After the incident at the river and later at the cave, Juvia started to fall ill with a nasty flu and was bedridden for a week with fever, coughing and an occasional throwing up. The doctor said that it was a mix between the Duchess being from another land and not used to the cold plus the river incident really made the process go faster. Gray stood by her side whenever he wasn't dealing with the Duchy issues and it worried him how pale, shivering and hot she was, but after the first three days, she became much better and he could breathe again.

When the week was over and the doctor cleared her to get up from the bed, Gray still insisted that she rested, but she would venture around with a maid and Gajeel not too far behind when Gray would leave their bedroom. Once he was informed about Juvia's escapades, he went to find her and met her mid walk and confronted her.

"You need to rest! Go back to bed." He told his wife.

"Juvia is fine. Being bedridden will make her feel worse rather than better." The blunette sighed and when Gray tried to persuade her, she shook her head. "Please, Gray-sama. Just for a few moments so Juvia can stretch her legs; if she feels bad, Juvia will return to bed. Please."

He couldn't very well deny her when she had those big eyes turned at him. With a sigh, Gray nodded after a moment, but instead of walking away, the Duke shrugged off his coat and put it around her. "At least put the right clothing for roaming around the corridors." He scolded her gently. "Next time, please don't wander around only with your robe as cover; wear a warm coat at least, you are recovering."

Juvia smiled and put a hand on his cheek. "Juvia will; now would you like to walk with me for a little while?"

Gray nodded and offered her his arm, which she took gladly, and they walked around the floor for a few minutes before he convinced her to return to bed to rest and this time she agreed.

In one of her walks, Juvia found a room filled with old paintings people seemed to forget about and even if the room was dusty and most of them were covered and the Duchess had to cover her nose and mouth every time uncovering them and she sneezed a lot, but, it was nice to see her husband's predecessors and distant cousins, those which Gray never even heard about, but they sent their portraits either way so the Duke could remember them.

Gajeel would stay outside, saying that he didn't do too well with confined spaces with breakable goods around and Juvia agreed. Her maid, though, would stay by the door, covering her mouth and staring daggers at the Duchess, who should be resting, not going through hundreds of old paintings covered in dust.

During the third day she started looking over the paintings of great- great- great- great- great- great-grandfathers of her husband, she found a much smaller one – compared to the others – covered with paper. Curious, she grabbed it and tore the paper apart and what she saw made her breath get caught on her throat.

#

"You look much better tonight." Gray commented eyeing his wife when he exited the small bath chamber wearing his sleeping clothes and a robe. She was wearing her usual nightgown and sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling widely at her husband. The truth was that she had been feeling better for a while, those past few days were more of a way for her to get her strength back.

"Juvia has something for you." The Duchess got up from the bed and grabbed his hands, pulling him towards the place she was sitting before and even confused, Gray let her do it.

"What is it?" He asked, watching her go to the other side of the bed, kneeling to get something underneath it. "Juvia?"

"Here it is." His wife said, getting up holding a large package covered with a sheet and the Duke frowned when she gave it to him, but prevented him of uncovering it. "Juvia found this earlier this afternoon." The Duchess put a hand over his and squeezed tightly. "Juvia wanted to give you something like you gave her Honey and she had no idea what, but when she saw this... This is something that you should have, that you should see every day."

Juvia nodded and Gray uncovered the mysterious gift his wife offered him and once he could see what it was, he stilled. It was a painting – fifty centimeters of height – of a woman with long white hair and dark green eyes, a kind smile and a small dark haired child in her arms. There was a dark haired man with his arm around the woman's shoulder and he looked like an older version of Gray.

Those were his parents.

To recall about his father was easy, they looked so much alike that they could've been twins, but his mother... The Duke touched the painting of his mother's face with wonder and tenderness. In his mind, for a decade, all he remembered of her were glimpses of her eyes, her smile and sometimes he could remember her smell, and now he finally remembered it all again. "This is my mother." He whispered.

"Yes." His wife answered. "Juvia found it this afternoon. Sorry that you didn't find it before."

Gray shook his head. "It doesn't matter: you did." He finally looked up to his wife, his eyes strangely tingling. "I can remember now what they were like, especially my mother. I had forgotten..." He choked. "Thank you."

The Duchess touched his cheek tenderly. "You are welcome." She looked at the painting once again and he did the same, she rested her head on his shoulder. "She was beautiful."

"She was, wasn't she?" Gray asked with a smile. "The most beautiful woman I've ever-" He stilled and then looked down to his wife. "I mean..."

With a giggle, Juvia kissed his cheeks. "Juvia won't take it personally. She was your mother; you should think she is the most beautiful woman you ever saw." The Duchess sighed. "Juvia never met hers, she only saw paintings. I wanted to at least have one memory of her, or my father's."

Gray kissed the top of her head. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Juvia looked up to him. "It's late, maybe we should sleep."

The Duke nodded and got up from the bed and walked towards the window, kneeling and putting it carefully resting on the wall, taking a moment to look at his mother's face one more time. He smiled when he closed his eyes and he could remember her calling him to come home to eat his lunch with her and his father. He had always had that memory, but for the first time in years, he hadn't seen her face foggy.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia's voice brought him back from his thoughts and he got up from the floor. The Duke smiled at her and was about to go to his couch – with Juvia being sick, he'd let her have her space to get better – when she called for him again, making the man stop and turn to look at her. "The bed's big enough for both of us." The Duchess was kneeling on the bed, biting her lower lip and looking adorable.

"Juvia..." Gray sighed.

"We don't have to... do anything." She blushed. "Juvia just wants to get used to you... here." The blunette looked to the bed and then back at her husband, who still hesitated.

"You are still recovering from..."

"Juvia is feeling a lot better." The woman said quickly. "Juvia understood why you didn't want to while she was sick – it was pretty disgusting – but... Juvia wants to feel close to you."

Gray looked towards his couch and back to the bed. Well, it wasn't too hard to choose. Without taking his eyes off her, the man took off his robe and stood by the side of the bed where Juvia was kneeling and leaned down so his lips could touch hers.

That kiss was different from the others they shared: it wasn't about saying 'thank you' for a gift, it wasn't about feeling excited. No, that kiss was tender, soft and caring. Gray had no idea how she did it, but she had weaseled her way into the tender part of his heart.

Once he unlocked their lips, he didn't move away. Their noses were touching, their breaths mingled. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't be silly, Gray-sama." She chuckled, kissing him again. "Marriage is about making each other happy." Juvia reached for his hands. "Come to bed."

He nodded and did what was told and while she arrange herself on her side of the bed. He got underneath the sheets and wondered how they would do that: was he allowed to touch her? Would he need to watch himself while sleeping?

Gray got his answer when he felt her lie her head over his chest and put a leg over his and let out a contentment sigh and he decided to rest his hand on her waist.

"Is this alright?" Juvia asked quietly.

Gray smiled and turned to the bed stand to blow the candle that was lighting the room – aside from the fireplace – and then kissed her hair before mumbling: "Yeah. More than alright."

#

At the same time, on the other side of the Winter Duchy at Snow Storm Castle, a man was bringing a letter to his master. Even if it was late, his Lordship asked that any news from Avalanche Castle to be delivered to his chambers whichever hour it arrived.

"Sir?" His butler knocked on the door and waited a moment before opening the door of the main room. "Master Lyon?"

Said man was seated on a very comfortable red chair in front of the fireplace, a glass of bourbon in hands. His white shirt was opened and even if he should've been asleep on his bed, he still wore his leather pants and working boots.

"Yes?" The white haired man answered without taking his dark green eyes off of the fire. "What is it?"

"A letter." The butler muttered. "From Avalanche Castle."

That caught his Lordship's attention and he raised the hand not holding the glass of bourbon so he could get the letter and once he had it, the man opened it and carefully read the words.

"Well, well, well..." Lyon smirked. "It appears that my cousin has wedded. Carlton," Lyon called his butler, "inform the men that we will be going to see the Duke at Avalanche Castle. We leave in a day. I believe that I need to meet this bride."