A plane had just landed at an Orb airfield closed to civilian traffic.
At the head of the delegation was a blonde woman who looked no older than a little girl. She led the group toward the Orb officials waiting to receive them.
"It's changed quite a bit."
"Yes, it certainly has, Mother."
The blond young man who answered her, Orphee Lam Tao, gazed out at Orb's capital as well.
Although this was his first time visiting, he had seen footage of the city before. In just twenty days, its appearance seemed to have changed dramatically.
"I hope everything proceeds smoothly and that our wish can finally be realized."
Aura Maha Khyber murmured softly. Despite her childlike appearance, she was actually around the same age as Lacus's mother.
Under normal circumstances, they should not have approached Lacus this soon.
However, they had never expected her to acquire such unimaginable power so quickly.
There was one likely explanation: Lacus's abilities far exceeded their initial projections. Those exceptional abilities were precisely what had allowed her to gain control over such extraordinary power.
The forces behind her might believe Lacus was merely a representative they had pushed onto the public stage, someone they could control.
Yet before they even realized what was happening, they might find themselves influenced by Lacus's power and transformed into her most loyal supporters.
Aura had come here to obtain Lacus's power.
No, perhaps that was too harsh a way of putting it.
She had come to make Lacus part of her family. Once they were family, there would be no need to distinguish between what belonged to one and what belonged to the other.
And there was only one person in this world worthy of Lacus: Aura's son.
He was the finest son she had poured all her effort into raising. His abilities and genes were no less exceptional than Lacus's. As a fellow Accord, he alone could truly be her other half.
The two of them were born for each other.
Before long, a set of doors opened. The delegation stepped through and saw the people they had come to meet, three princesses dressed entirely in white.
"Welcome to Orb, Lady Aura."
"It is an honor to receive permission to visit your nation, Chief Uzumi."
After the formal greetings, the two sides began introducing the people accompanying them.
"I'm Cagalli."
Cagalli had barely managed to maintain a smile when her expression suddenly froze. She had noticed the faint flicker of the ring she wore.
The light was nowhere near as bright as it had been during Lacus's intrusion, but there was no mistaking its glow.
Had these people already begun trying to influence their minds?
"Lacus, it's been a long time."
Aura Maha Khyber noticed the brief change in Uzumi's daughter's expression. It almost looked like disgust directed toward her.
Aura could understand why.
From the Orb princess's perspective, the purpose of this visit was most likely to seek political or military support so Aura's small nation could gain independence from the Eurasian Federation.
Her country had applied to leave the Eurasian Federation several times, but under the present circumstances, those requests would never be approved.
Aura merely gave Cagalli a perfectly natural smile and pretended not to notice her reaction. She then turned and offered a friendly greeting to the other princess.
Lacus, however, looked slightly confused.
"It seems you've forgotten me, Lacus. But that's only natural. You were barely more than a newborn when we last met."
"Lady Aura, did you know my father?"
"Not quite. More precisely, I knew your mother. We used to be colleagues."
"My mother? You worked with her?"
The songstress's surprise quickly turned to curiosity, while Aura Maha Khyber's gaze grew even gentler.
She intended to use Lacus's mother as the main subject of their conversation. From there, she could gradually exert a subtle mental influence, making Lacus feel increasingly close to her.
However, any discussion about Lacus's mother would have to wait until after the official talks were over.
Aura also paid closer attention to the man beside Lacus.
He might be the pilot of the transforming mobile suit, which would mean he belonged to the faction supporting her.
According to the intelligence Gilbert Durandal had provided, one recording showed the man wearing what appeared to be powered armor. Despite its small size, he had somehow defeated mobile suits while wearing it.
His threat level was beyond anything they had imagined.
Powered armor that small could only display that kind of performance if the person inside possessed a body far beyond normal human limits. Even a Coordinator would fall far short.
That left one likely possibility: he was either a cyborg or some form of Enhanced Human.
People like that rarely lived long.
Aura was a genetic researcher. She knew that if someone's body could perform at a level far beyond even Coordinators and Accords, it could not possibly last for long.
Soon, the formal discussions came to an end, and the banquet began.
"Lacus, do you know the meaning behind the ring on your necklace?"
"My mother gave it to me. Does it have some special meaning?"
Lacus gently stroked the ring hanging from her necklace. There was nostalgia in her eyes as she asked the question with genuine curiosity.
Aura Maha Khyber, who claimed to have been her mother's friend, began telling her the ring's story.
There had originally been a matching pair. One belonged to Lacus's mother, while the other belonged to Aura Maha Khyber.
The two women had once been very close, and they had made a playful promise to each other.
If they ever had children of their own, and one was a boy while the other was a girl, then those children would be betrothed.
"Why don't you consider Orphee, Lacus? As exceptional as Athrun Zala may be, I don't believe my son is in any way inferior to him."
"Um, I'm sorry…"
"Lady Lacus, would you be willing to give me a chance?"
Orphee Lam Tao immediately stepped forward and bowed to Lacus like a perfect gentleman.
"As I understand it, Lord Patrick Zala and your father are now bitter political enemies. Your father has recently been suppressed and even placed under restrictions. Under those circumstances, your engagement to Athrun is extremely unlikely to succeed."
He raised his head and looked directly at her.
"Besides, can you truly accept allowing a prearranged engagement to decide who you will spend your life with?"
"That is true. I would rather find someone I genuinely love."
"Then do you love Athrun in that way?"
"No, I can't say that I do."
"Then would you give me a…"
His voice abruptly stopped.
Lacus had suddenly risen from her seat and removed the ring from her necklace.
What was she doing?
The next second, Orphee's expression stiffened.
Lacus took the hand of the man beside her and tried to slide the ring onto his finger.
More specifically, she tried to put it on his ring finger.
What was that supposed to mean?
Unfortunately, the ring was too small to fit.
"It doesn't seem to fit. Hmm, this finger should work."
She slipped it onto his little finger instead.
"This is something very precious that my mother left me. I'm entrusting it to you now, all right?"
Ignoring the increasingly ugly expressions around her, Lacus gave the man she had forcibly placed the ring on another sweet smile.
"Lacu…"
"Please don't address me by my first name. If you must call me something, you may call me Mrs. Kain."
Lacus interrupted him with an utterly serious expression.
Her shocking declaration made Cagalli's cheek twitch. Murrue's expression also became somewhat unnatural.
"Kain?"
"Yes. The knight standing beside me. He is the knight I have chosen."
Lacus turned her attention back to Orphee.
"Therefore, Mr. Orphee Lam Tao, please refrain from casually pursuing a married woman. You should also stop addressing me by my first name. It's rather impolite."
Her tone remained perfectly serious.
Orphee Lam Tao's face twisted slightly. At the same time, Lacus noticed that the ring on her hand was now flashing intensely.
She had no intention of smiling at him again.
He did not deserve her smile.
Neither did the woman who claimed to have been her mother's close friend, Aura Maha Khyber.
Ever since that woman entered the room, she had been deliberately releasing some form of mental influence. The reinforced members of Orb's leadership were steadily growing more affectionate toward her.
They were not simply being won over by her friendly demeanor.
Although Lacus was wearing her ring and had activated its shielding effect, she could still tell that this was anything but normal. The others seemed to be undergoing something closer to hypnosis or brainwashing.
"Miss Clyne, are you only doing this because you dislike me?"
"I do dislike you, but I didn't choose some random person simply to reject you."
Lacus's voice softened.
"I truly do love Mr. Kain."
At last, she had said it.
A faint blush appeared on Lacus's face.
This was a genuine confession.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Orphee Lam Tao's expression contort with undisguised fury. His gaze turned venomous as it locked onto Kain.
In the next instant...
"Aaaargh!"
An agonized scream echoed throughout the banquet hall, leaving everyone stunned.
Orphee Lam Tao was the one screaming. He suddenly collapsed to the floor, clutching his head with both hands as unbearable pain tore through him.
The moment Lacus saw his condition, she understood what he had done.
He had clearly attempted to force his way into Kain's mind.
The result was inevitable.
He had been a lamb willingly walking into a tiger's jaws.
(End of Chapter)
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