Chapter 6 A Ruthless King

He had never heard of her before but he knew about the Jones family of Melbourne. Although their family’s wealth, fame, and influence had been dwindling over the years, they were still current among the top 20 kindred clans in Australia, which was good enough, to begin with. Besides, he didn’t ask them to screen the candidates base on who has the best family background but on the caliber of the lady. He didn't want to choose a queen due to her family's wealth or status, but rather on her character and suitability for the role. “Bring me her profile information,” he commanded in his usual authoritative manner. One of the officials quickly scrambled forward and politely handed him a document containing her profile and a picture. Firstly, he took a quick glance at her photo and was stunned. “......”. ‘Not bad,’ he thought inwardly while his face remained grim and expressionless. The woman can be said to be strikingly gorgeous at first glimpse. She had a pair of pretty and bright brown eyes with a small smile on her face, in the photo. He noticed that she wasn't overdressed for the shoot neither did she put on any piece of jewelry, her beauty was pure and it made her more charming. He liked what he saw. Shawn didn't realize that he had been dumbstruck staring at her photo for more than a minute until his trusted aide, Bradley started clearing his throat. Shawn looked up in embarrassment for a while but couldn't quite stop his neck from shifting back down to look at the woman's face again. “Your majesty, please also take a look at the lady's information too and let us know what you think,” Albert Tudor spoke up again, with slight nervousness evident in his tone. Shawn only nodded his dazed head and quickly picked up the other document, placing it in front of the picture in his hand. The first thing written was her full name, ‘Catherine Lana Jones’. His eyes quickly scanned the rest of her information as the officials waited with tension in the air. Name: Catherine Lana Jones Clan: The Jones Clan of Melbourne (16th Family Of Australia) Hometown: Jennor Town, Melbourne, Australia Date of birth: 28th October 2000 Age: 23 Zodiac sign: Scorpio Height: 5 Ft 10 (176cm) Eye color: Dark brown Hair color: Black and Golden Brown shades. Genotype: AA Blood Group: O+ Educational Background : Narnia High School, Melbourne New York University(NYU), USA — BSc in Journalism (Triple major Honors) Massachusetts Institute Of Technology(MIT), USA — MSc in Journalism (Triple major Honors) Harvard University, USA - Ph.D. in Journalism Relationship Status: Single Language(s): English, Spanish, German, Mandarin, French, Filipino, Russian, Korean Occupation: Freelance journalist, reporter. Favorite Hobby: Skateboarding, cooking, singing. Favorite Color(s): Purple, White....... Shawn kept going over the details of her profile again and again. He finally put down the record after what seemed like an eternity. “Hmmm,” and then he let out a sneer. “Are u sure all the information written here is the truth?” he raised his voice and directed his gaze to the tense-looking officials in front of him. Sweat trickled down their foreheads giving away their anxiety and trepidation. He was an extreme narcissist, who loved the power he held over others. He had the ability to instill fear by doing the bare minimum and it fed his alter ego, validating his sense of self-importance. So as the king and supreme ruler, he made sure to make people fear him and tremble at his feet. He leaned back in closer to his seat, his eyes narrowing as he continued to scrutinize them while waiting for a response. “Yes, your.....your majesty, we conducted a thorough research on the lady as well just to make sure everything is correct.” Albert Tudor, the head of the council quickly replied to him in a quivering voice. He hated dealing with His Majesty, especially on this kind of crucial matter. Only his piercing stare was enough to make one pee in their pants. Shawn became silent as he took another glance at her info. Yes, he had instructed them to search for the best and most impressive woman. But now he felt like this one was too good to be true. She had a very sound academic background and could even speak 8 languages which was a truly brilliant feat. But he knew he couldn't just make a decision based on a profile and picture. He needed to make sure everything on here wasn't just made up, and neither could he trust their findings alone. He needed to know more about her, to ensure that she was indeed suitable for the role of queen and had no skeletons in her cupboards. “Fine then. You can all leave now. But let this remain a secret until I conduct my own investigations, I'm I clear?” he said, his voice cold and commanding. “Yes, your Grace,” Albert responded as he breathe a huge sigh of relief. He turned around on his heels and proceeded to walk out of the king-sized study with the rest of the royal seal officials. “One more thing,” Shawn blurted out before they were able to walk halfway through to the two huge doors. “If this gets out, I would have only the nine of you to blame. And you all know what I do to traitors.” He warned with murdering intent in his eyes. Hopefully, the news of this wouldn't get out until he was done with his detailed investigation of her. Or else, he would cut out all of their tongues as he does to other palace spies who are caught every now and then. They bowed their heads in panic and quickly scurried away. As the council members filed out of the king's study, the air was thick with tension, and the weight of the king's warning hung over them like a dark cloud. Their leader, Albert Tudor couldn't help but feel a sense of worry and dread. He knew the stakes were high, and any mistake could cost him dearly. He had been in service to the king for years, but dealing with His Majesty's temper and unpredictability never got any easier. The king's warning about keeping the matter a secret weighed heavily on his mind as he thought about the possibility that it could easily leak out. The consequences of betraying the king's trust were severe, and Albert had witnessed firsthand the brutal punishments that were meted out to palace spies who were caught. The King was simply ruthless in his dealings with traitors. He decided to hold an immediate meeting with the rest of the royal seal members regarding how to keep the matter of Catherine Jones’ selection hidden. One has to be clever to keep staying alive while working for a man like Shawn, and he wasn't about to take any chances. Meanwhile, after they left, Shawn continued to go through her information over and over again. There was something about her that he found intriguing. She seemed to be different from all the other applicants, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was her career as a journalist that caught his attention or her simple lifestyle. But despite his growing interest, King Shawn knew he had to learn more about her beyond her profile. He quickly assigned some of his most trusted aides to investigate Catherine discreetly, checking into her past and present, and gathering as much intake as they could. He knew it was a delicate matter, but he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. He needed to be absolutely sure that this lady was the right choice. And if eventually, the investigations turn out right, he also needed to meet Catherine in person before he made any final decisions.