I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

“It’s strange. You’ve seen me hit on countless women, so why are you acting like this now?”

“I thought you could at least separate business and personal matters. Show some respect to my physician.”

“Listening to you, one might think I asked Serena to date me, right?”

Jack looked at Serena as if seeking her agreement. She grimaced in response.

Azeid swiftly stepped in to block their gaze exchange.

“Jack, this is why people call you a playboy.”

“Wow… I’m hurt.”

Jack pretended to be deeply wounded, wearing a mock-sorrowful expression. Azeid looked at him sternly, clearly unimpressed. Serena glanced at Azeid.

‘It seems like he does consider me his person.’

The phrase ‘my physician’ made Serena feel oddly happy. Unlike her previous life, she felt recognized by him. Wanting to support Azeid, she spoke confidently.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I don’t engage in romantic relationships with my superior’s friends.”

Jack, sensing an opportunity, quipped,

“Oh, so it’s okay with your superior?”

Serena dating Azeid? That was a recipe for disaster. She quickly dismissed the idea, not wanting to blur the lines between professional and personal life.

“Superiors are even worse. Workplace romance is a nightmare.”

She then gave Azeid a bright smile. His expression darkened in a different way this time. Jack nudged Azeid playfully.

“See, Azeid?”

“I never asked.”

Azeid glared at Jack as if he wanted to kill him, a look Serena missed. Jack, slightly scared, continued to smirk.

“You’re grumpy today. Didn’t get enough sleep?”

At that moment, Jack’s subordinate entered the room.

“I brought what you asked for.”

“Good job.”

Jack took the box and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Serena.

“This is for you.”

“For me?”

Serena blinked in surprise at the unexpected gift. It was the second time she had received a gift from Azeid in this life.

When she hesitated, Azeid gestured for her to open it. Carefully, she lifted the lid.

Inside was a small, beautifully crafted communication stone, easy to carry around.

“This is…”

“I’m not favoring you or anything. It’s just to avoid the hassle of incidents like last time.”

“Not favoring, huh? That’s a special communication stone we only gave to ourselves.”

Jack interjected, prompting Azeid to glare at him again. Serena, focused on the stone, asked Jack a question.

“Is it different from regular communication stones? It does seem more portable.”

“It’s never been sold publicly. It’s more secure than standard ones.”

Jack bragged about the stone, while Serena admired its features, checking the instructions in the box.

“Wow, it has so many functions. Did the Gordon Trading Company make it?”

“Well, this exceptional Jack did show off his skills.”

“It was designed by me and Nocturne, with materials from the Carter and Lowell families. He just assembled it.”

“That jerk. He’s still sore about something.”

Jack grumbled, pouting.

Calling the emperor a jerk so casually.

Serena found it somewhat enviable. Hearing someone else say what she had never dared to brought her a sense of catharsis.

Azeid ignored Jack’s complaints and continued,

“The palace will issue a separate communication tool, but keep both. I’ll likely contact you with this one.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Oh! I also put my communication code in it. As my life savior, feel free to ask for help anytime.”

Jack winked and smiled cheekily. Serena smiled awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders.

Having the personal communication code of the head of the Gordon Trading Company would surely be valuable someday.

“Just don’t complain later about me using it too much, Jack.”

“Grumbling is my specialty, so no promises.”

“Then you shouldn’t have said ‘anytime’ in the first place.”

“Turns out there’s someone worse than Azeid.”

Jack grinned, shaking his head. It seemed Azeid had made him work hard in various ways.

‘What schemes are they plotting behind the scenes?’

Serena watched Jack and Azeid bicker, then suddenly remembered the upcoming hunting festival.

The Kroten Hunting Festival.

An annual event where the emperor visits one of the great noble’s territories to keep them in check.

‘It’s likely to be in Greenwood Duke’s territory this year.’

It had been there in her previous life, so unless something changed, it would be in Greenwood. She hadn’t been able to attend before as a junior palace physician.

There had been an incident during the festival, but everyone had kept quiet about it. She only knew that there had been casualties.

Serena didn’t want to send Azeid alone to a place where incidents occurred. She was about to ask if she could accompany him to the festival when Azeid spoke.

“Let’s go, Serena.”

Azeid stood up, finished with his conversation with Jack. Serena hurriedly stood and nodded to Jack.

“See you later, friend.”

“Yeah.”

Serena chuckled at Jack calling her a friend. Azeid gently pulled her arm, urging her to follow.

They got into the waiting carriage.

Azeid mentioned that they used a rental carriage from the Gordon Trading Company for visits to the trading company.

After all, riding a carriage with the imperial seal would announce the emperor’s presence.

“Your Majesty, I was wondering…”

“Do you like the gift?”

They spoke simultaneously, but Azeid finished first, so Serena answered first.

“Yes, I love it. The color is pretty, and it’s great that it can be worn as jewelry.”

Serena smiled, thinking of the bracelet inside the box.

The best feature was its portability. It came with a bracelet or necklace chain, allowing for versatile wearing options.

Since it wasn’t commercially available, it would just look like a regular piece of jewelry to others. Azeid scratched his cheek, noticing her delight.

“I thought jewelry would be nice for a lady.”

“Uh… Did you have it made specifically for me?”

“Not exactly, but sort of.”

“Even so, thank you. I won’t have to worry about losing it.”

Serena expressed her gratitude repeatedly, and Azeid cleared his throat before asking,

“By the way, you looked like you wanted to say something.”

“Oh! With the hunting festival season coming up, I was curious where we’re going this year.”

Serena pretended not to know, playing innocent. Azeid answered without suspicion,

“Last year was Marquis Carter’s territory, so this year it will be Greenwood Duke’s.”

“Oh, Greenwood Duke’s territory is famous for its dense forests, right? I’ve heard the air is so clean it feels like it purifies your lungs.”

“It’s a popular tourist spot. Why, do you want to go?”

“If I say I want to, will you take me?”

“One of the physicians has to go anyway.”

“I want to go! Please let me go!”

Serena leaned forward eagerly, and Azeid mirrored her, resting his chin on his hand.

The space between them in the carriage grew smaller, but neither seemed uncomfortable as they continued their conversation.

“You seem very interested in Greenwood. You’re quite proactive about it.”

“Changing work environments improves efficiency, you know?”

“Excuses.”

Azeid chuckled, his eyes softened without any hint of wariness.

After a moment, he spoke quietly.

“I made a mistake last time.”

“Huh?”

Serena’s eyes widened at the sudden apology. She never expected to hear such words from the emperor.

“I was startled by Jack and a bit irritable. I apologize.”

Azeid looked away, then back at Serena, clearly sincere.

Serena smiled, understanding why he had suggested this outing.

“You came to my room to apologize for that day, didn’t you?”

“And ended up saving you.”

“Who would have thought I’d owe my life to His Majesty. It’s true you should live long.”

“For someone who’s only 19, you sure talk like an old person.”

Serena laughed at his words. Including the time from her regressions, she had lived a similar amount of time to him.

“I’m sorry for being so cold. I thought I was separating work from personal matters, but I might have been a bit vindictive.”

“A bit?”

“Anyway. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Serena clenched her fists in determination, making Azeid smile and return to his seat.

“Just so you know, Jack is kind to everyone. It’s better to be cautious.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“You never know with people.”

Serena waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, that’s as unlikely as the rumors of us dating being true.”