I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 59

“What do you mean by something strange?”

“Well, I somehow ended up trapped in a burning house…”

Serena was about to explain how she went into shock when the storage room caught fire. But before she could continue, Elda grabbed her hand in alarm and asked.

“Oh my goodness, Rena! Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Then, Elda clasped Serena’s face with both hands and carefully examined her. Her eyes anxiously scanned for any sign of injury.

Feeling embarrassed by Elda’s concern, Serena lightly shook her head.

“I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt.”

“Thank goodness for that.”

“Anyway, back then, I suddenly collapsed.”

“You said you were fine! How is collapsing fine?!”

“Oh, come on. Just let me finish my story. As you can see, I’m perfectly okay now.”

Serena tried to reassure her by emphasizing her good health with an energetic gesture before continuing.

“After I collapsed from the shock, I had a strange dream. But it kept lingering in my mind—it was a dream from my childhood.”

“Must’ve been a nightmare.”

Hearing the mention of Serena’s childhood, Elda’s expression turned sympathetic. She knew all too well about the hardships Serina had faced growing up.

“No, it wasn’t exactly a nightmare. It was way too vivid—almost like a lost memory.”

“When you go through something difficult, it’s not uncommon to have vivid dreams. Try not to dwell on it too much.”

Elda gently patted Serina’s hand in comfort.

“Speaking of which, Auntie, back then, I used to visit the pharmacy almost every day, right?”

“That’s right. You even helped out sometimes. You were so adorable back then—tiny, like a little chestnut.”

Elda chuckled as she reminisced about young Serena.

“Was there ever a time when I didn’t show up for days? Or maybe came back injured?”

Serena carefully avoided directly asking if she’d ever been kidnapped. She doubted Elda would know about anything that happened outside. She just wanted to confirm the timeline of any potential incidents.

Elda stroked her chin thoughtfully and muttered.

“Hm… It was so long ago, I don’t really remember.”

“Even something small would be helpful.”

“Now that you mention it, I think there was a time when you suddenly stopped coming to the pharmacy for a while. About ten days, maybe?”

“Really?”

“I was worried, so I went to Vincent Manor to check on you. Your sister said you were away, but when I asked where you’d gone, she wouldn’t answer and slammed the door in my face.”

“Lydia did?”

Serena blinked in surprise. This was the first time she’d heard such a story. After moving into Vincent Manor as a child, she’d never left the capital.

“But ‘away’? If it was a trip, I would definitely remember it. And there’s no way Lydia would’ve stayed behind while I went alone.”

If they had gone on a trip, Lydia would’ve naturally left the manor with her. Serena traveling alone seemed implausible.

“Yes. Her face was pale as a ghost back then. When I asked if she was unwell, she snapped at me to mind my own business.”

What a temper she had.

“I’ll apologize on her behalf, Auntie.”

“It’s all water under the bridge now.”

Elda smiled warmly and refilled her teacup.

“Anyway, not long after that, you showed up at the pharmacy again like nothing had happened. When I asked where you’d been, you acted clueless, so I figured you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“So I definitely went somewhere, didn’t I?”

“I can’t say for sure—it was so long ago.”

Elda frowned, as if struggling to recall any more details.

‘So, there really is something from my childhood I can’t remember,’ Serena thought.

Considering Lydia’s comment about Serena being “away,” it seemed Lydia knew something. Serena had vowed never to return to Vincent Manor, but it looked like avoiding Lydia would now be impossible.

“Auntie, do you remember me ever mentioning a boy?”

“A boy? Hmm, I can’t say I do. You weren’t much of a chatterbox…”

Elda raised her gaze, as if trying to recall something from the past.

“But then again, you were such a tomboy back then that it wouldn’t have been strange if you hung out with boys.”

“I did have a bit of a tomboy phase.”

Recalling an embarrassing chapter of her childhood, Serena chuckled awkwardly.

“A bit? You outright pretended to be a boy and fooled everyone!”

“I just didn’t want to be underestimated as a girl! Even I don’t know why I acted like that back then.”

Serena laughed sheepishly. It had all started as a prank after Lydia had teased her relentlessly and yanked at her hair. Some people, unable to see through her disguise, mistakenly thought she was a boy, and Serena had found it amusing to keep up the act.

Being seen as a boy was less dismissive, so she chose the easier path. Elda clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“With such a pretty face, I worried you’d ruin it. If you were my daughter, I’d have scolded you good.”

“You make it sound like you didn’t scold me! You gave me quite an earful!”

“Well, you were like a daughter to me.”

Elda glanced at her and changed the subject.

“Anyway, you hardly ever talked about friends, but… Oh! Now that I think about it, there was a time you came storming in, saying you’d had a fight. Your face was a mess!”

“A fight? Me?”

Serena’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar memory. Even as a tomboy, she didn’t recall ever getting into physical fights.

“Yes! You had a bloody nose and busted lips. I was so shocked!”

“…”

“And then you bragged about winning the fight. I couldn’t believe it—I was so dumbfounded I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“Well, at least I won… Ah, okay, okay, Auntie! It’s all my fault!”

As soon as Serena saw Elda glaring at her with fierce eyes, she panicked and apologized.

“You’re probably the only girl who fights and brawls like a boy. Just thinking about it still makes my heart sink. If I didn’t run an apothecary, your face would be covered in scars by now.”

“Thank you, Aunt Elda, for treating me so I wouldn’t scar.”

But… didn’t you notice the scar on my forehead?

Serena held back the thought, smiling sweetly in a tone more playful than usual. Elda, however, shook her head with a resigned expression.

Afterward, Serena had to endure a long lecture from Elda. Even as she listened, her thoughts wandered.

Since childhood, Serena hadn’t been one to suppress her feelings, which often led to various disputes. Most of the time, it was Lydia’s friends who picked fights, and rather than hitting them, she usually just hurled insults back at them.

But who had she actually fought with?

Maybe it was some local troublemaker from the neighborhood.

Just then, Elda muttered as if recalling something.

“Now that I think about it, there was something else strange. After that incident, you started rubbing my pregnant belly and apologizing to Levin.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You said something like, ‘I’m sorry for using it without permission.’ You kept clinging to me, asking, ‘You won’t hate me, will you?’ It was exhausting.”

“What?”

Serena was overwhelmed as unfamiliar pieces of information came flooding in.

Am I really as foolish as Linda Quilton says? How can I not remember anything from my childhood like this?

Serena began seriously wondering if she had memory issues.

“Thank you, Aunt Elda. This has been really helpful.”

“No problem. Thanks to you, I’ve been reminiscing about the old days. It’s been quite enjoyable, actually. Oddly refreshing, too.”

Of course, after such a long lecture, you’d feel refreshed, Auntie.

Serena bit back her words, smiling brightly instead. Then, with a lighthearted change of subject, she managed to steer the conversation away from Elda’s nagging. They spent a while chatting amicably.

Ding-ling!

The clear chime of the doorbell rang, and the man Serena had intended to visit walked in, addressing her in a casual tone.

“Well, well, look who it is.”

“Oh my, Mr. Jack. What brings you here?”

Elda, who had been chatting endlessly, was the first to recognize Jack and greeted him warmly. When Serena turned around belatedly, Jack waved lightly.

“Slacking off here, huh? Guess I’ll have to report this to the palace guards.”

“I got proper permission to leave, thank you very much.”

Serena shot a sharp glare at Jack, who was already speaking provocatively. Elda glanced back and forth between the two and asked curiously.

“You two know each other?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Serena answered first.

“Same here.” Jack added lazily.

Seizing the opportunity, Serena said, “Actually, I was planning to visit you.”

“Oh, about that? Funny, I was about to ask when you’re planning to pay off the rest of the balance.”

“Sorry, I was on my way, but something urgent came up.”

“No big deal. I wasn’t just lazing around either. Elda, could you gather the items on this list for me by the end of the month?”

Jack handed a piece of paper to Elda, who quickly scanned it before asking, “The delivery address is the Perianus Temple, not the Gordon Trade Company?”

“Yeah, this one’s a personal request, not something from the trade company.”

At Jack’s indifferent reply, Elda gave him a playful look.

“I thought you’d come personally to place a big order or something.”

“Oh, Elda, getting a bit too greedy, aren’t we? Careful, you might turn into a pig.”

“What’s wrong with my wife?”

Jack turned toward Genzo, who had just entered through the back door, and gave an awkward laugh.

“So, you heard that, Genzo? Didn’t think you were here.”

“I happened to overhear something ridiculous and couldn’t help but step in.”

“You know I was joking.”

Jack grinned mischievously, winking as he spoke. Neither Elda nor Genzo seemed offended. Having built a strong rapport with them over years of business dealings, Jack’s casual demeanor was something they were used to.

As the three of them continued chatting lightheartedly, Serena suddenly clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Ah! I remember now!”