I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

“How am I supposed to handle this?” Serena stared anxiously, worried that Ophelia would cause unnecessary trouble. But as time passed, Ophelia remained stubbornly silent, not even making eye contact. Leonard, standing next to her, remained silent as well.

“This is strange. Why do their expressions look like that?” She had mentally prepared herself for an argument, expecting a heated reaction. But the actual reaction was strangely tepid.

And at that moment, “Wait, who am I on top of right now?” Serena suddenly remembered how she had almost fallen earlier and how Ishid had caught her.

…. With a feeling of foreboding, she lowered her gaze. His blue eyes were dangerously close to hers. The warmth she felt at her neck turned out to be Ishid’s breath.

A startled Ishid stared blankly at Serena. His hands were wrapped around her waist, trying to keep her from falling.

Serena let out a soft moan as she bit her lower lip. Now she realized that Ishid was still in his partially healed state, and on top of that, they were on a bed.

“Oh, my goodness…” For a moment she considered pretending it was a mistake and pressing the button to close the door again. No, she regretted opening the door in the first place.

She didn’t think she could overcome this embarrassing situation with her wit. Ishid remained as stiff as a stone, and the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed as if Serena might pounce on him at any moment. Just then, Ophelia belatedly came to her senses and let out a gasp.

“This, this, this can’t be…” Her body shook as if she might collapse at any moment. Leonard quickly supported her, but her eyes remained fixed on Serena and Ishid.

“This won’t do. If this continues, it will become a huge problem.” Sensing the crisis, Serena opened her mouth.

“Um, excuse me, everyone. This, um, it’s just that…” Her hopeful attempt to explain ended up sounding shaky and unconvincing.

Ishid still held her in his arms without saying a word. It felt like a cold sweat was running down her back. Serena quickly moved away from Ishid and clapped her hands.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“….”

“This, this was just an, an accident…” As she tried to speak confidently, her eyes shook violently.

“Argh!” Ophelia burst into tears like a tortured heroine and fled.

“Your, Your Majesty!!” Serena reached out to call her back, but she was already gone.

Her gaze naturally shifted to Leonard, who was still there. His expression seemed strangely displeased.

“Captain Leonard, I swear…”

“Yes, I saw nothing.”

“No, really.”

“I will deny it.”

His disbelief made Serena deny it again, which had the opposite effect. Leonard looked strangely satisfied, then closed the door and left.

* * *

The party ended with the misunderstanding unresolved. No matter how many times Serena denied it, Leonard just laughed it off.

For some reason, Ishid seemed absent-minded, so Serena couldn’t bring it up either. Back in her everyday life, Serena had already become a famous figure.

“The first woman to spend the night with the Emperor!”

The rumors spread like wildfire, and Serena felt inadequate when she tried to explain. Perhaps the nobles, who had seen Ophelia run away crying, had twisted the story.

Envy, jealousy, and resentment were evident in the glances that passed. The news spread so quickly because the emperor had never been involved with a woman before.

I wonder if even Marie, who was busy with the affairs of the imperial court, had heard the rumors. Serena said a few words to Marie, who kept giving her strange looks.

“Marie, why do you keep looking at me with such a suspicious look?”

“Me? No, it’s nothing.”

As Marie peeled the persimmons, she kept lifting the corners of her mouth. She seemed to have a lot to say, but she suppressed the urge.

“Is it because of the rumors?”

“Is it true?”

“No!”

“Come on!”

When Serena burst out with a shout, Marie was startled and shrank back, still muttering to herself.

“But many people saw you enter the room with His Majesty…”

“There was something urgent that needed to be resolved.”

“What was so urgent?”

“Marie!”

Serena snapped at Marie again, who smiled ominously. Marie chuckled and replied.

“Besides, Lady Ophelia ran out crying…”

“That’s true, but… It’s definitely not what you think.”

When Serena gave her a stern look, Marie nodded reluctantly. It wasn’t a look of understanding; instead, it made her uncomfortable, but explaining would only lead to more misunderstandings.

In the first place, it was partly Lady Ophelia’s fault that the rumors spread so quickly. After running out in tears, she hadn’t left Greenwood Manor since that day. Her withdrawal from all social activities and her seclusion had caused rumors of her illness to spread. Then some visitors who had come to pay their respects put two and two together based solely on Ophelia’s words, leading to this tangled mess.

“Ah, whatever. If I stop caring, the rumors will die down eventually.”

Such rumors weren’t important to Serena. No matter how hard she tried to untangle them, they would only get more complicated.

“Just let them flow and concentrate on my own affairs!”

As Serena stood up, Marie asked, “Where are you going?”

“To work.”

“To meet His Majesty, right?”

“I said I’m going to work!”

Her resolve lasted less than ten seconds before it crumbled. Serena sighed and left the room.

In that overreacting moment, she inadvertently revealed how much the rumors bothered her.

“You should be embarrassed.”

Marie laughed heartily as she finished cleaning up.

* * *

Serena made her way to the Royal Library in the Star Palace. The gatekeeper spotted her and greeted her warmly.

“You’re off to work again today.”

“Good morning.”

“Have you finished reading all the books you borrowed last time? You had quite a few.”

“I read quickly.”

“I’m impressed. My poor eyesight prevents me from enjoying such a luxury.”

The gatekeeper chuckled and patted himself on the back. After a short conversation, Serena entered the library.

Inside, the circular hall opened up, with bookshelves arranged in a fan shape around the central room.

There were quiet reading areas where Serena could sit and enjoy books, making it her favorite place.

This was the Imperial Library of the Krotan Empire, accessible only to academy students and nobles who had been granted access.

Although it was located at the end of the Star Palace, its presence within the palace grounds required restricted access for security reasons.

As a result, most people used private libraries outside the palace. The most famous of these was the Greenwood Library, a source of pride for the Greenwood Manor, known for its love of learning and adherence to tradition.

“My favorite part of coming here is knowing that I have access to this place inside the palace.”

With excitement in her heart over the countless books, Serena made her way to the section dedicated to magical studies.

As she climbed the stairs and reached her destination, she found someone already there.

“Oh.”

At the sight of his neatly bound blue hair, Serena recognized him as Lord Nocturne.

Involuntarily, she let out a soft exclamation and hastily sealed her lips. But her actions were enough to attract Nocturne’s attention.

His gaze, previously focused on a book, shifted to Serena and he grinned.

“Good to see you again, young lady Vincent.”

“Hello, Count Harrison. You’re alone today.”

Nocturne approached Serena slowly as he spoke.

“I didn’t bring pie this time. Animals aren’t allowed in the library.”

“I see.”

Serena replied awkwardly, rolling her eyes. Just as she was thinking about how to continue the conversation, a topic came to her mind.

“Oh, by the way, that parchment you restored for me? It got wet later.”

“Really?”

“I ended up having to have a new one made. I couldn’t read the text anymore.”

Serena smiled wryly. In retrospect, it was a story that could have made her magical skills look sloppy if someone had overheard.

But she hadn’t made the story up. She had actually seen the restored parchment get wet and uneven.

Nocturne had a serious expression on his face as he muttered, “That couldn’t have happened…”. Worried about Nocturne’s reaction, Serena quickly interjected.

“It’s probably due to some magical restriction in the palace. I have heard that it can cause occasional mistakes.”

Mana inhibitors flowed in the palace, even for skilled mages, making it difficult to cast spells properly.

“I see.”

Fortunately, Nocturne seemed to be convinced by Serena’s explanation. Although he still seemed a bit confused, he pretended not to notice.

After a while, he easily changed the subject.

“By the way, what brings the young lady Vincent here?”