Villain Transmigration: Author Transformation

'Where am I?'

From the bright chandelier, it cast the countless shelves, bursting with books and plaques displayed, framed picturesque, and lavish carpet in a golden glow.

Arnold sat near the grand refectory table; she knew it was his study. His seat slowly creaked as he faced the neverending piles of parchment and documents, however neat and organized, on his table.

On the other side, Mystique stood calm and collected.

But even the slightest details, Nathalie noticed how the villainess was trying to keep up as much as she could.

"This is Keith, Your Grand Ducal Highness," Keith introduced himself, knocking behind closed doors.

"Come in."

Meanwhile, Keith entered the room, saluting and shuffled in muffled thuds towards the Grand Duke. He submitted a few scrolls in his hand.

"We've secured the perimeter on the further boundary of the north, Sire."

However, Arnold said in an indifferent tone. "Well done. Keep up the pace; we shall continue our achievements all for the glory of our empire."

"Yes!" He turned around, and his eyes smiled along with his mouth as he greeted Mystique. "Greetings to the Blackwell's youngest star, Your Grace."

Mystique gave him a cold glare despite the curt nod and trudged towards Arnold.

Meanwhile, as Keith expected, he pressed his lips and found his way towards the door.

Arnold continued to scribble while he mumbled at Mystique, who stood in front of him.

Strange, to say the least, since she always had her head hung low without glancing at her Father once. Moreover, she fidgeted her arms a little bit.

Mystique was no different from a gravely ill patient having a late stage of cancer.

[Father—I... have something to tell you…]

[What is it? My Mysti? Any—] His eyes widened when Mystique collapsed, hitting the edge of the table before dropping on the floor. [Mystique!]

Keith looked back, even stared in shock, and dashed to them. Meanwhile, Arnold pounced immediately, couldn't care less about the fluttering papers around as his eyes darted at her trembling body.

Her incessant screams were like nightmarish sonata to Arnold that he didn't know what to do.

"Keith! Call the guards!"

"Right away."

"I need help! I need—" Arnold halted, and words vanished for a while when she gripped her stomach then kneaded right below her navel.

"No! No! Halt!" With Mystique's eyes now bloodshot, Arnold's sheer cries turned into a roar when he knew what it could mean. "Come back here at once!"

He stopped his tracks when he curbed his immediate order.

But Keith's presence turned invisible when the Father's focus was on Mystique. "When was this?! Who did this to you?!"

Arnold had his face wrinkled, especially his forehead, as he gaped his mouth. In a split second, the quiet room got blasted in a blizzard.

Her moans turned out to be knives that grazed his heart again; he embraced her tight with a cry as he got caught in a predicament. So pressed and rooted in his stead, the Grand Duke almost shut down when he couldn't make a final decision.

Even with that, Mystique continued to wail in agony. She then convulsed and started to vomit blood.

"I—" Arnold was at a loss of words; his arms trembled in fear as he stared at nothingness. Keith wanted to move closer when he flinched from the Grand Duke's sudden turn. "Keith, heed my word."

"Sire!"

Nathalie watched from afar as to how it unfolded. Of course, she knew this specific part as this was part of the manuscript.

He hovered his palm on her navel, releasing a cooling air; it did alleviate a certain degree—from Mystique's slight uneasiness of her face and fewer tremors on her body—but it was never the solution to the problem.

With Mystique in his arms, he bit his lip hard, bleeding, which he knew he would regret in the future.

"Keith. Please take care of my daughter..."

"P—Pardon?"

"Mystique is in danger..." Arnold clenched his fist, his forearms streaked with veins that etched on his alabaster skin. "Someone activated the curse within her, and she would need a lifeline."

It was apparent how Keith seemed lost from the premise.

"This won't be the last time she would experience such, Keith. From now on, at the same instance, she would bear this every month—for the rest of her life."

Such trivialities that were ignored as it was just an info dump turned out to be manifesting on its own right and background that even she had no idea.

But it was still different from Keith as he mumbled aghast, "A lifetime curse?"

"Indeed, you see, Mysti is a special one, one where the female noble witches could only be acquired in contrast among us wizards known in these lands." He took a dramatic turn while his eyes somehow glistened. "At such a young age, she is now exposed to one of the great weaknesses."

Nathalie continued to listen, as it was somehow vague in her mind and ideas from the author's perspective, but going into the lore of the story struck her differently, yet it didn't fail to shock her

'The loss of chastity loses one's innate witch powers, gaining access to vulnerability and mortality.'

Like that, it was like a world came crashing down for Nathalie.

Out of all creatures, families, and lineages of wizards and witches bestowed with an affinity of mana and immortality, they are revered for their natural boons. Still, they posed one of the significant weaknesses as well.

Their celibacy.

But it was different from witches; if one should continue to live for as long as the rest of them, then one should strive through absorbing youth from others. Nathalie had an overview of the curse, and she couldn't help but facepalm from what she doodled from the brainstorming notes.

Arnold then avowed, "Once broken, only through entanglement can a witch survive for long by taking on another life force. If she continued to abstain, then dire consequences awaited her."

Nathalie could see how hard Arnold gulped while pressing his now chapped lips. She could also discern how he didn't choke his words after trying his best to save his face.

Realization slowly dawned upon Nathalie when she found out the transition of Arnold's motivation and demeanor towards Keith and the rest of the sequel.

"I hope you understand my intentions; they bear no ill-will." Arnold pleaded.

Nathalie wanted to know more when the scenery before her shifted.