I Am The Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Anna’s words belatedly reminded Azeid of Serena.

The morning’s commotion, beginning with the sudden curtain change, led him to speculate about the replacement.

“Causing a ruckus from early morning. Finally changed it.”

Azeid stated curtly, implying annoyance over the matter.

“Change the curtains. It’s too bright.”

Azeid’s firm voice left Anna blinking in confusion.

“Oh. Does Your Majesty not understand the meaning of these curtains?”

Slightly taken aback, she thought they had settled this matter. After a moment, Anna spoke tentatively.

“Well… Ms. Serena disposed of all the extra blackout curtains.”

“What?”

“My apologies.”

Anna lowered her head, unsure how to proceed, even if the emperor were to reprimand her.

Meanwhile, Azeid chuckled, impressed by Serena’s cunning. It seemed like he had ordered the curtains to be changed as though he knew Serena would replace them again.

“Surely, if I change them, she’ll try to change them back.”

Azeid chuckled, anticipating Serena’s next unexpected move. With a puzzled expression, Anna asked.

“Should I retrieve them now?”

“Never mind. Leave it.”

A hint of his earlier smile lingered on his lips. Anna reflected on his demeanor.

“Oh, I see! You purposely ordered a different type of curtain to avoid revealing it’s a couple’s curtain!”

The emperor seemed surprisingly shy. Anna forced a bright smile in her reply.

“Of course! Then I’ll take my leave.”

Azeid responded resolutely, but with apprehension in his gaze.

“Why does he seem unusually cheerful today?”

“Alright.”

Waving his hand dismissively, Azeid watched as Anna retreated.

Azeid headed towards the bed as originally intended. Then something caught his eye.

Was it because he had been dealing with Serena since morning?

His gaze fixed on the curtain. Its purple hue reminded him of Serena, though lighter than her actual hair color.

He thought of her golden eyes as he spotted a yellow flower blooming outside.

“Why? Is it surprising that a child like me has a Mana Core?”

Her questioning voice was devoid of anger, her expression calm. This caught Azeid off guard.

He wasn’t questioning her background to belittle her. Azeid, being a noble’s illegitimate child himself, would find such intentions utterly distasteful.

It was simply astounding that someone dismissed from the Viscounty could wield a Mana Core, regardless of their origins.

According to records, she left Viscount Manor to live alone in a small house, working as a healer.

If Viscount Vincent knew she was an Awakened, he wouldn’t have let her go so easily.

“Does Viscount Vincent not know?”

As Azeid pondered further investigation, he realized he had been thinking about Serena all along.

“Not the time for this.”

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Azeid realized he had forgotten his original intent. He settled onto the bed, covering himself with a blanket for a nap.

Today, the bed felt unusually cozy for Azeid. Fiddling with the blanket, he murmured to himself.

“What’s this? It feels so soft.”

The room felt fresher than usual, and the blanket was pleasantly fluffy. Just by changing the curtains and airing out the room, the damp feeling had vanished.

“It’s quite useful.”

A gentle smile appeared on Azeid’s lips unconsciously. Of course, he had been furious at being woken up earlier that morning.

However, now that he was awake, he felt somewhat refreshed. Azeid, used to living as it comes, didn’t find Serena’s unusual intervention all that bad.

The palace staff usually obeyed his temperamental demands without question. They were afraid that if they provoked the bad-tempered emperor, they might end up in trouble.

This ensured no one interfered with his lazy lifestyle.

Though naturally laid-back, there was a reason why Azeid, even after becoming emperor, continued his carefree ways.

He had realized one thing while observing his deceased siblings.

“Those who are too outstanding among the nobles face restraint from the highest nobility.”

Currently, the fear of the emperor’s power might keep them at bay, but given time, there would be those who would try to challenge the imperial authority.

So, if he could be an emperor who they didn’t bother with, that would be enough.

Hence, Azeid had been playing the role of a lazy emperor ever since he ascended the throne.

His judgment was accurate; currently, he avoided various tasks to evade scrutiny from the highest nobility. If there was a chance he might be suspected, he would act like a wild horse with a flashing mane, causing a commotion, then quieting down.

“Ah, he’s acting like a foal again,” they would say while shaking their heads.

Of course, it suited his personality, and he was enjoying this double life immensely.

As he lounged on the bed for a while, he suddenly remembered Leonard’s amusing expression when he went to attend court earlier than scheduled.

“Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?”

Azeid had never seen Leonard’s eyes widen so much.

It seemed like Leonard was greatly surprised since Azeid had never come to court this early after becoming emperor. Normally, he would have asked to rest after the examination.

But today, he didn’t have a headache, so he could quickly handle the backlog of court affairs.

Even if he’s a lazy emperor by nature, there are things that must be done.

If he voluntarily wakes up early, people will just spread rumors about the eccentric physician.

However, handling it well with his love for sleep is another matter. Azeid blinked his drowsy eyes slowly before drifting off to sleep.

***

Serena made the most of her third life. The third version of Serena was undoubtedly different from before.

Upon entering the palace, she was appointed as the court physician and received an Ezring simultaneously.

This granted her significantly more freedom and involvement than before, when her limitations were evident.

“If I had known this, I would’ve made my move earlier.”

“Serena intended to utilize her newfound power to its fullest extent.

In her past two lives, she found clues about Azeid’s illness. The early symptoms were related to body temperature, which was the key.

Her intervention as a living person in the chaos scene had led to this result of saving him and gaining these privileges.

However, as a low-ranking palace member in her past two lives, Serena found herself inadequate to unravel the emperor’s illness based on these clues. She followed instructions from above, only to end up disappointed.

“I saw last time that it seems to be related to the Mana Core…”

She had one year. If she couldn’t solve it within that time frame, intervening would become impossible.

Despite boldly requesting a year from the emperor, time was running out in reality.

Serena used her free time to visit the department that managed the food and medicine consumed by the emperor.

She wanted to check if there was anything stimulating the Mana Core among his meals or medicines.

“I’d like to check the medications and foods Your Majesty usually consumes.”

“Hold on a moment.”

The steward in charge of herbs and ingredients replied briefly and rummaged through the documents.

After a brief moment, the steward copied the recent list of foods and herbs consumed by Azeid onto parchment, handing it to Serena.

“Thank you.”

Serena replied shortly and headed towards the garden with the documents in hand. It was too far to read in her room.

With clear weather, it was perfect for Serena to review the documents outside. Finding a suitable bench, Serena started reading through the papers.

The first thing she opened was the list of foods Azeid had consumed in the past month. The emperor’s diet was meticulously recorded in detail.

Even before turning the first page, Serena clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Goodness, he eats sweets too often. He’ll get diabetes at this rate.”

She grimaced at the immense amount of desserts listed. It seemed like he was served as much as he desired.

“This diet management is at its limit.”

What were the nutritionists even thinking?

With such a rich and sweet diet, it was no wonder he couldn’t sleep at night, leading to morning fatigue and irritability.

“There’s nothing but sweets around here.”

Serena shook her head, not considering alternative perspectives.

“I should put him on a sugar-free diet immediately.”

Continuing to read the documents, Serena clicked her tongue in disapproval. She was about to skim through the list of herbs the emperor was taking when she heard a meow.

“Meow.”

Somewhere nearby, a gray cat meowed, causing Serena to look up.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a gray cat appeared, staring intently at Serena.

“When did you get this close?”

Serena found the cat’s sudden appearance fascinating. Its well-groomed fur indicated someone took good care of the cat.

Thinking of reaching out to pet it, the gray cat wagged its tail like a puppy and leaped onto Serena’s lap.

“Oops!”

Settling on the documents, the cat began scratching them with no warning.

“No, don’t!”

“Meow!”

Serena stood up abruptly, raising the documents high.

Not pleased with the disturbance, the cat grabbed a document in its mouth and scampered away.