Mira collapsed backward with a sigh. "I'm exhausted."
Her small feet ended up resting on Rhode's stomach, playfully tapping him.
Rhodes caught her ankle and pressed it down.
Mira immediately yanked her feet back, rolled over, and sat up hugging her knees. "I told you no, that's too weird!"
Before Rhodes could even reply, she perked up. "Quick, it's time to open presents!"
They hadn't touched any of the wedding gifts yet, all of them were tucked away safely in Rhode's storage space. On their way out of Magnolia, they had decided to open two presents each day during their honeymoon, so there would always be a little surprise waiting for them.
Rhodes suspected she was trying to change the subject, but he let it go. "Alright, whose first?"
Mira thought carefully. "Elfman and Lisanna. I'm dying to know what they gave us."
"Alright." Rhodes took out two neatly wrapped boxes, then paused and pulled out a third one. "Let's open this one too. I've got a bad feeling about it."
Mira leaned closer, sniffed lightly, and frowned. "I think I smell something. Who's it from?"
She flipped over the tag. [Happy].
Silence.
Mira sighed. "We should have opened this sooner."
"We were too busy," Rhodes said helplessly.
"Wait, let me open the window first." Mira hopped off the bed barefoot, flung the window open, and immediately shivered as the icy winter air swept in. "So cold!" She dashed back and burrowed into Rhode's arms, pulling his arm over her shoulders like a blanket.
Rhodes gathered her in without much thought, and their playful scuffle left them both laughing nervously before they finally opened Happy's gift.
The moment the lid came off, a strong fishy smell filled the room. Inside was exactly what they dreaded, a fish.
"Mmm~~" Mira covered her nose with one hand and pinched Rhode's nose with the other, lifting it high. Her muffled voice asked, "It's been three days, hasn't it?"
Rhodes nodded, his expression complicated. "Yes, three days."
The fish itself was actually valuable, rare and hard to catch. According to Lisanna, Happy had made a special trip to the lake outside Oshibana just to get it, even dragging Natsu along for four carriage rides.
The sentiment was touching, but the reality was dire.
Throwing it out felt wasteful… eating it felt impossible.
Rhodes thought for three seconds before deciding. "Summon, Warm!"
"Hoo?"
The tiny Warm popped into existence. Rhodes tapped the bottom of the box, and the fish flew into the air. Warm didn't hesitate, he snapped it up whole.
"Close the door!" Rhodes commanded.
In the blink of an eye, Warm vanished back into the Howling Abyss, chewing away, looking faintly confused.
Mira bit her lip. "Is that okay? Won't he get a stomachache?"
"It's fine," Rhodes assured her. "It's winter, so it hasn't spoiled completely. And Warm once ate an entire plate when he was in a hurry."
Mira's guilt eased a little. Truly, giving fresh fish as a wedding present was… creative.
Rhodes cleaned up the box and whisked away the lingering odor with a wind spell. Only then did the two turn their attention to their siblings' gifts.
Lisanna's gift was a small statue, about ten centimeters tall.
It depicted Mira and Rhodes embracing with flowers, modeled after the painting Reedus had once made of them, the same one they had discovered while sorting Rhode's belongings.
On the base, Lisanna had engraved: "Wishing sister and brother-in-law eternal happiness."
Mira's face lit up. She held the figurine tenderly, her fingers tracing over the carved face of "Rhodes" as if reluctant to put it down.
Rhodes chuckled. "Lisanna really knows how to give a gift."
Mira smiled softly, her eyes sparkling. "Of course. She's my sister."
Mira spun the little statue in her hands a while longer before finally setting it down and picking up Elfman's gift box.
Although she told herself that whatever her brother gave, she would cherish it, a small part of her still worried he might send something… odd.
With a mix of anticipation and dread, Mira carefully opened the box, and blinked. Inside were two smaller boxes, neatly labeled in crooked handwriting: Sister and Brother-in-law.
She and Rhodes each took one.
When they lifted the lids, both drew in a soft gasp.
Nestled inside each box was a gleaming gold pocket watch, shining in the light. The covers were engraved with unique patterns, but what made Mira's heart tremble was the detail: Rhode's watch had "Mira" etched into it, and Mira's watch had "Rhodes."
Opening the covers revealed even more, a small, intimate photograph of the two of them together.
Rhodes raised his brows in surprise. "Huh. My brother-in-law's actually got good taste."
But Mira's reaction was much stronger. She covered her mouth, eyes shimmering with tears. "That's wonderful, Elfman… he… he can give normal gifts!"
She sounded so overwhelmed that Rhodes almost choked.
At least, Mira thought, she wouldn't have to worry about her brother handing out fish as wedding presents like Happy ever again.
Relief washed over her so strongly that she nearly laughed out loud through her tears.
Rhodes: "…"
'Your expectations for our brother are really that low?'
The two of them played with the watches for a while longer, cherishing the heartfelt gift, before settling down to talk about magic. Soon after, they switched off the lights and drifted into sleep.
The next morning, they packed their bags and headed to the front desk to check out, eager to try the Ferris Wheel Hotel.
"Please wait," the attendant stopped them politely, sliding coins and notes across the counter. "This is your refund."
Rhodes blinked. "Why?"
"Yesterday, Her Royal Highness's guard came by to settle your expenses. She instructed us to refund everything you've already paid. If you wish to stay further, all bills will be charged to the Princess's account."
Rhodes and Mira exchanged glances. Neither felt comfortable freeloading, but refusing would make things more awkward. In the end, they accepted quietly, both warmed by Princess Hisui's thoughtfulness.
Over the next three days, the newlyweds fully indulged themselves.
They stayed at both the Ferris Wheel and the Flywheel hotels, played to their hearts' content during the day, and trained diligently at night. They sampled every famous restaurant in the capital and toured every landmark, save for the palace itself.
Along the way, they often discovered their bills had already been paid in advance. Hisui never appeared again, but it was obvious she had arranged for everything.
Then, one morning, Rhodes overheard something while browsing a market stall: two noble families had their homes confiscated.
He guessed it had to be connected to the restaurant explosion incident. But blowing up a single private room shouldn't have led to such severe punishment. Clearly, there was more beneath the surface.
Still, it wasn't their problem. Today, they were leaving the capital.
"We already sent the gifts we bought back home," Rhodes reminded. "Let's make sure we didn't leave anything behind."
Mira patted her suitcase with a satisfied smile. "All set!"
The two checked out and made their way through the city gates, but before they could depart, a familiar voice stopped them.
"Ms. Yukino?"
The white-haired celestial mage blinked, then smiled in recognition. "Mr. Rhodes? Ms. Mirajane? You are..."
Mira slipped her arm through Rhode's and leaned against his shoulder with a sweet smile. "On our honeymoon."
Rhodes had reason to suspect she was deliberately showing off.