I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

“Some people die because of mere hot water.”

Serena sat huddled, wearing a mischievous smile.

“Why did I commit such a sin in my past life that I ended up following the Emperor like a devoted child?”

When the Emperor was not in sight, Serena felt anxious. Her life was at stake, after all.

Serena’s golden eyes sparkled as she looked at Ishid, who unwittingly found himself staring back at her, appearing unusually pleased.

However, realizing that his gaze lingered too persistently, Ishid quickly turned his head and spoke coldly.

“You’re such a bother.”

Serena shrugged her shoulders dismissively at Ishid’s familiar disregard and attempted to rise from her seat. But then, suddenly…

“Wait a moment. Isn’t this an opportunity?”

An ingenious idea came to her mind. It was a way to prevent the Emperor from collapsing at the banquet. Serena called upon her quick wit and spoke with a serious expression.

“Your Majesty, alcohol is prohibited for the time being to aid in your recovery.”

“I don’t drink much to begin with.”

“Do you want me to tell you that? The banquet is coming up soon. Absolutely no alcohol at the banquet!”

Serena pleaded earnestly, her eyes wide open. Ishid, as if hearing nonsense, opened his mouth to respond.

“That’s not your concern. Besides, it’s part of my duties…”

“Are you refusing the prescription of the chief physician now?”

“It’s not a refusal…”

“No. Al. Co. Hol. Is. For. Bid. Den.”

“…”

Ishid fell silent, dumbfounded by Serena’s insistence. He had always felt that whenever he conversed with her, he couldn’t help but be interrupted.

Ishid leaned forward, getting closer to Serena. When she didn’t evade him, he murmured softly.

“I’ve felt it for a while now.”

“What?”

“Don’t cut me off when I speak. Just because it’s me, tolerate it.”

Ishid lightly tapped Serena’s forehead and stood up. Serena touched her forehead, following suit and asked.

“While you’re being generous, may I make a request?”

Ishid let out a chuckle at Serena’s audacious request. He warned her, and yet she responded with a favor.

As he contemplated what to say, the memory of him striking Ophelia came to mind, prompting him to show a little more leniency.

“What is it?”

Ishid crossed his arms and inquired, pretending to be interested. Serena confidently replied.

“I also want to attend the banquet.”

“I didn’t know you had a hobby for banquets.”

“Well…”

Serena hesitated, unable to continue her words. Ishid thought it might be worth asking.

“Are you trying to spy on me? Worried that I’ll drink?”

In response to his sly remark, Serena naturally burst into a smile. It seemed as if she were saying, “Yes, I’m going to spy on you.” She didn’t appear to have any intention of hiding it.

“On the contrary…”

Ishid found himself repeatedly captivated by her. Serena’s actions seemed somewhat different. Even if she crossed a line, she never seemed to exceed a certain limit.

Furthermore, she never made any demands of him. It was quite enjoyable to see her act according to her own desires.

Serena’s intentions were solely for her treatment. Despite having had numerous doctors, no one was as desperate as Serena to save herself.

So, he found himself following her instructions without hesitation. Perhaps it was because there was no room for boredom, or maybe there was another reason.

“But taking her to the banquet would be tiring.”

Ishid didn’t want to face Serena’s nagging by her side during the banquet. He was

about to refuse, but Serena eagerly spoke up.

“By any chance, do you know? I may be able to save His Majesty from a crisis.”

“A crisis…?”

Ishid paused at Serena’s words. In truth, there was no imminent danger to him at the banquet. As it was a banquet held within the palace, no assassin would dare target him recklessly.

On the other hand, Ophelia Greenwood was a crisis for him. The memories of her making a fuss during every banquet resurfaced in his mind.

“She was quite defiant earlier.”

Ishid had never seen Ophelia escape so shamelessly before.

It had been a long time since Ophelia showed interest in him. With Greenwood’s influence, she couldn’t bear to see any woman near him.

At that moment, a good idea came to Ishid’s mind. It was an excellent plan to use Serena as a shield and drive Ophelia away.

“Fine. You might be able to do it.”

“What? What is it?”

Ishid adjusted his gaze to match Serena’s eye level. Serena sent him a look indicating that she was ready to listen to whatever he proposed. After a moment, Ishid whispered softly.

“Protect me from Ophelia Greenwood.”

“Will you protect me?”

Sudden and unexpected, Serena looked at him with a puzzled expression. In response, he flashed a teasing smile and spoke.

“There are quite a few troublesome matters due to Young Lady Greenwood. Please stay by my side and shield me from them.”

“By your side…?”

“Consider it an honor to stand by my side.”

As Ishid chuckled, Serena pouted her lips. Standing by his side meant he wanted her to be his partner at the banquet.

“It’s strange. I thought at this banquet, the emperor had partnered with Lucy Carter.”

When Serena didn’t say anything, Ishid tilted his head and asked, “Why? Don’t you want to?”

“No…”

“If you don’t want to, you wouldn’t have received an invitation.”

As Ishid tried to pull his foot back, Serena hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“I’ll do it!”

Fine, it would be a good opportunity to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t drink too much.

“Really? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, from the beginning, I didn’t like Young Lady Greenwood’s dress.”

It was because of that dress that His Majesty got injured.

“What? Haha.”

Ishid laughed out loud, surprised by Serena’s unexpected response. Serena stared at Ishid’s smiling face.

He could be annoying when acting lazy, but when he smiled like that, he was undeniably handsome. Ishid finally controlled his laughter and said.

“It was a bit presumptuous of me.”

“….”

“I’ll make sure to send you a modest dress.”

“Thank you…”

Serena replied, scratching her cheek. The next day, a tailor came to Serena’s room to take measurements.

* * *

The day of the banquet arrived.

Serena stared blankly at her adorned appearance, feeling awkward. Her usually tightly tied purple hair seemed to have an extra gloss flowing down today.

It was all thanks to Marie, who had diligently oiled her hair since morning.

After skillfully braiding her lustrous hair into two, there was no other noble lady that could rival her elegance.

Furthermore, it was the first time she had worn such an expensive and splendid dress. The lavender dress was sprinkled with jewel dust, and its swaying hem made a pleasant sound with every move.

“It’s a bit excessive.”

“It’s not! It’s a banquet to go as His Majesty’s partner.”

Marie exclaimed in admiration, shaking her head. Serena had never had a maid before.

Firstly, because she was a mere baroness and her life was hardly different from that of commoners.

Her father, Vincent, had little interest in her, so it was only natural.

However, Ishid, as a sign of his favor, allowed her to choose someone from the palace maids. That’s how Marie became the one Serena chose.

Serena was sincerely grateful to Ishid. If Marie hadn’t been here, she would have struggled to dress alone.

“But still, it’s my first time attending a banquet.”

Feeling embarrassed, Serena bit her lower lip. In fact, she hadn’t even had her debutante ball.

Normally, debutante balls were arranged by parents, but she didn’t have any parents to arrange it for her.

“Haha. The Young Lady doesn’t have to worry about my debutante ball.”

Ishid’s words echoed in her mind.

Certainly, Serena was grateful for their indifference. After all, she had always believed that their world and her world were different.

Furthermore, she had never experienced the social scene, so she had no fantasies about debuts. She simply enjoyed her humble life, earning day by day and eating day by day.

As an abandoned child, she never expected such a grand stage. That’s when Marie clapped her hands and cheerfully exclaimed, “My goodness, Serena, this will be your debut ball!”

Serena awkwardly smiled at Marie’s enthusiasm.

“Oh, no. I’m just going along for the sake of His Majesty’s health.”

Those words sounded nice, but in reality, Serena was acting as a watchdog and a shield.

Today, Serena had two goals. To prevent Ishid from drinking and to block Ophelia’s approach!

When Serena nonchalantly responded, Marie pouted.

“Who would give such beautiful clothes and accessories to a physician?”

“Well, His Majesty…”

Serena was about to retort, but someone knocked on the door from the outside.