MTLNOVEL Chapter 213: I Want Wives
She blinked once.
"But… you're here," she said slowly.
"Yeah," he said, and then shrugged. "I'm on vacation."
Mira's eyes narrowed.
"Vacation."
"First break I've had in almost two centuries."
"That's… oddly specific."
Lux tapped a finger on the table. "Because I earned it. I saved the Infernal Realms from economic collapse three times, signed twelve thousand contracts without getting soul-burned once, and babysat an entire war council while my father was busy honeymoaning for the hundredth time."
Mira's tongue clicked against her teeth.
"I sometimes scroll mortal social media to understand your culture," Lux added flatly. "I'm not proud of it. But I am very good at it."
She rubbed her temples. "That explains nothing."
"That's all the explanation you get."
A pause.
She looked up again, tone sharper.
"What about them? The demons. Who are they?"
Lux's smile thinned. "Other demons."
"That's not a name, Lux."
"They're bounty hunters," he said. "Or mercs. Some even might be part of a rival house. I've had a bounty on my head ever since I left. Turns out, when you hold a significant position and suddenly disappear for a vacation, a lot of people get nervous."
Mira's brow twitched.
"Nervous enough to kill you?"
He nodded. "Greed is a throne people kill for. And I'm technically next in line."
She leaned back in her chair, slow and tense.
"So you're telling me," she said, enunciating carefully, "that you're an infernal heir with enough authority to destabilize the underworld economy, and right now you're casually sitting in a mortal luxury restaurant eating custard buns?"
He picked one up.
Took a bite.
Chewed.
"Correct."
Mira stared at him like she wanted to throw her tongfa through his skull.
"You're insane."
"I'm relaxing."
She looked down at her torn cheongsam. The blood. The cracked tiles.
Then back at him.
Her eyes narrowed.
"You owe me two outfits and three explanations."
Lux licked his thumb and leaned back smugly.
"...Add that to my tab, Miss Xianlong."
Mira stared at him. Still bloody. Still disheveled. Still radiating the exact kind of rich-girl-anger that usually ended with lawsuits or assassins.
She leaned back, arms folded, eyes narrowed. "Oh, I will."
He popped another custard bun into his mouth.
But she was still staring.
"…That explains why," she murmured, half to herself.
"Why what?" Lux asked with a lazy blink, chewing.
She didn't answer right away.
Then her expression shifted—half confusion, half realization, like a math equation finally snapped into place.
"Wait a second," she said slowly, eyes narrowing further. "Does Naomi know about this?"
He nodded mid-chew. "Mhm."
"Rava, too?"
Another nod.
Mira blinked.
"…And they still want to have sex with you?"
Lux choked. Audibly.
He coughed once, grabbed the edge of the table, and narrowed his eyes at her.
"What the hell does that mean?"
She shrugged, utterly unbothered. "You said you're a demon. A literal son of Greed and Lust. With enemies. With a bounty. I'm just saying, most women would run."
Lux looked personally offended. "But you said that like I'm ugly."
Mira smirked. "Kind of."
He pointed at himself. "I'm terrifying. Sure. In some cases. Like when I'm mad. Or when I'm bored. Or when someone screws with my investments."
He paused, flicking a crumb off his collar.
"But I'm not ugly. Look at this face."
She did.
And unfortunately, yeah—it was a problem.
Smooth skin, red-ringed eyes that always looked like he was thinking something too clever and too dirty at the same time, hair tousled from battle like he'd just stepped out of a high-end cologne ad. His shirt was still half-open, clinging to his chest, showing off just enough collarbone to make her want to stab him.
He saw the look.
Smirked wider.
"And I'm rich," Lux added, because of course he did. "So I'm a real billionaire. Not a fake one with over-leveraged stocks and daddy's money. I earn my fortune the demonic way."
Mira rolled her eyes but didn't stop him.
He went back to eating—grabbing a dessert spoon like he hadn't just summoned hellfire a minute ago.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "Are you planning to shut me up after this?"
Lux paused.
The spoon halfway to his mouth.
"No."
She raised a brow.
He set the spoon down, more serious now.
"As long as you don't say anything," he added quietly. "To anyone. About what I am. What happened here."
Mira's lips curled. "Or what?"
He met her gaze.
His tone changed—lower, almost reluctant.
"Or I have to wipe your memory."
The words hung in the air like cold iron.
"I can do it," he added, voice soft. "But I don't like it. I really don't. I want… friends. Partners. People who know me. Who choose to stay."
He looked at her.
Eyes open. Honest.
And for once, the devil wasn't smirking.
"I want wives," he said simply.
Her breath hitched.
He smiled—just a little. "Especially wives."
Mira's lips parted like she wanted to say something sharp—but instead, her brows knit, her voice quieter.
"You just want sex."
Lux tilted his head.
There it was. The default assumption. The obvious one. Easy to make, considering the way he looked, the way he moved, the way he flirted with every breath like it was part of his oxygen intake.
But he didn't flinch.
"Sex," he said slowly, "and connection."
Mira blinked.
He leaned back, resting one arm along the curve of the booth's velvet seat. His tone wasn't sarcastic. Not playful. Just… real.
"Real connection. Like feelings. Like shared secrets. Like knowing someone's there even when everything else is falling apart."
He looked at her.
Really looked.
And for a moment, he wasn't the smug incubus in a ripped designer shirt. He wasn't the Devil's accountant. He was just a man who had lived too long in rooms full of liars.
"The Infernal Realm," Lux continued, "is full of power, temptation, status… but almost no one feels. Not like this. Not like here. Everything is leverage. Everything is manipulation."