I'm almost free from thesis stuff, but I still have some time to check and upload another chapter! Please enjoy!
Rune Factory – Wishes, Dreams, and Memories
Chapter 9 – The Night before the Wedding
A day had passed since Lest and Dolce declared their engagement to the people of Selphia. With both of them still have their daily jobs by the day, the villagers had helped with most of the wedding preparations.
The formal clothes had already been prepared by the castle staff as they had already had the traditional clothes for the weddings in town for many generations. The dinner menu for the ceremony was handled mainly by Porcoline and Dylas from the restaurant's best selection with additional snacks made by other good cooks in town, such as Xiao Pai, Kiel, and Blossom. The decorative flowers were given out for free by Illuminata to decorate the town square and the streets where the couple would be walking through. Furniture such as tables and chairs for the dinner had already been ordered from the general store with some help from Bado. The entertainment section for the ceremony would be Margaret's performance during dinner time.
The preparation day had been a long day for the both of them, but the preparations could be completed in time with the help from the villagers. It was a day of working in the morning and wedding preparation at the end of the day. With the preparations all set for the big day, Lest returned to the castle and headed towards the calendar hanging above the storage box.
"It's tomorrow, huh?" Lest stared at the calendar for a few moments before walking away to his room with a smile. Lest entered his room and saw the slight but visible changes to the bedroom that he would soon share with his wife.
The room was slightly bigger as it was to accommodate one more person and an additional ghost along with their belongings. The flower pots in each corner of the room were all sparkling clean while having fresh autumn grass put in them. Another crafting table was added in his room, positioned near the left corner vase. A medium-sized table with two wooden chairs were also added and put in the middle of the big bedroom.
Lest laid on the bed, which had also increased in size along with a newer set of bed covers and pillows. Rolling to face the other side of the bed, he smiled as the image of his future wife came into his mind, 'I wonder what Dolce is doing right now…'
Meanwhile at the clinic's second floor, the older nurse was going back and forth in the kitchen with four plates spread on the kitchen counter. She had volunteered doing all the cooking for the night while her foster daughter helped her by getting the table ready. While the ladies were busy with dinner preparation, the doctor had already closed the clinic and joined them on the second floor.
"Ah, let me help with that," Jones walked towards the table and took the empty plates from Dolce's hands, "You must be tired after taking care of the wedding preparation, so let me prepare the table tonight."
"I'm fine, though," Dolce insisted, but Jones shook his head in disagreement.
"Don't worry, Dolce," Jones gave her a smile, "Please, have a seat."
"Okay…" Dolce hesitantly obeyed and pulled out a chair for her to sit.
With Dolce sitting on the dinner table, Pico appeared next to her, "Isn't this great, milady? Don't you feel like a princess today?"
"Well…" Dolce opened up her mouth to answer, but Nancy responded before she could finish.
"She will soon become one, after all," Nancy let out a laugh before turning her head to the two, "Lest is a prince, so Dolly will become a princess!"
"That's true," Jones had finished preparing the table and sat across Dolce, "And it will happen tomorrow."
"Yes…" Nancy let out a quiet and sad sigh, but it was audible enough for the other three to notice.
"Nancy…?" Dolce asked, seeing that the older nurse had been quiet for a moment.
"It's alright," Nancy turned back to the three with a slight smile, "By the way, dinner is ready now."
"Oh, what are we having today?" Pico asked eagerly, although knowing the fact that she couldn't eat.
"Here it is," Nancy set the plates in front of Dolce and Pico before going back and get the other two plates for Jones and herself.
"Flan?" Dolce raised a brow in confusion as she looked at her favorite menu in front of her.
"I was planning to bake some cheesecake for today, but the store is out of sweet powder for today," Nancy replied with a smile, but soon turned into a frown when she saw that Dolce hadn't touched her spoon, "Or would you like to eat something else?"
"No, it's okay," Dolce gave Nancy a smile before finally taking her spoon, "This should be enough."
"Um… I can't eat…" Pico said before turning to Dolce, "I'll give my share to Dolly again, like the usual."
"I don't think I should eat another tonight…" Dolce took a spoonful of flan into her mouth, but her eyes never actually left the flan sitting in front of Pico.
"Don't you worry about it, Dolly," Nancy let out a laugh, "Another flan wouldn't make your dress too tight for you."
Nancy's comment had brought red color to her cheeks, "I-I didn't say that!"
"It's okay, Dolly. Just take it and enjoy it, okay? After all, we won't be eating together like this very often once you're married," Pico commented after seeing how Dolce had eyed the flan before taking it herself.
Pico was right. That night would be the last night she spent with her foster parents to eat dinner together on the same table. The female Guardian unconsciously showed a frown on her face as she had slowly become comfortable living with this new family of hers. The family who had no blood relation to her at all, but had the same warmth and kindness as the family she had left hundreds of years ago.
"It's all right," Jones' voice had snapped Dolce from her thoughts, "You can come and visit anytime you like," Dolce stared at him in surprise before letting out a small smile as she nodded.
"Yes, and I'll continue working here if you two don't mind," Dolce turned to Nancy and smiled, "I can handle my usual shift, so I should be able to visit quite often."
"I'll be looking forward to your visits then," Nancy responded with another smile before rising from her seat and took Dolce's empty plates, "Here, let me do the dishes tonight."
Dolce saw her plates taken and looked at the older nurse in confusion, "Wasn't it supposed to be my turn to do the dishes?" Nancy shook her head before heading towards the kitchen sink.
Nancy put the plates in the sink as she continued talking with her back turned to her foster daughter, "Tonight is special, so I'll do the dishes for you," Nancy turned her head and gave the female Guardian a smile, "Now go on and get some rest, okay?"
Dolce was one to pretend everything to be okay when things weren't fine, so the smile on Nancy's face could easily be read as an attempt to keep her from worrying. The doctor sitting behind Nancy had also noticed his wife's behavior and decided that it was his job to be there for her. After all, the two of them had promised to send Dolce to her wedding with a smile on their faces to celebrate their foster daughter's union with the Earthmate.
"Don't worry about Nancy," Jones said as he rose from his seat, "I will be helping her as well."
"O-Okay, I'll go back to my room," Dolce gave him a nod before turning to Nancy, "Um… goodnight."
There was a slight noticeable pause as Nancy was doing the dishes after hearing how Dolce had greeted her goodnight before continuing to wash the dishes. It was the first time she had heard her say goodnight and it was the reason for her mixed feelings of happy and sad. The same word had actually surprised the doctor standing next to her, who watched as Dolce walked into her room.
Jones turned back to his wife, who had already continued washing the plates quietly, "Nancy?" Jones asked while putting the dirty plate he was holding and watched his wife worriedly, "Are you worried about her?"
"No," Nancy shortly replied before forcing a smile, only to come out as a sad one, "Because I know that she has chosen the right man. I believe so… it's just…"
The doctor saw the sadness on his wife's face and held one of her hands, surprising the nurse, "Are you afraid of letting her go?"
"Jones…" Nancy turned to look at his husband before a frown came to her face as she turned back to look at the dishes in the sink, "I know Lest is a good man for Dolly… but I'm still worried about her…"
"Nancy," Nancy turned to see Jones giving her a smile, "I know you can trust him to care of Dolce. You should be able to know how happy she has been ever since they were together."
"Ah, yes…" Nancy gave him a smile in return, but a more natural one.
While the couple continued on talking about that certain Earthmate and his relationship with their foster daughter, Dolce had already changed to her night gown in her room. She sat on the desk she had been using to do most of her crafting while looking at the golden ring on her finger. Pico was watching her from beside their bed, noticing the confusion on her friend's face.
"What's wrong?" Pico asked the female Guardian, but her gaze was locked on the ring.
It was the ring given to Dolce by the Earthmate and the acting prince whom she had fallen in love with. She never knew that day would come for them, for her, who had driven most men away by her manner of speaking before she became a Guardian. Marriage had never come into her mind until she met and got to know the amnesiac Earthmate better. He was the only one who came to her while wanting to know more about her even after knowing how bluntly she talked.
He had understood the true meaning of her words almost as much as Pico had, but there was still one question remained. If she had accepted him as her family, would that meant she had to leave her new family she had grown close to? Just to be part of Lest's family, although he had no blood relatives he remembered?
"Tell me, Pico," Dolce started, still staring at the ring, "Am I doing the right thing?"
"What do you mean? Is this about your marriage?" Pico replied with another question, but the answer was clear from the Dolce's change of expression into sadness.
The female Guardian slowly nodded, "You saw how Nancy reacted at dinner, right?"
The ghost girl noticed the sadness on her face and knowing her since she was little, she knew what was on her mind. Her connection to Dolce didn't enable her to read her mind or know what she was feeling, but watching her live made her understand her better. She understood what a family was to Dolce and how precious it was to her. She never showed it to just anyone, but she could tell how much she cared for the new family that took them in. Because of how she cared, it was obvious for her to notice Nancy's expression when Jones mentioned about her wedding.
Pico gave her a nod, "But I think that's how a mother responds to her daughter's wedding, right? Judging from how close you are with Lest, I think Nancy knows that this will happen sooner or later."
"I see…" Dolce replied in a whisper, "Can I… ask you another question?"
"Let me guess… Is this about Lest?" The shocked expression was the answer that she needed, "I knew it."
"You know how hard it is for me to be open with my feelings to people other than you, right?" Pico gave her a nod as an answer, "But with him, sometimes I can feel like I can be open to him… But that is what scares me the most."
"Are you afraid that Lest might think that you're showing your real feelings when you actually aren't?" Pico asked, getting a nod in response.
"Yes, and how it might make him distance himself from me," Dolce held the ring with her other hand, turning it left and right as she looked at it, "It hurts when I imagine if that were to happen…"
That was another side of Dolce that Pico had already known for years. She acted like she never cared if people wanted to be away from her, but Pico knew that Dolce would still want another friend to talk to. A normal, human friend, not a ghost like her. Even so, Pico knew that Dolce cared for her as a friend although she hardly showed it in front of many people. It was not just her, but all the people she had grown fond of. It was because of her not being able to express her feelings better that she was afraid of being left alone. Especially not by him, though both of them knew that person wouldn't leave anyone.
Pico let out a loud sigh, getting Dolce's attention back, "You worry too much, Dolly. After knowing him all this time, I don't think he is the kind of person who will just leave anyone behind. Even in the case when his life is in danger, he couldn't possibly abandon Ven and give up."
That fact came into light as Dolce remembered how Lest had made her worry with his life-risking actions. He had used a dangerous spell and entered the Forest of Beginnings to save the last Guardian. He had fought the clones of the native dragons on his own and came back barely alive. He had confessed to her before his dangerous battle against Ethelberd to save the town and almost lost. Finally, he had used the same dangerous spell to bring Ventuswill back, which almost cost him his life.
A small smile curved on her lips, "That idiot risked his life using the spell that he couldn't even master."
Pico nodded in agreement before putting her hands over her chest, "And that same person had melted the ice on milady's heart, finally letting Jones and Nancy to be part of your family."
"True enough," The smile on her face grew a bit wider.
Pico had her hands back to her sides, "What else should you be worried about? I believe that Lest is worth your heart, Dolly."
"Yes, he is," Dolce turned to look at her ring once more with a smile, "I trust you, Pico. I trust that Lest can make us happy as a family."
"Or would you rather it to be just the two of us together?" Pico's usual sly grin had faded Dolce's smile while she glared at her.
"Begone," Dolce threw the talisman she had saved on her desk, landing on Pico's stomach.
"OUCH!" Pico acted as if she was rolling in pain while her effort of getting Dolce's sympathy had failed as it usually would.
"I should be getting to bed now," Dolce rose from her seat and walked towards her bed while purposely avoiding Pico's vain effort of grabbing her gown.
Seeing that her efforts had failed once more, Pico stopped rolling on the ground and saw that Dolce was laying on her bed with her back turned to her, "Goodnight Dolly."
"Goodnight Pico," Dolce slightly turned and smiled at her ghost friend before turning off the lights, finally turning in for the night.
With Dolce's doubts and confusion finally cleared, the wedding should be able to proceed in the next chapter!