typically seemed indifferent to fire. If she were truly afraid of it, she wouldn’t have been so bold and unyielding toward someone like Azaid, who wielded fire with ease.

Her reaction this time was far too extreme to dismiss as mere primal fear. It felt as though something in her subconscious had been jolted awake.

‘Could the Viscount Vincent family have abused Serena with fire?’

If that were the case, then even setting fire to the garden wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy them.

“Damn it.”

Azaid cursed under his breath, frustrated by the endless questions with no answers in sight.

‘She’s alive, at least… That’s all that matters.’

With that, he forced himself to quell the storm of anger surging within him. His trembling heart gradually cooled and returned to its steady rhythm.

She was alive. That was enough. He hadn’t been too late this time. Azaid gently stroked Serena’s cheek, murmuring softly,

“Don’t get hurt.”

“…”

“You’re mine now. Don’t come back injured without my permission.”

He couldn’t define the exact nature of these feelings, but one thing was certain: Serena had become special to him. When he saw her collapse, he realized it.

The camaraderie he felt toward his other four friends extended to her as well.

If it weren’t camaraderie, seeing her injured wouldn’t have pained him so much.

It hurt to see her lying there. He wished she’d wake up and scold him instead. Azaid carefully brushed back the strands of violet hair that had fallen over her face.

“Don’t scare me like that again.”

Muttering words that she wouldn’t hear, he bit his lower lip. At that moment, Serena’s fingers twitched slightly, and her eyes began to glisten with tears.

“Serena?”

Azaid was startled to see her suddenly shedding tears. She frowned deeply, as if tormented by a nightmare, and tears streamed down her face. Flustered, Azaid used his sleeve to dab at her damp cheeks.

“Why are you crying?”

“Hic… Hic…”

“Are you having a bad dream?”

Despite his questions, Serena only sobbed without responding. A strange ache stirred in Azaid’s chest.

He clumsily wiped her tears over and over, his sleeve growing wet from her endless weeping. Eventually, Serena’s tightly shut eyes fluttered open.

Her golden irises, blurred with moisture, landed on Azaid, who was still gently wiping her face.

Azaid froze, his breath catching at the sight. Her pale complexion seemed to glimmer under the moonlight, and her golden eyes sparkled like finely scattered gold dust.

Serena blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she recognized the figure before her.

After a brief silence, she spoke, her voice faint.

“Why is Your Majesty here?”