The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 50

Lucianne thanked a smiling Christian when she took her daughter from him and started speaking animatedly in a hushed tone to her little girl. After mind-linking her husband with her large orbs, Xandar glanced at Greg in concern before giving into his little freesia. Lucianne smiled and pecked a grateful kiss on his cheek before approaching Greg with Reida in her arms. Stella stayed with Xandar and Christian, who watched the queen take hasty steps towards the other duke.

Ivory and Desmond stopped looking around; Hailey stopped talking; and Alissa's gum-chewing came to an awkward pause, but no one was as shocked as Greg was.

When Lucianne was right in front of Greg, she positioned Reida to face him as she spoke to her, "Reida, this is Uncle Greg. Want to say 'hi'?"

Reida looked at Greg with wide lilac eyes, and like she was trained, gave Greg a little wave before her mother cooed 'good girl'. Greg had long accepted that it was going to be difficult to see Lucianne with her child because it was not made with him, but the fact that she told her daughter he was her uncle made him feel...belonged in his own family, something he'd never felt since his late uncle passed away.

Greg's eyes glistened, and Lucianne thought that she was being insensitive when she introduced her daughter to him, so she hastily apologized, "I am so sorry, Your Grace. This was probably not such a good idea. I had no intention of making you uncomfortable. I am so sorry. I'll just go over there and wait." Lucianne hid her daughter's face in her chest and turned.

But before she took a step, Greg exclaimed, "NO!" His voice echoed through the entire hangar. Xandar had had enough, and dashed to his wife and daughter.

Embarrassment washed over the duke, and Xandar held his wife close to his body as Greg said, "Apologies for my outburst, My Queen. And you didn't make me feel uncomfortable...well, you did at first but not when I was introduced to the princess. I just..." Greg cleared his throat and confessed in a very low volume so that his people couldn't hear what he was about to say, "It's been a long time since someone in the royal family saw me as family."

Xandar started feeling bad, and then conflicted. Greg pretty much asked for the hostile treatment he was given. Xandar and Christian weren't bullies. They both hit a boiling point with Greg before deciding to cut him off government affairs entirely. Greg was lucky that they still allowed him to attend social events and training practice before he was sent to prison!

"Oh, uh..." Lucianne looked at her wide-eyed daughter for a moment before she linked Xandar again, 'Would you mind if Greg...held Reida for a little while?'

His grip on her shoulder tightened instantly, and she got her answer. So, she dropped the subject and the link before she noticed Alissa and the others watching them. "Reida, do you want to meet some new friends?"

With her daughter, Lucianne took slow steps towards the top four, introducing them one by one, and Reida waved to each one of them. Desmond was the most excited one when he said, "Damn, yaʼre a cutie."

This compliment made Reida's small lips curl into a smile before she chuckled in the most adorable manner and yelled, "F*ck!"

"Oh dear Goddess," Lucianne muttered in embarrassment.

Greg's brows furrowed in disbelief when he asked, "What did she just say, My Queen?"

It was like Reida understood the question, and she chuckled before yelling again, "F*ck!"

Lucianne looked at her daughter with stern eyes and said, "Reida," the mother then shook her head slowly as she spoke in a drawn-out manner, "No more using that word, okay? No." The baby's eyes started showing some fear before she cleverly leaned into her mother's chest to avoid having to look at that pair of fierce eyes.

Greg's top four were holding back smiles and chuckles, but Greg was still in shock. Lucianne explained casually, "This is your cousin's fault, Your Grace. He used that word around Reida, and now my child's first word is a curse word."

"Babe, to be fair, it was HIS letter that made me say that word," Xandar then motioned at Greg.

Greg's furious sights went to Alissa. "What the f- What did you write in the message?!"

Alissa's eyes widened the moment that blame was directed to the letter. She immediately clarified, "Nothing in that was a cursed word, Your Grace. I can assure you of that.”

Lucianne affirmed what she said by telling Greg, "It wasn't the contents, really. We just knew what a note from you meant."

"Bad news," Christian said the moment he came over and joined the rest with Stella.

Lucianne spoke in Greg's defense, "I wouldn't say that. It was more like...information that we don't expect to get from anywhere else."

No one could argue against the queen because it was true. Every note from Greg to Lucianne was not mere clues, but clear answers that no one else could have given them.

Greg and his people were touched that they were defended, and they started to love Lucianne more than they already did. Hailey was particularly interested in Reida, so when Lucianne asked if she wanted to hold her, Hailey's eyes watered as she held her first child in years since she was held liable for negligence.

Lucianne could tell Hailey was good with children. She held Reida in her arms like it was second nature to her. She didn't struggle to find the right way like those who had never held a baby would.

The sight of a rogue holding the princess was only glaring at first but as the seconds passed, no one saw the labels anymore. It was just a woman holding an infant. That was all there was. Reida then started playing with Hailey's hair, which made Hailey chuckle lightly before she wiped away her own tears.

Even Christian, who was the most skeptical about this whole idea of working with the rogues, had to admit that they were more humane than he had imagined. Xandar went over to his wife, pecked a kiss on her hair before he linked, 'Sweetheart, if you still want to let Greg hold Reida, I'm okay with it.

Lucianne's glazed-over eyes shot to his own when she asked, 'Are you sure, Xandar?'

Another kiss on her temple and he uttered with a smile, "I'm sure."

Lucianne studied Xandar's expression and scrutinized his emotions through their bond for a few seconds more just to be sure before she looked at Greg, and asked, "Would you like to hold her, Your Grace?"

Greg blinked in surprise, and he glanced at his cousin before asking, "Are you sure, My Queen?"

Lucianne offered a small smile. "Only if you want to, Your Grace."

Hailey walked over to the duke's side, and it was like Reida knew she was going to be handed to the next nearest creature, so her arms spread open, ready to cling onto the next adult. With Hailey's guidance, Greg held Reida properly in his arms and was too afraid to move a single inch for fear of making Reida uncomfortable.

Since Greg's hair wasn't long enough for Reida to play with, her small hands reached for his chin, lips, nose, and Greg didn't realize he was actually moving his face downwards so that Reida could reach whatever she wanted to touch, and that was his mistake. Before he knew it, Reida's fingers gently poked at his right eye, and Greg mouthed 'ow' before turning his head to the side to blink away the sensation.

Lucianne dashed to his side and uttered in guilt, "I'm so sorry, Your Grace." She looked at her daughter and held her tiny hand as she said, “Reida, no poking your uncle." She wanted to take Reida back but the baby was so scared of her increasingly furious mother that she leaned into Greg, refusing to let go.

Xandar came over when Greg was still blinking and took his daughter's hand from his wife before pecking a light kiss on it, and whispered with a proud smile, "That's my girl."

"Xandar!" Lucianne protested.

Christian suddenly joined the conversation, "I think this might just be my favorite niece."

With narrowed eyes, Lucianne said, "She's your ONLY niece, Christian."

When Greg was alright again, he looked at Reida and muttered, "You're really not as harmless as you look, are you, princess?"

Reida chuckled and yelled 'F*ck!'.

Lucianne sighed in defeat. There was no way to unteach that now.

Greg scoffed lightly as he smiled and said, "F*ck indeed, princess."

"Your Grace!"

A loud rumble came from a distance and closed in fast. Everyone in the hangar witnessed Tate's private jet landing. When it came to a stop, the door opened, and each rogue onboard alighted the airstair with at least one lycan escort.