Regent cold and calculated

Today is the fifth week from the darkest night
The king remains bed-ridden
I must attend to more and more
Of matters for which I care not
But my king's orders are to be followed
He knows best after all
I follow him best I can
To know, to learn
For one day I will lead these people too
His son is long-gone, and no heir apparent remains
He claims his son will return
But I know that's just an old man's hopeful tale
The king's wise, calm and secure
But he calculates oh so poor
It's why I'm here
For every time he steps into the streets
Someone could make an attempt on his life
So I ensure the streets are clear
I ensure his safety's paramount always
And yet sometimes he evades my gaze
He sneaks out and is always safe
I will never understand the gift this man possesses...
For a man to walk among the commonfolk unabashed and unafraid
He possesses true courage, or foolishness
But my king's no fool
Today is the seventeenth week from the darkest night
The king's eyesight is getting worse
And his arm can sign no more
The queen has taken over all the paperwork
Only his voice and mind remain strong
Foresight remains solid as well
Though sometimes he doesn't see what the world sees
This kingdom is going to fracture without a guiding hand
People are at each other's throats
Everyone proposes a replacement for him
The man still remains at his post!
He's still guarding the realm
Still guiding it much as he can
I hope the queen is wise to know
That only I can hold chaos at bay
By any means necessary
The kingdom must remain
His legacy must live on
For he was the greatest born
Noble of action, upbringing, birth
None like him on this earth
My mentor
The man who adopted my skills from such a young age
He brought me about this side of the world
Now I see things as they truly are
I see the people loved the idea of him
But they never loved my king
Today is the thirtieth week since
The king's state is worse
His voice is frail too
His eyes no longer see
Everything he must know, I must repeat
He trusts me to maintain things
And trusted the queen as well
But the traitor left the kingdom
To seek her long lost son
Or so she says
But given the number of guards she took
And the amount that the treasury expelled
There's no way she's not going to buy her way
Into another court from the rival realms
I must focus my thoughts on the kingdom
I must maintain what my king has built
Our economy's booming now
But soon it'll take a hit
What will the neighbours - regions or nations
What will they say when the king's gone?
I must ensure they know I'm to be trusted
Else our trade will die and stop
So I will make my trips, whether my king approves or not
I will ensure that stability remains, at all costs
My king stopped advising me to visit the people
Did he finally give up
Or does he expect me to do so willing?
I trust them not
I fear their power
For every stone thrown at my king's feet
Always rested below ours
Today's the darkest day yet
The king is gone
I've risen to ascend the throne as regent
Till the son returns if he does
The law dictates that I will rule and so will my children
So their future I must secure, a father must never be a burden
I will enforce the rules
I will make sure the traitorous queen does not return
The people do not like me
That's okay
I never liked them as well
But that matters not
They're still the subjects beneath my throne
My king has always said
"A king must be compassionate to his people"
But I am no king
I am cold and calculated. I am the regent
I will ensure the stability of this kingdom
I will ensure that this place survives
I will ensure that one day under my guidance
The people learn to thrive
What matters is not the individual
The problems of little women and men
What matters - truly matters - is the welfare
Of everyone