The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 27

Xandar dismissed everyone as he got up. After pecking a kiss on Lucianne's hair, he went over to wrap his cousin in a brotherly hug. Christian hugged him back before patting him on the shoulder. Although Xandar didn't say a word, Christian proudly announced, "I know. I know. I'm still your favorite cousin no matter what." A mischievous smile graced Toby's features as he said, "Yeah, we all know that. He doesn't have much to choose from anyway."

Christian lightly punched Toby in his abdomen, and Toby mocked an anguished reaction before they fist-bumped. After the duke and the queen embraced next, effectively symbolizing that there were no hard feelings despite their disagreement during the meeting, everyone left the meeting room in better spirits.

As Xandar and Lucianne walked out hand-in-hand, Lucianne linked her husband, 'Thank you for what you did in there. I didn't think you'd get onboard with granting the conditional pardon.

Xandar furrowed his eyebrows in a teasing manner. 'Did you really think I was going in there to stand with my ministers against my wife, sweetheart?'

Lucianne shrugged. 'If your wife is wrong, I don't see why not.

Xandar scoffed as he let go of her hand before reaching for her waist to pull her body closer to his and continued, 'Would you have done it to me? Ambush me in a meeting room by standing with the majority?' 'Well, I wouldn't ambush you per se. But I will stand against you if I don't think that you're right...and come to think of it, I've already done it several times!

'And in those times, did I know you were going to stand against me before we entered the meeting room?'

Lucianne narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. 'I like to think that you did know, otherwise it'll just mean you weren't listening to me when I was talking to you!

Xandar chuckled and pecked a kiss on her temple before he assured her, 'I was listening, sweetheart, so I did know you were dead set on taking a different approach all those times, and that's my point.

Their footsteps slowed down when Xandar added, 'I wouldn't just...skip the hard talk with you in private and then go all out against you in public. Baby, that's not how we work, and I'm proud to say that that was never how we worked, even before we were married. We've always talked things through with each other in private first, even when it was hard. If I don't say anything to you beforehand, it's only because I'm on your side. Besides, I need a strong line of reasoning before even attempting to change your mind! 'Winning an argument against your wife is that hard, huh?' Lucianne teased.

They reached the car, and Xandar pinned her waist to the door before peering into her cheeky eyes as he uttered affectionately, "You don't know the half of it, my love. For comparison purposes, I'll have you know that it's tougher than writing a PhD dissertation." Lucianne chuckled lightly, and her hands instinctively reached for his chest before sliding up his shoulders as she said, "So, is it safe to say that you weren't able to produce a dissertation to refuse granting pardon, darling?"

He closed their distance and muttered, "I was able to actually, but submitting it was suicidal and potentially embarrassing. If I could come up with counter-arguments against my own reasoning, imagine the ammunition you or Toby would have." Her eyes softened at how much faith he had in her, and she felt like she was letting him down when she admitted in a whisper, "I wasn't sure if granting pardon was right, though. I really went in on a hunch this time. You heard me in there. There was so little evidence and solidity in what I was suggesting. Maybe I was always sure in the past but today...I wasn't."

"Oh, you were sure, Lucy," Xandar insisted and added with a knowing smile, "You have a different look if you're unsure, which was not what I saw on your face after you spoke to Greg."

He cupped her cheek and looked intensely into her eyes as he continued explaining, "Whenever you weren't speaking to anyone yesterday, your eyes showed that your thoughts were miles away. And those gears in your head looked like they were being pushed to overdrive. There were even a few times when I felt your mental fatigue."

"Sorry," Lucianne muttered as her facial features squinted in guilt. She didn't know that, but that explained why Xandar planted extra kisses on her hair and forehead the previous day.

Xandar chuckled and pecked a kiss on her nose. "I don't mind, baby. I love knowing how you feel, feeling how you feel. The thing is, even during those mental gymnastics, I didn't feel any uncertainty from you. You were so sure that granting pardon was the best way forward. What you weren't sure of was probably how you were going to convince an entire room of ministers who hate Greg to get onboard."

Lucianne was completely lost for words. He read her so well, not just from the mate-bond but also from her face. Her heart melted and her eyes glistened before her thumb traced his cheek and she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Xandar kissed her forehead before gently nudging the tip of her nose, like how his animal normally did with her animal on their morning runs, prompting her to respond.

Lucianne chuckled softly and briefly before she pecked a kiss on the corner of his lips, and murmured, "I know." This made her mate smile broader as his animal cooed in bliss and his human part took a quick whiff of her scent from her hair.

Tate watched their whole exchange from his car. He started the engine and was about to drive off before the sight of the couple from across the parking lot made him pause. Despite not knowing what they were saying, he could see how they looked at each other when they spoke. The Alpha couldn't help but feel envious at how beautiful Xandar and Lucianne looked together. Why couldn't he have that? As Tate tore his eyes away, he thought about how he was going to break things down for Margaret when he saw her in the evening.