Captains' Meeting

Her gaze suddenly shifted to Xia Ya. His figure was reflected in her blue eyes, and the corners of her lips slowly curved into a gentle smile.

"I'm not alone," she said. "I have all of you, who chose the same path as me and are willing to follow me. I have everyone who accepted me in my darkest hour and became my friends. And I also have someone who promised me that he would never leave me behind by dying first."

That last sentence was meant for Xia Ya.

It was impossible not to feel sad. Impossible not to be shaken. Xia Ya knew that Lacus must have trusted that butler as completely as Siegel had. During his days in PLANT, he too had felt that family-like atmosphere. That trust had been betrayed in the most thorough way possible. The wound in her heart had to be bottomless.

Even so, she had not yielded, nor had she been crushed by grief. Because there were people at Lacus's side who cherished her: Bartfield and his comrades in the Klein Faction, Captain Murrue and the companions of the Three-Ship Alliance. Jiliang, of course, and Xia Ya as well.

"So I'm fine." Lacus turned to Bartfield again, her smile filled with strength. "This is not the time to drown in sorrow. We still have things we must do. I will inherit Father's will."

Bartfield looked at her for a long while before nodding heavily. The guilt in his eyes was replaced by admiration.

"...Is that so? Then I won't hold back. I'll be relying on you from now on, Leader." He changed the way he addressed her, representing the formal allegiance of both himself and every member of the Klein Faction.

"Mm."

Hearing Bartfield's words, Lacus nodded firmly.

The atmosphere in the