I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 86

Serena’s face flushed instantly. It seemed Lucy’s unnecessary words had made her overly conscious of Azaid in a strange way.

Unintentionally, Serena glanced over Azaid. His sweat-dampened hair should have looked messy, yet it somehow suited him as if it had been deliberately styled.

His deep blue eyes, fixed intently on her, were clearer and more profound than any lake.

A warmth lingered on her palm where his lips had touched. Normally, she would have pulled her hand away without hesitation, but now it felt as though her hand was bound, refusing to move.

Azaid rubbed his face against Serena’s palm, like a cat seeking affection from its owner.

“What… are you doing…?”

Serena bit her lower lip, annoyed by how shaky her voice sounded. As Lucy had said, Azaid was handsome enough to be mistaken for a statue.

His disheveled appearance, paired with his usual languid demeanor, exuded an almost dangerous pheromone that made it hard for her to breathe.

Azaid replied softly to Serena’s question.

“Nothing in particular.”

Then, as if he had never intended to be seductive, he let go of her hand.

“Your hand just feels cool.”

It made sense; given his fever, Serena’s hand must have felt refreshingly cool. Embarrassed by how flustered she felt over something so trivial, Serena’s face grew even hotter.

‘What on earth am I thinking about… with a patient, no less?’

This was unacceptable for a doctor. Feeling seduced by a sick patient’s whining?

“I see…”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

Amused by Serena’s reaction, Azaid grabbed her other hand and pressed his lips against her palm again, playfully yet with undeniable intent.

Though it was silent, his actions were unmistakably suggestive.

But thanks to Azaid’s sly excuse, Serena couldn’t bring herself to say anything and simply accepted it. Of course, if she had refused, Azaid would have stopped—but she didn’t.

Watching Serena fan herself as if trying to cool down, Azaid let out a quiet laugh. It seemed the rumors about her being weak to sick people were true.

‘I’d hate it if she acted like this with other patients.’

An unwelcome thought crossed her mind, but when Azaid’s lips curled into a smirk at the sight of her flushed cheeks, the thought quickly vanished.

‘Oh well. Serena is my physician.’

With a subtle sense of possessiveness, Azaid held Serena’s hands alternately, cooling his fever with her touch until her hands matched his temperature.

Continuously.

***

Fortunately, Azaid’s fever broke by dawn. Whether it was thanks to the artificial mana core or not, his recovery was noticeably swift.

Serena, unable to leave because Azaid wouldn’t let her go, had stayed by his side in his bedroom, eventually falling asleep against the bed.

After carefully moving the sleeping Serena onto the bed, Azaid left for his study to meet with Leonard for a briefing.

“Collin’s pharmaceutical company’s new drug is selling remarkably well.”

“Yes. The market response has been so positive that it’s already selling out.”

“Is that so?”

Azaid tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought. The drug had even appeared on the list of medicinal supplies Sebastian had just delivered.

It had only recently been released to the market, yet it had already reached the Imperial Palace.

“Have you investigated Collin’s associates?”

“Yes. He maintains strong ties with doctors supported by House Greenwood.”

“That figures. No other connections?”

“It seems he’s been attempting to make contact with Duke, one of the palace’s attending physicians.”

“Duke?”

Azaid’s eyebrow twitched at the familiar name. Duke was Sebastian’s assistant-like physician.

“Yes. Apparently, Duke has also received support from House Greenwood recently. His parents are seriously ill, and they covered the hospital bills.”

“Hm.”

“There’s nothing particularly suspicious yet, so we’re just monitoring him for now. What should we do?”

“Hmm. I’ll need to discuss this with Jack.”

When it came to matters like this, no one was more reliable than Jack.

“By the way, I haven’t seen Nocturne lately.”

“He seems deeply troubled after the last incident. He said he needed time to clear his mind and left the capital without leaving word.”

Leonard’s face showed genuine concern for his friend. Azaid shared the same worry.

“I hope he’s not doing anything reckless.”

“I’ll send him a message urging him to return soon.”

“Do that. Also…”

Azaid pointed to the mana supplement from the pharmaceutical company on the medicinal supply list.

“As soon as it arrives at the palace, have its ingredients analyzed. Compare the commercial version with what’s delivered here.”

“Understood.”

After receiving his orders, Leonard left, and Azaid stood up from his seat.

‘I wonder if Serena is awake.’

She had been half-asleep while caring for him all night, so he hoped she had gotten more rest. But knowing Serena, she was probably already up.

As if to confirm his guess, Azaid soon spotted familiar lavender hair in the hallway, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

***

Serena frowned as she reviewed the new medicinal supply list, noticing the mana supplement from the pharmaceutical company.

“Isn’t it too soon to be using this?”

“It’s been approved by the Medical Association.”

Duke, looking bored, glanced at the supplies. Serena followed him closely, voicing her concerns.

“But considering it’s for His Majesty, shouldn’t we be more cautious?”

“Are we in any position to question something approved by the Imperial Physician-General?”

“The Physician-General approved this personally?”

When Serena pressed further, Duke’s annoyance became apparent.

“Yes, he did. By the way, the medical records from the last check-up are missing. When are you planning to submit them?”

“I’ll submit it soon.”

Serena avoided eye contact at the unfavorable topic. She still hadn’t reported how she had managed to lower the emperor’s high fever last time.

Originally, she had planned to disclose information about the artificial mana core, but Sebastian’s attitude had been somewhat suspicious at the time, so she had put it on hold.

‘The Chief approved it directly…’

The Duke was supposed to be in charge of medicinal supplies, but Sebastian had personally added it to the list, which only made her more uneasy the more she thought about it.

“Good work.”

Leaving the Duke behind, Serena exited the medicine room. If she couldn’t stop the mana supplements from entering the palace, there was only one option left.

She would have to re-examine the ingredients of the mana supplements brought into the palace and identify any traces of potential sabotage.

“Lady Serena! I was just about to go find you.”

Marie, who had just appeared in front of the door, smiled brightly and handed her a letter.

“It’s from Lady Lucy. It looks like an invitation.”

“An invitation?”

Serena looked down at the envelope with a puzzled expression. Just as Mari said, it was an official invitation, complete with a seal.

[In celebration of my upcoming birthday, I have prepared a simple party and event.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could spare some time to join me in celebration.]

Along with the formal notice, there was a handwritten postscript asking her to attend without fail.

Since she had been spending more time with Lucy lately, Serena gladly wrote a reply accepting the invitation.

Some time later, Serena found out that Azaid would also be attending Lucy’s birthday party.

“Your Majesty is going too?”

“I have to. You’re going, after all.”

Azaid replied lazily as he casually munched on a cookie. Normally, he would have burned the invitation as soon as he received it, but things changed because Serena was attending.

‘I have to protect Serena’s face.’

Lucy already had a track record. There was no way Azaid would send Serina into such a den of devils alone.

Of course, Lucy had deliberately sent Serena the invitation first, knowing that she was the best way to draw Azaid in.

Azaid was fully aware of Lucy’s obvious scheme, but he was going because of Serena.

Hearing Azaid nonchalant “I’m going because you’re going,” Serina couldn’t help but smile briefly before stiffening.

Normally, having one’s superior attend a friend’s birthday party would be uncomfortable, but strangely, it wasn’t.

Perhaps it was because of that day when she had nursed him in his bedroom. From then on, she had started feeling this way. Trying to shake off the strange feeling, Serena quickly changed the subject.

“But an event… What could it be?”

“Who knows? Maybe a masquerade ball or something.”

“It’s my first time attending a friend’s birthday party, so I’m excited.”

“Really?”

Azaid stared intently at the unusually cheerful Serena.

“What kind of gift should I bring?”

She remembered that Lucy seemed to like floral decorations last time, so perhaps a corsage would be a suitable gift.

“If you’re unsure, want to go shopping together?”

“With Your Majesty?”

“Yeah.”

Azaid replied as if he were offering her a favor, while subtly gauging her reaction. His true intention—spending time alone with Serena—was carefully concealed.

“I’ll help you. I’ve known her for quite a while.”

“You must be close with Lady Lucy.”

“Not really. It’s just that she’s always stuck to Leonard like glue, so we got acquainted.”

Of course, it was much later that he realized she had been using Leonard as an excuse to see Azaid.

“We’re not close.”

Azaid drew a clear line with Lucy while smiling faintly.

“I’m closer to you.”

And he wouldn’t mind becoming even closer.

Azaid smiled slyly, hiding his true thoughts, while Serena scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Alright then. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Good.”

Satisfied with her answer, Azaid smiled brightly.