One prince charming searching for his true love.
Twelve beautiful damsels, elves, a dwarf & a commoner competing for the prince's hand in marriage.
One shadow lurking behind the scenes, trying to assassinate the royal family and take control of the empire.
Warning: if youâre susceptible to falling in love with handsome and charming princes, turn back now or youâll never recover. Prince Zadkielâs charismatic personality will have you begging for more. Read at your own risk!
Prince Zadkiel has to find a wife to fulfill a treaty. Twelve damsels from all over the realm enter a competition to test their mental aptness, physical prowess, and compatibility with the prince. The winner of the daily competition enjoys a private date with him in the hopes of being chosen as his bride. But the stakes grow higher when different kingdoms expect Zadkiel to chose their daughter . . . or else.
Amidst the dates, a dark figure keeps following them around and begins to attack the contestants and the prince. Yet nobody knows who it is or what they want with the girls.
*You do not need to read book 1 before reading Prince Zadkiel.*
One prince charming searching for his true love.
Twelve beautiful damsels, elves, a dwarf & a commoner competing for the prince's hand in marriage.
One shadow lurking behind the scenes, trying to assassinate the royal family and take control of the empire.
Warning: if youâre susceptible to falling in love with handsome and charming princes, turn back now or youâll never recover. Prince Zadkielâs charismatic personality will have you begging for more. Read at your own risk!
Prince Zadkiel has to find a wife to fulfill a treaty. Twelve damsels from all over the realm enter a competition to test their mental aptness, physical prowess, and compatibility with the prince. The winner of the daily competition enjoys a private date with him in the hopes of being chosen as his bride. But the stakes grow higher when different kingdoms expect Zadkiel to chose their daughter . . . or else.
Amidst the dates, a dark figure keeps following them around and begins to attack the contestants and the prince. Yet nobody knows who it is or what they want with the girls.
*You do not need to read book 1 before reading Prince Zadkiel.*
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âYou look so fetching in blue,â my mother said and set about fiddling with my collar, then straightening out my doublet, even though it had been pressed that very morning. âYou and Nikko are, without a doubt, the most handsome princes in the entire realm. Absolutely adorable.â
ââAdorableâ?â I cleared my throat and now spoke to her in the deepest, throatiest voice possible. ââFetchingâ is suitable. Perhaps even âdapper,â but most certainly Nikko and I are not âadorable.â After all, Iâm almost nineteen. Iâve commanded ships and fought centaurs and Iâm first in line to become the next Velazian Emperor. Girls can be âadorable,â not grown men.â
âI second that,â my younger brother, Nikko, said from across the room.
âOh, all right.â She diverted her attention to inspecting my sleeves for lint . . . for the third time.
âOh, we all know youâre soft and sweet like candy on the inside.â Saqoiya came in from behind and squeezed my waist in a tickle attack, making me jump and yelp.
âHey! Stop that.â My hands went up in fighting mode.
I canât believe I just yelped. Iâm a warrior. A crown prince. And now my ego has been sufficiently deflated by the actions of a young maiden: my rascal of a sister.
Saqoiya chuckled and plopped on the sofa.
âOh dear, get off.â Our mother quickly motioned for Saqoiya to get up. âYouâll wrinkle your dress.â She now began flattening my sisterâs skirts and aligning her necklace.
The mother hen is at it again.
âThis is an important day for your brother. I just want everything to be perfect.â
âEverything is perfect, Mom,â Saqoiya said. âDonât worry.â
âThe Royal Matchmaking Competition might be a month-long event, but the opening ceremony provides an opportunity to make good first impressions to our foreign guests,â my mother explained. âThis isnât just about Zadkiel choosing a bride among the eleven most eligible bachelorettes in the realm in order to serve a two hundred year old treaty, itâs a chance to appease the cities in our empire, make alliances and negotiate trade with our foreign neighbors, all whileââ
âYes, yes. We know, Mom.â Saqoiya huffed with her arms crossed. It wasnât the first time our mother expounded upon the importance of this RMC, not only for my love life, but for the greater good of the Velazian Empire as well.
I pushed the list of eleven contestants that sat atop the solid oak buffet table to the side and dared not pick up their profiles againâeleven, because the city of Baylor wasnât participating. Each city was allowed to nominate their own contestant. The first four girls were foreign noblewomen from the outlying queendom, kingdoms, and empire. Seven of the girls were noblewomen from the empireâs seven cities. The last contestant was a commoner from the capital, Velazia City, who had won the opportunity to participate during a contest held by the crown. In total, there were five princesses, two duchesses, two countesses, a viscountess, and a baker.
Already I had read their profiles too many times. After all, they were designed to impress me, but there was so much more to a human that cannot be properly described in so few words. And once the contestants did arrive, they would be on their best behavior. Simply put, I wanted to know the finer aspects about each girl, including their quirks and imperfections before I chose the one. Therefore, I had done a little research and asked about each girl with other nobles who had met them before, hoping to gather some juicy insights.
âPrincess Grace of Tildon is extraordinarily refined, regal, and intelligent,â one woman from Tildon had told me. âShe has no imperfections. Sheâs perfect for you!â
âHave you heard about the Centaurian contestant commanding ships?â Sir McKinley of Centaurus (our constable) had said. âSheâs the perfect leader. No need to look further for a wife.â
âThe Nololay contestant is your perfect counterpart,â my Nololay grandmother had said. âIf it wasnât for the RMC, I would have arranged this marriage myself.â
Alas, my questioning led me nowhere. Everyone was biased about the contestant from their own city. I would have to wait until the dates got underway to figure this out. My younger siblings had agreed to help and were pixieish enough in their ways to weed out the girlsâ deeper, darker secrets too.
At the moment, my entire immediate family was gathered inside the purple drawing room, overlooking the front of the palace from the third floorâchecking that their shoes were tied and every last hair was in placeâbefore we headed to the opening ceremony. Or in my three youngest siblingâs case . . . pointing out the window at our noble guests as they arrived.
âWhat if we donât like the girl who Zadkiel chooses?â The three conspired together. âCan we frighten her into not marrying him?â
On second thought . . . perhaps I shouldnât involve them.
âDonât judge the girls based on their portrait or profile alone.â My motherâs silky voice hummed from the side, drawing my attention to her.
âI am trying not to,â I said and shoved the contestantsâ profiles inside of the buffet drawer.
âSuch was a mistake I had made in the beginning of my RMC, when I had predetermined that Iâd marry Prince Edgar of Baylor. But, of course, my cruel mother had ingrained that absurd notion into my head.â My mother pursed her lips.
âBut luckilyââmy father wrapped his arms around her, offering a kiss to her cheekââQloey wizened up and chose me.â
She chuckled as their noses rubbed against one another. Theirs was a relationship that I wanted to emulate with whomever I chose to marry. Love. Friendship. Political partnership. Spiritual soul mates. Surely I could find all of that with one of these eleven maidens.
âCan you two get your own room?â Saqoiya raised a single eyebrow at our parents.
âOh, Saqoiya,â my mother sang with a chortle, waving her off as her cheeks flushed.
âIâve been wondering, in the scenario that one of these girls refuses to sign the mutual rescission and leave . . . just as Edgar had done . . .â My words trailed off. This competition was a matter of international relations, therefore, I had to eliminate contestants carefully, with official documents stating that they agreed to it. Prince Edgar had refused to sign the papers three times, and hadnât given up until my parents were officially engaged. What if one of my contestants would become overzealous about winning the crown and caused trouble?
âHe was the first in RMC history to do so,â my father said. âItâs unlikely to happen again. But if it does, weâll support you in whatever way we can, Zadkiel.â
âI appreciate that.â
The grandfather clock on the wall slowly ticked along. Every second made me more anxious to leave this suffocating room and begin the process.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The closer it came to the top of the hour, the slower the hands moved.
I grabbed a string off the coffee table and began pulling my black, shoulder-length hair back.
âWhat are you doing?â Saqoiya rushed over and took the string from me. âTrust me . . . the girls will love to see your long hair down.â
âOh, yes. Do keep it down,â my mother agreed. âYour hair is . . . strapping.â She finally used my own terminology, even though it didnât quite work in this context.
I was outnumbered now, so I let my hair hang loose around my shoulders. Instead of fiddling with my hair, I decided to inspect my doublet and . . . really, anything to pass the time.
My attire today was made of royal blue velvet with slit sleeves that hung loosely down my arms. Occasionally, white fabric peeked out from underneath. Several military medals adorned my chest. Black leather boots reached up to my knees with matching trousers underneath, and a metal belt and scabbard hung loosely at my side so I could carry my sword. I wouldnât dare go anywhere without my sword. In times like these, with so many guests, I had to keep an eye out for the safety of myself and others. Being the crown prince of the Seven Cities meant that everyone had an interest in me, whether it be to attain my influence, my money, my heart, or my life. Nevertheless, I was not a suspicious man, simply a well prepared one. I would rather trust my companions than be suspicious of them.
My garb was perfect, so I experimented by putting on a serious facial expression, like I was headed into battle. No, the angry look will turn the girls away. Instead, I lifted my eyebrows and revealed a cheesy smile, with all of my teeth showing. Now I look creepy. So I put on a neutral face. This expression was the most suitable of the three. Maybe a slight smile would suffice.
To finish it off, I placed my crown upon my headâwith a jewel that represented each of our empireâs cities embedded on the gold rim: amethyst, diamond, ruby, emerald, aquamarine, rainbow moonstone, and citrine.
âBy the way, have any of you heard the rumors about Baylor?â Saqoiya asked while inspecting her red nail polish.
This was the perfect distraction from my man-vanity, so I pulled myself away from the mirror.
âA Baylorian contestant might show up today,â Saqoiya said.
My motherâs eyes darkened, telling me she hadnât heard.
âWhich is worse,â I asked, and made my way toward the window, âthe city of Baylor boycotting the RMC, declaring their long-desired independence from the empire, or them sending a last-minute contestant, potentially taking the throne back through marriage?â
My mother growled, liking neither option, one considerably less than the other. âThe latter will never happen. Rest assured.â
I glanced outside. No carriage from Baylor was parked outside. Their carriages were easy to spot, with green and yellow flags that clashed with their red rubies. An ugly combination.
Because of our inimical relations, the Baylorian royalty originally planned to boycott the RMC. That action, however, only gladdened my motherâs heart. She happily accepted their withdraw by announcing the satisfying outcome to the press. Perhaps it was because we were gloating about their intended slight that Baylor had suddenly realized the importance of this occasion, and thereafter admitted Prince Edgarâs daughter into the RMC. In response, Empress Qloey sent a letter stating that, âBecause Edgar had tried to manipulate the previous RMC outcome, he wonât be allowed to attend with his family.â His daughter sent her withdrawal letter stating that, âIf my father cannot attend, then Baylor will no longer recognize the RMCâs legitimacy.â There was, however, no legal basis in this and we replied that we could still âcharge Edgar with treason for his actions years ago.â They dropped their accusation after that. Since then, weâd been back to square one, with nobody from Baylor participating.
âThey have a right to be here,â Saqoiya said nonchalantly.
âItâs all hearsay. No respectable lady will show up unannounced. Itâs time, everyone.â My mother headed toward the door, yet her eyes remained downcast. I held compassion for the pain she carried from her past. But at some point, she would have to forgive, heal, and move on, instead of letting Baylor push her buttons so much.
The grandfather clock ticked on.
Tick. Tick.
It actually wasnât time yet. We still had one hundred and forty-four seconds and several milliseconds remaining.
Did she expect me to stand idle for that long?
My father came to stand next to me. He looked directly at me through the windowâs reflection and smiled comfortingly. âItâs your big moment. Are you ready?â
Side by side, it was easy to see how my half-human body differed from his; I had broader human shoulders and more muscular arms than his slender, elven frame. But it was also because I practiced sword fighting, archery, and other sports several hours every day that I had built a bulky physique. I had similarities to my father as well; my siblings and I inherited his glowing blue eyes, his height, and his pointy ears.
âIâve been impatient all day.â I took a few deep breaths. âBut I also grow weary wondering what they are like in person.â
âDonât worry, every single woman is feeling nervous about the ceremony,â he said. âPerhaps to an even greater extent than yourself, since theyâre vying for your attention.â
âDid you feel nervous during your RMCâs opening ceremony?â
He scratched his temple, going over the memories with a contorted expression on his face. âMy time was a little different. Another elf had put me under her charm and . . . really, I donât remember much about the opening ceremony.â
âOh, yes. I forgot.â An elven woman had wanted to marry him to become queen of the elven city, Nololay, so she had put him under hypnosis. âAll right. Iâm ready.â
Truly, I was excited. I was ready to get married and build a family, to know a woman in full.
A trumpet sounded.
All of my family rushed to the door to line up.
Then a commotion could be heard at the entranceway outside. Instead of lining up, I glanced out the window to see dozens of guests heading inside the palaceâs front entrance, but one particular attendee stood out among them all.
Several aristocrats surrounded a young woman in a brilliant red dress, all trying to get her attention at once. She then began to spin around, causing the hem of her gown to ripple like water.
A contestant.
Love. Friendship. Political partnership. Spiritual soulmates. Surely I could find all that with one of these [twelve] maidens.
A young, half-elf crown prince is asked by his parents to choose a bride from among a dozen eligible maidens in the form of a competition called the Royal Matchmaking Competition. His mother chose her husband, the prince's father, in her own Royal Matchmaking Competition years before. With colorful commentary from his sisters and brother, he goes out on a series of dates with various contestants, gradually learning more about them and himself. As he does, however, a neighboring kingdom is making secret plans against his parents' kingdom. And by the time that they find out what is going on, it may be too late...
This book is a bit like a fun recipe. If you take a scoop of "The Bachelor", a scoop of fantasy, a teaspoon of "The Dating Game," a dash of royal family drama and a sprinkling of "Princess Diaries" I think that you'd end up with something fairly close to this book. I had such fun with this book.
I found Prince Zadkiel and his siblings enjoyable, especially the relationship he has with the oldest of his sisters, with whom he enjoys a great deal of comedic back and forth. Each contestant is fleshed out enough and has her own unique story and personality, and each, with few exceptions, seem to teach Zadkiel a little something. The only thing that I found a bit jarring was the occasional use of modern language. It doesn't seem to fit in a fantasy world, although I'm sure this won't matter to some readers, and it might just be a minor nitpick on my part.
I enjoyed the story so much that I picked up the prequel, and I'll probably pick up the sequel to see where everything leads. I'd be happy to recommend this to most of my friends who - like me - enjoy princes, princesses, fantasy and fun!