Villain Transmigration: Author Transformation

"Are you giving up on her?"

Out of the blue, Arnold's queries caught him off guard and he couldn't help but cough so hard, hitting his upper chest with his wrist from the wringing pain.

Even so, he still tried his best to speak for himself as he scrunched his face, keeping up with the tension that suddenly broke loose between them.

"What—"

"What do you mean what, you fool," he retorted. While giving him a glance, he uttered again, "Don't act like you're so surprised about my question."

"No, I didn't think that you would question it—"

"So, are you giving up on her or not?"

"No!" he blurted out as he glared at him. But right away, he averted his gaze as his face flushed out of embarrassment and out of noble etiquette for acting in front of the Grand Duke, and Mystique's father no less.

Unsure of what Arnold would respond, Athan couldn't help but curse inwardly for losing his composure.

"That's good to hear."

'Huh?' He snapped back his head, and saw him pouting his lips with a curt nod.

"No way you're giving up; a man with dedication and thriving passion… I know it when I see it."

"How do you even know when I've only been a bastard when I'm with her?"

"That one too. I know about that." Arnold hunched his shoulders. Suddenly, a pang of guilt reflected off his indigo eyes. "It takes one to know one, after all."

'He's… What am I seeing—?!'

While he thought that Arnold also changed, it still blew his mind every time for how much her only daughter affected him as his life onwards.

"You only became a bastard when you knew Mystique wanted from you…" Arnold looked at him, stifling a smile. 

"Rightfully so," he concurred.

"She knew you would get it all eventually— all what she needed; she risked everything and rewarded highly but everything backfired as well."

Athan gritted his teeth, knowing that Mystique grew up, longing for validation and affection, mostly to her father. But the man beside him was known for being too cutthroat, and had a lesser view when it came down to women.

Which stemmed Mystique's nasty behavior to crave for power and prestige; if there was any way she could achieve all of it, then she would do what she had to do right away.

Her eyes locked into him right away; she was there when he had nothing to lose. 

With the struggle and the arduous journey he took to become the heir apparent of the throne, he knew the weight he had to carry aside from the positive side.

When he was at the peak, Mystique showed her colors as she pulled the strings one after another.

But the second lifetime went in full reversal. He came with vengeance but getting all blinded to it failed to see what her perspectives were and how far she had overseen.

Despite having such bad blood all these years passed, still, he couldn't help but be a little more attentive to him, after receiving such compliments from him. 

"Even then, I saw how genuine you are to her— but she gets on your nerves most of the time… You must've already realized before you caught up to her whims and got trapped fully."

"Right."

"But now, I know something in her changed; and perhaps what I did to her, and the life she'd been traumatizing her, and the only thing I could do would be there for my Mysti…" He beamed a lopsided grin as he arched his neck to the sky now breaking to the dawn. 

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I've done so many unforgivable deeds in my life, not even atoning them for a lifetime would be enough." He then looked at the glistening river, now having a tinge of golden light with a shade of blue reflected from the skies of dawn. "I must say that I'm embarrassed how I failed her."

After which, silence lingered between them, only their ears  with the chirps and a round of rustles around them as the breeze went abuzz.

Athan looked at him for a moment, then went back, stretching his legs and propped his palms on the rock.

"Though none of my feelings mattered; for she gave up on me."

Arnold ended up sighing, as he grunted a little while he stood upright. "Well, that would be up to you then; if you gave up without giving it another shot. Was that the mindset you have after the bloodbath amongst your siblings for the crown?"

Athan looked at his taunting visage, provoking him, but he kept his cool, and responded head-on, "No, but with you telling me this… I presume I already have your blessing when she's mine."

A smirk came from both the corner of his lips, earning the other a frown.

"Don't get too arrogant over here now..." A small glint came from Arnold's eyes. "It's her decision, and not mine to make. So have all the luck, as not that I needed it—"

However, before he could even respond, a sudden beep and a vibration came beneath Arnold's cloak, which he then rummaged through, and got the smartphone in his hands.

Curiosity got the best of Athan when Arnold's face lightened up, aside from the brightness of the screen beaming out.

"It's a call from Mysti!" He became all giddy, not giving a damn around him as he pressed it with a force. "Hello to my beautiful daughter—"

"Father! Bad news!" 

Mystique's voice erupted, stunning both of them and had Athan stand, leering at the phone, and pressed the video button.

"Wait! Wait! Mysti, alright what happened?"

[Few battalions from Ustreador have already arrived in this city.]

"I suppose that wouldn't be much of a problem then… I've already told His Highness to stay away from there, and focus on other things— that shouldn't be a problem with those enemies coming here."

[Right. But they aren't ordinary…]

"I see..." Arnold gazed at Athan for a while. "So, what would you want me to do?"

[Help him. Please.]

While he wasn't sure, he ended up affirming for her sake, then he trailed off his voice, "So… What should I do?"

[I'll fill you in on the details later. I'll send you a file soon. But for now, I have to go; because there's another large colony beneath this city owned by Ustreador!]