Chapter Text
Right before the end of winter Ferdinand presented her with a small box as they lay in bed. She was surprised as she had done nothing deserving of a reward, but it was not particularly uncommon of her husband.
“Have I done something to please you for you to give me a present?” She asked him, curiosity shining in her eyes as she looked at the box.
“Most of what you do pleases me” he paused “save for your rampages” he added, grabbing a strand of her long hair and twirling it through his fingers. She had noticed he enjoyed playing with her hair, even more so after her coming of age since she now wore it up.
She stuck her tongue out at him and quickly regretted it as he caught it between his fingers with his Zanze like reflexes.
“Iw sowwy iw sowwy” she protested. The warm mana of her saliva coating his fingers distracted him enough to let go and after a deep calming breath he encouraged her to open the present.
It was an exquisite ring with incredibly detailed carvings and embedded with what she recognized as regish scales shining small rainbows as the light refracted through them.
“Oh Ferdinand! It’s beautiful” she exclaimed with awe in her voice. “Let me put it on you” he said as he grabbed her left hand, and kissed her palm.
The ring looked incredibly small in his hands. She noticed it had been made exactly to her measurements without the usual resizing magic as he put it on the finger next to her pinky.
She gasped in surprise and looked at Ferdinand, not sure if he knew the significance of the gesture. “I remember the very first book you wrote. As shameless as it was, it was informative enough about the customs of your dream world” he told her, kissing the ring now on her finger with his eyes closed.
Her eyes were filled with tears as she jumped and hugged him.
“You can consider it as my sincere appreciation for your Light day truffles”
He felt her laugh in his arms and pushed her away enough to look at her face in confusion.
“There is another tradition related to valentine’s day” she giggled. “It’s known as [white] day or response day. It’s when the people who receive chocolates give a small present back to show their thanks. And usually, if the person you give [honmei] chocolates to gives you a present on [white] day, it means they like you back!”
“Of course I like you back, you fool” he told her as he brought her closer and kissed her like the God of darkness would kiss his one and only Goddess of light, it was a convenient thing her hair was already down.