A baby calling out "Daddy" and "Mommy" is supposed to be a joyous occasion.
It is the greatest happiness of parenthood.
But...
This little one is only one month old!
If your one-year-old child did this, it'd already be horrifying enough.
This is just way too fast!
Lot and Morgan stared at each other in disbelief.
"Could our child be a prodigy?"
Morgan cast a suspicious glance at Gawain.
"Perhaps... yes."
[I don't recall Gawain causing such a fuss in the original timeline. But then again, Gawain's gone from 'he' to 'she' so a little more weirdness isn't out of the question. Besides, Buddha himself supposedly declared 'Throughout heaven and earth, i alone am the honored one' right after birth. So my Gawain saying 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' after a month isn't that big a deal.]
Morgan couldn't help but shoot Lot a look.
Who is this 'Buddha'?
Is he that impressive?
As Morgan pondered this, Gawain had already reached out and grabbed her cheek.
"Mommy..."
Gawain tilted her head and spoke again.
Morgan picked her up, but after doing so, she frowned slightly and turned to Lot.
"Lot, why does Gawain feel so much heavier?"
Just this morning, when she'd been playing with Gawain, she hadn't noticed any significant weight.
But now, holding her again, she could feel the difference.
Babies don't put on weight this fast, do they?
"Huh? Heavier?"
Lot didn't notice much of a change after all, he had been the one carrying her all this time, so the difference wasn't as obvious to him.
"You're way too careless."
Morgan didn't know how to react to Lot's nonchalance.
With a sigh, she waved it off.
"Never mind. It seems our child is just a genius. If she develops faster, she'll be able to help us sooner."
If she couldn't make sense of it, there was no point forcing it.
"Mhm."
Lot nodded in agreement.
[...This shouldn't be a problem, right?]
He couldn't help but feel a little uncertain.
Noticing Lot's lingering gaze, Gawain stretched out her arms and grabbed his collar.
"Daddy, hug."
Her words were still slurred and unclear.
"Ah!"
Hearing this, Lot immediately broke into a grin and took her into his arms.
Once nestled against his chest, Gawain closed her eyes contentedly, looking utterly at peace.
Seeing her so comfortable, Morgan couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance.
Placing her hands on her hips, she addressed her daughter
"Sweetheart, let me ask you do you want to stay in your father's arms, or your mother's?"
"Huh?"
Gawain blinked her innocent little eyes in confusion.
Then...
After three whole seconds of contemplation
She snuggled deeper into Lot's embrace.
"Pfft HAHAHA!"
Lot burst out laughing at Morgan's exasperated expression.
But then, he gently patted Gawain's back and whispered to her
"Though I'm very happy you chose me, you can only stay like this for a little while. My chest... belongs to your mother."
Hearing this, Morgan's irritation melted away, replaced by smug satisfaction as she shot her daughter a triumphant look.
Gawain, however, looked like she was about to cry.
She didn't fully understand why, but she just felt wronged.
Deeply wronged.
...
As it turned out, Lot's concerns weren't unfounded.
Over the following days, as Lot and Morgan busied themselves with preparations for Camelot's nationwide examinations drafting questions, announcements, and other arrangements Gawain's growth became more and more alarming.
Day 1:
Kay: "Your Majesty, it seems Princess Gawain has started crawling."
Day 3:
Tristan: "What is Princess Gawain doing? Standing up to walk?"
Day 5:
Artoria: "Princess Gawain, what are you that's my food! You're only a month old, you can't eat that!"
"I don't think my brother's concern is about her age," Kay mused from a distance, rubbing his chin as he spoke to Galahad beside him. "It's more that the food was his."
"Perhaps so."
Galahad, ever the good-natured boy, felt a little awkward about gossiping behind someone's back.
Even if he privately agreed.
Seeing Galahad's hesitation, Kay shrugged.
"Tch. You're way too honest, Gala. Takes all the fun out of it."
Galahad responded with an embarrassed smile.
Day 7:
Even Galahad couldn't hide his astonishment anymore.
Watching the golden-haired Girl Gawain skip past him, Galahad didn't know what expression to make.
How did she grow this much in just a few days?
During this period, Gawain seemed to have undergone some miraculous transformation. Every day, her growth was visibly apparent. In just seven days, she had gone from a one-month-old infant to the size of a three- or four-year-old.
"Big Brother Galahad, hello!"
Just as he was thinking this, Gawain looked up at him and greeted him cheerfully.
"Mhm."
Galahad couldn't help but recall the Gawain of his previous life a knight of unparalleled renown, undefeated on the battlefield under the sun. Even with his own confidence in his abilities, Galahad didn't believe he could defeat that Gawain in a fair fight.
And yet, here she was a Girl who barely reached his thigh.
It felt surreal.
As he pondered this, Gawain spoke again:
"Big Brother Galahad, can you do something for me?"
(It's worth noting that Galahad also held the status of Lot's adopted son. So, Gawain should be calling him "Big Brother.")
"What is it?"
Galahad looked down at her.
"Can you take me to Daddy? I miss him."
Gawain sucked on her finger as she made her request.
"...Alright."
After a brief pause, Galahad nodded.
Having spent enough time with them, he knew King Lot and Queen Morgan weren't the kind of rulers who stood on ceremony. If this were King Arthur's court, Galahad wouldn't have dared to act so casually.
Arthur would have insisted on strict adherence to protocol, with no regard for personal feelings.
But Morgan and Lot were different.
They valued human connections.
So even though Camelot hadn't yet expanded to the same scale as in Galahad's original timeline, the people's love for their rulers was no less than before.
With that in mind, Galahad led Gawain to where Lot and Morgan were working.
...
At that moment, Lot and Morgan were deep in discussion, finalizing the examination questions and other administrative tasks.
While minor chores could be delegated to Kay or Galahad, some matters had to be handled personally.
For instance, drafting the exam questions.
No one else knew exactly what kind of talents they were looking for.
This was something they had to do themselves.
Moreover, Lot's past-life experience had taught him one thing the final authority over the examinations could not be entrusted to others. Only those selected by the king and queen themselves would be truly loyal.
So these days, the two had been too busy to look after Gawain, staying up late to finalize the exam materials.
Even Lot couldn't slack off.
[Ugh, I wanna laze around!]
Slumped over the desk, Lot internally wailed.
Morgan, who was enthusiastically researching the kinds of talents Camelot needed, heard his thoughts and shot him an amused glance.
This guy...
"If you keep slacking off, we'll never finish."
She nudged him.
"And if we don't finish, we can't rest."
"Ugh!"
Lot groaned dramatically, tilting his head back against his chair.
Morgan rolled her eyes.
This guy always poured his stamina into the weirdest things. But when it came to important work, his patience ran out fast.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Your Majesties, Galahad requests an audience."
His voice was respectful.
"Hm? What is it?"
Lot straightened up.
"Father, Princess Gawain wishes to see you. I've brought her."
"Oh? Let her in."
The moment he heard this, Lot perked up.
"As you wish."
The office door creaked open.
Before Galahad could step inside, Gawain had already dashed past him, rushing straight toward Lot.
"Daddy!"
She threw herself into his arms.
"There she is!"
Lot caught her with a laugh.
Morgan, meanwhile, shot her daughter another sidelong glance.
This girl...
Always clinging to her father.
Ugh.
As he held her, Lot noticed Gawain now weighed about as much as a four-year-old. Her mental development seemed to match as well.
Gawain's rapid growth had taken everyone by surprise.
And it hadn't gone without criticism.
The priests in the church, upon witnessing her unnatural development, had rushed to Morgan, declaring that Gawain was a demon from hell.
Morgan's response?
Ordering her knights to beat the living daylights out of them.
How dare you insult my daughter like that.
After the thrashing, the priests decided women were impossible to reason with and turned to Lot instead.
They warned him about Gawain's unnatural growth, insisting it was a sign of something sinister.
This time, Lot didn't order his men to do the beating.
He did it himself.
Who the hell do you think you are, questioning my daughter?
You Catholics in Camelot have gotten way too comfortable.
Don't make me establish the Church of Camelot early and put all you European missionaries out of a job. You even had the nerve to demand tithes from me last time trying to steal my taxes?
You've got a death wish.
As for Gawain's growth, Lot did know the reason.
It traced back to the water from the River of Time she had drunk.
He'd later noticed the fish in the bucket had also grown rapidly apparently, the water accelerated biological development.
Gawain wasn't a genius.
She'd just benefited from her father's cheat code.
But the growth would stop here.
The amount she'd ingested was too small enough to reach the level of a four- or five-year-old, but no further.
If he wanted, Lot could take her back to the River of Time and have her grow into an adult instantly, ready to assist with governance.
But he dismissed the idea after a second of consideration.
This was his daughter.
She deserved a proper childhood.
Forcing her to mature prematurely could lead to psychological issues. For her sake, he would never resort to such shortcuts.
As Gawain giggled in her father's arms, Galahad couldn't help but look on wistfully.
"Father, I'll take my leave now," he said softly.
"Why leave?" Lot gave him a puzzled look. "We're family. Wouldn't that be too distant?"
"Ah..."
Galahad hadn't expected that response.
Seeing his hesitation, Lot stood and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Come, sit. Spend some time with your little sister."
He guided Galahad to a seat.
[And help me with these documents while you're at it.]
"That 'while you're at it' is the real reason, isn't it?" Morgan thought, amused.
But it was only natural.
Children should be allowed to enjoy their youth.
But once they grew up?
Time to work for their parents.
Seeing Gawain still playing in Lot's arms, Morgan stood and walked over.
"Little one, don't you know your father's tired? Come here let Mommy hold you..."
What I give, you may take. What I don't, you may not.
As Gawain was lifted away from her father, she let out a disgruntled "Ack!" and looked pleadingly at Lot.
But Lot could only shrug helplessly.
After all, in this household
He was only second in command.
Morgan was firmly in first place.