the demon they summoned was not the one they expected.
The Demon Prince's Forbidden Love
| Rosinante x Reader | Chapter 1 Excerpt |
| demon AU | fantasy | dark romance | slow burn | gothic atmosphere |
You watch as the circle and runes come alight with a deep cerulean glow as thick smoke fills the air. The crowd steps back and your father watches on. So far, all seems to be going according to plan.
That's when you hear a deep rumbling. The earth beneath you shakes and your heart races as a massive figure erupts, breaking the marble floor as it rises upward and into the center of the circle. Before your eyes, a demon appears. Towering above you, he must be at least eight feet tall, his broad shoulders and long arms stretching out above his head. The demon lets out a deep yawn, shuffling his gait before reaching into his black-feathered coat and lighting up a cigarette.
You peer up at him and study his features. His crimson eyes glint with a flicker of annoyance and his blonde shaggy hair falls past his ears. His black horns protrude out of his head and spike backwards. His charcoal, bat-like wings are on full display as he flaps them twice before tucking them in.
You glance down and finally notice the black heart-tipped tail that is dragging along the floor. You look up and as you watch him take a long drag of his cigarette; you catch sight of his sharp claws.
A fresh wave of fear rushes over you as you tremble in place. He is surely a demon worthy of his title. To your right, your father bows before him as he humbly lowers himself before the Demon King.
Without averting his gaze from the floor, your father speaks, his voice low and steady, "Oh, great Demon King, Lord of the Demon Realm, Donquixote Doflamingo. I humbly offer my daughter, a princess pure in heart and body, to you in exchange for the power that I seek."
For a long moment, the demon says nothing, narrowing his gaze and knitting his brow. Then, with a hint of frustration under his breath, he speaks, "I'm afraid that you have mistaken me for my brother, Doflamingo. I am not him, I am not the Demon King, nor shall I accept your offer or give you the power that you seek. Your offering of what I can only presume is a virgin princess insults me. I'm not interested in trading in the souls of humans." He spits out his words like venom and his lips curl into a deep frown. His eyes linger on your father's bowed form with a piercing gaze.
You glance over at your father, his eyes wide with fear and confusion as he shudders before the demon's massive frame. "My humblest apologies, Your Highness. I had not meant—" But he is cut off when the demon shifts his attention over to you, his tail sweeping the ground behind him.
You keep your eyes lowered to the floor. You can already tell by the way the demon spoke and his fierce gaze that he's angry; not wanting to tempt him into further fury, you keep yourself quiet and still. You swallow the lump forming in your throat as you feel the room slowly sinking away around you. This isn't how you expected things to go. You have been deemed unworthy of sacrifice. Your life isn't even enough of an offering for the Demon Prince, let alone his brother.
The demon crouches down before you and you almost flinch as his massive, clawed hand gently lifts your chin. "What's your name?" He asks and for the first time, you look up so that your eyes may finally meet.
read the full story on AO3 → https://archiveofourown.org/works/64489387/chapters/165601549