Chapter 12

The walk turned out completely different from what Amber’s drunken imagination had drawn. The sunset over the sea, the cool breeze, the perfect mood for a stroll… But George and the couple walked ahead, while Amber walked with Gavin.

Of course, her fantasy came from the alcohol, and this was closer to reality.

At least Gavin was good at chatting on his own.

“My dad says your cousin is rich. He told me to get close to him, but honestly… Are you feeling okay?”

“…”

“Do you always drink like that, Amber?”

“…”

Another problem was that Amber was tired.

At some point, she was staring out at the horizon. She’d only been here a month, but the scenery was familiar. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she found herself thinking it was lucky she’d come to Napolia.

Suddenly, Gavin tugged her wrist. Amber raised her eyebrows in confusion, and Gavin pointed ahead.

“You almost tripped. There.”

“Oh… Right. Thanks.”

She saw the rock in front of her and tried to let go, but Gavin held on and asked,

“When your cousin goes back to the capital… will you go with him?”

“Why?”

Gavin scratched his forehead shyly.

“Isn’t our village nice and peaceful? It’s rural, but the city isn’t far by carriage.”

“Yeah. It’s nice.”

Amber nodded. She knew Napolia was a good place.

A coastal village with more seagulls than people. The sound of waves louder than anything. A place where no one looked at her with worry, where no one knew her.

She’d come to sort out her thoughts, but hadn’t decided what she wanted to do. She’d just been satisfied with the ‘present’ here.

Maybe she could just stay forever? Amber gazed at the familiar scenery and wondered. But, as always, she didn’t find an answer. Sometimes reality interrupted before she could.

“What?”

By the time Amber asked, things had already moved forward. Gavin’s confession came out of nowhere.

“…I thought you were picky and selfish, but you’re not. Actually, I…”

“Wait! Hold on!”

Amber waved her hands frantically, stopping him, and quickly asked,

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

‘Other people thought this, but you’re not like that, actually I…’—that kind of talk usually led to a confession. She didn’t want things to get weird.

Amber hoped it was a misunderstanding. Judging by Gavin’s wistful eyes, it probably wasn’t. Amber blurted out,

“I like you as a friend!”

“What?”

“I mean, Gavin, you’re the first friend I made here! So I really like you as a friend…”

Amber regretted it a little. If she’d been sober, maybe she could have handled it better. Maybe she would have listened to the end. Maybe it wasn’t a confession, just a wish for deeper friendship…

But right now, she was worried he’d confess. She wanted to stop it.

But once she’d said it, she felt only guilt. As if doused with cold water, Amber slowly moved her heavy lips.

“Sorry. I hope we can stay friends, Gavin.”

“…”

“If that’s not what you meant, I’m sorry. That too.”

If it really was a confession, Gavin’s mouth hung open. Then his lips twitched in disbelief. He looked like he wanted to ask why, and eventually did.

“Why…?”

Amber could have given many answers. ‘I only think of you as a friend, I don’t have feelings for you, I don’t like you that way’… So many.

But she couldn’t say any of them. It was like something was stuck in her throat. Just as Gavin started to speak again,

“Amber.”

She thought it was Gavin, but it wasn’t. Her heart steadied, but her pulse quickened even before she looked.

“Let’s go home.”

By the time Amber’s eyes widened, a shadow had fallen beside her. George was alone, having split from the Joren couple.

“Where?”

Gavin asked. George didn’t even look at him, just held out his hand.

“The Joren couple said it’s fine, Amber.”

He said her name again… Maybe she was getting used to being called ‘master’, but it felt strange. Amber hid her unsettled feelings and asked,

“How…?”

“I’m drunk.”

A lie with no conviction. He didn’t even try to act. His face, speech, and walk were all perfectly normal.

Gavin found it odd, too, but was ignored.

“He’s drunk?”

“Let’s go. Back home.”

George took her hand, and the familiar warmth spread from her palm. When Amber looked up, George raised his eyebrows, silently asking if she was really going to stay.

He’d repeated himself three times, so it was time to answer.

Amber felt uncomfortable about the earlier awkwardness. So the choice wasn’t hard.

She looked down at the two long shadows at her feet. Even after leaving Gavin, she hadn’t let go of George’s hand, so the shadows looked like one.

Just that made Amber not mind the silence. Maybe it was because their relationship had started by being physically connected… Whatever it was, it was comforting. Just being connected.

“Let’s look a bit more.”

Suddenly, her hand was pulled. George gestured toward the beach, and Amber’s eyes widened.

‘Ah…’

It wasn’t because the scenery was beautiful. It was because it was the first time they’d gone out together. She’d been so caught up in her own thoughts, she’d forgotten something important… She felt a rush of guilt.

“Tired? Want to go in?”

No way. Amber shook her head vigorously.

“I was just thinking… Should we sit over there?”

She pointed to a nearby rock. It was the perfect spot to look out over the sea.

George’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at her, but it was only for a moment. Once they settled on the rock, the atmosphere between them returned to the familiar, comfortable one. Only then did Amber realize that the earlier strange silence was unusual.

“You’ve been staring at the dirt when there’s something this nice.”

George murmured, leaning back on his arms. Amber turned to look at him. His gaze was fixed on the horizon.

The sky meeting the sea was covered in brilliant colors, as if someone had spilled paint, and the waves rolled in with white foam. George fit perfectly into the scene, like a painting.

A shy smile appeared on Amber’s lips.

“Should we come out more often? If I’d known, I would’ve bought you clothes sooner.”

“Are you raising a dog?”

“Huh?”

“You say it like you’re walking a dog.”

“Did I…?”

“One minute I’m your cousin, the next I’m a dog… You shouldn’t go around telling people your tastes.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

Amber glanced around, embarrassed by the joke that skirted morality. Thankfully, no one was around. Still, she felt she’d cause trouble if she kept talking about it, so she changed the subject.

“You were so much like a con artist today. They thought you were some great noble. Did you see the table? When I went with Grandmother, it was half that much.”

“Too bad. All I’ve got is s*men.”

“…”

“And I can only give it to you, Master.”

“…”

How did the conversation end up like this again? Amber changed the subject once more.

“You know, sometimes you don’t seem like a d*ldo at all. Like with your table manners, or the way you talk.”

At that, George’s eyes widened a little. The playfulness faded. He turned his head toward Amber and stared at her quietly, as if trying to read her thoughts. Just as Amber started to feel burdened, he asked,

“Do you like that?”

“Huh?”

“Do you want me to do that?”

Amber tried to look away from his gaze, which lasted too long, but then met his eyes again.

She hadn’t expected that. The question… wasn’t just about his human form. He was asking if she wanted him to act human, to stay by her side as a person.

“Ah…”

Amber let out a small groan and fell silent for a moment. George waited for her answer, and as she searched for words, the sound of waves filled the space between them.

Swoosh, crash, swoosh, crash… It was the sound she’d listened to when she couldn’t sleep or her mind was troubled, leaning against the window. It always calmed her, made everything seem trivial, and made her feel she could finally let out what she’d been holding inside.

This time, Amber felt her tangled thoughts unravel again. At last, she spoke.

“…No. I want you to stay as a d*ldo.”

It felt silly to mention d*ldos in such a serious moment, but George asked earnestly.

“Why?”

“I said I came here to rest, remember?”

“You said you came for a break.”

“…What if I lied about that?”

“I’d just think, ‘Oh, so that’s how it is.’”

His simple reply to her hesitant question was just what she’d expected, and Amber let out a short laugh.

After a moment, she confessed in a lighter voice.

“I actually ran away. I was chased here.”

It was the first time she’d spoken about it since Grandmother. It had only been a few months, but for some reason, it felt like a long time ago.

“Because of my broken engagement. My fiancé cheated.”

“That bastard Reynold.”

“Huh, uh, cough…!”

Amber was startled. He remembered? She’d only mentioned Reynold on the first day, and even she had forgotten about it.

George patted her back and asked,

“Wasn’t it him?”

“Yeah, sniff, mm.”

Amber’s eyes stung from coughing. She probably looked like she’d just cried. Maybe that’s why George’s voice softened.

“It’s good you broke up.”

Amber glanced at him sideways, just in case. Sure enough, his hand kept patting her back, and his words, though gentle, were paired with a fierce expression. He looked more intense than ever.

“Cheated and still had the nerve, huh.”

“…I didn’t really want to get married anyway.”

Amber dropped her gaze to her knees. She felt George pause.

“It would’ve been a waste to marry right after graduating from the academy. If I’d forced myself, I would’ve been miserable.”

“…”

“Really, truly miserable.”

Looking back, Reynold had never been a good match. He never could have been.

Amber knew that. She was the one who’d known Reynold the longest. She was also the one who couldn’t let go and insisted on seeing it through to the end.

It was foolish and pathetic. She couldn’t blame anyone for pointing fingers. But no one had ever looked down on Amber or called her foolish.

‘Because I never told the truth.’

At least, Amber thought so. By hiding the facts, her grandmother had supported her. If she’d confessed her obsession with marriage, the comfort she’d received in the carriage that day would have been replaced by pity.

This time was no different.

George’s eyes narrowed.

“Then why did you stay with that jerk…?”

“I thought it wouldn’t be so bad. I thought I’d be happy.”

Amber paused. The waves crashed against the rocks, the sound scattering and foaming, the water glowing gold… Even in front of the breathtaking scene, George’s blue eyes were fixed on Amber’s face.

The sun was sinking into the water, leaving only a fading line of light beyond the horizon.

“But… I was wrong. I saw my fiancé with another woman at my academy graduation.”

Her father found out, the engagement was broken, nasty rumors spread, and her father pushed her to come here.

Her voice and face as she spoke were detached, as if talking about someone else. Amber’s expressions were always subtle, but now she seemed even more distant, as if hiding something… At least, that’s how George felt.

“It felt like everything was over. If it ended that way, I should’ve felt relief… but I just felt lost.”

“Is that why you got insomnia?”

“Yeah. For that, I’m grateful to you.”

Amber’s voice moved from beside George to above his head. When he looked up, Amber was standing over him.

From here, George knew the story. At first, he’d thought Amber bought him just to use as an adult toy.

But after spending days together and sharing nights, he understood.

Amber couldn’t sleep without him. She did enjoy physical pleasure, but her main goal was to exhaust herself and pass out.

“So you wanted me to stay as a d*ldo? So I couldn’t hurt you.”

“…You wouldn’t betray me, after all.”

Amber didn’t deny it. She knew that even if she acted foolishly or insisted on drawing a clear line between herself and George, he wouldn’t judge her.

It was true. Those words, which could have sounded sly, didn’t offend George. Instead, he felt he’d never forget Amber’s face and her certain voice tonight.

Someone needed him.

Someone needed his very existence.

Just knowing that made George’s heart race. It was a different, fuller feeling than before. For once, he was grateful not to be human. If he were, Amber might not have let him stay, like that rejected boy Gavin today.

“This is the first time I’m glad I’m a d*ldo.”

So he smiled sweetly at his master. Knowing Amber was staring blankly at him, he smiled even wider.

The sea breeze tousled his golden hair. As the sunset faded, dusk fell on the rock where they stood. The waves and sky turned deep blue, welcoming the full night.

It was time to go home.