I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

“Serena looked anxiously at Nocturne. Then, his harsh words pierced her heart like a dagger.

“Unlike pure mana, Tain’s internal mana is toxic to Awakening Mages, causing such severe rejection. It’s like water and oil not mixing.”

“…I see.”

“No matter how much you search, you won’t find related papers. Besides, refining internal mana is difficult, and injecting internal mana is prohibited due to ethical concerns.”

Thud!

Serena’s heart felt like it was stabbed, making a sound as it hit the ground.

Her heart raced. She felt a lump in her chest, thinking she had endangered Azeid with incorrect treatments.

“Was I actually killing Azeid all this time?!”

Serena’s mind raced. Magical studies were not her expertise.

After the third regression, she had studied on her own, but compared to Nocturne, who specialized in magical studies, her knowledge was lacking.

That’s why it was terrifying when she realized she had been doing magic that she didn’t fully understand. Serena nervously spoke up.

“Uh… If it’s prohibited, someone must have attempted it before, right?”

“Yes. There have been attempts.”

“What happened to the subjects?”

Serena asked cautiously, glancing at Nocturne. Nocturne looked at her with a strange curiosity before answering soberly.

“They died as soon as the injection was done, causing the Mana Core to deteriorate.”

“Were there no exceptions?”

“No. Out of a thousand experiments, all resulted in instant death. It means a 100 percent chance of dying.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Serena breathed a sigh of relief as Nocturne finished speaking. She felt a mixture of emotions, wondering why Azeid didn’t die even after she injected her mana multiple times.

It seemed like a different situation from what Nocturne knew as the general case.

“Perhaps it’s related to when Azeid went berserk during the third regression.”

Since then, Serena had gained control over mana, and even now, it was an effective ability.

As a child, her sentences were just hollow, and she had never considered herself an Awakening Mage.

Vaguely, she thought she couldn’t use magic because her internal mana was insufficient. But it turned out she had internal mana, and quite a bit of it.

Moreover, refining mana was relatively easy for her. She didn’t know why, but she vaguely guessed it had been that way since then.

Serena confirmed the direction of her next research and spoke to Nocturne.

“Could you recommend an easy and detailed paper or book related to Mana Core berserk?”

Suddenly, Serena’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Spit it out. I didn’t go to the Academy.”

“Lies. You wanted to go to the Academy so badly. Don’t you remember crying when I was the only one who got accepted?”

Serena chuckled at Lydia’s words. There was a time when she wanted to go.

But she received a rejection notice due to being a bastard despite topping the entrance exam. The next day, Lydia donated a large sum to the Academy and got accepted. Serena had decided there was nothing to learn in an academy rife with discrimination.

Although laws changed after Azeid became Emperor to prevent discrimination against bastards, it wasn’t the case when Serena was young.

Still, Serena only mourned for a day and then sought another path. With a calm face, she asked:

“So, Lydia, did you get kicked out after just one semester?”

“I didn’t get kicked out! I quit!”

Lydia snapped back loudly. Serena had already expected this and covered her ears with her hands.

Her insistence on going to the Academy was just to break Serena’s spirit regarding the topic of bastards. Since Serena showed no sign of being discouraged by the discrimination, she wanted to push her buttons.

But now, the situation has completely changed. Serena was no longer the difficult troublemaker she used to be.

Thinking about her current position as part of the imperial court, it might be a bit inappropriate to say she was equal to the Emperor, but her situation now was akin to a return to the golden days.

With the Viscountess title and even the servants unable to defy her, it would be a great shock for Lydia.

‘She should have been warned sternly by Viscount that I was coming.’

But Lydia was stubborn and wouldn’t listen to warnings. After all, she was Little Viscount Vincent.

Serena sighed inwardly. Lydia always wanted to be superior to Serena.

And Viscount had supported her abundantly to achieve that. It was just that Lydia couldn’t keep up.

So the suddenly successful Serena would be frustrating for her. Stripped of her noble status, Lydia was no match for Serena.

Perhaps Lydia knew that well, which was why she was provoking her. When Lydia calmed down a bit, Serena calmly said:

“Tone down your temper, Lydia.”

“…”

“If your mind is bad, at least have a good personality. That’s how you solve anything.”

“You really…!”

Serena’s words further fueled Lydia’s anger. Since they wouldn’t see each other again after today, it was a calculated provocation.

Lydia couldn’t bear it anymore and lifted the teacup. In her haste to pour it out, she accidentally splashed the tea, and it spilled on Serena.

“Oops!”

Lydia screamed as she shut her eyes tightly. But the tea had long since cooled, so there was no risk of burns. Serena, with a tsk tsk, said:

“Don’t overreact. The tea is already cold.”

“…”

“Since you still like splashing water around, you might be better suited as a natural gardener.”

“Do you think I’d do such menial work?”

“Or follow the Viscount’s wishes, meet a wealthy man from a good family, and casually tend to the gardens.”

Serena looked at the clock. It was almost time for dinner.

‘I should take a walk in the garden rather than staying here.’

As she got up to leave, Lydia shouted, “Where are you going?! We’re not done talking!”

“It’s almost dinner time. Lydia, take your time to change and come.”

Serena smiled and left the room.

“Aah!”

Lydia’s voice of frustration echoed from behind.

‘Her temperament is just like the Viscount’s.’

Serena chuckled as she walked down the corridor.