I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 96

“This should be the place.”

Serena repeatedly checked the address written on the business card as she surveyed her surroundings. The area, densely packed with laboratories, was located in the northeastern part of the empire’s capital.

Pale-faced individuals wandered about, their movements resembling zombies. They all seemed to be heading toward shops selling caffeinated beverages.

Navigating through the zombie-like crowd, Serena finally spotted Daniel’s laboratory.

“Ah, there it is.”

The name of Daniel’s laboratory reflected his peculiar personality.

“A Laboratory for Those Obsessed with Otherworldly Beauty.”

Below that, an intimidating phrase was inscribed: “Enter at your own risk—you might lose your face.” It was a strange yet oddly humorous nameplate with a touch of rhyme.

‘Daniel… what on earth is this?’

Serena quickly averted her gaze from the nameplate and stepped into the building. She walked down a hallway crammed with adjacent laboratories and finally arrived at a door.

‘I hope he’s inside.’

Serena, her face slightly tense, clutched the box containing the coat. Sharing the same name was common enough, so it was possible that Zed might not be the boy from her dreams.

Yet the hauntingly familiar voice and gaze had persistently drawn her here.

‘It’s fine. I just need to confirm it.’

If he turned out to be the boy from her dreams, it would be a jackpot; if not, she had nothing to lose. Resolving herself, she reached for the doorknob.

Click—

Before she could open the door, it swung open from the inside. A handsome man with black hair came into view.

“Ah, Mr. Zed.”

Recognizing Zed, Serena greeted him with a smile. Zed’s eyes widened as he stared at her standing there.

“Rena?”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, no. Miss Serena. What brings you here? Or rather, um…”

He stammered, visibly flustered. For a moment, Serena thought he might simply be startled by her sudden appearance. But that thought quickly dissipated as she noticed someone peeking out from behind him—Lucy.

“Your Majesty, stop blocking the way and move aside already! You’re built like a mountain, yet why are you so slow?”

“!!!”

Zed turned around in shock, and Serena, wearing a dazed expression, muttered to herself.

“Your… Majesty?”

Lucy had clearly referred to Zed as “Your Majesty.” The color drained from Zed’s face, turning ashen. Serena’s gaze shifted to Lucy.

“Miss Lucy?”

“Ah! M-M-Miss Serena!”

Lucy gasped, realizing Serena was there. Since Zed’s body had obscured her view of the door, Lucy hadn’t anticipated someone standing outside.

The tension was palpable, as if even the sound of Lucy’s eyes darting around could be heard. After a moment of awkward silence, Serena squinted and asked,

“Did you just call Mr. Zed ‘Your Majesty’?”

“N-No!”

Lucy quickly denied it.

“That’s not true. Not at all.”

Zed joined in, nodding in agreement while avoiding her gaze. But Serena, who had clearly heard Lucy address Zed as “Your Majesty,” wasn’t about to let it slide.

She fixed Zed with a sharp gaze. His face was completely different, yet there was something about his demeanor that reminded her of Azaid.

‘Come to think of it, his voice resembled His Majesty’s.’

Serena suddenly wondered if the sense of familiarity she felt wasn’t because he was the boy from her dreams but because he was Azaid.

And the fact that Lucy was here only added to her suspicion.

Although it wasn’t unusual for Lucy and Daniel to be distant relatives, Lucy’s previous remarks had stuck in her mind.

— I just love handsome and beautiful faces! How can anyone be content with looking at just one? There are so many gorgeous faces in the world!

That obsessive focus on appearances reminded her strongly of Daniel. He, too, had an unusual fixation on beauty.

What confused Serena even more was how the two of them displayed similar behavior patterns.

— Of course, if Miss Serena could grant me just one humble wish…

Daniel had once subtly tried to ask for something, claiming he had discovered a way to remain eternally youthful.

— While we’re at it, could I make a small, simple request? If you have the time, could you come to my house and let me… stare at your face?

Likewise, Lucy had immediately tried to make a request after being caught revealing her preferences. With a doubtful expression, Serena asked,

“Could it be… was Mr. Daniel actually Miss Lucy?”

At Serena’s hesitant yet probing question, Lucy panicked and accidentally blurted out the truth.

“Ah! How did you know?!”

“Lucy Carter!”

When Zed shouted her full name, Serena’s suspicions solidified. A mere commoner wouldn’t dare address the daughter of a marquis by her name so casually. It was unthinkable.

“Your Majesty.”

“……”

“What’s with that face?”

Azaid swallowed hard at Serena’s quiet question. Then Lucy spoke in a timid voice.

“I’ll explain, Miss Serena.”

“Is this… a mask?”

After hearing the entire explanation, Serena marveled as she gently touched Azaid’s face. The texture was soft, almost indistinguishable from real skin.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to breathe?”

“No, but it’s more uncomfortable when you touch me, Rena.”

When Azaid planted a quick kiss on Serena’s hand that was touching him, she flinched in surprise. It felt strangely like she was cheating with another man, making her even more flustered.

“This is a technology I developed myself. I’m the only one who can make it,” Lucy said proudly.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Truly.”

Serena was astonished. To think the method Daniel spoke of for eternal youth was a mask—it was an idea she had never even imagined. Lucy’s ingenuity was genuinely impressive.

“How did you manage to keep something this extraordinary hidden?” Serena asked.

“I didn’t particularly intend to show it to anyone. Honestly, even if the social circles found out, it’d only lead to gossip, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

The aristocratic social circles had a tendency to reject anything unfamiliar. Conforming to established etiquette was considered the height of ladylike behavior there.

‘The social circles aren’t capable of containing someone like Lucy,’ Serena thought.

Her sincere admiration made Lucy blush.

“So, you’re planning to track Mr. Collin now,” Serena said, steering the conversation back on topic.

“That’s right,” Azaid nodded.

Having already seen Nocturne’s condition, Serena couldn’t remain entirely uninvolved in this matter. Moreover, she had discovered that they had investigated the ingredients of Yungsa’s mana supplement, which piqued her curiosity even further.

“By the way, Rwna, why did you investigate Yungsa’s mana supplement?” Azaid asked.

“How did you know about that?”

“We investigated it too. That institution seemed the most reliable.”

“Ah.”

Serena blinked in surprise. Azaid’s emphasis on “that institution” was a subtle way of acknowledging that he knew she had requested their services twice.

‘I can’t exactly say I saw it in my past life.’

After a brief pause to collect her thoughts, Serena spoke.

“The first time I analyzed the mana supplement’s ingredients, it was purely out of curiosity. But later, I began to have suspicions.”

“Suspicions? About what?”

“The Chief Physician of the Imperial Palace specifically ordered that mana supplement to be brought in.”

“And why is that suspicious?”

“Well, during a previous incident when I had a seizure, the Chief Physician’s treatment seemed a bit… off. It made me wonder if he was hiding something.”

“Hm.”

Azaid’s expression turned serious. The Imperial medical team was an elite group personally sponsored and nurtured by the royal family.

This arrangement allowed them to avoid being swayed by the influence of high-ranking nobles. Nevertheless, some physicians, after gaining the title, still sought noble patronage, while exceptions like Serena rose through special recruitment.

Such anomalies were exceedingly rare.

At that moment, Lucy posed a question.

“Then why did you commission a private institution instead of the Imperial one?”

“Well… I figured the Imperial institutions would have too many ears listening. I didn’t want to create any vulnerabilities that could be exploited.”

“That makes sense,” Lucy nodded in understanding. Serena let out a sigh of relief, feeling she had provided a plausible explanation.

At the same time, she couldn’t help but suspect that the Duke of Greenwood might have been the one who drove Azaid to his breaking point in her previous life.

The connection was too suspicious. Collin sponsored Yungsa’s mana supplements, and Collin’s patron was Greenwood. Of course, Azaid, unaware of her past life, hadn’t considered this far.

‘If anyone messes with my man, I won’t let them off easily,’ Serena thought fiercely.

Azaid was no longer just a patient to her—he was someone deeply precious.

Where once she had resented her life of regression, now she was grateful for it. It allowed her to avert the tragedies she had once foreseen.

Looking at Azaid, Serena said, “If it’s Mr. Collin, I can approach him easily. We’re both physicians, after all.”

“That’s out of the question. I can’t let you put yourself in danger,” Azaid responded firmly.

“Exactly. If something were to happen to Miss Serena’s beautiful face, I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink… Ah, fine, fine,” Lucy relented under Ajaide’s glare, pressing her lips together in a sheepish smile.

Seeing the two of them about to try and dissuade her, Serena declared confidently, “I have my own methods.”