A few days after your suspicion towards Kael was cleared, you were finding comfort in your escort's company within the cozy confines of his abode. His bedroom exuded a warm and inviting ambiance, thanks to the soft glow of string lights that adorned the walls-casting a gentle, festive radiance.

Nestled together on the bed, you and Kael reveled in a lighthearted embrace. Your soft laughter filled the air as he shared stories of his past; a few of them were of his childhood but most of the topic centered around his coworkers and the founder who brought him home after 'bidding' for him at the auction.

"The founder likes to dress as if she were in her twenties, but actually, she has been alive since the great war between humans and Amorii," he whispered cautiously, as if it was a top secret. "I mean, I know that our race is popular for our beauty, but isn't the age gap too much? Shouldn't she be considered a pedo if she were to date anyone, especially a human?"

You laughed.

"Although I'm the first to join ROMANCE as an escort, I'm actually the youngest among my colleagues so the support staff would spoil me more than they would spoil others. Can't blame them though, the other Amorii is either too introverted or too indifferent to talk to them," he pursed his lips, acting pitifully. "Seriously, they should all learn from me and respect me more as their senior."

You smiled, listening attentively to all the experiences he had accumulated at ROMANCE before he started to talk about his colleagues again.

"I befriended everyone at ROMANCE, but there are only a few of whom I actually found myself comfortable to be with; one of them is Hollis. I like being with Hollis because I find him cute. He has this tough exterior that can make people view him as an asshole, but can you believe that someone like him actually yearns for a sweet, equal love where the other person would love him as intensely as he would love her?" He laughed. "It's cute how pitiful his yearning is. He should know better that the love we, Amorii, possess can never be felt by humans. Human loves moderately, while we? We simply have this peculiar approach in expressing our affection towards our significant other."

"Peculiar?" You tilted your head, seeking further clarification.

"When I say 'peculiar,' I mean that our love can be intense and passionate, perhaps even beyond what some might consider normal. We have this tendency to become fiercely devoted and protective of our significant other, to the point where we may exhibit possessive or jealous behaviors."

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the explanation. "So, it's like being deeply in love, but with an added layer of protectiveness? But isn't that how humans love too?"

Kael smiled, though there was a tinge of melancholy with a hint of vulnerability in his smile. "You're right, deep love often comes with a natural sense of protectiveness. However, what sets our way of loving apart is the intensity of how we express it. It's simply beyond what is considered normal in human relationships."

"Surely it's not that bad? I'm sure you will fin-"

"Then there's Yule," he suddenly changed the topic with a cheery expression as if not wanting to listen to your baseless comfort. "We're like two peas in a pod-though he's not as sociable as me. We share a lot of things in common, mainly our appreciation for gift-giving. If you noticed, many of the ornaments and decorations in this house are from him. Unlike Hollis who searched for love, Yule likes to become a bridge for people's love. You can often see his clients go to thank him at the headquarters for being the cupid to their successful marriages."

He giggled. His eyes were focused on you as he caressed your face, as if trying to imbue into his mind the structure of your face if he ever went blind, which is unlikely-probably, since you don't know much about Amorii's self-healing ability.

"I wonder what kind of love he would show once he finds the right person for him?"

He then changed the topic to something else again before you could pry further. It made you wonder what Kael was thinking when he told you all of these; is this his way of opening up to you?

Nonetheless, you respected his boundaries. If he didn't want you to ask, then you won't. After all, even you kept so many things hidden from him.

An hour later, amid the cozy haven, a sudden ring of the bell disrupted the tranquil time you had with him. The unexpected sound brought a flicker of curiosity to your eyes. After all, you had been staying here for days and yet no one had ever come to visit.

Yet that curiosity can't be applied to Kael as he was now frowning slightly, almost pouting as he reluctantly pulled away from the embrace he had on you and padded towards the entrance door with you following him from behind like a little chick.

The door swung open, revealing an enigmatic visitor with sleek black hair and dark circles adorning his piercing black eyes. You tilted your head, pondering the race of this mysterious individual standing before you; he doesn't have any peculiar features that scream Amorii but he is good-looking.

"Greetings, I'm Coffee," totally disregarding Kael who stood in front of him, he made contact with you, a ghost smile on his face. "I apologize for the unexpected visit, but I am one of the assistants at ROMANCE and I came here to take a look at our dearest client's well-being and inform her of something important."

You blinked in confusion, pointing to yourself. "Me?"

"This morning, a person claiming to be a guardian of yours contacted our headquarters, inquiring about your whereabouts," Coffee explained. "He discovered from the transaction history that you've been hiring one of our escorts and insisted we pass on a message."

Guardian?

You frowned and interjected, "But I haven't received any calls from my, uh, guardian."

To prove your words, you pulled out your phone, checked the call logs, which showed no record of any missed or received calls from your supposed guardian, and showed it to him.

Coffee's expression remained impassive, but you did see him giving a quick judgemental glance at your escort, though you don't know why.

"I see, then please call your guardian to confirm and inform us later if there's some sort of mistake," he stared at you for a while. "Pardon me, but can I please speak alone with Kael?"

"Oh, um, sure," you hesitantly went back inside, noticing the look of discomfort in your escort's expression.

You wondered what was going on.

Once you were gone, the assistant turned towards Kael who was giving him a look of disatisfaction.

Coffee spoke. "The founder wanted me to tell you to prepare yourself once you're done with this client. Apparently, that favorite client of yours-whatever her name is-has been making a fuss after knowing that you've been rented for a month, so she has pre-ordered you to spend the time with her for two months, so please make sure to-"

"No." Kael clenched his fists.

The assistant frowned. "Don't say that to me, say that to the founder. Besides, why are you refusing? Didn't that girl used to be your favorite? You used to come to work with new bruises and wounds on your body and claim that it was the mark of love or something. What changes?"

The man doesn't answer, opting to tell him something else. "Coffee, tell the founder that I'm quitting from being an escort."

The said man didn't look surprised. "Is it because of this new client of yours?"

Kael smiled, a genuine and honest smile that was unlike his usual playful one. "Hmm, I've finally found the only one I want to feed from. Naturally, I won't become an escort anymore. I'm sure the founder would be understanding, after all, this is not the first time her employees quit for this reason. She will get used to it eventually, I'm sure of it."

"You don't look like someone who's well-fed though," the assistant pointed it out.

"Well, my sweetheart is quite vigilant," his smile turned helpless. "But it hasn't been a month yet. Just give me a few more months and I'm sure she will start liking me."

Coffee looked skeptical but didn't give any remark. Instead, he gave a curt nod before taking his leave, his eyes showing sympathy once he turned around.

"It's empty though?" You tilted your head in confusion as you scrolled through your recent called logs.

There's no sign of that said 'guardian' contacting you, and though honestly at this point you should have just checked your blocked list, you were too ignorant to know that there exists a function like that. In the end, you couldn't help but feel disappointed.

If it's a 'guardian', then is it the madam? If not, then is it her husband? You frowned. Although unlikely, could it be that person?

Just as you were about to call one of them to confirm, the phone was snatched away from you, catching you off guard. You looked at Kael who was holding your phone, confused at the face he was making.

"The talk that you had with the assistant earlier, is it that bad?" You questioned, not used to his serious expression.

He sighed dramatically, putting the phone aside. "I was fired."

"Huh?" You were taken aback.

"The founder unfairly fired me after she found someone cuter to replace me," he pitifully went for a hug. "Now I'm jobless. It makes me so sad. Quickly comfort me so I get better, sweetheart."

Although you don't believe him, you still rub his back to comfort him.

"I have nothing now. You don't feel like raising me, (Y/n)?" He whined pretentiously. "I can be good. Very good, promise."

"I still have the necklace you gave me," you didn't directly answer his question. "I'm sure it's worth something at least."

"No!" He pulled away. "How could you, sweetheart? I gave that to you so why are you treating it so casually like that? Treat it as if it's something important!"

Your eyes widen in realization, recalling how that person once educated you to cherish the gifts of others-even if that gift is only a poor quality drawing made by a 5-year-old, one should treat it as if it's the most precious, lest his little cousin would cry.

You put your hand on top of the Amorii's head, patting it gently just like how that person did to his tiny cousin.

"Sorry, I'll take good care of it."

Guess you can't secretly give this back once the contract is over. It would be rude to Kael.

"Hmm, take good care of me too." He snuggled against you.

You felt awkward, not knowing if he was being serious or not.

"Kael, I don't want any misunderstanding between us so I will ask this straight away," you pulled away from him. "You do know that what we have right now is only for a month right?"

Kael seemed taken aback by your inquiry but he quickly masked it away with a bitter smile. "Does that mean you're not going to rent me for the next month? I can even give you a discount."

Oh, you get it now. This is a tactic to get you to spend your money at ROMANCE; a marketing-you felt better upon knowing that.

"Didn't the founder fire you though?" You asked teasingly.

"If you promised to rent me again, I will be on my knees begging the founder until she hires me." He said. "So will you, sweetheart?"

-will you agree to compromise?

You smiled helplessly and shook your head, "I'm sorry, Kael. I know I said that I wanted a companion, but I didn't want a long-lasting one. If I wanted that, I would have socialized outside and made a genuine friendship rather than renting an escort."

He looked frustrated. "But you told me that you don't see me as merchandise!"

"I apologize if my words were misleading, Kael," you replied sincerely. "I truly don't see you as mere merchandise, but I also don't want to create false expectations or lead you on. Our arrangement was only for a month, and I don't have any plans to extend it beyond that. I value the time we've spent together, and I appreciate your company, but I simply don't want to drag this on."

Seeing the way he looked betrayed, you felt slightly guilty.

"Kael, I-"

"I understand," he sighed regrettably. "You don't want me anymore."

That's not what you mean but you guessed, what you said could be understood that way so you didn't correct him.

"I need to have a few drinks to soothe my broken heart," he walked past you, glancing back to give you a reassuring smile that he wasn't angry. "Will you be joining me, sweetheart?"

You sighed in relief. "Okay."

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||KAEL'S LOVE STATUS||

🖤🖤🖤🖤♡