Fate: My Wife is Morgan Le Fay (Patreon)

Chapter 7: Lot Is Just a Lecherous Dog

"This is the decision that Your Majesty has made. I do not have the authority to criticize it. I can only say that if my disciple were to become king, events would unfold as I have foreseen. But if Your Majesty changes your mind, then I cannot be certain of the future."

"It may turn out for the better, of course. But there is also a possibility that it could become worse."

Without a second thought, Merlin responded to King Uther's inquiry in this manner.

This was a multiple-choice question.

Perhaps Morgan would lead Britain to greater prosperity, but it was equally possible that her actions could plunge the kingdom into an even deeper abyss.

No one could say for sure.

Having ability does not necessarily mean one can govern well.

In fact, if the direction was wrong, the mistakes made by a capable person could be even more disastrous than those made by an incompetent one.

This left King Uther in a state of hesitation.

"Well..." He pondered for a moment before speaking to Merlin. "Forget it, this matter can wait a little longer. My body is not failing just yet. For now, what we need to do is start implementing Morgan’s proposed plan—rewarding farming and war, so that farmers will have a passion for agriculture and soldiers will develop a fervor for battle."

Rewarding farming would not work well in the Roman Empire on the European continent, as the feudal lord system was already deeply entrenched there. However, in Camelot, most of the lords were newly established and did not yet own vast amounts of land. There were still many independent farmers. If these people voluntarily took up farming, Camelot’s grain production would increase significantly.

Merlin had explained this to King Uther, and the king understood it clearly.

"I will have someone carry out the plan."

Hearing Merlin's reassuring words, King Uther smiled in satisfaction.

"Alright, now let’s get ready. I need to depart for my daughter’s wedding ceremony."

He spoke to Merlin.

Since the relationship between him and Lot was that of a lord and a subordinate rather than a sovereign and a vassal, the wedding was to be held in Lot’s territory.

If one were to use the terminology of Lot’s previous life, it could be said that King Uther was "marrying off" his daughter to Lot, rather than Lot coming to "take a wife" from the royal family.

But since it was his own daughter, King Uther could not possibly miss the wedding ceremony. So, he had sent Morgan ahead to make preparations while he himself would arrive in time for the formal ceremony.

Hmm...

It was about time to set off.

Once there, he could take a good look at his daughter and his future son-in-law.

"By the way..." Just as he was about to depart, King Uther remembered something and turned to Merlin. "This time, make sure to invite some noble lords to accompany us."

"Understood," Merlin responded with a smile, already aware of King Uther’s intentions.

<+>

Meanwhile, Lot and Morgan had returned to Lot’s territory.

The Orkney region mainly consisted of islands, but after Lot’s transmigration, he had taken some measures to expand his domain onto the mainland. However, his castle was still built on a plain not far from the coastline.

The sea breeze carried a slight hint of saltiness.

Looking into the distance, one could see the vast and endless ocean.

To an uninformed outsider, the view might seem picturesque at first glance. But for Lot and Morgan, beyond the sea lay not only beautiful scenery but also enemies.

Whether it was the Roman Empire or the raiders from the north, they were all threats.

They were no different from Vortigern and his ilk.

Lot and Morgan rode at the front of the procession on their warhorses.

Lot narrowed his eyes as he gazed ahead before turning to Morgan and saying, "We’ll be arriving at my castle soon. Then you’ll be able to rest properly."

As he spoke, his eyes shone with uncontainable excitement.

And the reason for Lot's excitement had been almost completely eavesdropped on by Morgan.

[Hehe, we're finally almost there. I wonder how the butler decorated the castle. I had already asked him to prepare everything in advance. Once everything is ready, we can get straight to the wedding! After being single for over forty years, I can finally marry someone as adorable as Morgan. This is truly something to be happy about!]

[All these years, I’ve felt so out of place compared to those around me. The first few years after I woke up, I felt like the protagonist of a shoujo manga who accidentally ended up in a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure setting. Luckily, my wife Morgan is really cute!]

As a transmigrator, he might have been in his twenties in his previous life and a teenager in this one, but claiming to have a forty-year-old mental age was just an exaggeration. However, when it came to being a virgin—well, that part was undeniably true.

You're not even twenty yet this lifetime—where did you get "over forty years" from? Are you counting each year as two?

Morgan, of course, had no knowledge of Lot’s transmigration.

To her, Lot’s thoughts simply seemed like impatience and lust.

As for the part about "JoJo" and whatever else, she had no idea what it meant, but she wasn’t about to ask.

Over the course of their journey, as she spent more time with Lot, Morgan realized she was not only able to hear his thoughts deliberately three times a day, but when he got particularly excited, some of his thoughts would leak out involuntarily into her ears.

And she had no way of blocking them out. It was as if he were speaking them out loud directly into her head.

His thoughts are infuriating!

He’s always having improper ideas about her!

Damn it.

And she can’t even call him out on it!

These are just his inner thoughts—he hasn’t actually said or done anything inappropriate.

How is she supposed to scold him for thoughts alone? It’s not like she can stop someone from even thinking!

I wouldn't do something that unreasonable.

But having to listen to his thoughts every day... It's exhausting!

And today's thoughts aren’t even the worst.

The ones from before were way more embarrassing!

Especially in those first few days. Back then, the artbook was filled with drawings of her—she hadn't taken it with her, so Lot had been carrying it around and constantly looking through it.

And he had let his imagination run wild.

[This outfit... really bold.]

[Mmm, this pose... exciting...]

[A maid outfit? With black stockings? Damn, that’s enough to get the blood pumping.]

[Black stockings, white stockings, thigh-highs, long socks, footed tights...]

[Mmm, Morgan has that tall and elegant physique, but I bet a JK school uniform with white stockings would suit her too. One day, I’ll have the maids make one just for her to try on.]

[Couples playing dress-up is one of the best forms of entertainment.]

Hearing these thoughts made Morgan worry that her married life would be anything but peaceful.

Luckily, there weren’t too many pages in that artbook. After a few days, Lot had already gone through them all, and she was finally spared from hearing his occasional fantasies about her.

‘Lot, beneath that handsome exterior, is just a lecherous dog.’

Morgan cursed him silently in her heart.

But then, she remembered the first thoughts she had eavesdropped on.

Hmm… this perverted dog did seem to possess an exceptionally high level of intelligence.

A lecherous yet cunning dog?

She glanced at his face again.

A handsome, cunning, lecherous dog.

—Fine. Aside from his overwhelming lust for her, he was otherwise nearly perfect.

But as she thought about all this, another matter crossed her mind—her sister.

Despite listening in on his thoughts several times, she had never heard Lot think about her sister.

What was going on?

Why would Camelot end up in her sister’s hands instead of hers?

Why?

What was the reason?

"Hmph…"

Morgan studied Lot carefully, her lips pouting in frustration.

Lot noticed her expression and asked, "What’s wrong, Morgan? Are you unhappy about something?"

Morgan blinked and then replied, "It’s nothing. I was just thinking about what our castle will look like once we start living there together."

"Don't worry, you’ll love it!" Lot reassured her enthusiastically.

Hehe, he’s been in this world for so many years now.

As a transmigrator, how could he not renovate the place he lives in?

Especially since he has his cheat—at the very least, improving his own quality of life isn't too difficult.

Right now, his castle is truly one of a kind in this world.

Lot is sure that Morgan will be satisfied when she sees it.

Seeing Lot’s confident expression, Morgan became somewhat intrigued.

Although she had said what she did earlier, the truth was that she just didn't want to admit that she had overheard all of Lot’s thoughts. In reality, she wasn’t very excited about the castle at all.

Compared to Camelot, Orkney was practically the countryside. No matter how talented Lot was, he couldn’t have made the castle that great.

Besides, he was a man with a deep understanding of politics.

People like that usually didn’t care much about everyday comforts. That made her even less hopeful about the state of their home.

But now, seeing the confidence on Lot’s face…

Was she actually in for a surprise?

With that thought in mind, Morgan started to discreetly observe her surroundings.

Taking a closer look, what she saw truly shocked her.

The land around them was far more developed than she had expected.

Even though they were near the coast, there was no shortage of farmland.

Fields stretched across the land, crisscrossed with pathways, and many farmers were busy at work.

This level of agricultural development far exceeded that of Camelot.

There were many areas in Camelot where the land had yet to be cultivated.

She couldn’t help but glance at Lot.

[Mmm, not bad at all. Even in this world, I haven’t lost my instincts. Leading my people toward prosperity—I knew I was making the right choice.]

[Hmph, I told my farmers that any land they cultivate will belong to them, and I also promised them five years of tax exemption. With conditions like that, who wouldn’t be motivated to farm?]

[Next, I need to arrange more loans specifically for farmers. The interest rates will be even lower this time—maybe even completely interest-free. When the planting season arrives, I want to ensure that every farmer has the means to buy tools and seeds.]

These were Lot’s inner thoughts.

Morgan’s eyes flickered as she listened.

What is this?

Is Lot a spendthrift?

He’s just throwing money away like this?

Weren’t most lords supposed to make a profit by lending money to farmers at high interest rates?

Low-interest—or even interest-free—loans?

How was he supposed to make money from that?

Morgan couldn’t understand.

After thinking for a moment, she turned to Lot and asked, “Lot, these farmers seem to be living much better than people in other territories.”

“Of course,” Lot replied with a grin. “I’m a competent lord, after all.”

[No kidding. Have you seen the moral standards of the other lords? Compared to them, I’m basically a saint.]

[Those guys have nothing on their minds except exploitation. All they think about is squeezing money out of people and indulging in debauchery. What else do they even know how to do? They drain their lands dry, completely ignoring any concept of sustainable development.]

[The only way to create a truly wealthy territory is to make sure its people prosper first. Hoping for those lords to suddenly grow a conscience? You might as well hope they hang themselves.]

[Honestly, Morgan, it’s a good thing you’re not the king. If you were, your vassals would drive you insane with their lack of integrity. Luckily, we’ll just be sitting back and watching your sister struggle to hold everything together.]

Morgan once again witnessed how different Lot was from the other lords of Britain.

And his policies were actually making his territory more prosperous than the others.

If such strategies were implemented throughout Camelot, the entire kingdom would flourish.

And when the kingdom grew stronger… that usurper Vortigern wouldn’t stand a chance.

He defeated her father back then, but one day, she will utterly crush him.

To make that happen, she needs to learn even more from Lot.

—But wait a minute, you lecherous dog—what did you just say at the end?

She won’t be the ruler of Camelot?

Hmph, she’ll make sure to prove him wrong.

‘I’ll show you my abilities when the time comes!’

Morgan suddenly imagined a future where she and Lot ruled all of Britain together, hand in hand.

The thought of Lot’s elated expression at that moment made the corners of her lips curl up unconsciously.

Lot, seeing her smirk, felt confused.

What did I say that made her look so pleased with herself?