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As a mere knight, a half-Deomon knight no less, Malevola knows she has no right to a royal’s hand. Maybe she’s allowed to marry a lord’s son from a small house, as her fellow-knight and dear friend Janelle had. But never a royal. She has a duty, and he the biggest one.
She shouldn’t love the prince she has sworn to protect, the heir of the kingdom, but Malevola does, no matter how much she tries to deny it. He always makes her smile, even on rough days or right after a battle. He listens to her, takes care of her wounds after training, and encourages her to stay strong despite the odds while also telling her to take a break once in a while.
Robert is his name, and Malevola wants nothing more than to be able to love him.
But it will be with someone else, because it will never be her…
“How did the meeting go?” Malevola asks upon seeing the prince as she sits next to him on the grass hill. It’s their favorite place in the kingdom, carrying a lot of memories. They always come here to talk and relax, or to look at the beautiful forest view, allowing them to forget about their duties for a little while. But also to discuss them if needed.
This time it’s the latter.
“Huh?” Robert turns to look at his friend, snapping out of his train of thought.
“Your meeting with your father.” Malevola clarifies, smiling at him through her sorrow. “Whether you’ll marry Lord Connors’ daughter or not?”
It was bound to happen, really. As the king’s only heir, Robert is destined to marry a lady from a respected noble house and conceive an heir, one of the most important duties of a king. Malevola has long accepted it, but it still hurts very much…
“Oh, right…” Robert just responds, gazing down at the grass with half-lidded eyes. “That…”
Malevola can hear the exhaustion in the prince’s voice, like he’s just done with everything, burned out from his duties and his father’s expectations. She can’t blame him one bit, if only for having a stern king like Robbie as a father.
“He has two daughters, actually. Mandy and Courtney.” Robert says after a short silence, sounding less bleak than before, actually surprised upon learning that small fact. “The former was born into the family, the latter is adopted.”
“Huh, really?” Malevola says, her pointy ears peaking in interest. She wonders how that works, and if it’s even allowed. Like the royal family, noble houses have to follow the rules of succession too, so the knight can only wonder what Lord Connors and the king have in mind. “Is it already decided, or…”
“I will, uh, meet them in a month.” Robert’s tone has turned somber again, turning away from his only friend. “It’s when I have to choose too…”
That surprises Malevola a little. It may be noble marriage customs, and probably how the king met his late wife too, but meeting two suitors and having to choose between them on one day is a recipe for disaster in the long run.
“I’d rather marry someone else…” Robert blurts out, not even bothering to look at her this time, only giving her a quick glance.
“Oh…” Malevola only responds, her intrigued smile changing into a frown. “May I ask who?”
It’s a very obvious question, yet she sees Robert’s eyes dart between her and the grass.
“She’s sitting right next to me…” He eventually confesses, settling his eyes on the beautiful forest view before him.
It takes a good moment for Malevola to figure out just what the prince means by it, until it hits her. He’d choose her if possible? He wants to marry her? Well, he should’ve thought of that before the meeting regarding his future engagement.
The half-demon chuckles in amusement at that realization. If Robert just told her that a day earlier, just maybe he would’ve gotten his wish. As much as she wants to scoop him up and run away with him to start somewhere new, taking the king’s only heir out of the kingdom may not be the best idea.
So, Malevola reaches out a hand, tipping his head until he looks right at her. Robert seems a little panicked from his eyes alone, as if he has made a grave mistake and doesn’t know what the consequences will be.
“Mal, I…“ He attempts to apologize, only for the words to die on his lips when she leans in until their foreheads touch. He feels her hand slide from his jaw to the back of his neck, gentle enough to give him a choice.
“Come here…” Malevola whispers, silently letting the prince know what to expect before closing the distance.
It’s long enough for the prince to catch up, and he reciprocates without hesitation.
The kiss is soft, full of love that has been hidden for too long. It’s Robert’s first kiss, and it’s everything he wanted it to be. Instead of it being with his betrothed after exchanging their vows, it’s with the woman he has loved from the beginning.
“‘love you…” Robert whispers after breaking the kiss, gazing into the half-demon’s yellow eyes with a lovestruck smile on his face.
“I love you too…” Malevola returns those three words, gently kissing his cheek.
The knight swiftly pulls Robert onto her lap, wrapping her arms around the prince’s frame. She’s a head taller than him, but neither of them seem to mind. Their lips meet again, and then again. Each kiss turns more passionate, growing just as much as their love for each other.
“Sorry, just…” Malevola says after pulling away, pausing to find the right words. This may be the happiest moment of her life, she knows it won’t last. “I know we can’t be together, but-“
“No, we can.” Robert reassures her, gently holding her face between his hands to make her look at him. They can be together, but only for a short while, and even then they can’t love each other to the fullest. He has to meet and get to know his betrothed, but they can still share moments like this. For now… “Until I’m married…”
Malevola only nods, cracking a small smile despite it all. It only seems fair, for Robert but also for his future-betrothed. They don’t want to make things more complicated than they already are, and god knows what punishment the king would give them if he found out about them going behind his and the kingdom’s back.
As much as it hurts, it’s for the best…
“Until you’re married…”