Day Leitao - The Curse and the Prince

Copyright 2021 by Day Leitao

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover illustration by Natalia Sorokina (J Witless)

To everyone who believes in love.

Z ora lives in the Dark Valley. Its a secluded place in the kingdom surrounded by walls, and its inhabitants arent allowed to leave. In this valley, shadow creatures spawn in the dark, even in the smallest spaces, and they survive even in daylight. Everyone carries a sword and knows how to fight, including 17-year-old Zora, who is a school teacher (equivalent to an elementary school teacher), teaching some kids (9- 11 year olds) about everything, including self defense. Her parents are doctors.

Zoras boyfriend, Seth, is one of the best rangers in the valley. Rangers light up the valley and fight shadow creatures. This year, one representative of the valley will be allowed to participate in the Royal Games and go to the castle, and its Seth. They are in his bedroom, saying goodbye the night before he leaves for the games, and he wants her to give him a parting gift. Zora is a virgin, quite terrified of doing it, and reconsidering her decision. A shadow creature attack interrupts them, and after the attack she learns he was planning on never coming back and also cheating on her. As revenge, she gives him a sleep draught and steals the letter and the rod that the champion should carry, so that shell take his place in the competition.

Zora leaves the valley and heads to an inn in a nearby town, where the royal delegation is staying. There, she has an altercation with a stranger and threatens him with her sword, just because she felt he was dismissive of her because shes a girl.

The stranger is prince Griffin. He just started an affair/relationship with Alegra, whos a princess from a nearby kingdom, and betrothed to his older brother, Kiran, whos king. Hes feeling guilty and confused, but his attraction to Alegra is stronger than his guilt. He isnt angry at Zora for having attacked him, just perhaps intrigued.

Stavos, an assistant to the crown, takes Zora to the castle. There, Zora learns that the young man she attacked is prince Griffin, who is taking part in and helping organize the games. He claims the games are too dangerous for her and that she should participate in the festivities and find a good husband. Zora is angry that hes underestimating her. Griffins older brother, prince Larzen, intervenes, so that Griffin reluctantly allows Zora to compete. Larzen tells Zora he knows she is an impostor and asks her to help him with flirting games so that hell help her with the competition. Zora agrees.

Zora shares a room with Loretta, whos friendly. After eating, Zora goes to the library to do some research and meets Griffin again, whos polite but asks her to quit the competition. She refuses. Later, she finds herself locked in a room in the library, and about to be late for the games. Someone opens the door for her and she barely makes it to the presentation of the champions in time. She learns that the winner will have to defeat a lion and feels sad for the animal.

The next day, Larzen asks Zora to flirt with a young man in a garden. She goes to the garden but mostly challenges the young man. Larzen then shows a dungeon where Seth is being held, and says Zora had better do what he asks or hell release Seth, who can tell the kingdom that Zora is an impostor.

Thanks to Larzens tips, Zora wins the first challenge. In the ball afterwards, she befriends Mauro, a strong and tall competitor who doesnt have an eye. Zora finds out that she flirted with Kiran, the young king. Kiran and Alegra announce their engagement. Even so, Kiran asks Zora to dance and is flirty with her. Later, a drunk Griffin asks Zora to dance, but hes so drunk she takes him to the garden where he pukes and collapses. She takes him back to his bedroom and makes sure he feels well. Hes mumbling and she finds out that he was interested or having something with Alegra.

Griffin wakes up with a pleasant feeling, remembering someone taking care of him. He wakes up and Alegra is there. He tells her to leave, but she sings and then he gets confused and attracted to her. In his confusion, he thinks she was the one who took care of him, but he doesnt understand why shes still engaged to his brother.

He has a dungeon with magical objects and a basin of truth. He asks if Alegra loves him. He sees Zora instead, quite distraught and in tears, begging someone to stop something. The vision shakes him, and more than ever he wants her out of the games.

The next competition includes horse riding, but thanks to Larzen, Zora got some lessons. In the arena, Alegra stops by each competitor and touches Zoras horse. When she mounts the mare, it goes crazy and Zora almost falls, but thanks to the horse misbehaving, she does well in the challenge.

Griffin calls Zora to his office and asks her if she used dark magic in the horse. She denies, and when she suggests it was Alegra who did it, he changes the subject. But he believes Zora, and asks her to come to him if she feels shes in danger.

In the second ball, King Kiran dances again with Zora. He invites her to work for him and be his magical advisor while subtly insinuating that he wants her as his lover. Zora doesnt confront him but doesnt say yes either, and leaves right after that.

In the hallway, someone with a knife attacks Zora, but she takes the knife and the assailant runs away.

The next day, she goes to Griffin to tell him about the assassin. Hes quite concerned and assigns her two guards. He also suggests that she change the key to her room. Zora is impressed at how thoughtful he is.

Griffin meets Alegra near some ruins, and asks her to stop trying to harm Zora. He thinks the princess is jealous of the king. He also thinks she might have sent the assassin. Alegra sings and he gets confused and again attracted by Alegra.

Zora goes for a ride with her friend Loretta and her two guards, Natasha and Isabelle. By some ruins, she sees Griffins and Alegras clothes on the ground and realizes what they are doing, horrified that she trusted the prince. When she comes back to her room at night, Alegra is there, key in hand, saying that those matters concern her too. Zora leaves the castle and goes to the city with Loretta and her guard Isabelle, to stay at an inn, now that she feels unsafe in the castle.

The next day, Griffin finds Zora training and showing her guard a motivational cry that she teaches her students. He asks Zora to be careful. Larzen finds her at the inn and reminds her she has a competition in 3 hourse. Without time to train or plan, she starts thinking that maybe the guards were told to distract her. She also starts to wonder if Griffin is the one who sent the assassin.

Zora barely passes the next challenge. She also learns that Loretta left the city, and feels alone, now that she doesnt trust anyone around her.

The next day Zora goes to a picnic with Larzen, Griffin, Kiran, and Alegra. Griffin starts looking at Zora differently. Zora goes into the ruins with Kiran and agrees to be his potion girl, despite knowing that he wants more than just her magical skills. Shes doing it to anger Alegra and Griffin, who had warned her against Kiran. Alegra is caught alone with Griffin, uses her magic singing on him, and asks him to humiliate Zora. When everyones back, Griffin asks Larzen if hes sleeping with Zora and she leaves the picnic, determined not to flirt with anyone anymore and stop playing Larzens games.