It’s been seven long and hectic years since Shawn Ivan Larson ascended the throne of Australia at the age of twenty-one following the untimely death of his father, the former king Larson, in a plane crash. Although he admits internally that he was a proud and arrogant man, who looked down on almost everyone he met, that still doesn’t justify the hate he was receiving as the king in Australia.
As if it wasn’t already bad enough, he was now being thrown in the same sentence with the likes of war-hungry leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un as tyrants of the present generation.Running both the country’s internal and external affairs has not been an easy task for him to handle alone at all. He was always moody and had a terrible frown on his face almost every second of the day, due to the extreme stress that comes with being the supreme ruler of one of the most successful and famous nations on the planet.He had a lot on his plate and his days were filled with back-to-back meetings with ministers and officials. His nights were also usually spent catching up on paperwork and reading the latest reports. It was a tedious and lonely life, but he had grown accustomed to it.He had always known that being a king came with its sacrifices, and he had willingly made them all for the sake of his country. But these days he even lacked the zeal and will to do anything productive, he was sick of this kingdom and hated everyone in it. Why can’t these people just let him be for fucks sake?And now he is even being pressured and forced to get a wife. A wife? He didn’t feel like he was truly the tyrant they claimed him to be if he couldn’t even have a say on the topic of his own marriage.For the past few months, there have been incessant riots across the nation demanding the stabilization of the ongoing political conflicts which have led to a lot of bloodshed. Apparently, some top nobles and kindreds have been calling for his impeachment and removal as king.Not that it was even possible to impeach him, but still he was deeply bothered about the whole thing and looking for a permanent solution. And according to the people, the emergence of a queen would help to cool down the tension and also give the people a newfound hope in the aristocratic system which they believe is starting to fail. Most of the annoying protestants carried posters like ‘Australia needs her queen’, and so on.On second thought, he would have hired someone to take over the duties of the queen and get that part of the workload off his shoulders. The truth is, he didn’t even intend to get married in this lifetime, not after what he went through. To him, love didn’t exist and marriage was just a sham. 8 years ago, his first love Aurora “Rory” Williams left his heart shattered when she dumped him to start dating his older half-illegitimate brother, Arthur Larson.Arthur was the crowned prince and set to become the future king, he was spoilt to the core and could do anything he wanted, including stealing his brother’s love. Fortunately, his karma came quickly enough as less than one year later, he died in a terrible plane crash along with their father, Shawn being the second in line to ascend the throne, became king.His childhood was a very painful and traumatic experience that he always longed to forget. Arthur who was less than a year older than Shawn always bullied him from when they were little kids even till their teenage years, knowing their father favored him more and there would be no repercussions for his torments.His favorite hobby was to sit and watch Shawn being beaten blue and black by his friends while laying on the hard cold floor. Shawn and his mother, Queen Ariadne was also treated like trash by his father who favored his mistress and her son, Arthur instead of them, the real family.His father took in a mistress almost immediately after getting married to his mother. The vicious woman, Elena Clark, was from the prominent Clark noble family of Australia and even rushed to conceive for the king before his mother did. Eventually, she gave birth to the late king’s first bastard child, Arthur and after almost a year, his mother also gave birth to him.Despite the majority of the people calling for him to be made the crowned prince instead of his older illegitimate brother, his father insisted otherwise due to his love and obsession for Elena. Unfortunately, the whole thing died down as his mother was only just a girl with no big political backing.She was from a powerless kindred family who got together with his father by chance thinking it was love at first sight, and a Cinderella type of story, only for him to break her into a million pieces by bringing in a mistress almost immediately after their glamorous royal wedding.Even though his mother, Queen Ariadne held the crown, for years, she was like a marionette who didn’t have a say in anything and was bullied by both palace staff and nobles almost every day till her death from an unknown illness when he was 14 years old.After her death, Shawn was extremely depressed and heartbroken but he soon found solace in reading books and practicing his sword fighting. But no matter how much he tried, he still could not shake off the feeling of emptiness that consumed him.That was until he met Rory Williams one year later when he was 15 and she was 13 years old. She became his best friend and childhood sweetheart. Rory’s family ‘The Williams’ were a powerful kindred family who had strong connections and ties with the nobles so they often frequented the royal palace, attending events and balls. And they had met on one of such occasions.Their friendship blossomed for three years before they eventually started dating. Back then, she was like his new shining light and the reason for his happiness. They were each other’s first love, first kiss, and first everything. All that new love and happiness Shawn felt was unparalleled but it didn’t last for long.Two years later, it all came crashing down when his older illegitimate brother, Arthur developed an interest in Rory. As the crown prince, he had the upper hand and used the position to his advantage.Shawn knew that Arthur didn’t actually like Rory, he just wanted to destroy the envious relationship they shared and this was unknown by the gullible girl. Sadly, Arthur was able to easily manipulate the then-18-year-old Rory and eventually stole her away from Shawn, leaving him more heartbroken. Since then, he became angry at the world and full of scorn.He still remembered the last words Rory had said to him before running straight into the arms of Arthur for hugs right in front of him. “I’m sorry Shawnie, I do love you but I have to think of my future and my family’s future first. Being with Arthur means I’ll become the crowned princess soon enough and help my family achieve greater heights in the empire. Please don’t take it to heart”. Shawn couldn't help but feel betrayed by Rory's decision. He had always thought that their love was strong enough to overcome any obstacle, but it seemed that the lure of power and prestige had been too much for her to resist. Despite the pain he felt, Shawn tried to understand Rory's position and the difficult choices she had to make. However, he couldn't help but wonder if she would have made the same decision if she truly loved him. To him, true love was nonexistent in this world. He hated hearing the word “LOVE”. Over the years, Shawn has tried his possible best to move on, but the pain and bet
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
As the days went by, the people of Australia and worldwide observers waited with bated breath for the announcement of the chosen bride. The highborn young ladies who had applied were all anxious and nervous, hoping that they had what it takes to win the heart of the king and become the queen. Things were getting heated on the internet as the D-Day for the announcement of the chosen queen, February 21st drew closer.As Catherine scrolled through her social media feed, she noticed something peculiar. A lot of young ladies, who had applied to be the queen, were posting their profiles and pictures from the Royal Seal website for all to see on their social media accounts. Obviously, they were trying to get the attention of the king and the people. This caused a frenzy online and people started comparing who had the best background, beauty, education, character, and so on.Catherine couldn't help but feel a little disgusted by the way some of them were flaunting themselves. It seemed as th
It was a cool Saturday morning, Catherine woke up early as usual, feeling refreshed and ready to start her day. She got out of bed and stretched, letting out a long yawn as she walked over to her balcony. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a beautiful orange glow over the city of New York. She couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and contentment as she gazed out and admired the amazing view.She quickly started her usual weekend cleanup and made sure her whole place was extremely neat and cozy. She then made sandwiches for a quick breakfast and fed her pet some canned sardines before heading to the bathroom for a soak in her bathtub.Afterward, she proceeded to her closet to select her outfit for the day. She was going to stay indoors and rest so she opted for simple house wear. Catherine loved white headbands so much that she had about thirteen of them. She put on a sexy sleeveless white top to match her white headband and white flip-flop slippers. And then a tight blue Je
Catherine shifted her gaze back to the man standing tall at about 6ft3 meters in front of her. Only after hearing the voice of Sir Bradley did she realize this wasn’t an illusion at all, the man even knew her last name. She quickly fell to her knees and bowed her head towards the king’s feet in a state of panic.“Greetings to the Great King of the golden lands, master of the endless skies and boundless seas. Blessed with the strength of the sun and Southern Cross, ruler of the vast and bountiful lands of Australia, beloved by all who dwell beneath your banner, I am your loyal subject”, Catherine said in one breath as her head remained bowed. She heaved a small sign of relief thanking God she still remembered the “King’s Official Salutations” which was taught in middle school.“Rise”, she finally heard his deep and authoritative voice. She raised her head to look at him while still kneeling as if pinned to the ground. She could not find the strength to stand back up as he had commanded
"Are you always this nervous around royalty?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Catherine's heart skipped a beat at the question and bit her lower lip feeling embarrassed. She felt her cheeks heat up as she fumbled for a response."N-no, your grace. I'm just..... really surprised by your visit," she managed to say, trying to keep her voice steady.The king chuckled. "I know. You look like you've seen a ghost. But you look quite adorable when you're flustered", he said, making Catherine look up at him in surprise and her cheeks blushed even more. She couldn't believe that the king was actually flirting with her. ‘I thought they said he was a cold and unexpressive person with lifeless eyes’, she thought, yet he seemed to be the total opposite of that right now. She had never felt so tense and yet so exhilarated at the same time.She tried to steady her raging thoughts and asked, "Ehmm, your majesty, may I know the reason for your visit?"The king's expression finally turne
Shawn leaned back on the couch, his eyes fixed on Catherine's face. Looking at the way she fidgeted with her dress and bit her bottom lip tightly, his Adam's apple bulbed up and down. She probably wasn’t aware of how seductive she looked right now. He already knew he was attracted to her from the start when he couldn’t stop looking at her photos online. But seeing her in person right now..... He swallowed and tried to clear up his thoughts to focus on what he came for."I know, it's a bit of a surprise visit. But this is a matter of great importance and I had to come and see you in person”, he said firmly.Catherine frowned, still feeling confused. "See me? Why would your majesty want to see me in person?" She asked. His aides stood still, watching their exchange with keen interest.Shawn's eyes flickered with amusement at her question. "Are you sure you don't know? You really don't know why I'm here?" He added while smirking, his voice calm and measured. Catherine's heart skipped a b
“It’s ok,” he said with a slight wave of his hand. “I understand that this may come as a shock to you, and I do not expect an immediate answer. Take some time to consider my proposal, and if you choose to accept, we can discuss the details further, as well as make an official announcement,” the king said.Catherine nodded slowly, still in awe of the king's offer. She couldn't believe that she was being considered as a potential queen. It was something that she had never even imagined in her wildest dreams. She knew right now she needed time to recollect herself as well as steady her breathing and her current disheveled appearance due to her obviously embarrassing goosebumps.“Uhmm, excuse me, sir, I....I....I’ll just go in my room for a while and come back,” Catherine quickly excused herself and didn’t bother to wait for the king’s reply, her mind was in a turmoil. She rushed to her room and slammed the door shut behind her, then immediately started pacing about and trying to make sen