Rhodes' sister-in-law, Lisanna, was a proper, sensible girl, unlike a certain Lucy Heartfilia.
Their interactions were always within normal bounds, never straying into the sort of "accidental chaos" Lucy tended to attract.
Even when they were alone, Lisanna was simply a cheerful younger sister, not one of those "event-flag" types from Mira's imagination.
Determined to redeem her culinary reputation, Lisanna insisted on handling everything herself that day, from the grocery shopping to the cooking.
The result? Rhodes ate heartily, finishing every bite with genuine satisfaction.
Lisanna stood proudly, hands on her hips, glowing with pride… until a doubt crept in.
"Brother-in-law," she said, narrowing her eyes, "did you say that on purpose to trick me into cooking?"
Rhodes blinked innocently. "How could I? What kind of man would plot such schemes?"
"But everyone calls you the Fairy Strategist."
"A strategist's job," he said, pressing a hand to his chest, "is to outsmart enemies, not family."
Lisanna squinted. "But I heard you've tricked Lucy, and even Mira-nee, more than once."
"That's different," Rhodes said smoothly. "Tricking Lucy is just… more fun."
"…"
Lisanna set down her chopsticks, her expression turning thoughtful, as if wrestling with whether or not to say what was on her mind.
Rhodes sighed. "Just say it."
"Mira-nee told me," Lisanna said at last, "that occasionally tricking me for fun is also very entertaining."
"…"
Rhodes froze mid-bite.
'How could my wife say something that outrageous to her own sister?!'
Then again… knowing Mira, it was entirely possible.
"I swear on Happy's wings, I didn't trick you," Rhodes said solemnly.
"Oh." Lisanna picked her chopsticks back up, aligning them neatly. Then she sighed. "So Brother-in-law really does think my cooking is bad."
"—"
How did the conversation circle back to that again?
This sister-in-law was neither as gullible as Lucy nor as easy to coax as Wendy.
Rhodes tried a different tactic. "I'll wash all the dishes today. You don't have to help."
Her face lit up immediately. "Deal!"
But only a few bites later, she turned suspicious again. "Wait, doesn't the one who doesn't cook usually do the washing?"
Rhodes fell silent.
Yes. That was the rule.
Time to change the subject.
"Warm!" he said sternly to the little creature stuffing its face beside him. "Eat slower, Lisanna hasn't tasted that dish yet."
"Hmph?" Warm looked up, spoon clutched in tiny paws, utterly baffled.
"Your punishment is to be my dishcloth later."
"Grrr?!!!"
"Don't bully Warm!" Lisanna scolded, puffing her cheeks.
Normally there were five of them at home. With only the two of them and Warm left, a little playful bickering kept things lively.
Still, the food didn't last long.
Three days later, Mira, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla returned safely.
This time, it really had been an ordinary mission. No ambushes, no Celestial Spirits, no disasters.
According to Mira, they even stopped by a hot spring on the way back. "It was so relaxing," she said cheerfully.
Rhodes crossed his arms, disapproving. "You went to a hot spring without your husband?"
Mira smiled serenely. "Next time, we'll go together."
And that was the end of that argument.
A month passed peacefully.
No one caused any major trouble, no disasters occurred, and the Celestial Spirits remained perfectly quiet.
For the first time in ages, nothing happened.
Occasionally, news would pop up about new Celestial Spirit Mages in other guilds, someone who'd stumbled upon a rare Silver Key and made a splash in their local papers.
Rhodes had Lucy check with her Spirits, only to learn that they were all perfectly ordinary keys.
The contracts were standard, the Spirits cooperative. Nothing suspicious at all.
Within Fairy Tail, life had fallen into a pleasant rhythm again.
Erza and Mira received several formal challenges from their juniors, and after soundly defeating every one of them, both nostalgically recalled "the good old days of beating up our guildmates for training."
Rhodes, of course, wasn't spared either.
He was challenged by Natsu, Gray, Gajeel… and even Panther Lily, who apparently dreamed of surpassing him one day.
(Unlike Happy, Lily had ambitions.)
According to Elfman, Laxus had also been challenged numerous times. But half of those challenges were intercepted by the Thunder God Tribe, claiming to act as Laxus's personal guard squad.
The other half? Those were initiated by the Thunder God Tribe themselves.
None of them were actually fighting for a tournament spot, they just hated being the ones always standing behind Laxus.
As for the results of those matches… well, they spoke for themselves.
What delighted Mira most, however, was Elfman's "new role."
"So you've been accepted into the Thunder God Tribe now?" she teased.
Elfman crossed his arms, embarrassed. "I didn't join them! I just… occasionally act with them."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow, deadpan. "I've studied Common Tongue, Elfman. The word occasionally means low frequency. It doesn't mean 'acting with the Thunder God Tribe twenty-six days a month and acting alone with Evergreen for the other four.'"
"I..." Elfman tried to defend himself. "I was doing intensive training! We've both improved a lot recently."
"Yes, yes," Rhodes replied flatly.
Only the two of them in the entire guild still thought no one noticed their "training."
Mira smiled and patted her brother's arm, she couldn't even reach his shoulder anymore.
Just then, a postman jogged through the doors. "Mr. Rhodes! You've got mail. Please sign here."
"Oh, thank you." Rhodes accepted the letter, checked the intact wax seal, and signed his name. "Would you like a glass of water before heading out?"
The postman shook his head with a grateful smile. "No need, sir. I've still got plenty of letters to deliver. Have a good day."
Rhodes nodded and watched him leave, then broke open the seal.
He read aloud, "'Esteemed Duke Rhodes: your subjects extend their highest regards to you, and may the grace of the gods be with you.'"
He hissed softly through his teeth. "Wow, who writes this politely?"
He glanced down at the signature. "'Sincerely, Stuun, Administrator of your subordinate town. May 24, X791.'"
He frowned. "Stuun… that's the mayor of the main town in my territory, right? Since when are mayors this humble?"
Mira leaned closer. "What's it say?"
Rhodes handed her the letter.
She scanned it briefly and chuckled. "Oh, it's just a formal noble letter format. That's how they all start. Some of the more dramatic ones even sign off as 'Your loyal servant' or something equally over the top."
"Ah, the wicked nobles!" Rhodes sighed theatrically. "What will I do if the common folk rise up to overthrow my oppression one day?"
Mira smiled sweetly. "When have you ever oppressed anyone, Duke?"
Rhodes sighed again. "I haven't even begun my sinful noble life yet."
"How sinful?" Mira tilted her head thoughtfully. "I heard a Duke can exercise the 'right of the first night' with a vassal's bride. Is that the kind of sin you mean?"
Rhodes stared at her, speechless. "Where on earth did you hear that from? That's been abolished for ages!"
"I heard it from Lucy, during bedtime story hour."
Rhodes groaned. "Of course it was Lucy."
In the guild, Lucy's reading habits were legendary, only Levy had a bigger library. Between her love of novels and her "private research" for writing, Lucy always had a new batch of bizarre old tales to share during her nightly storytelling sessions with the girls she roomed with.
Rhodes rubbed his temple. "I'll have to have a word with her later. Filling my wife's head with things like that…"
"Don't change the subject," Mira said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "You seem awfully familiar with that law yourself."
Rhodes raised his hands in surrender. "I studied basic common law, and for some reason, that sort of trivia sticks in my head better than anything useful."