The Incubus System Chapter 1473. He Doesn’t Love You

The Incubus System Chapter 1473. He Doesn’t Love You

The class ended.

And honestly?

I deserved a medal for surviving it.

Larry looked about as bad as I felt by the time we walked out. His shoulders were stiff, his face pale, and his usual lazy grin had gone missing somewhere between “holy dream recruitment” and “you might become a bloodline ingredient.”

He kept checking his phone, not because anyone was texting him, but because humans needed something to do with their hands when panic didn’t know where to go.

We grabbed lunch like usual.

Cafeteria.

Tray.

I sat across from Larry and stared at my food.

Rice.

Chicken.

Vegetables.

Larry texted his mom under the table.

“Mom, I’ll be home late. Going to Ethan’s after class.”

He stared at the message for a second before sending it, then slipped his phone into his pocket with a quiet sigh.

“She’ll ask questions later,” he muttered.

“Tell her we’re studying.”

Larry looked at me flatly. “With demons and angels?”

“Advanced study group.”

He huffed, then picked at his food without much interest.

For a while, we ate in silence.

The kind where both of us had too much in our heads and not enough emotional budget to say any of it out loud.

Then…

A tray touched the table beside us.

I looked up.

Lysathiel sat down like she belonged there.

Just like that.

Larry froze.

I stared.

She looked at my face first.

Then Larry’s.

“You look grim,” she said to me.

Then her eyes shifted.

“You also look grim.”

Larry and I exchanged glances.

Same dead eyes.

Then we both exhaled at the same time like two men who had aged spiritually overnight.

I didn’t know what Larry was thinking.

But me?

Oh, I knew what I wanted to say.

‘Can I have s*x with you and kill your husband? You two are politically married, right?’

The sentence rose in my throat like a demonic intrusive thought wearing formal clothes.

I swallowed it.

Barely.

Because despite everything, I still had some survival instinct left.

Instead, I shook my head slowly and picked up my spoon.

At this point, seducing Lysathiel looked like the simplest solution.

Which was terrifying.

Probably morally questionable.

But compared to fighting an entire realm?

Yeah.

Simpler.

Larry, however, apparently decided to choose violence.

Not physical violence.

Emotional violence.

He looked directly at Lysathiel and blurted, “Can you stop torturing him?”

My spoon froze halfway to my mouth.

Lysathiel blinked.

“…Huh?”

Larry leaned forward, suddenly more awake than he had been all morning. “Stop torturing Ethan.”

“Larry—”

“No, seriously.” He pointed at me. “Look at him. He looks older in one night. At this rate he’ll become a grandpa before graduation.”

“I won’t.”

“You absolutely will. You already sigh like one.”

Lysathiel’s eyes narrowed slightly, not angry. Confused. “What happened?”

I set my spoon down carefully. I looked at her directly. “Do you know about your husband’s obsession?”

Lysathiel went still.

Not visibly dramatic.

But still.

Her hand paused near her tea.

Her eyes changed.

Sharp surprise first.

Then something controlled.

Something practiced.

“…Gabrielle,” I added.

Lysathiel’s expression smoothed again.

Too quickly.

“You…” she said quietly. “You know?”

I huffed softly. My first move had landed. “Yeah,” I muttered. “That answers that.”

She didn’t deny it.

So I leaned back slightly, watching her carefully.

Just… watching.

Her posture was perfect. Back straight. Hands composed. Chin lifted faintly. Every inch of her screamed control.

But her eyes?

That was where things broke.

Tiny fractures.

Tired ones.

Old ones.

I lowered my voice. “He doesn’t love you.”

Larry’s eyes widened slightly.

Lysathiel didn’t move. But the air around her seemed to tighten.

I continued anyway. “Why do you still endure it?”

She was silent for a while.

The cafeteria noise faded around us again.

“It is my responsibility.”

I stared at her for a second, then leaned slightly forward, resting my arms on the table. “You know,” I said quietly, “that sounds noble until you realize it’s just a prettier cage.”

Her gaze lifted to mine.

“Do not simplify what you do not understand.”

“I’m not simplifying.” My voice stayed calm. “I’m recognizing it.”

Larry became very interested in his lunch.

Lysathiel’s eyes held mine. “You think you understand royal duty?”

I smiled faintly. “Apparently I qualify for two thrones now, so unfortunately I’m starting to.”

Her expression flickered. Surprise. “You know?”

“Yeah.” I kept my gaze on her. I didn’t say much after that. I couldn’t tell her about Astra. “You said marriage is a contract,” I continued.

“It is.”

“Maybe in your realm.”

Her jaw tightened slightly. “But here?”

I leaned closer, just enough to lower my voice more. “Here, when someone shares your life, your bed, your name… they’re supposed to see you. Not worship Gabrielle’s ghost while you carry his crown beside him.”

Her eyes sharpened. “Careful. You speak like you aren’t sleeping with a lot of women. I hate hypocritical people.”

I didn’t flinch.

Actually?

That one made me smile.

Not because it was funny.

Because she wasn’t wrong to attack there.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Me too.”

That made her pause.

“I hate hypocrites,” I continued, leaning back just a little. “And yeah, I sleep with a lot of women.”

Larry made a tiny choking sound beside me.

I ignored him. “But I see them.”

Lysathiel’s expression shifted slightly.

“All of them,” I said. “Not as trophies. Not as decoration. Not as replacements for someone else.”

My voice lowered.

“I know what they like. What scares them. What makes them laugh. What makes them cry. Who acts bold but is lonely. Who acts sweet but is carrying knives under the smile.”

A pause.

“And I love them.”

Just the truth.

“I won’t let anyone touch them,” I continued, eyes steady on hers. “Not demons. Not angels. Not kings. Not even themselves, if they’re about to throw their lives away for me. That’s how I work.”

Lysathiel didn’t answer.

So I pushed. “And him?”

Her fingers tightened around her cup.

“He has one wife,” I said. “One. You. But he doesn’t even treat you like that.”

Her eyes flickered.

“He doesn’t see you. Doesn’t reach for you. Doesn’t look at you.”

Then I smiled faintly.

“So yeah. Call me shameless. Call me greedy. Call me a demon.” My gaze held hers. “But don’t call me the same as him.”