The grandeur with which Lot and Morgan ascended the throne was matched only by the sheer chaos of the administrative duties that followed.
Previously, they had only governed Camelot, so their responsibilities had been limited to the affairs of the capital. The rest of the kingdom had been left largely autonomous, existing in a state of near-anarchy under the rule of local lords.
But now that Lot and Morgan had become the rulers of all Britain, the affairs of every city and territory were dumped onto their laps.
To make matters worse, their purge of the nobility had left vast swathes of land without proper governance. With no lords to manage these territories, all administrative duties fell squarely on Lot and Morgan's shoulders.
The workload was staggering.
Every day, piles of parchment reports threatened to bury their desks entirely.
At this point, Lot couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for the Hongwu Emperor and the Yongzheng Emperor from his past life's history.
Regardless of their politics, those two had personally handled the affairs of an empire far larger than Britain and they did it day after day.
Yet here he and Morgan were, struggling to keep up despite working together.
This is torture!
"Lot, go rest. I'll handle these myself."
Morgan rested her chin atop a stack of parchment, watching as Lot fought to keep his eyes open.
This guy… I'm really putting him through it.
Normally, he'd slack off at every opportunity, avoiding hard work like the plague.
The only reason he was pushing himself like this was for her sake because she had wished for this throne.
Seeing him so exhausted pained her.
So she told him to go sleep.
"You're the one who should rest, Morgan. You're carrying our child. For his healthy development, you need to take it easy."
Lot shook his head.
[Besides, even if Gawain weren't in the picture, I'd still hate seeing Morgan overwork herself. Not that I can admit that if I do, she'll drag me into even more work instead of letting me slack off.]
[If I say it out loud, she'll just pile more duties on me. I'll be worked to death!]
[And what's the point of resting early anyway? I might as well keep working until I collapse into bed. At least then I won't have to lie there miserably. Ugh, this sucks!]
Now that Morgan was pregnant, certain pleasurable activities were off the table to avoid risking a miscarriage.
Sigh.
Lot had really been looking forward to seeing Morgan in her queenly regalia, blushing and
But on the very day of their coronation, she'd been confirmed pregnant.
So his hopes were dashed.
Or at least postponed for ten months.
Technically, some activities were still safe during certain stages of pregnancy, but Lot loved Morgan too much to take any risks.
As for doing what other noblemen of this era did visiting brothels, dallying with maids, or taking lovers
That was utterly out of the question.
His soul was out of place in this era, and he refused to compromise on this.
Desire was natural. In fact, Lot's urges were stronger than most. But he understood that above desire, there was something far more important love.
He would never do anything to hurt Morgan.
A scoundrel might use "I have needs too" as an excuse, but one of the things separating humans from beasts was self-restraint.
Enduring this would be tough, but not impossible.
Just hold out…
Ten months.
So for now, Lot threw himself into work to distract himself.
Hearing his thoughts, Morgan lowered her head with a faint smile.
This pervert…
Really lives up to his name.
He doesn't want to work he just wants to
Ahem!
What am I thinking? He's rubbing off on me.
Still, despite everything…
I love him.
Her Lot was one of the rare good men of this era.
So maybe… she should indulge some of those other ideas she'd overheard in his mind?
Morgan recalled some of the unconventional notions Lot had fantasized about.
How to even describe them?
They were things she'd never even heard of before.
Before marriage, noblewomen had whispered about certain matters between men and women.
But compared to Lot's imagination?
Child's play.
She could only chalk it up to the boundless creativity of a virgin's mind.
Then she remembered just how shameless those ideas were.
Her face burned crimson, steam practically rising from her head.
She looked at Lot and said:
"Fine. Keep working. I'll watch you."
"Watch me? Shouldn't you be resting?"
Lot frowned in confusion.
Morgan propped her cheeks in her hands, gazing at him.
"Didn't you say pregnant women should do things that make them happy?"
"So you're saying…?"
"Watching you makes me happy."
She smiled.
Lot could only think one thing:
[My Morgan is just too adorable.]
"Alright then. Sit there and watch your husband handle these affairs perfectly."
Lot found renewed motivation.
Morgan gave him an encouraging look.
And so, he returned to his paperwork.
Camelot's affairs were manageable after all, it had been Uther's capital. A royal city didn't fall into disarray easily.
But when he moved on to reports from the outlying territories, his expression gradually darkened.
The truth was
Britain had already entered its dark age.
Vortigern's attacks might have failed to take Camelot, but war had become routine.
The already-barren land yielded meager crops. Poverty spread like rot. Left unchecked, the kingdom would soon collapse under its own weight.
And the noble territories?
Far worse.
"Hah… Being king of Camelot might look glorious, but the weight of it is crushing."
Lot sighed softly.
Morgan had been watching him with a smile, but as his expression grew graver, worry crept onto her face.
"Horndog, what's wrong?"
She asked anxiously.