Estinien has been fighting the urge to slap this man silly on and off during this whole conversation, but the subject of Himeka and Relena is something he's much more sensitive about. Particularly Relena, on account of that she may already be lost, somewhere he was helpless to reach. They've not known each other long, everything considered, but given their last conversations...

They'd spoken of the future, of plans they might follow - everything on hold, until they were free. And if Nero's right, if she's really gone, he's already failed. She'll never get the chance to grow that he'd tried to help her believe in.

He clenches his fists.

"I'm well aware," he growls, looking away from Nero, irritated by his theatrical sigh. "If the worst has already happened... it will fall to me to be sure the perpetrators pay dearly for it."