Hearing Lacus's clear, sweet laughter, like the chiming of silver bells, Felix beamed and carried her toward the chair.
Lacus said to Felix,
"Put me down."
"No." Felix refused with a sweet smile. "I want to hold you like this for the rest of my life."
Delighted by his words, Lacus teased him through her laughter.
"Wouldn't you wear yourself out?"
Hearing that, Felix replied confidently.
"I'm strong. Holding you like this for a lifetime would be no problem at all."
Lacus looked at Felix with a gentle, sweet smile, her voice soft but earnest.
"All right! We have a whole lifetime ahead of us. We don't need to cling to every moment like this."
Seeing the earnest look on his beloved's face, Felix stopped insisting and released his arms from around her waist.
Once she felt Felix's hands leave her waist, Lacus walked toward the bed. Felix followed her.
The two sat on the bed, looking at each other.
In that sweet silence, Lacus asked,
"What did Speaker Zala want with you?"
Felix answered directly, concealing nothing.
"Speaker Zala wants to end the current Lunar War and have me lead our forces back to guard the area around the Yakin Due Defense Line."
"End the war here?" Lacus murmured, looking somewhat puzzled.
Felix nodded to her.
After giving it careful thought, Lacus looked at Felix and offered her guess.
"Did Speaker Zala make that decision because the moon is too far from PLANT itself?"
Hearing her guess, Felix nodded in confirmation.
"Yes."
Lacus asked no further questions after hearing that.
But Felix spoke up then.
"The truth is, at this point, we can't simply withdraw whenever we want."
Confusion rose in Lacus's eyes as she looked at Felix.
"Hm?"
Seeing the look in his beloved's eyes, Felix calmly explained.