They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the king...
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Author's Note: Sharing this utterly adorable pic of Vandel from @yoko_hanmazen on IG for this weeks fanart. As always, if you want to send any fanart my way you can send it to my Instagram @captaincleanfreak ! Seeing your fanart always makes my day! Also, WARNING, the later half of this chapter does contain some NSWF content so if you're uncomfortable reading NSWF content feel free to skip it!
Vandel
We finally drew back from one another and I could feel Ridley clinging tightly to my shoulders. Slowly, I lifted my head to meet his gaze.
"I'm...I'm sorry about the things I said when you came to rescue me," he said softly. "I didn't mean them." He pulled me tighter and I melted into his touch. "To think I'd say something so cruel at the cost of hurting you..."
"It's okay," I murmured, gently running my fingers through his hair. "You had every right to say what you did."
He shook his head. "That's not true. You must hate me for it."
"I could never hate you." I grinned at him. "Well, with the exception of our first few interactions when I considered you my greatest enemy."
The corners of Ridley's lips twitched into a shy smile.
"I always thought of you as my greatest enemy as well." He let out a breathy laugh. "Which made me hardly able to stand how horribly attracted to you I was." His face flushed a light shade of pink. "I...I still can't believe the things I used to think about you. I thought you were cruel and evil and heartless..."
"Hey, don't feel too bad about it. Before I actually got to know you, I was a massive dick. I mean... fucking hellfire, I can't believe I seriously tried to force Annette to marry me. What the shit was I thinking?"
"Still...if I hadn't met you who knows if I ever would've changed. M-Maybe I'd be out there killing demons just like...just like him..."
Ridley's expression when he talked about his father made me want to go back in time and kill the bastard all over again for hurting his son like this.
"We aren't our parents," I said firmly, "despite how hard they tried to make us become them. Who knew so many wicked plans would fall apart just because a demon and a human were stupid enough to fall in love?"
Ridley offered me a small smile at that but I could tell the knight was still deeply troubled.
I reached out, gently tucking a few golden curls behind his ear. "What's on your mind?"
"Too much," he said softly. "I want to break free of it all but I just...I feel so trapped in my own thoughts and fears and I just wish there was a way to shut it all off..." he stopped suddenly, his gaze immediately flickering away from mine.
"Ridley...?" I asked slowly.
Ridley remained silent, clearly on edge as he stared down at the floor.
