I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 54

Azaid felt as though time had come to a standstill.

‘Has Serena always been this beautiful?’

There was no logical reason for someone who had been unwell to look this radiant. While he had always thought of Serena as pretty, he had never considered her a breathtaking beauty capable of making his heart pound like this.

Yet today, she appeared particularly stunning. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to her rosy cheeks and crimson lips, which seemed more vivid than ever.

Serena stared blankly at Azaid, who showed no reaction. For a moment, it seemed as if his ears were tinged red, though it might have just been the moonlight.

‘Why is he like this, sitting here in the dark without even lighting a lamp?’

The moonlight behind him obscured his face, and Serena couldn’t see him clearly. Additionally, the texture of the blanket she was lying under felt strangely luxurious—far better than anything in her own quarters.

Curious about her surroundings, Serena sat up and reached out toward the bedside lamp. But Azaid stopped her hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“???”

“Just lie down.”

Gently, Azaid eased Serena back down and turned on the lamp himself. As the room brightened, Serena glanced around, realizing immediately that this wasn’t her room.

“Where…?”

“This is my bedroom.”

“Why am I here?”

Her confused expression deepened as she asked. She remembered fainting but had no idea why she was now lying in his bed.

“More importantly, how many fingers am I holding up?”

Without warning, Azaid held up three fingers.

“Three.”

“And now?”

“Two.”

“Good. Your consciousness seems fine.”

Azaid let out a sigh of relief after his impromptu diagnosis. He had been worried since she had inhaled a lot of smoke, but it appeared there were no significant issues with her awareness.

After performing some basic first aid, Azaid had brought Serena to the nearest safe location—his bedroom. He had then secretly ordered a physician from another palace to examine her condition, avoiding the involvement of the Duke’s household to prevent unnecessary complications.

He had been growing increasingly anxious as she remained unconscious, so seeing her awake was a great relief. Drawing closer, his voice carried a hint of nervousness.

“How do you feel? If you’re in any pain, I’ll summon a physician immediately.”

As he spoke, he gently placed his hand on her neck. Serena was startled, unsure of his intentions, but it soon became clear that he was checking her temperature.

She stared at him with wide eyes, like someone hearing a foreign language. He was behaving so much like a doctor that she didn’t know how to respond.

The situation was made even more bewildering by the fact that she was lying in the Emperor’s bed. The mere thought of occupying the same bed as him felt like an audacious breach of propriety. If word of this got out, who knew what kind of scandal might erupt?

“I’m fine. More importantly, are you all right, Your Majesty? And what happened to the librarian?”

“The fire was extinguished quickly. The librarian was reprimanded but wasn’t dismissed.”

Azaid withdrew his hand after lingering on her neck for a moment longer. Serena, feeling slightly ticklish, rubbed her nape with her hand.

“That’s a relief. The space was so cramped and filled with books that the fire spread rapidly. If it had reached the forest, it would have been catastrophic…”

“Yes, it would have. If I hadn’t passed by, you could’ve died there. Luckily, I had assigned guards to watch over you, or things might have turned out much worse.”

“What? Oh…”

Only then did Serena realize that the figure she had glimpsed before fainting was indeed Azaid, and it hadn’t been the librarian but a knight who had rescued her.

‘It wasn’t a hallucination.’

She suddenly remembered the moment of shock that had caused her to collapse. The pain she had felt in the storage room was still vivid, leaving her disoriented.

Thinking back to how she had struggled to breathe, her mind reeled. She recalled the moment when an old scar had unexpectedly flared with pain, deepening her confusion.

‘What could that pain have been?’

The scar had long since healed, leaving only a mark. Its sudden resurgence was likely psychological. Something about that day had triggered a deeply buried memory.

Absentmindedly, Serena touched her bangs, brushing her fingers over the scar. If Azaid hadn’t passed by, she might have died. She had saved his life once, but she hadn’t expected to owe her own to him in return.

As the strange thought crossed her mind, she murmured softly, “So, Your Majesty saved me.”

“Yes. Do you have any idea how much you frightened me?”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. Everything happened so quickly…”

“Are you afraid of fire?”

Azaid’s question prompted Serena to shake her head lightly.

“If I were, I wouldn’t be able to function in daily life.”

This was the first time something like this had happened to her. When she had seen the fire spreading in that confined space, her mind had gone blank. The situation itself had been overwhelming.

“Then why?”

“I don’t know either,” Serena muttered, fidgeting with her fingers. She couldn’t explain why she had reacted the way she did.

“But why am I here, in your room?”

“I didn’t know where your quarters were.”

“Oh.”

It made sense. Since Serena usually sought him out, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t know the location of her room. Besides, this wasn’t the Imperial Palace.

At that moment, Azaid pressed a cold ice pack to her eyes. The sudden chill made her wince as she realized her eyes stung slightly.

“Huh? Was I crying?”

“I thought you might have had a nightmare.”

“Hmm… Maybe I did?”

Serena tried to recall her dream. She felt as though she had seen someone important, but the face eluded her memory. What lingered instead was the vivid smell of smoke and a faint, metallic scent threading through it.

It must have been a dream influenced by the fire.

Azaid moved the ice pack to her other eye, his meticulous care making Serena feel slightly awkward.

“I can do it myself.”

“It’s fine,” he replied curtly.

Azaid firmly refused and personally applied an ice pack for her. Embarrassed, Serena fidgeted with the Izring on her finger. It was then that Azaid spoke.

“You’re so frail that I can never rest easy.”

“Isn’t that what I always say to Your Majesty?”

“These days, you seem weaker than me.”

“That’s a bit unfair. It was only twice.”

“And both times, you were gravely ill.”

At Azaid’s reproach, Serena closed her mouth. She had rarely been sick in such a way, so she had nothing to say in return.

“Were you scared?”

“A little. I almost died, after all.”

No matter how many times she’d experienced regression, the fear of death never disappeared. Instead, it became sharper, making her cling more desperately to life.

At that moment, Azaid mumbled something incomprehensible.

“At least, you’ll never have to fear fire again.”

“That’s quite a confident tone, isn’t it?”

Was he flaunting his powers as a fire mage? Still, his concern for her made Serena smile brightly.

Azaid stared intensely at the Isring on Serena’s finger and muttered again.

“An emperor doesn’t boast idly. You don’t know this, but the being in front of you is quite extraordinary.”

“I do know.”

After all, he was hailed as the strongest fire mage in history—and also the frailest patient.

When Serena responded playfully, Azaid looked her straight in the eyes and said,

“If you’re aware of that and still act this way around me, then I must admit your courage is remarkable, Serena.”

“You’re making me curious. How exactly will you get rid of my fear?”

“That’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself.”

“You’re so unkind. Why not just go around extinguishing every fire for me?”

A fire mage was practically a walking fire hydrant. Serena teasingly remarked, assuming he was making a mage’s joke.

“Well, there’s no need for me to go out of my way. I’m not some dog trailing after you everywhere. I’m far too busy for that, Serena.”

“From what I’ve seen, Your Majesty seems plenty free.”

“That’s your misconception.”

Azaid retorted lightly, absentmindedly running a hand through her hair.

“You don’t need to think too deeply. Just know that I care for you deeply, Serena.”

“What?”

Serena, lost in her own thoughts, responded as if she’d misheard him. She hadn’t expected such words of affection from him, making the moment even more startling.

Azaid chuckled at her bewildered expression. He placed the now-melted ice pack on the table and said,

“So don’t get hurt when I’m not around.”

“…”

“Take a rest here tonight. It’d be troublesome if someone spotted you sneaking out at dawn.”

“Where will Your Majesty sleep then?”

“That’s not something you need to worry about.”

Azaid rose to his feet and bid her goodbye. It was his room, yet Serena found herself blankly watching as he left.

“What’s with this sudden change in behavior?”

Someone who never acted this way was suddenly telling her to take care of herself and not get hurt. It left her feeling odd. Muttering to herself, she pulled the blanket up to her nose.

At that moment, a familiar and refreshing scent wafted from the blanket. It was Azaid’s scent. The subtle fragrance made her feel as though she were enveloped in his embrace.

“…”

Serena hesitated and pulled the blanket back down below her chin. It was clear that Azaid’s presence was starting to affect her in strange ways.

Even someone as indifferent to looks as Serena found her thoughts spiraling when faced with such stunning beauty.

She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Azaid’s uncharacteristic behavior kept replaying in her mind.

‘Why not act like usual? Why switch roles all of a sudden? It’s so annoying.’

Grumbling irritably, Serena squeezed her eyes shut. For someone who had only ever looked after others, being cared for felt unfamiliar and ticklish.

But wasn’t it strange? Despite her words of disdain, the corners of Serena’s lips gently lifted into a smile.