I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

The librarian swallowed, his throat dry, before continuing.

“One day, I almost used those books as firewood, and we had a big fight over it. Now, even after my sister’s death, I’m still protecting that storage.”

“I see…”

Serena didn’t know how to offer comfort. It was sad that the author died without recognition.

She had read some of the author’s other works, which were easy to read and detailed in explaining magic. The librarian sighed with a hint of bitterness.

“Many dismissed women authors, saying their writing was too emotional to be credible, treating it like fiction.”

“That’s such a narrow-minded view.”

Serena wrinkled her nose in shared indignation, making the librarian smile.

“It’s fate that a reader found her work. I should give you a copy as a gift.”

“Oh, but I’d like to pay for it.”

“No need.”

The librarian smiled warmly as he gathered his belongings.

“The storage is conveniently near the forest. The Duke generously allowed me to use it for free when I struggled with maintenance costs. I’ll go fetch it.”

“Let me come with you.”

Serena quickly gathered her things and followed the librarian.

“It’s a long way.”

“Talking on the way will keep it from being boring.”

“You’re the only one who wants to talk to an old man like me.”

“If I were a member of the Duke’s household, I’d want to talk to you every day.”

“You have a sweet tongue.”

The librarian led Serena into the forest with a kind smile.

The Greenwood estate forest was vast, with paths created by people constantly walking through the dense trees. Occasionally, the distant sound of gunshots echoed, indicating hunting.

“It sounds like there’s hunting going on nearby. Must be because of the hunting festival.”

“They’re probably hunting boars or deer today. If we don’t reduce their numbers now, the villagers will suffer in winter.”

“Isn’t it dangerous for people walking around?”

“Don’t worry. The shots sound close, but they’re actually far away.”

The librarian seemed familiar with the area, confidently making his way through the forest. Serena felt reassured and followed him while admiring the sun filtering through the leaves.

After a long walk, they saw a hut in the distance.

“There it is.”

The librarian pointed to the hut with a gentle smile.

“The storage is quite big.”

“It’s full of all sorts of things.”

As the librarian unlocked the door, a musty smell of books filled the air. Despite it being daytime, the storage was dim inside. While Serena looked around, the librarian lit a lantern.

Books were piled haphazardly. The librarian climbed a makeshift ladder and retrieved a book from the upper shelf.

“Here it is.”

“It’s thicker than I expected.”

“Consider it a gift.”

“I feel like I’m always receiving from you.”

“You’re so polite that it makes me want to give more.”

The librarian smiled warmly, insisting Serena accept the gift. She thanked him and put the book in her bag. Just as they were about to leave the storage, something happened.

“Oh!”

The librarian stumbled and grabbed a bookshelf for support. This caused the bookshelf to shake, knocking over a lantern hanging on the wall.

Whoosh-!

The flames quickly spread across the books.

The librarian tried to smother the flames with a blanket from the corner, but there was too much flammable material in the storage. He spoke urgently.

“What a mess. Miss, you need to get outside!”

“Gasp, gasp!”

Despite the librarian’s urgent shout, Serena was paralyzed with fear, trembling uncontrollably. It was strange. The sight of the flames made her feel like she couldn’t breathe. Though she didn’t have asthma, she found it hard to breathe suddenly.

Her throat felt blocked, and tears filled her eyes, wetting her cheeks. She looked as if she had a trauma-induced reaction.

Realizing Serena’s distress, the librarian grabbed her hand and pulled her.

“We don’t have time for this. We need to get out…!”

The librarian managed to drag Serena outside just as the storage was engulfed in flames.

“Breathe! Breathe!”

The librarian, pale with worry, slapped Serena’s cheek. The burning storage was a problem, but Serena’s life was more important.

“Gasp! Huff! Huh…”

Once outside, Serena’s breathing gradually returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the storage continued to burn, sending thick smoke into the forest. The librarian stomped his feet anxiously.

“I’ll go get help. Miss, you need to leave the forest!”

The librarian hurriedly instructed Serena before running off. The fire showed no signs of stopping, so he planned to seek help from others.

After all, if the Duke’s private forest burned down, the librarian’s fate would be sealed.

The librarian disappeared to get help, leaving Serena struggling to breathe, her back to the fire.

Her heart was still racing unnaturally fast, and her breathing was labored. Seeing the flames had frozen her mind.

Something unremembered was strongly triggered in her mind. Suddenly—

“Ugh!”

A sharp pain struck the scar on her forehead. Serena clutched her forehead, groaning in pain.

Her tear-streaked face twisted in agony. The scar she couldn’t remember getting hurt like it was trying to make her recall a forgotten memory.

“Cough, cough!”

Serena gathered her willpower to escape the area. Staying near the spreading fire could lead to suffocation.

However, her legs felt like they were weighed down, making each step heavy. Soon, she collapsed onto the ground.

Would she die here and return to the beginning again?

Serena felt a pang of sorrow. She had thought she could do well this time, but dying so meaninglessly was heartbreaking.

She didn’t want to die. She wanted to save the emperor this time, making her more attached to life.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, someone helped her away from the fire.

In her dazed state, she couldn’t tell who it was. She assumed it was the librarian returning, but then she heard a familiar voice.

“Serena!”

She thought she heard Azeid’s voice as if in a hallucination. In the distance, she saw someone running frantically towards her, seemingly with blonde hair.

‘Azeid?’

She vaguely thought of his name but quickly dismissed it.

That’s impossible. Why would Azeid be here?

Serena thought she was hallucinating due to her lingering attachment to life, seeing and hearing things that weren’t real.

At the moment of losing consciousness, the flames in the storage were suddenly extinguished by magic.

* * *

Azeid was half-heartedly pretending to hunt, eventually losing sight of his party and getting lost. To make matters worse, he couldn’t find his way, wandering in circles.

All he saw were trees and grass. Feeling increasingly distant from the sound of gunshots, Azeid felt a bit troubled.

“Damn it. Where the hell am I?”

If Serena were here, she’d probably tease him, saying he got lost because he was goofing off.

Thinking of Serena made Azeid chuckle. Then, the smell of burning reached his nose through the forest.

Looking in the direction of the smell, he saw black smoke rising. It seemed there was a fire nearby.

Azeid gazed towards the smoke. Normally, he wouldn’t care if the Duke’s property burned. He might even be pleased.

But then—

‘Yes, it was nice. The forest path is so pretty. I often go there alone these days.’

“……”

Azeid felt a chill in his chest, remembering Serena’s words. The direction of the fire was near the walking path by the Duke’s residence.

What if Serena was enjoying her walk, unaware of the fire?

The thought that she could burn to death made his blood run cold.

‘Just in case.’

Azeid decided to check the fire’s direction to alleviate his anxiety.

If it was a fire, he could quickly extinguish it and find his way back.

At that moment, he received an urgent message from the knight assigned to Serena’s protection.

– A fire broke out in the storage near Greenwood’s estate, where Serena Vincent was. Currently conducting a rescue… (cont.)

“!!!”

Azeid saw only the first line of the message and realized his fear wasn’t unfounded. He immediately ran towards the source of the fire.

Soon, he saw Serena being helped by a knight, evacuating from the fire.

“Serena!”

Serena was crying, her face pale with fear. Clutching her forehead, she was clearly in pain.

Hearing Azeid’s voice, Serena looked at him, but her unfocused eyes didn’t seem to recognize him.

Azeid ran to the now-unconscious Serena. With a wave of his hand, he extinguished the burning storage instantly.

“Serena! Wake up!”

He shook her, but her eyes remained closed.

And—

“Damn it, she’s not breathing!”

Seeing her struggling to breathe, Azeid cursed. If he didn’t act, she might die.

Without hesitation, he secured her airway and began performing CPR. Ignoring the shocked knight beside him, Azeid focused solely on saving Serena.