The timid emperor of a kingdom of water-breathing creatures inhabiting a now polluted lake, Nero's subjects have learned to completely ignore him for his sheer incompetence.
His father died of some obscure chronic illness or other, leaving him an occupation he'd already been dreading taking up since childhood.
Thusly, out of anxiety, grief, and fear of ridicule from his own subjects, he spends most of his time on land and away from his royal duties, leaving his kingdom in a chaotic state.