Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Guilt
Smelian didn’t realize how gentle his gaze was as he looked at the little cub in his arms. He had never been more envious of Grace.
Although the cub in his arms wasn’t a precious female, it was a child who shared Duke Lu Xia’s bloodline. What difference did its gender make?
"Smelian." Lu Xia’s voice snapped the man holding the cub back to his senses. He hadn’t even noticed when she had come out.
"Are you alright? Do you feel any discomfort?" Smelian hurried forward, his eyes filled with concern.
"I’m fine, don’t worry. How is he? Have you run a simple scan on him? I have a feeling his gene fusion degree is quite high." ’A cub that can partially beastify right after birth must be rare,’ Lu Xia thought.
In fact, it had never happened before. Cubs bred in labs could only undergo gene fusion when they were slightly older, and they lost the chance to fuse once they reached adulthood.
The cub in Smelian’s arms was the only one ever to be born with the Beastification Gene and have it manifest so stably.
"Should we test him here?" Smelian followed Lu Xia to the equipment. "A cub who can partially beastify at birth... there might be only one case like this in the entire Empire. A private research lab like this might not be fully secure."
Lu Xia understood Smelian’s warning.
She glanced at the little cub sleeping peacefully in his arms. "Then let’s deal with it after we get back. Pack your things. We’ll buy tickets and head home."
’Who would’ve thought? I came here to solve a transportation problem and ended up having a cub.’
"I’ve already booked the tickets. We can leave whenever we’re ready. But... what do we do about this on his face?"
Perhaps because he was so young, he wasn’t yet skilled at switching between his beast and human forms. The translucent scales on his face hadn’t disappeared. If the wrong person saw them, they’d realize he was different.
"Wrap him in my trench coat and cover his face. I’ll carry him." ’If I’m the one holding him, no one should be brazen enough to try and inspect him. My status as a female will be especially useful right now.’
After bundling up the little cub, the two of them left the private research lab. Before they departed, Smelian made sure to check all the surveillance feeds, only leaving once he had confirmed they had all been wiped.
However, upon arriving at the spaceport terminal, they ran into a surprise inspection from the Victoria authorities.
Lu Xia had Smelian get their identification ready. As they went through the security checkpoint, the officer on duty couldn’t help but notice the bundle in Lu Xia’s arms. "Ma’am, please place the item you’re holding on the scanner for inspection. Thank you for your cooperation."
"I’m sorry, but that’s not possible," Lu Xia said, looking at the officer. "This is my child."
The officer hadn’t expected the bundle to be a child. He instinctively glanced at Smelian, who was walking ahead, and confirmed they were together. ’But letting the female carry the child... that’s a first,’ he thought.
"Then could you open the blanket so I can take a look?" If it really was a baby, it was true they couldn’t be put on the scanner. But the little one in her arms was just too quiet, and it was impossible to be sure just by looking at the tightly wrapped bundle. He felt his request wasn’t unreasonable.
Of course, Lu Xia knew his request wasn’t unreasonable. ’But the scales on the baby’s face are too obvious. Unwrapping him is out of the question.’
Just as Lu Xia was trying to figure out an excuse to get them through, the little cub suddenly stirred. He let out a couple of soft whimpers, and a chubby little white hand poked out from the coat.
Upon seeing this, the officer immediately stopped his questioning and gestured for them to proceed.
Lu Xia gave the officer a nod, then took Smelian’s arm as they boarded the Starship together. ’That was a close call, but we made it through safely. All thanks to our little cub’s perfect timing.’
Inside their room on the Starship, Lu Xia kept the hood over the little cub’s face. Fortunately, the little one slept the entire time without making a fuss, and their journey home was smooth.
The old butler had already received word and was waiting anxiously at home. When he heard a commotion outside, he couldn’t remain seated any longer and rushed out to greet them. "You’re finally back! My lady, how are you? Are you feeling alright?"
"I’m fine. Is the formula ready? He’ll probably wake up soon, so you can feed him then. Is Doctor Eugene here? Have him come take a look. I’m going to take a shower and change. Smelian, you should go rest up as well. I’m so glad you were with me today. Thank you."
’If Smelian hadn’t come with me this time, things would have been truly difficult.’ Her "thank you" was heartfelt.
But Smelian shook his head. "You’re being too kind. It’s what I’m supposed to do." ’This was his duty as her husband, after all. He never wanted Lu Xia’s gratitude.’ "Shouldn’t we let Grace know? He’d be overjoyed to hear the news."
"He’s on patrol right now. I don’t want him to get distracted. We can tell him when he returns," Lu Xia said before turning and heading back to her room.
In fact, Grace had already received the news about Lu Xia and Smelian. The moment he learned Lu Xia had left the private research facility with a newborn cub in her arms, he knew exactly what had happened.
After ordering his contact to clean up any loose ends, Grace shut off his communicator and sat in silence for a long time.
The joy of his child’s birth was soured by the fact that he hadn’t been by Lu Xia’s side during such a crucial time.
’He had missed such a critical moment.’ For Grace, the regret and guilt were overwhelming.
His heart ached terribly at the thought of Lu Xia giving birth to their child in a place like that. ’His little female deserved the very best.’
’But instead, she had been forced to endure so much, and he couldn’t even be there to support her.’
The turmoil in his heart threatened to drown him.
As his emotions churned, black scales emerged on the sides of Grace’s face, and a faint red glow flickered in his jet-black pupils.
His adjutant pushed the door open to call Grace for a meal, only to be confronted with this scene. His heart seized. A crushing sense of genetic suppression washed over him, making him feel as if a hand were tightening around his throat.
Grace heard the noise and looked over, his entire being radiating a cold, murderous aura. "What is it?"
The adjutant fought the urge to turn and flee. "A-are you alright, sir? I just came to ask if... if you wanted to have your meal. It’s... it’s ready."
’At that moment, the adjutant was struck by the stark realization that Grace was no ’defective’ male. He was a High-level Gene Fusion Expert who had activated the Black Dragon Gene.’
’That genetic suppression of a superior over an inferior felt... innate.’
"No, thank you. I want to be alone," Grace said, looking away. The murderous aura, however, didn’t dissipate. Hearing this, the adjutant didn’t dare to linger. He quickly agreed and shut the door, not forgetting to hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on his way out to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering in and provoking the man inside.
’He had a gut feeling it was best not to disturb Major General Grace right now. Otherwise, there was no telling what might happen.’
’This wasn’t normal. This was very, very not normal!’
