inside of the girl's heart

Vice Foreign Minister

Relena took on the last name Darlian once more at the end of series and assumed the office of her late father as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs before her 16th birthday. As seen in the final scene of episode 49, an official addresses her at one of the colonies, who wishes to have a birthday party for her on the colony, but she turns down the offer because of work constraints.

The position was an honorary title at first, probably because of her being the former Queen and her father's work before his death. Though not long after taking the position, Relena quickly gained the reputation as a skilled leader, diplomat, and advocate for pacifism. Which isn’t surprising because of how steadfast in her views she was all through the year in 195. She was able to bring a speedy resolution to many post-war colony conflicts because of her skills and support. Even so, through the one year jump period, Relena doesn’t understand the true flaw in her ideals she had upheld since her time in the Cinq Kingdom until Endless Waltz.

In Endless Waltz she headed to Colony X-18999, a new colony in the process of still being built, which sought settlement as part of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, or ESUN. The colony’s motives were not so simple though, they had plans to kidnap her while implementing their own Operation Meteor upon the Earth, under the rule of the Barton Foundation and the Mariemaia army.

It’s not until the last battle, while watching the Gundams along with Milliardo and Noin, that she finally understands that not just discarding weapons will bring peace that she and the world are truly hoping for. What must also be discarded is vengeance, anger, hate and greed felt by the people who wish to start wars. She tells Mariemaia and Dekim, that she no longer considers herself a Peacecraft, she no longer needs that name or her family’s ideals that come with holding that name. She now knows and understands that she was wrong and that the way to gain peace is not through a principle or an assertion (as she had tried during the war as the Princess of Cinq and later as Queen of Romefeller) but change must occur in the hearts of the people who hope for a peaceful world. She can’t be the only one to believe in peace and pacifism and hope for that to be enough anymore, everyone must want and believe in it also. Even so, she continues to keep the ideals held by the Peacecrafts in her heart, but understands their faults and that they are not necessarily needed in the way she thought to help build a peaceful world. Finally she has thrown away her idealism, and come to understand the world for what it is.

While her skills as a mediator are valuable, Relena herself is even more precious as a symbol of the peace she has brought. So much that when she disappears in the Blind Target manga/radio drama, it creates conflict between the colonies and the Earth. Relena has earned her power and takes her responsibilities seriously, as she always has.