Another moment for these two, after all the events that happened.

Wishes, Dreams, and Memories

Chapter 37 – The Family I Can Call My Own

The airship landed safely in Selphia, with the townspeople present to greet Lest and Arthur's arrival. Due to Arthur's earlier notification about what happened to Lest and Frey through the carrier pigeon, the people treated Lest as if he was the only one leaving. As Lest went through the welcoming crowd, none of them dared to mention Frey. He went through the sea of people until he arrived at the end, where someone who had been longing for his return was waiting.

Dolce noticed the blue scarf around his neck and smiled, "Welcome home, Sweetie…"

"I'm home, Dolly," Lest ran over to give her a tight embrace, "I won't leave your side again…"

"Wait, just a hug?" Pico popped out behind Dolce, facing Lest with an annoyed look on her face, "Dolly's been so worried about you leaving for almost the whole day and-"

A single talisman landed on her face, saving the Guardian from having more of her feelings revealed, "Just… ignore her."

Lest let out a chuckle before he held Dolce in his arms, "Shall we go home?"

The Guardian blushed and smiled, "Yes."

A warm bath after a good rest and a good meal made Lest feel like that night was just like any other night as if nothing big had happened. He was on his way back to his room when he saw that Dolce and Pico were hanging on the balcony even though dressed for bed. They were talking as they watched the falling snow as it was almost winter before Lest's presence interrupted their chat.

"Have you finished your bath?" Dolce asked as she and Pico turned to the uninvited guest.

"Yeah, and sorry if I bother you and Pico," Lest gave them a smile before turning to Pico as she was going to move away from the scene, "Don't worry, Pico. You can stay with us if you want."

"I see that you notice me here!" Pico responded sarcastically, "I thought that you can see is just milady and I'm just-ow!"

A slap had knocked the ghost on the back of her head as Dolce put a talisman on it, "Don't talk too much, stupid ghost."

With a disappointed look, Pico headed for their bedroom while muttering barely audible words. Dolce let out a sigh before turning back to look at Lest, but not without an embarrassed blush on her face, "T-There's no need to have Pico lingering around me all the time and say a bunch of dumb things."

"Don't worry, I can pretty much tell what you're feeling," Lest embarrassed her further with his innocent smile, "You don't have to hide everything from me!"

"Everything, huh…" Dolce looked at him with a small smile, before her smile turned into a frown as she turned her eyes off him, "I… I'm sorry… for hiding something from you. I had to, because I promised-"

"You promised Frey, didn't you?" Lest finished her sentence calmly before putting his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, "Don't worry, I understand why you did it anyway. And I don't mind at all."

"But she's the family you had wanted to find, isn't she?" Dolce asked in a soft tone, "And to know that she's already…"

"Yeah, I know," Dolce turned to Lest in surprise as he looked up at the snowy sky, "But I remember everything… Our childhood, family issues, everything… She showed me everything…"

"I… see…" Dolce turned to look at the ground instead, feeling a bit distant.

"That was all in the past," Lest's word gave her another surprise as she turned to him, looking face-to-face with her beloved Earthmate, "I already have you here and our little one," Lest put his free hand gently on Dolce's stomach, "This little miracle, right here."

"True," Dolce nodded in agreement as she put her hand on his.

"Oh right, I was thinking of giving you something," Lest removed her hand, much to her disappointment, as he took out the charm he and Frey had shared, "Here, please have this."

Dolce looked back and forth between Lest and the charm in his hand, "What is that?"

"It's a charm passed down in my mother family," Lest reached for his neck and showed the black koi fish charm he was wearing, "It's like this one I'm wearing and they both hold a meaning."

Dolce took the charm from Lest's hand and stared at it in admiration, "This is made in great detail. I can see that the original creator put a lot of effort into making this masterpiece."

"Y-Yeah, but I still don't know who actually made it," Lest held his own charm in his hands, "In my family's history, it's believed that these charms bring together families, siblings, and… lovers…"

Dolce stopped herself from feeling the charm's shape as a blush made it back to her face, "I-I see… They can bind couples… together…"

Lest smiled as he watched his wife, "But I know that you're not just any lover or wife to," Dolce looked at him confusion as he continued, "That white charm I gave you was actually mine, given by my mother, but I believe it suits you better," Lest held on to his charm, "I felt like I was in the dark when I knew everything, so the dark side, this black charm, suits me. On the other hand, you're always there for me even when I'm all depressed and washed all that darkness within me with your light," Lest took Dolce's hand with both of his as he looked at her in the eyes, "You're my light, Dolly. My life was dark and your light made my life brighter. Thank you for being a part of my life and my family."

Dolce looked at him, completely speechless before he gently took the charm from her hand, putting it around her neck. When Lest wasn't looking at her, she let out a smile as she whispered to his ear, "You're going to pay for all the embarrassing things you say tonight."

"Huh? What-" Lest was surprised when Dolce wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.

Dolce chuckled as she saw Lest's surprised look, "There's no need for you to say such things too often."

There was a short silence between them before the cold wind blew, making the female Guardian shiver from the cold. Even if she liked the cold weather, she was still a human being who had her limits on the extreme temperatures. She could enjoy the cold weather more under normal circumstances, such as when she wasn't wearing a thin nightgown and standing outside late at night.

Lest smiled as he saw his wife rubbing her hands together for some warmth before unrolling the warm scarf he was wearing, putting it around their neck. Dolce looked at Lest in surprise and his smile never left his face, "I can see that you're cold, so I'm sharing some warmth with you."

"We could just get inside, you know," Dolce responded flatly.

"Maybe, but a bit of quality time like this once in a while isn't so bad, is it?" Lest replied, getting a nod from Dolce.

"Well, I guess that's true," Dolce let out a small smile as she leaned her head on Lest's shoulder, "This isn't too bad."

"We've shared our pain, our sorrows, and our homes. I want us to share life together for a long time. It will be the best reward we deserve for all that has happened for the past few weeks. I want to spend the rest of my life with the family I can call my own."