Naturally, demons do not reveal their existential nas, their mark upon the world... However, for what Raphaeline gambled, she had to do it. She gave her na to Vergil.
Revealing an existential na is an act of extre vulnerability for a demon. That na, more than just an identification, is the essence of their existence.
For demons, offering such a na is not rely opening the door for soone to understand them; it is handing over the key for their very essence to be shaped or destroyed.
"If you win, my soul is yours."
To offer one's soul is exactly to offer one's essence... Vergil would naturally be confused; he knows little about this. About the true power of demons when absorbing souls...
Raphaeline knew this. She knew very well what she was risking when she accepted Vergil's gamble. But, back then, arrogance had spoken louder.
She never imagined she would lose. And now, there she was, standing before him, her gamble lost, and her na... her true na... was no longer hers alone.
When Raphaeline whispered that na in his ear, sothing inside him shifted. He was no fool; he knew it was more than just a simple victory.
The queen remained still after murmuring the na, her breathing slightly altered as she watched Vergil's reaction. For a mont, she seed disard, almost regretful, as if realizing the magnitude of her surrender.
Her eyes t his, filled with conflicting emotions... wounded pride, sha, but also an unexpected hint of relief. It was as if, in her defeat, she had finally been freed from sothing that bound her.
Vergil did not look away. He was not a man who feared the implications of power; he lived to dominate them. Now, with Raphaeline's na in his possession, he felt sothing new. A bond that could not be undone, a connection that went beyond words, beyond promises. Her essence pulsed within him, and in an instant, he saw it all: her past, her fears, her victories, her failures. He knew who Raphaeline was, as intimately as she herself.
Once again... Vergil was no ordinary demon... He shouldn't even have been able to do this... In fact, he shouldn't have been able to claim the soul of such a powerful woman. Because, despite Raphaeline's incongruence with her actions, she was still one of the Four Demon Kings. She was strong and had a strong soul...
A newborn demon had just withstood the soul of a Queen... All thanks to his absolute control over demonic energy and his strange body.
"So this is what you truly are..." Vergil murmured, still absorbing the impact of everything he had uncovered.
Raphaeline averted her gaze, her shoulders rigid, as if trying to hide the embarrassnt consuming her. "I've fulfilled my part of the gamble," she said, her voice colder than she felt. "Now, leave..."
Vergil tilted his head, assessing her. There was sothing deeply fascinating about seeing her like this... a woman who had always stood as an unshakable pillar of power and authority, now surrendered, even if reluctantly. He took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them even further.
"You don't seem very convinced of that, Raphaeline." His tone was teasing, but there was a subtle warmth in it, sothing that seed to confuse the queen even more. "Giving your na isn't the end of the story. It's just the beginning."
She clenched her fists, her face warming with a mixture of humiliation and an emotion she couldn't na. "You won. What else do you want from ?" Her voice faltered slightly, but she maintained her composure.
Vergil smiled, a smile that spoke more than a thousand words. He leaned in slightly, closing the distance between their faces until their eyes were perfectly aligned. "What I want... is you. Not just your power, your status, or your soul. I want the true Raphaeline. The one I saw when you gave your na. And let tell you, my dear... she is infinitely more fascinating than the arrogant queen you try to be."
Raphaeline's breath caught for a mont. No one had ever spoken to her like that. No one had dared to breach the walls she had built over centuries. And there he was, Vergil, not just crossing those walls but dismantling them with a simple smile and a presence that seed to devour everything around him.
"You are insufferable," she said, trying to sound firm, but her words ca out almost as a whisper.
"Maybe." He shrugged. "But you can't take your eyes off now, can you?"
Ada, who had been silently watching the scene, was stunned. Her mother, the most intimidating woman she knew, was... yielding. Not just yielding, but becoming sothing entirely different in front of Vergil. Ada had never seen her act this way, and it was profoundly unsettling and, in a way, fascinating.
"This is surreal..." Ada finally murmured, but no one paid her any attention.
Raphaeline tried to regain so control over the situation. "You have my na, Vergil. That's all you need. Don't get carried away by fantasies."
"Fantasy?" He laughed, a low, almost cruel laugh. "Raphaeline, what's happening here is anything but fantasy. Your na pulses within now. It's your soul that's connected to mine. Don't try to diminish this."
She didn't know how to respond. As much as she wanted to, her mind was in turmoil, and the growing heat in her face wasn't helping.
Vergil continued to gaze at Raphaeline with an intensity that was almost predatory, absorbing every nuance of her expression. The queen, who until then had carried an unshakable air of authority, was now completely undone. Her breathing was heavy and uneven, her hands trembling imperceptibly, and a deep blush colored her face. She looked like a woman on the edge of a precipice, torn between fleeing and surrendering to the inevitable.
"So, Raphaeline..." he repeated, his voice dipping into a softer, almost intimate tone. "You're mine. And I take very good care of what's mine."
He took another step forward, closing the remaining space between them. Raphaeline didn't step back, but she didn't move forward either. Her eyes were locked on his, wide with a mixture of sha, hesitation, and... sothing else. Ada, standing a few steps away, watched the scene in total bewildernt.
'Ah... and to think he'd settle for the daughters of the queens... That look is the sa as when he found out he had three wives,' Ada thought as she witnessed the strangest and most macabre scene she could imagine. 'I'm starting to feel jealous... But he's much worse with Sapphire.'
Vergil raised a hand, gently touching Raphaeline's chin, forcing her to hold his gaze. His touch was light, yet carried an undeniable weight. Raphaeline said nothing; she seed unable to articulate any words. Her labored breathing was the only sound breaking the silence.
And then, he did sothing no one could have anticipated.
Without hesitation, Vergil leaned in and captured Raphaeline's lips in a deep, deliberate, and undeniably possessive kiss.
Ti seed to stop.
Raphaeline froze for a mont, as if her mind had simply shut down in the face of the gesture. But as the seconds dragged on, she slowly closed her eyes, succumbing to the intensity of the mont.
Her lips, hesitant at first, began to respond to his touch. Vergil showed no haste; he controlled the pace, every movent ticulously calculated to ensure she felt the weight of her surrender.
Ada, on the other hand, seed on the verge of a breakdown. Her eyes were wide with utter disbelief as she watched her husband kiss her mother. She opened her mouth to protest, but no words ca out. It was as if her brain was struggling to process sothing that simply made no sense.
'Well... I guess I understand Katharina now... What the hell,' she muttered, pouting.
When the kiss finally ended, Vergil pulled back slightly, leaving their faces still dangerously close. He smiled, that self-assured smile that radiated absolute control over the situation. Raphaeline's eyes were clouded, as if she were recovering from a daze.
'What was that... Why... was it so good...?' she thought.
"So, this is the taste of my Raphaeline," Vergil murmured, his tone laced with a mix of satisfaction and sothing deeper.
Raphaeline brought a hand to her lips, still feeling the warmth of the kiss. Her face was a shade of red she never thought possible. She tried to speak, but sha and vulnerability silenced her. Never in her entire existence had anyone dared to invade her space like that, and certainly not with such boldness and confidence.
"You..." She finally found her voice, but even so, it was fragile. "You betrayed my daughter..."
"Huh? Of course not. She already knew my intentions; she just didn't think I'd go this far," he replied, chuckling softly. "But it seems you don't mind all that much, do you? After all, you responded to the kiss quite well."
Raphaeline averted her gaze, biting her lower lip in a gesture that mixed frustration and nervousness. She wanted to deny it, to scream, to reaffirm her pride... but all she could feel was the warmth still burning on her face and the trembling in her hands.
Ada, recovering from her state of shock, finally found her voice. "You better reward generously after kissing my mother right in front of . You lunatic."
Vergil turned to Ada with a defiant smile. "Ah, Ada... Don't be jealous. Your mother is more than just the arrogant queen you know. And now, she's mine. I'll fix her for being such a terrible mother," he said with a grin, then added, "And of course, I'll reward you... I'll reward you very well..."
Before she could retort, a trembling voice broke the mont. "M-m-?" Raphaeline stamred, her once-regal posture nearly collapsing as she looked at Vergil with wide, glistening eyes.
Vergil turned his attention back to her, studying her with that piercing gaze that seed to cut through any facade. Raphaeline looked utterly disconcerted, her lips parted, her hands nervously clutching the fabric of her dress. She was clearly on the verge of an emotional breakdown... yet, surprisingly, she seed more vulnerable than humiliated.
"I can't lose him!!! This man!!! Just with a touch... with one touch, he made feel sothing that not even the damned swords, which were supposed to be my glory, ever gave ! To hell with all of this!!! I want him now!"
Vergil took a step toward her, closing the distance until only a whisper of air separated their bodies. His eyes glead with a mixture of amusent and sothing deeper, sothing... intensely possessive.
"Raphaeline..." he murmured, his voice smooth as silk but carrying the weight of an irresistible current. "You don't need to pretend anymore. You know what happened the mont you gave your na. Now, all you have to do is accept it."
Raphaeline was visibly trembling. Her hands, so used to wielding swords and commanding armies, now seed incapable of doing anything but clutching nervously at the fabric of her dress. "I... I don't..."
"Shh." Vergil raised a hand, gently touching her chin, forcing her to et his eyes. "No excuses. No lies. I know you now, Raphaeline. I know the woman behind the queen. And let make this clear: you belong to ."
She opened her mouth to respond but closed it again. *Well, I've lost... So screw it.*
"Fine... I'm yours..." she said, her voice trembling slightly.
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