After removing all the confusing greetings and modifiers, the essence of the letter was:
The Duke's Mansion has been completed today, with interior decor fully following the original plan. All the staff such as cleaners, chefs, gardeners, and guards have been recruited.
The interior has been thoroughly cleaned, and is ready at any time to hold the inauguration ceremony.
For such an important matter, naturally, the date and proceedings should be decided by the Duke himself, which is why the mayor deliberately wrote a formal letter.
Rhode conveyed the meaning of the letter to Mira and asked with a grin, "And what is the Duchess's opinion?"
Mira performed a noble's salute, "Everything will be decided by the Duke."
Rhode, looking serious, leaned towards Mira's ear after some thought, "Alright, the Duke wants Satan's Soul tonight."
Mira elbowed him with a shy anger, "Who said you could decide on that?!"
"Ahem..." Rhode clutched his stomach and finally got serious, "Since it's built, we should certainly go take a look, but inviting other nobles for a ceremony is too much trouble."
Mira reminded, "Actually, there aren't many nobles left in the Gioa Kingdom right now..."
"Hmm... that's true."
Some powerful nobles caused trouble before and were dealt with by the King, affecting quite a few smaller nobles too.
Not necessarily all dead, but they certainly lost their titles.
"Then let's just hold a simple ceremony for the sake of formality, and invite our companions to hang out afterward..."
Rhode reckoned that the people most likely to cause trouble had recently been taught a lesson, so they shouldn't be too wild, and wouldn't turn his mansion into a one-time use.
Mira suggested, "Let's set the date for the 28th, so everyone can plan ahead to have a proper celebration."
As a child raised in Fairy Tail, she was inherently fond of festivities.
It's just that there haven't been many good excuses for a banquet recently.
Rhode decided to go all out, if it makes his wife happy, then a grand party it is.
He and Mira discussed the details and soon wrote a reply to the mayor.
When the couple announced this at the Guild, Makarov was the first to jump up and respond.
A peaceful life is good, but the troublemakers were all busy elsewhere lately, leaving him bored out of his mind.
This was the perfect chance to gather everyone and have a great banquet.
Makarov even thought of holding a Magical Parade there.
He wasn't the only one eager for it; the companions quickly arranged their schedules, with almost everyone participating except for a few who couldn't return from afar.
Soon the celebration day arrived, and Rhode and Mira departed early, traveling to the Gioa Kingdom through the Hex Flying Gate to officially meet their new residence.
Rhode's first impression was big and white.
Even though it couldn't compare to the Imperial Palace, it completely surpassed any ordinary mansion.
He wasn't sure whether to describe the building in front of him as a castle.
What he saw was the striking white marble walls, topped with sculptures of 'Fairies', windows on the upper levels, and an uncountable number of exquisite stone pillars below.
The mayor was already waiting in front of the gate, with a welcoming team in appropriate attire lined up on either side of the open doors, holding various instruments.
When the two appeared, the mayor raised his hand slightly, and solemn music began to play.
"..." To be honest, Rhode personally preferred lighter and happier music.
But since this was the local etiquette, showing some respect was fine, especially since this was a one-time thing.
Rhode and Mira, dressed in formal attire and arm in arm, listened to a few words of welcome from the mayor and then stepped through the doors.
Neither of them scrutinized the ornate decorations on the door and instead walked in slowly and steadily.
Proceeding straight ahead led to the spacious courtyard, turning left and ascending the steps led to the main hall, while turning right led to the side hall.
Along the corridor stood statues, among which Rhode recognized Ankseram, the God of Life and Death, Kronos, the God of Time, Anemut, the God of the Sky...
The images of these gods were carved into their current forms based on ancient portraits combined with some conventional elements.
Rhode knew many of these deities truly existed, but how much they resembled the statues was hard to say.
He wondered if praying to these statues could somehow convey words to the gods' ears.
But today, they weren't the stars of the show; in the eyes of ordinary irreligious people, these statues were just exquisite decorations, not idols to bow down to.
The couple walked straight down the corridor, reaching the courtyard surrounded by buildings—it was something Rhode more habitually called a patio.
The hired servants had already stood orderly in the courtyard; one could tell their responsibilities just by their attire.
Everyone greeted in unison, and Mira responded on their behalf, then sent them off to their tasks.
Originally, there should've been a butler, but since the mayor dared not make that decision, and Rhode had no candidates, he had to let the mayor double as one.
It seemed a bit absurd, but the mayor had no complaints.
After a brief walk in the courtyard, the two entered the main hall through another door.
They first toured the master bedroom. Though Rhode held a fairly high status, his experience was rather average.
When it came to describing, all he could say was that the furniture was beautiful, the carpet was soft, the chandelier was luxurious, and the large bed looked pleasing.
Its comfort, however, remained to be tested.
Even though he had emphasized prioritizing comfort, it was still adequately grand overall.
"It feels like Lucy's room was probably like this," Rhode said, "I mean, her old room at the Hartfilia family."
"How do you know what Lucy's room was like?"
"I climbed her family wall with Natsu and the others..."
At that time, they worried Lucy might not come back, only to be shown wealth instead.
By Lucy's description back then, her family courtyard was about as big as the fief Rhode had before he became a Duke.
Truly worthy of being the richest family in the Fiore Kingdom, such a pity.
After a brief tour, the two headed to the banquet hall.
Today's guests were mainly the surviving minor nobles from previous events, high officials from nearby cities, and some big merchants who frequently passed through.
Originally planning to only pay a little lip service and end it quickly, the King happened to show up to support the event.
Rhode had to spend a bit more time as a result.
Before leaving, the King mentioned he had already chosen the queen-to-be, planning to hold an engagement early next year and invite Rhode to the engagement banquet.
Rhode agreed and planned to bring his younger siblings to enjoy the food and drink.
Once all the guests were finally sent off, Rhode and Mira collapsed onto the bed in their room.
"Talking to those people is so troublesome, it's more comfortable at the Guild."
"I agree, it feels difficult to fit into the ladies' circles..." Mira frowned, "Am I not a very competent wife?"