I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 81

After meeting Serena, Azaid had been in a daze. He couldn’t even remember how he made his way back to Room 7.

They were supposed to monitor their assigned targets in groups of three, but Azaid had been so absorbed with Serena that he had completely forgotten his duty.

Azaid felt heartbroken by the injustices Serena had suffered in her childhood. As an illegitimate child himself, he was all too familiar with the injustices illegitimate children faced in the empire.

Even now, although prejudice against illegitimate children had lessened since he ascended the throne, there were still many suffering in silence.

‘I never liked Lydia Vincent from the start.’

Grinding his teeth, Azaid recalled how Serena’s hair had been cut.

How hard must it have been for her to grow it back? Did she get teased for walking around with uneven hair?

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken she must have been if that strong woman had cried her eyes out.

Serena’s white cheeks glistening under the lights and her golden eyes were still vividly etched in his memory. Could anyone else in the world shine as brightly as she did?

At that moment, Leonard approached Azaid. Unable to hold back, Azaid blurted out his thoughts.

“I think I really like Serena. Is this… love?”

“…Surely, Your Majesty isn’t slacking off again, are you?”

“Huh? …Ah.”

Azaid realized too late that he hadn’t fully patrolled his assigned area.

But honestly, he had followed Serena with far more purpose than his original duty, so he had no excuses. Leonard spoke as if he could already tell.

“It seems like you visited Lady Serena. You didn’t get caught, did you?”

“Probably?”

“Your answer isn’t very convincing, Your Majesty.”

“More importantly, Leonard. I’m telling you, I like Serena.”

Azaid grabbed Leonard by the shoulders, emphasizing his revelation as if it were some grand discovery. Leonard frowned deeply.

“You’re quite pleased with yourself for realizing it just now.”

“You knew?”

“Everyone knew, except for you.”

“…I see.”

Azaid’s expression drooped. He paced left and right for a moment before speaking again.

“So… what should I do now?”

“Pardon?”

“After realizing my feelings, what should I do next? Should I confess? Hmm.”

Leonard was utterly baffled by how the conversation had suddenly turned into a romantic consultation. Just then, Lucy returned from her mission.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Well…”

“His Majesty has fallen in love.”

“Leonard!”

“Oh my! His Majesty actually has a human side! I thought you were just a talking statue.”

Lucy’s eyes sparkled with amusement as if she’d heard something extraordinary. Azaid glared daggers at Leonard, but Leonard remained unfazed.

“So, who is it? Who do you have feelings for?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Why not? As a woman, I might understand a lady’s heart better.”

“Is that so?”

Azaid, easily swayed, tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“But Serena doesn’t seem interested in me at all.”

“Lady Serena? You mean that pretty lady I met today?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Azaid admitted it as if it were an undeniable fact.

If even Lucy, who was obsessed with beauty, acknowledged her looks, then objectively, Serena was undeniably beautiful.

In the meantime, Lucy finished her train of thought and laughed.

“Oh my, if Your Majesty and Lady Serena were to marry and have children, imagine how stunning they’d be!”

“Lucy, are you already thinking about marriage? And stop imagining their future children—it’s creepy.”

Leonard stared at Lucy in disbelief, but she paid him no mind.

‘I’m so curious! Their faces!’

Lucy had already conjured an image of Azaid and Serena’s children in her mind, looking so stunning it could cause nosebleeds. She grabbed Azaid’s hands tightly.

“Your Majesty, I’ll help you.”

“Let go of my hands.”

Azaid smacked her hands away as if something dirty had touched him.

Serena might not know this, but Azaid still didn’t like being touched by others. She was simply the rare exception.

Lucy didn’t mind Azaid’s cold reaction and smiled slyly.

“As a woman, I’ll understand Lady Serena’s heart better than Your Majesty ever could.”

“What… what are you planning to do?”

Azaid warily asked, eyeing Lucy’s determined expression.

Knowing Lucy was slightly off the rails, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about whatever scheme she had in mind. That sly smile of hers sent a chill down his spine.

Lucy confidently declared, “Let’s find out if Lady Serena has feelings for Your Majesty.”

“How exactly?”

“Just do as I say. If there’s a reaction, it’s a hundred percent guaranteed she likes you.”

“Lucy, please stop with your reckless plans.”

“Step aside, big brother.”

Lucy casually pushed Leonard away and whispered conspiratorially to Azaid. Her smile looked innocent on the surface, but beneath it—

‘I’ll see their future children with my own eyes, no matter what.’

Her expression revealed a rather sinister ambition.

Serena had successfully completed her auction shopping. Fortunately, Yungsa had put up a sufficient supply of mana supplements for bidding. Thanks to that, Serena was able to purchase enough for ingredient analysis.

In addition to that, she managed to procure several rare herbs, packing her belongings with satisfaction.

‘Shopping for herbs is always the right choice. Yes, absolutely.’

Her mood was bright, as if she had never been angry before. It was the same joy that noble ladies felt when buying dresses or accessories.

It was just as she had finished packing her luggage and was about to leave Greenwood Castle.

“Oh my!”

Serena bumped shoulders with someone. As she was about to fall backward, the person she collided with grabbed her arm.

“Are you all right?”

“Hm?”

Did he… bump into me on purpose just now?

Serena stared blankly at James, who had deliberately shoulder-checked her and was now asking if she was okay.

‘Oh! This man! The one who conspired to harass Mr. Nocturne in the archives back then!’

Serena recognized James belatedly and opened her eyes wide. James, perhaps misinterpreting her reaction, spoke politely.

“You seem startled. Did you hurt your back?”

“Well… not exactly.”

“I must have been so captivated by your beauty that I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”

“…What?”

Serena held back the urge to rub her ears, wondering if she had just misheard something.

What kind of pick-up line was that? A shiver of discomfort crept up her spine. James, however, continued nonchalantly.

“Actually, I’ve been watching you from across the gathering for a while now.”

Oh, great. Now he’s stalking me too?

Serena began to feel increasingly uncomfortable around James, for many reasons. On top of everything, he was the very person who had tried to falsely frame Nocturne.

While she hadn’t witnessed the incident firsthand, she had heard that lives could have been lost if things had gone differently that night.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in you.”

Serena lifted her dress slightly, politely preparing to bid farewell. But James grabbed her arm again.

“Aren’t you curious about my name?”

“No. Not at all.”

At Serena’s immediate response, James’s face stiffened for a moment before relaxing again.

“I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m not a suspicious person.”

“I’d like to believe that, but this arm you’re holding onto feels quite uncomfortable.”

“Oh.”

“I’d appreciate it if you let go.”

At Serena’s curt reply, James let go of her arm awkwardly and introduced himself politely.

“I am James Greenwood. You’ve probably heard the name. There’s been quite a bit of talk about me recently.”

Ah, so his name was James.

Serena recalled that the newly appointed Young Duke of Greenwood was also named James. She quickly put two and two together.

‘They said he was punished, but this doesn’t seem like punishment. Is the Duke actually lenient with his children?’

Despite everything he had done, he was still recognized as the Young Duke. She speculated that perhaps two out of the three had been sacrificed in some way.

‘But why is he suddenly showing interest in me? This feels off.’

Serina subtly observed James, trying to gauge his intentions. James smirked as if he had caught on to her thoughts.

‘Of course. I’m too important for someone like her to simply brush off.’

James, his arrogance sky-high, was just about to ask her on a date.

“Well then. I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

Serina responded nonchalantly, bowed slightly as a farewell, and turned on her heel without hesitation.

Before James could say anything, he could only watch Serina walking slowly toward the door.

‘What? What just happened?’

He had been flatly rejected before he could even make a proper move. Normally, women would react with something like, ‘Oh my, you’re the Young Duke!’ or ‘Goodness, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you.’

But she had just looked at him with eyes that said, ‘So? And what do you want me to do about it?’

His pride wounded, James was about to follow her when suddenly, a candle in the hallway flared up with a loud whoosh.

“Ahhh!”

Startled, James fell backward, narrowly avoiding being burned. He thought he heard a faint snicker from behind, but when he turned around, no one was there.

His eyes darted around sharply, but he couldn’t spot Azaid, who was hiding behind the curtain.

At that moment, Serena, who had been opening the door, turned around at the sound of the commotion. She spoke in an unbelievably calm voice.

“The floor must be very slippery. Well, those heels are quite high.”

“……”

“Please be careful.”

Serena offered a brief word of condolence and disappeared gracefully. James, left humiliated, cursed under his breath and pounded the floor with his fist in frustration.

From Room 7, Azaid watched the entire scene unfold and smirked.

“Who does he think he’s flirting with? Makes me want to kill him.”