Chapter 225: Respective Trajectories (Part 2)

A comfortable sea breeze blew gently, brushing against the hair of the three ladies on the balcony.

After Flay voiced her decision to withdraw from the emotional vortex involving herself, Kira, and Lacus, a great weight was lifted from her heart.

Kira was too kind; if she didn't take the initiative to step away, he likely wouldn't let her go.

In that case, this complex emotional vortex might instead begin to affect those around them.

So Flay decided to withdraw. Besides, it was impossible to win anyway...

This was better for everyone...

Seeing Flay's determined expression, Murrue Ramius and Natarle Badgiruel took the hint and skipped over the topic of Kira.

However, Murrue recalled the entrustment from a certain bespectacled boy in the past. She shifted her voluptuous hips uncomfortably in her seat and tentatively asked, "Then what about Sai? He has been asking me about your situation quite often lately."

Although the topic was somewhat awkward, Murrue ultimately couldn't bear to refuse the request of such a devoted boy.

Mentioning her former fiancé, Flay fell silent once more.

Regarding this fiancé arranged by their fathers, Flay had been very satisfied at first. After all, he was the prince of the academy—handsome, good-natured, and highly capable.

But after her father died, everything changed.

Blinded by hatred, she began to exploit Kira's secret crush on her and betrayed him.

To be honest, Flay felt guilty toward Sai in her heart.

But to let her current self throw herself back into Sai's arms, to basely rely on his gentleness after being hurt, Flay felt she couldn't do it.

She wasn't worthy!

"Sai is a gentle, good person, so I don't want to hurt him again."

Flay did not evade the topic Murrue raised, choosing instead to face her own heart. "If he hadn't met me, he should have had a better life."

After a pause, she added, "Please, Captain Murrue, convey to him that he shouldn't wait for me anymore. He should go find the happiness that suits him."

"Alright, since your mind is made up, I will convey it to him."

Seeing this, Murrue knew Flay's decision was final and nodded in agreement.

She sympathized with Sai's devotion, but thinking rationally, a reconciliation between the two was indeed inappropriate.

"Thank you, Captain. Now I can feel more at ease when I leave."

Speaking her true feelings candidly, Flay completely let go of her worries. The smile she raised seemed to return to the innocence of her student days.

This smile made Natarle slightly dazed; perhaps Flay didn't remember.

But she still remembered when she was on Heliopolis, she had seen Flay laughing and playing with two close friends at the automated vehicle waiting area. Her smile then was exactly the same as it was now.

However, Natarle could say with certainty that the current Flay was much more mature than she was back then.

"Are you really leaving?" Natarle asked. She knew that after letting go of so much, Flay would leave this place to start a new life.

As a comrade, she should have offered her blessings, but the time they had spent together made her feel a bit reluctant to part.

"Yes. If I stay, everything I've done will have been meaningless."

Flay nodded. "Besides, it's a rare opportunity. Thanks to the help of a family friend, the Atlantic Federation has revoked my status as a deserter. I've gained the chance to return to the Alster family."

"Do you have any plans after returning there?" Natarle asked with concern.

"After I go back, I will regain control of the Alster family as soon as possible. Using the connections my father left behind, I will try to enter the Atlantic Federation government." Flay paused, cast her gaze toward Natarle, and stated her intentions. "If there is a chance, I want to help look for the Captain."

The Captain Flay referred to was naturally Li Boyong.

Back on the Archangel, Flay could be considered a witness to the relationship between Li Boyong and Natarle.

At the same time, for the extremely lost Flay of that time, Li Boyong was like a big brother who had saved her soul.

She could not accept that Li Boyong's final ending was like this.

But that final decisive battle had been too cruel. Natarle was sent to the Archangel's operating room, while Li Boyong never returned after launching.

Everyone believed that he must have piloted his machine and fought to the very last moment to protect the Archangel where Natarle was.

After being saved and waking up, Natarle had to face the painful reality of losing Li Boyong.

During their time in hiding in Orb, how could Flay, who was closest to Natarle, not know? Although Natarle didn't show it particularly clearly on the surface, the wound in her heart remained bloody...

It was just that, to confirm Li Boyong's life or death, everyone on the Archangel had already tried their best.

Even Lacus mobilizing the power of the Clyne Faction in PLANT and Master Malchio's power in the Junk Guild hadn't been able to find any news of Li Boyong; they couldn't even determine if he was alive or dead.

All that remained was the Earth Alliance, but the Three Ships Alliance truly lacked the ability to gather intelligence from the Alliance side.

Moreover, if Li Boyong had ultimately been rescued by people from the Alliance, he likely wouldn't have a good outcome.

After all, he had shot and killed Murrue Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos, directly on the Dominion.

Even more terrifying was that the Dominion, which had been abandoned by all crew members on the battlefield, had luckily been preserved in the chaotic battlefield and recovered by the Alliance after the ceasefire.

If the bridge records from that time had been preserved, then Li Boyong's actions would at the very least be considered treason...

But even so, Flay intended to chase after that last shred of hope and try.

The Captain and the Major could no longer step onto that land, but she still had a chance.

Hearing Flay mention Li Boyong, Natarle's breathing became slightly rapid, and her entire expression became flustered for a moment.

Seeing this, Murrue quickly took Natarle's hand, patting the back of her hand soothingly.

She had experienced the pain of losing a lover on the battlefield once, so she could empathize with Natarle's despair upon learning the news of Li Boyong's death.

During this time, she had also tried to comfort Natarle, but it had little effect.

Mula Flaga, that unreliable man, had even come up with a terrible idea, intending to play matchmaker for Natarle and the Desert Tiger, but Murrue had flatly rejected it.

What a joke; that would be nothing more than licking each other's wounds...

Under Murrue's soothing, Natarle gradually steadied her violently shaken mind. Seeing the determination in Flay's eyes, she nodded and said, "I leave everything to you."

"Yes, I will definitely find news of the Captain."

Flay nodded, making her promise.

Even knowing the probability was very low, and even knowing that if Li Boyong had been rescued by the Alliance, the best-case scenario would be permanent imprisonment, they still didn't want to give up their last hope. ===== CHAPTER 226 =====