He didn't regret or hate anything about his position, he had been raised to do this after all. But some days Charles wished he could just wave away duty for a few hours and retire early. That, however, was irresponsible and therefore, would never happen. Even when he was ill -as rare as that was, he just pressed onward.
He also enjoyed it a great deal. Especially the parts that required him to interact with others. He was incredibly social by nature and genuinely loved being around people of all manners of life -the rich and the poor, the noble and the peasantry... So while he had watched the sky darken through the window while he held council and longed to put it away for the day, he sat vigilantly and listened as certain affairs of state were discussed.
By the time everything had wrapped up, he'd finally gotten a chance to eat and set off for the bedroom, the castle was lit by candles and torches. It was far later than he liked. Since Ananya had not sought him out after he had missed the formal dinner hour, he assumed she had already made her way to bed.
Closing the door behind him after assuring the passing servant that he did not need anything, he lit a few candles and smiled at what he assumed was the already sleeping figure of his wife. Ah well, they'd talk tomorrow, then.
The first thing he shed were the shoes. It had been an unnaturally warm day so just allowing his feet to be bare did a great deal for cooling him off. There was the rare hot day that made him occasionally long for winter. It was easier to get warm. You built a fire and/or put on more layers. It was harder to cool off. There were only so many things he could remove and still be respectable.
Then he removed the jewelry, the belt, the tunic... until all that remained were his trousers. Charles sighed, moved to the window as quietly as he could and pulled the curtains back. It was a clear night and the moonlight lit what the candles in the room did not. But that was hardly reason. The room faced west, the curtains were always tightly pulled in the afternoons and early evening during the summer months to keep as much stifling heat out as possible. Now that the sun was down there was a gloriously cool breeze.
After being cooped up in inner rooms with little air circulation most of the day, the soft breeze was almost sinful.