He lived to save lives. Now they want him to rule nations. And someone wants him dead.

Dr. Peter Schneider is a man of discipline and compassion-a healer, a father, a man of science. But his life is turned upside down when he's summoned to Berlin and told the unthinkable: he is descended from the most powerful royal bloodlines in Europe and is being groomed to assume a crown he never asked for.

An elite movement-composed of hidden royals, shadow operatives, and disillusioned politicians-believes that the age of democracy is failing. To them, Peter is the perfect antidote: a modern man with ancient legitimacy. A symbol the world will follow. A leader who can be controlled.

But as Peter plunges into a world of diplomatic subterfuge, hereditary power, and ideological warfare, he realizes this is more than politics-it's prophecy. Every step forward uncovers betrayal. Every ally may be an enemy. Every move is watched.

Worse still, someone knows the truth about Peter's origins-and they will do whatever it takes to erase him from the chessboard of global power.

By Royal Design is the beginning of an expansive, internationally layered thriller series by Norbert E. Reich, where questions of identity, faith, legacy, and sacrifi ce echo across generations-and where the war for the soul of civilization is only beginning.

As the series continues in By Papal Decree and By Her Majesty's Command, new enemies rise, ancient institutions clash, and Peter's journey deepens across continents and conflicts with more volumes planned as the world Reich has built grows ever more volatile, relevant, and real.