Villain Transmigration: Author Transformation

In the Imperial garden, where a beautiful array of shrubs, trees, and even herbs accentuated the serenity of the place, Nathalie stood on one of the flowers—small patches of violets, blooming with grace—and plucked it for a smell.

"That flower… Like your name, it suits you… " Ashtra commented while she was right beside her like he was her guardian from now on.

Nathalie couldn't help but beam a quirky smile, staring at its beautiful violet petals as she slowly turned it around.

Violas...

A fragrant flower, despite its rarity being too common and bloomed year after year, it had a sweet spot in this garden with nothing but rare and exotic plants therein.

While she thought there must be a reason, for it was something rather fishy, she couldn't care at this point. Her heart fluttered every time she took her time admiring this particular flower, a flower that would even survive in the raging winters of the Northern Territory.

Such as it was so pleasing to her eyes, something common in her home.

However, she couldn't help but even notice the deep concern etched in Keith's face on her right peripheral vision. 

[A penny for your thoughts, Keith?]

"Ahh, My Lady, I…" He averted his gaze with a light scratch of his nape like he was rather embarrassed to speak a word about his thoughts even after giving him the cue of it.

"He wondered about Lawrence's suggestion earlier." Ashtra rolled his eyes. "Would you rather enter Athan's harem, there I said it…" 

After which, she had a hard time gulping as she got caught off guard once again. For some time, she got a little giddy and wanted not to talk about it as she needed a moment.

'Maybe it was a good choice he didn't answer, but this damn flying lizard…' Nathalie's hands trembled; inwardly, she wanted to choke the life out of Ashtra without changing a shade.

Once again, she found himself in a hot seat again.

While the unpredictability of Lawrence was prevalent, his audacity was another she needed to be wary of as of the moment.

In hindsight, all he wanted was beyond guarantee, perchance it wasn't in his hands directly—like it had to be in Athan's case.

But never in her manuscript of 'The Prince's Ascension' had the part where Marianne got suggested, at the very least, to partake Athan's harem.

Never in the part of the pages, Nathalie wrote after bestowing such title and the ongoing bountiful rewards that followed after would be such a fever dream for Marianne.

She harbored such feelings for him, after all. 

In this culture and society, harem built for political reasons, and in no way Nathalie had to enumerate them all— as much as she wanted to deny it, that part exists, especially if you're born and chose the path to be a ruler or a sovereign of the lands.

Athan was no different, whether he liked it or not, but perhaps much former— he had no problem with it from the beginning.

Even Veronica foresaw her future life would be but rather confident in her standing as the only wife.

On the other hand, while Marianne might've taken it in a heartbeat, Nathalie wasn't that kind of girl.

There were so many problems she had to face, let alone some entanglement with romantic affairs.

'I just wanted to live peacefully, why am I even getting dragged further in this hot mess.'

Recalling the recent events, everyone glued their eyes on her, and Athan almost had a hopeful glance.

Nathalie wanted to bang herself on the wall for as much as she could, with realization dawned upon her— how crazy Mystique was when it came to Athan.

'That damned villainess was head over heels of him; a psycho when it came for his affection. But I'm also her!'

She bit her lower lip, almost crumpling the flower in her delicate hand.

From the beginning, Mystique would do anything for it would claim worth it when it came to Athan; However, it was him that pushes her away, even to the point of losing her life. Now that she had the opportunity, a part of her would rile up, getting all flustered—a wish came true.

With it, declining radiated the same energy as death.

To her, it was a divine punishment to have such lingering feelings and even a muscle memory for him.

Yet it almost drives her to a mental breakdown after the peer pressure, and the reality check she had when it came down to him.

Only which she'd mentioned that she needed time after all the chain of events headed her way without taking a break.

While everyone gasped at her reaction, the opposite of what they'd expected; soon enough, they understand the brief justification she had.

The topic closed after Lawrence nodded, and inferred in quite a manner she could take time as much as she wanted. Thereafter, he went on the list of bountiful rewards that she deserved.

Unbeknownst to her, Ashtra snapped his head in the direction with a thicket of shrubs by far-right with subtle rustles from time to time. Meanwhile, Keith bore his fangs in the same direction.

However, she snapped out of her retrospection when Athan's voice echoed.

"Smells like in your homeland, I suppose?"

In the distance, Athan in the same grand, sophisticated outfit, shuffled his way to them with cape swinging with grace and jammed his hands on his trouser's pocket.

[Indeed…]

"Well, I arranged a few of  to retrieve it." After drawing an inch closer to her, his thuds took a stop. "I planted and took care of them myself in here, should you wanted to unwind and contemplate, this flower shall be your refuge while you're here in the Imperial Castle."

Nathalie's gaped eyes now blinked a few times. 

'Has he really been this thoughtful about me ever since, or…?' Unbeknownst to him, she leered up and down, and she didn't see any ounce of lies and deception in him.

She remembered that he had already changed his perspective of her.

A slight tug emerged in her heart as she saw a tinge of desperation in his look, of what seemed he was so close to what he wanted.

Right now, taking a deep breath, on what seemed she'd utter her final words, he blurted out first.

"I'm sorry, Violette. If that time made you uncomfortable to hear it from father instead. It didn't have to come across like that, but… Do I deserve a second chance?"