My Wives are Beautiful Demons

"Sorry, we don't know," Iridia said as she adjusted herself, still bound but assuming a more formal posture. "I'd really like to help Miss Viviane, but our information is limited. We don't know more than that." Her voice sounded sincere, but there was a palpable tension in the air.

Zex, on the other hand, stared at Iridia with wide eyes, surprised by her friend's attitude. She… is she betraying His Holiness? she thought, trying to decipher what was happening.

Vergil, watching the two of them, shrugged with disdain. "So, you follow a belief blindly, without questioning anything about your superiors? Brave." He paused for a moment, locking eyes with Zex. "Or very, very stupid." This time, his tone was serious, devoid of irony.

"Stop insulting us," Zex shot back, lowering her head with visible bitterness. "You haven't lived our lives to question our choices."

Vergil smirked, but it wasn't a kind gesture. It was a smile steeped in coldness. "That's why you'll die quickly," he declared, as if simply stating an obvious truth. "But, luckily for you, your dumb Pope sent you to me instead of someone else."

Zex and Iridia's eyes widened as Vergil continued, his gaze glowing with a menacing red light. "If Sapphire were with me, the Vatican would probably be dealing with meteors raining down from the sky again."

They both held their breath. It was impossible not to recall the incident from a year ago: the meteor that had devastated part of the Vatican was still a vivid and terrifying memory.

"We can't do anything. We're sent. We just follow orders," Zex replied with an ideal that sounded hollow and desperate.

Vergil tilted his head, looking at her as if examining a broken object. "Is your life worth so little?"

Zex didn't respond, but it was Iridia who spoke up, nervously. "You don't know what we've been through," she said, gritting her teeth.

Vergil smiled sideways, but this time there was something darker in his eyes. He snapped his fingers. "Morgana."

Morgana, who had seemed disinterested until then, raised her eyes and began to speak in a voice as cold as the air in the room. "Iridia Colonna, 25 years old, born in Italy. Raised in a family with strong ties to the Vatican but abandoned at seven. Lived six years on the streets as a beggar before being taken in by the Orphanage of Charitable Souls. Later recruited by Father Angelo d'Ascaron to be trained as an assassin in service to the Vatican."

"H-how do you know that?" Iridia stammered, but she was cut off before she could finish.

"Zex Della Rovere," Morgana continued without pause, now fixing her gaze on Zex, "direct descendant of Pope Julius II, who was killed by Sapphire Agares back in the 1500s or so. You're 28 years old, grew up in one of the poorest zones of the Vatican, and were also taken in by the same orphanage. Later recruited by the same Father Angelo… who, by the way, was lynched by followers after abusing a five-year-old girl."

Zex froze, the words hanging in the air like lead.

Morgana tilted her head slightly, without a trace of sarcasm or sympathy. "Which makes me wonder: were you two also abused by him?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. Iridia lowered her head, biting her lip as she trembled. Zex clenched her fists, staring at the ground with eyes burning with shame and rage.

"So that's it," Vergil said, breaking the silence, his voice softer but still laced with sharp authority. He walked toward the two women, his presence overwhelming. "You've lived through hell, were molded by it… and yet you still think the only way out is to blindly follow the same monsters who created it all."

"You don't understand," Zex finally responded, her voice trembling but filled with determination. "We have no choice. We never did."

Vergil stopped in front of her, leaning slightly to meet her eyes. "There's always a choice. You just never had the courage to face it." He pulled back, casually spinning his new sword with ease. "But believe me, I can give you that courage… or force it out of you the hard way." His grin was that of a demon.

Vergil tilted his head to the side, a devilish grin curling his lips as he observed the two bound women. "How about you work for me?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and challenge.

Zex and Iridia exchanged hesitant glances, as though trying to decipher whether he was joking or serious.

"Are you suggesting... betrayal?" Iridia asked, her voice trembling, though a flicker of doubt shone in her eyes.

Vergil let out a short, humorless laugh. "Betrayal? Let's call it... a promotion." He began to pace around the room with slow, deliberate steps, his new sword gleaming in his hands. "You see, you've been used. Manipulated by an organization that doesn't care about you. They sent you to certain death, and now here you are. Trapped. Weak. Useless."

"Hey! I'm not useless!" Zex protested, trying to rise, but the ropes held her firmly in place.

"Don't say that like it's something to be proud of," Vergil shot back, chuckling lightly. "What I'm offering is simple: a chance to break free. Work for me. Be useful to me. In return, I'll give you the power to decide your own fate."

"You think we're fools?" Zex retorted, narrowing her eyes. "Why would we believe you?"

Vergil stopped pacing, his expression turning serious—almost dark. "Because I'm not like them. I don't need to manipulate or deceive. I tell you exactly what I want and what I expect. And, if you prefer, I can end this right now." He raised his sword, the blade glowing with an intense mix of demonic and divine energy. "The choice is yours."

The room fell silent, tense and heavy.

"Well?" Vergil pressed, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want to die as disposable tools... or live as something more?"

Iridia lowered her head, biting her lip, while Zex appeared to be battling her own mind. After a few moments, Iridia looked up and hesitantly murmured, "If we work for you... what exactly do you expect from us?"

Vergil smiled dangerously, his crimson eyes gleaming. "Simple: loyalty. Obedience. And above all, don't be annoying." He pointed at their bindings with the tip of his sword.

"I refuse," Zex declared without hesitation, her tone firm, though her gaze betrayed a mix of doubt and stubbornness.

Vergil raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, Iridia let out a deep sigh beside her. "What exactly would our jobs entail?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a faint note of resignation.

Vergil's grin widened, as though he had just heard precisely what he wanted. "Huh? Easy. I need maids." He spun his sword in the air with a flourish before planting it in the ground beside him. "You could work alongside Viviane." He spoke casually, but his sharp eyes caught the sudden spark of interest on Iridia's face.
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"With... with the Lady of the Lake?" Iridia stammered, clearly trying to hide her fascination.

Gotcha, Vergil thought with a smile.