It's finally here! I managed to find some little spare time during the last few days to edit this one before I can finish the edits today since I managed to finish some important parts for my thesis much earlier. Here's for the wait, more Lest x Dolly!

Rune Factory – Wishes, Dreams, and Memories

Chapter 8 – Popping the Question

It only took a few minutes for the word about Ventuswill's return to spread throughout the town. The villagers who had heard about the news would immediately head towards the dragon room and see the dragon god, until the whole room was too crowded. Lest managed to escape the crowd and get out of the room to see the Guardians still waiting outside the castle.

"On behalf of the Guardians and the townsfolk, thanks for bringing Venti back," Leon spoke up with smile.

"You don't have to thank me. You all did your part to help me," Lest turned to the door leading to the crowded dragon room and smiled, "The townsfolk also helped us in gathering info, especially Kiel and Arthur."

"Now that it's over, I need to go back to the restaurant to help Porcoline," Dylas stated, "We're cooking a feast to celebrate, so it's best for me to keep him from eating any of the dishes himself."

Lest laughed at Dylas' last comment, "Good luck with that."

Dylas nodded and smiled before leaving the group, "Okay, later guys."

"I should be going as well. I'm planning to give Kiel the thanks he deserves," Leon let out his usual sly grin.

Lest let out a chuckle, "Whatever it is you're planning, don't make Forte come to you with her sword aimed at your throat like the last time."

Leon shrugged in response, "It should be interesting enough for his sister to be interested as well," Leon started walking away, "See you later."

"Yay! Lest!" The sudden additional weight on Lest's back had almost made him fall, "Ven is finally home!"

"Y-You're right, Amber… Can you get off my back please?" Lest could feel Amber slowly getting off his back, but her usual cheerful smile never left her face.

"Ellie says that she wants to decorate Ven's room with some flowers. Do you want to come with us?" Amber asked.

"Sounds great! I think I'll…" Lest turned to see Dolce, who seemed to be looking at him with a slightly annoyed look, "Sorry, I have some other plans today."

"Okay," Amber nodded before she started leaving, "I'll see you later."

"When should we meet today?" Dolce suddenly ask.

"Oh, right…" Lest let out a nervous laugh, "How about meeting after your shift is over? I need to finish my work for today too, so how about it?"

"Yes, that should be fine. I'll see you then," Dolce gave him a smile before leaving Lest standing in front of the crowded room.

Seeing how Ventuswill was happy with the large amount of visitors had put Lest's mind at ease enough for him to smile. He made his way back to the castle to swap the weapon he was carrying with the farm tools he had kept in the storage box. With the rune energy problem from thousands of years back finally resolved, life should be back to normal for him, Ventuswill, and the Guardians.

The sun was starting to set when Lest had finished tilling his field to prepare for the coming of autumn. He looked at the results of his work in pride before tiredly stretching out his arms and walked back into the castle building. He went into his room and opened his nightstand drawer, taking the precious item inside and into his pocket.

When he was walking towards the observatory tower, he stopped in front of the restaurant for a moment to enjoy the scenery. The orange color was painting the sky with some starting to get darker as it was almost night time. The wind was blowing the new dry leaves away from the streets and from the tree branches. When Lest turned to the direction of the observatory, he saw the familiar figure he was meant to see that afternoon.

Dolce was leaning against the observatory's railing with her loyal friend hovering beside her as the wind blew her hair back and forth. Her hands were busy with knitting she was doing, completely ignoring the ghost hovering around her. She only stopped her knitting when the ghost stopped in front of her and spoke up something that made her look at the ghost in surprise and embarrassment.

After seeing the two started talking, Lest continued his walk towards the observatory and climbed the stairs leading to the top. His walk came into a stop in front of the door leading out to the top of the observatory when the voices of the two talking were heard. He carefully opened the door and saw that Dolce had put her knitting away and was looking at the sunset while Pico was hovering above the railing next to her, both looking away from the door Lest was using to cover himself.

"I suppose everything should be back to normal now," Dolce spoke up while her eyes hadn't moved away from looking at the sunset.

"Yeah, it is," Pico, who was floating next to her, had also set her eyes on the sunset view, "Selphia is at peace again, Ven is home again… and you're here too, Dolly."

Dolce nodded in agreement, "True. And it's all thanks to that fool."

"That fool is the man you love the most, right?" Pico's question had the female Guardian turn red, although her lips curved into a smile.

"After what he had done for us, how could I not?" Dolce looked up at the orange sky, "He made me realize that Mom and Dad have always been with us, waiting…"

"And we have Jones and Nancy in this era too," Pico let out a laugh, "Aren't you happy now, Dolly?"

There was a slight pause as Dolce closed her eyes, "Yes I am," The smile had never left the Guardian's lips as the two of them were talking.

Lest, who had been listening to the whole conversation, smiled to himself before he accidentally pushed the door which let out a slight creaking sound, "Whoops…"

"Huh?" Pico noticed the light sound and turned to see Lest hiding behind the door. Smiling, she turned back to her friend, "I just remember that I left some food on the stove so… gotta go!"

"Wait, Pico!" The ghost had slipped past her fast enough for her to ask what was going on, until she noticed the person hiding behind the door, "You were eavesdropping."

"Sorry…" Lest came out from his hiding spot and walked to Dolce's side, "But your eyes tell me that you're glad I got to hear it."

Lest's comment and his smile had the red color return to her face, "Uh…"

There was silence between them with Lest staring at his embarrassed girlfriend. Dolce turned her head to try hiding her blush, but a slight touch on her face had her sight set on the Earthmate's purple eyes. Her heart was beating even faster as she took his hand from her face and held it in hers before letting out a smile. This man was the one of the very few people she knew well who wouldn't leave her even when she shooed him away. It was because he knew that she needed him despite saying that she wanted to be alone.

"Thank you," Dolce's voice came out as a whisper, but it was loud enough for Lest to hear it.

"Um… What's this all about that you thank me for?" Lest looked at Dolce in confusion, making the female Guardian let go of his hand and give him a slightly annoyed look.

"Figure it out yourself, idiot," Dolce went back to lean on the railing.

Lest saw as she approached the railing once more before he joined her as well, "Nice sunset, huh?"

"It is," Dolce shortly replied, "The sunset is still nice after all these years."

Lest responded with a nod, "Yeah…" He stole a quick glance at the Guardian on his right before reaching for the pair of white gloved hands sitting on the railing. The sudden touch had slightly surprised the female Guardian as she let out a small gasp while Lest held her hands gently. Nervousness came as Lest took a deep breath before he turned to look at Dolce in the eyes, "Dolce, there's something that I want to tell you today," Lest put his other hand on hers, "This is why I called you out here."

Dolce saw at the serious look on the Earthmate's face, "W-What is it?"

"I know that you're happy to know that you still have a warm family even in this era," Lest started with a warm smile, "I can say, you're very lucky to have such a big and loving family you can call your own," Lest took his hands from hers and had one of them back at the railing while letting the other hanging on his side as he looked up at the sky with a sad smile, "Me, on the other hand… I don't remember anything but my name. I don't even know if my parents are still alive or not or where they might be. But here I am, doing my daily life as if I never had a family of my own to find…"

There was a long pause as Lest started leaning on the railing while keep looking at the sky, which was starting to get darker at higher skies. The Earthmate let out a sigh before turning back to Dolce with his sad smile still on his face, "I'm sorry, it's… something I've had in my mind for a while now…"

"That's fine," The response coming from the female Guardian had caught Lest in surprise, "I… I can relate to that, after living such a similar life when I first woke up."

"I see…" Lest's smile came back before his expression turned back into a serious one, "But if I can… I want to have a family, a real family I can call my own… So…" Lest took a deep breath and calmed himself down before looking at the female Guardian in front of him, "Dolce, will you marry me?"

Dolce looked at Lest in surprise, seeing that his proposal wasn't a joke. Those were the words she had been hoping to hear for months and she had finally heard it. She held her hands together nervously before turning away from him, "Should I trust your words?" The serious expression on the Earthmate's face turned into confusion, "They are just words. I can't tell if your feelings for me are real."

Lest's hand went to his pocket, feeling the diamond attached to the ring in it, before he took his hand out from the pocket as he stood firmly behind Dolce, "I love you, Dolce," The female Guardian stood still, hardly giving him any obvious reaction. Lest took a step forward and wrapped his hands around her slim figure, surprising the Guardian, "With all my heart."

The pair of gloved hands held Lest's arms, "You know that Pico will always be with me, right?"

Lest nodded and smiled, "She is an important part of your family, so I don't mind."

"Can I still consider Jones and Nancy as my family too?" Her gaze lowered to the floor.

"Yeah," Lest brought himself even closer, "They even still considered you to be part of them after you keep pushing them away."

"And what about my real parents?" Dolce's grip on Lest's arms tightened, "You never even met them."

"I don't mind at all. They're all part of your family and I'll be willing to have a big happy family with you," Lest loosened his hold on Dolce's waist, "I want to be there with you and protect you. I want to live and grow old with you. Although I know I might not be the best man in the world, I want to the one you choose to be yours."

"Not the best one?" There was a short pause before Dolce let out a small chuckle, "Then it's your fault that I choose you," The female Guardian gently released herself from Lest's hug while looking at him with a smile and teary eyes as she held on to Lest's hands, "Please, let me hear those words again…"

Lest gave her a nod and smiled warmly, "Dolce, will you marry me?"

Dolce gave him a slight nod, "Yes."

Lest lowered both of their hands, "Will you let me be part of your big family?"

Dolce gave him another nod before taking a step closer, "Yes. I will never let you go, not ever."

The two closed their distance as their lips met in a kiss with the orange-colored sky of the sunset on the background. Once they broke the kiss, Lest took the ring from his pocket and slid it on Dolce's ring finger before they locked in a tight embrace, enjoying each other's body warmth.

"So…" Lest gently pulled away from the hug, "When should we hold the wedding ceremony?"

"The sooner the better but…" Dolce's voice came as a whisper before she turned away in embarrassment, "No, never mind."

"How about the day after tomorrow?" Lest suggested, getting Dolce's attention, "That should be enough time to prepare for the ceremony, right?"

"Yes," Dolce gave him a slight nod, "That should be enough."

"Okay, should we go and tell Pico, Jones, and Nancy about our engagement?" Lest asked while offering her his hand to hold.

"You know that Pico already know about this, don't you?" Dolce asked bluntly before turning back to the railing, "I can see that little pervert spying on us from the feet of the tower."

Lest looked down from the railing and saw the ghost girl waving at him while staying near the restaurant building, "Y-Yeah, I guess…"

"Come, we should tell Jones and Nancy," Dolce flashed him a small smile before taking his hand and left the observatory with him.

I still have no idea where those words came from but yeah, I guess I can say 'Nailed it!' for now. The next chapter isn't the wedding just yet, hence it's mentioned that the wedding isn't the next day. The next chapter was inspired by one of Dolce's family event, Do You Like Me, in the game but it's not entirely mentioned what happens.

Anyways, look forward for the next one! I'll try and find some more time between midterm exams and thesis to work on the next ones!