The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

Not much had been said between them since Gavriel and Aliana had finally woken up just as the sun was dipping below the horizon.

Yet, the quiet that settled between them was warm and comfortable. There was a mountain of things to discuss, but neither felt the need to rush into it.

Last night had been intense for both of them.

Aliana had slept peacefully throughout the day, and Gavriel had drifted into a heavy, dreamless sleep right beside her, keeping her held tight against his chest.

In truth, they likely would have slept straight through to the next morning if Cillian hadn’t called. A panicked update from Winston had tipped him off that the mansion looked like a wrecked war zone and the master suite was sealed with yet another barrier, prompting him to check if they were both alright.

Aliana had stirred the moment Cillian’s boisterous voice echoed through the receiver.

After that, they took their time enjoying a long, hot bath until Aliana’s stomach loudly demanded food, forcing them both back into reality.

Now, sitting in the dining room, Gavriel felt an unspoken peace settle over him as he simply watched her eat to her heart’s content.

A few steps away, Winston kept his eyes lowered, maintaining a silent vigil.

Every so often, the butler couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at the couple, still marvelling at the quiet harmony between them. He had spent the morning terrified that his master would be drowning in despair and that his mistress would have packed her things to leave for good.

But seeing them like this made him silently thank the universe for sparing them both.

Having finished half her plate, Aliana finally felt energy coursing back through her veins.

That was when she noticed a pair of keen eyes fixed on her. Her light-grey eyes lifted towards the man seated at the head of the table, and her heart gave a little flutter when she met his icy-blue gaze, which looked softer than she had ever seen it before.

Feeling shy at being the sole centre of his attention, her gaze dropped down to his untouched plate, a sudden frown creasing her brow. "Why aren’t you eating?"

Gavriel leaned his chin on his knuckles, his eyes dancing with quiet amusement. "I’m enjoying a much better view."

A flush crept up Aliana’s neck, but she didn’t let his words derail the question rising in her mind. "Do you... not need to eat normal food?"

He understood what she meant, and the corner of his lips twitched. "We do... but we can also go without normal food for a long time, as it is not the primary source of our sustenance."

Aliana’s eyes sparkled with genuine curiosity. "Really? So what is?"

Gavriel casually swirled the dark liquid in his glass. "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course," Aliana answered without hesitation.

He took a sip of his wine, and her eyes naturally travelled to the slight movement of his throat, making her mind instinctively wander to the gutter before his voice brought her back.

"Souls," he said softly.

Aliana blinked. "S-souls? Like... human souls?"

"Yes, either those or the ones belonging to any other living creature," Gavriel replied, his eyes observing her reaction.

To his surprise, she did not look disgusted or scared.

Instead, she seemed deep in thought as she processed his answer before asking, "So are you saying that you can eat even the soul of an ant?"

Gavriel’s eyebrows rose in silent intrigue, while a few feet away, Winston’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. The thought of a high royal feeding on the soul of a mere ant sounded absolutely criminal.

Aliana saw his reaction and quickly cleared her throat. "What? Even ants have souls, you know... or so I have been told. I’m just asking."

This time, Gavriel couldn’t suppress a small smile curving his lips. "They do," he murmured, his tone filled with affection. "But think of it this way... would you settle for eating a bug when there’s a prime steak sitting right in front of you?"

"Oh... so are you saying that their souls are small in size or something?" Aliana found herself leaning into her curiosity. She knew nothing about the subject, so she decided to embrace being an eager student learning something new.

Gavriel released a soft chuckle. "Souls don’t have a size, Ana. They are simply clusters of conscious energy... a powerhouse that fuels whichever temporary vessel they reside in. So to answer your question, it isn’t about how big or small a soul is. It’s about how weak or strong it is."

"Oh..." Aliana murmured thoughtfully. "So does that mean animals and insects have weak souls?"

"Not weak, but restrained," Gavriel clarified, setting his wine glass down.

"Souls take on an animal or an insect form to work off past karma. Creatures in the wild exist in a primal state, surviving on pure instinct, following nature’s design, and cleansing themselves until their cycle is complete."

Aliana listened intently.

"Humans, however, are different. When a soul is given a human body, it is granted something far greater than instinct."

His expression became slightly more serious. "Free will."

"It must choose whether to maintain the purity it gained through previous lives or succumb to malice. It is that very freedom of choice that determines whether a soul ascends, or falls straight into the underworld.

Either way, the soul becomes far more potent than that of an animal or an insect. That is why human souls provide greater nourishment to demons."

Gavriel gazed into her eyes. "Simply put... the stronger the soul... the richer the sustenance."

Aliana went quiet as she processed his explanation, before giving him an understanding nod. "Got it... steaks over bugs."

At her words, a devastating smile curled across his ridiculously gorgeous face, revealing those elusive dimples that made her heart flip.

Quickly averting her eyes to avoid getting visibly flustered, she looked back at his untouched plate, her original worry returning. "So when was the last time you had your ...special meal (souls)?"

"The night you visited my study," Gavriel answered smoothly.

Aliana looked up, surprise written across her face. "So that’s where you went..." she murmured, remembering how she had searched the dark hallways for him when he had disappeared.

Gavriel tilted his head, a single brow arching. "You were awake?"

Aliana focused on her plate, absentmindedly pushing her food around with her fork. "Well, it’s a little hard to fall asleep after coming across a book on demons in your husband’s private study."

Gavriel let out a low hum of acknowledgement, sipping his wine while keeping his watchful gaze fixed on her.

Aliana set her fork down and looked him dead in the eye. "So... when was the last time you consumed actual food?"

"I... had one recently," Gavriel replied smoothly, though a subtle hesitation gave him away.

Her eyes narrowed at him before she turned towards the far corner of the room. "Winston."

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