The Incubus System Chapter 1057. A Date To Remember III

The Incubus System Chapter 1057. A Date To Remember III

Puriel's PoV 

“Maybe you’re right,” he said at last, his voice softer than before, almost contemplative. “Maybe there’s still a bit of humanity left in me, something that wasn’t erased when I… changed.” He looked down, his fingers tracing idle patterns on the blanket beneath them. “Love is… complicated. And yeah, even demons can feel it, I guess. But it’s different for us.” He met her gaze, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. “We’re not exactly built for it. Not like humans are. Our love… is a bit twisted. At least for human logic.”

Puriel watched him closely.“But you still feel it,” she pressed gently, her tone soft but insistent. “Maybe in a different way, but it’s there. Otherwise, why go through all this trouble?” She gestured around them, the candles, the flowers, the starry night spread above them.

Ethan let out a slow breath, his gaze shifting back to the sky. “You’re persistent, aren’t you?” He laughed softly, almost to himself, before continuing. “Yes, I feel it,” he admitted, his voice carrying an undertone of surprise, as though he was admitting it not just to her but to himself as well. “I know this might sound strange, especially coming from me, with all the… well, complicated relationships in my life.”

He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he gathered his thoughts. “I mean, I have a lot of girls in my life. I’ve… you know, been with them, slept with them, done things most people would probably call sinful.” He paused, his gaze flicking over to her, maybe to gauge her reaction, or maybe to see if she understood any of it. “Everything I do with them should be based on lust alone. That’s what everyone assumes, right? But… it’s not like that. I love them. All of them. In my own strange way.”

Puriel listened, her eyes widening slightly as he spoke. There was a raw honesty in his words, a vulnerability she hadn’t expected from him. She watched his face, seeing the tension there, the slight furrow in his brow. It was as if he was trying to put words to something he’d never voiced before.

“I don’t want to lose any of them,” he continued, his voice dropping lower. “If I lost even one… I don’t know, I’d probably lose my mind, maybe even my temper. It’s like they’re a part of me. Mine. Just as much as I’m theirs.”

Puriel’s heart ached a little at his words, though she couldn’t quite explain why. She understood loyalty, understood the need to protect those you care about, but this… this was something else entirely. The way he described it was so foreign to her, so strange. The celestial realm had always been strict about love, about connection, about exclusivity and devotion. And here was Ethan, talking about loving many people, about a love that seemed as boundless as it was complex.

He seemed to sense her confusion, and his expression softened. “You look lost,” he said gently, a small smile playing on his lips. “And that’s okay. I know it’s hard to understand.”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly, feeling a bit of heat rise to her cheeks. “Yes,” she admitted, almost shyly. “I don’t understand it. How… How can you share your feelings like that? How can you say you love all of them?” The words came out hesitantly, as if she were afraid of offending him, but she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “I thought love was supposed to be exclusive… like it was with my sister and Lord Xenos.”

Ethan chuckled, the sound warm and almost a little sad. “Crazy, isn’t it? Makes me sound like a liar,” he said with a long exhale. He shook his head, looking down at his hands as if searching for the right words. “But that’s just it. It’s not the kind of love that fits into one neat little box. It’s messy and complicated, and yeah, it might sound impossible. But it’s real. I feel it.”

Puriel stared at him, processing his words. She had always imagined love as something singular, something devoted and bound by loyalty to one other. But Ethan’s version of love was different, sprawling, open. She couldn’t understand it, couldn’t make sense of how he could feel so deeply for so many. “Then… why not choose one?” she asked quietly, the question slipping out before she could stop herself. “Why not just… commit to one of them?”

He looked at her, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. “If I did that, it’d mean I was being selfish. And besides… I’m an incubus.”

Puriel frowned, still not fully understanding. “So… being an incubus means you have to love everyone?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Not exactly. Some incubi use their lust to strengthen themselves, feed on people’s desires to make themselves stronger.” He paused, his gaze steady, almost intense. “Me? I don’t want that.”

Her brow furrowed as she tried to grasp the meaning behind his words. It seemed strange to her that he, a creature inherently connected to lust and temptation, would deny what seemed to be his nature.

He was silent for a moment, watching her reaction, as if gauging how much she understood. And then, in a voice that was both soft and serious, he added, “Just like now… rather than pushing myself on you, I’d rather capture your heart.”

Puriel’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a warmth rise to her cheeks. There was a sincerity in his voice, something that went beyond mere words. It was as if he was revealing a deeper part of himself. She had always assumed his kind relied on tricks, on manipulation, and maybe even coercion. But here he was, saying that he didn’t want any of that. That he wanted something real.

“But…” she started, struggling to put her thoughts into words, “you’re a demon, an incubus. You… you could use manipulation, charms, whatever it takes to make people… feel things.” Her voice was quiet, hesitant. “So why do you want consent? Why do you need someone to fall in love with you when you could just… take it?”