After the Ending, I Received the Second Male Lead as a Gift

Ludwin groaned at my words and turned his head again.

He looked embarrassed no matter the angle I saw him from.

“Hahaha!”

I was at a bit of a loss and ended up laughing out loud.

‘So, he wasn’t trying to eat me.’

I felt relieved and a bit ridiculous. No matter how angry Ludwin got, he wouldn’t actually eat a person.

I wiped the tears from my eyes, which had come from laughing too hard.

“Sorry, Lu. We’re almost done. Can you wait a little longer?”

It was my fault for forgetting to bring Ludwin’s lunch today.

I shared five of my sandwiches with him, but it must have been far from enough.

“We’ll go back quickly and I’ll grill some lamb chops for you.”

Woof!

Ludwin wagged his tail excitedly, seemingly pleased with my answer.

“Which do you prefer with the lamb chops, mint sauce or mustard sauce?”

Woof woof!

“Mustard?”

His tail wagged enthusiastically, as if to confirm.

Listening to our conversation, Jeffrey asked in disbelief.

“Are you serious about giving lamb chops with sauce to a dog?”

“Yes, he eats just like we do.”

“My goodness.”

Initially, I tried giving him raw meat or fish like in the original, but Ludwin wouldn’t even look at it.

Wondering if things had changed because I tweaked the original, I tried giving him a piece of the steak I was eating.

He quickly devoured it and looked at me for more.

 

‘He eats just like a human.’

 

At times like that, it felt as if Ludwin, the human, was staring at me, making me break out in a cold sweat.

Since then, Ludwin has been eating the same menu as us, just ten times the amount.

Given his usual enormous appetite, he must’ve been hungry all day. I was thankful he waited patiently until I was ready to leave the shop.

“I promise I won’t forget your lunch tomorrow, Lu.”

Awoo—!

Ludwin seemed pleased with my words as he howled and licked the back of my hand with his tail wagging.

But Jeffrey, who’d been locking the windows, asked with a pale face.

“Are you really bringing him again tomorrow? That…Sir Dog?”

I chuckled at his bewildered tone.

“Are you still afraid of dogs?”

Jeffrey had a phobia of dogs. It was quite severe, too.

He got defensive at my amused remark.

“Anyone would be scared of a dog that big! It’s weird that you’re not scared at all!”

“What did he do?”

I asked with a bright smile.

“N-no, I mean, I know you love animals, but n-normally…!”

“What’s wrong with Lu? He’s so cute.”

At least on the outside.

I would take the fact that I mistakenly feared him to my grave.

Ludwin, seemingly pleased with my praise, nuzzled his face into my palm.

The soft texture of his fur made my heart flutter for a moment.

Woof! Woof!

Ludwin rubbed his head against my hand for a while, then excitedly circled around me. He then stomped his front paws and sat in front of me, looking at me with sparkling eyes.

‘Now’s your chance! Come on, pet me!’

That’s what he seemed to be saying.

‘So cute!’

He was so cute that just looking at him made my face melt into a smile.

But I couldn’t lose myself here. I firmly held my hand to stop it from moving on its own, reminding myself that he was a supporting character.

‘He’s like a cake I can’t eat. If I eat him, I’ll die.’

However, since I could appreciate him in my heart, I allowed myself to fully enjoy Ludwin’s cuteness with a softened face.

Seeing us, Jeffrey pointed at us in shock.

“Th-th-that…!”

“What’s wrong, Jeffrey? If you have something to say, say it. Don’t just show it on your face.”

Jeffrey asked with a solemn expression.

“Captain, do you think Sir Dog is cute?”

“Yeah. He’s really cute. No, he’s cool.”

“Argh!”

Before I knew it, my true feelings came out again and I quickly corrected myself, but Jeffrey silently twisted his whole body around, flailing his arms in an ‘I can’t stand it’ action, as if he was suddenly upset.

Why was he acting like that?

He sighed deeply in defeat.

“Haaaa.”

Then he opened the store door and waved his hand urging me and Ludwin to leave.

“Ugh, what can I say? If you love animals so much, why not run a zoo instead? Why would you give up your family business and open a flower shop…?”

As I left the store with Ludwin, I paused at his grumbling words.

“A zoo? That’s a senseless business.”

Putting cute animals in cages and making them a spectacle.

In this world where even the concept of human rights was not properly established, animal rights were practically non-existent. Making money off animals in such a world was akin to abuse.

When I muttered with a grumpy face that all things like zoos should be destroyed, Jeffrey grinned.

“Don’t you feel sorry for the flowers?”

When he basically asked if it was okay to run a flower shop as a plant killer, my face got hot.

“That’s why I don’t grow them!”

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

I pouted at Jeffrey, who showed no sign of agreeing.

How dare you take revenge on me for making fun of you?

Ludwin must have seen my expression and suddenly growled softly.

Grrrrr.

Jeffrey, who was afraid of dogs, threw up his hands and backed away.

“No, I’m kidding! Don’t be angry!”

Ludwin seemed displeased with the sight and kicked dust at him with his hind legs.

“Ouch! Stop, please!”

The sight of a grown man cowering and dodging here and there was too funny no matter how I looked at it.

“No matter how scared you are, why do you keep talking to the dog so politely?”

“Don’t just laugh, help me, Captain!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

It was a peaceful evening.

 

*****

 

That night, after dinner, Ludwin, who’d been showing off his charms to Tyria, collapsed in the next room.

Tyria, despite her determination not to touch him, found herself being affectionately nuzzled by the persistent dog.

Afterward, Ludwin, satisfied, returned to the next room and fell asleep, when his body became enveloped in golden light.

The light changed shape and took on the form of a human.

His tightly closed eyelids opened, revealing amber eyes.

‘…What?’

Ludwin was startled when he realized the situation and jumped up.

After staring at his hands for a while, he checked the condition of his body.

When he realized that this wasn’t a dream or an illusion, he was confused.

‘It’s only been two days?’

A wrinkle appeared between Ludwin’s neat eyebrows.

It was impossible.

According to what the beastmen who drugged him in the La Sente Mountains were saying in their poor imperial language, the drug was so potent it would last for a minimum of three months.

‘They said something about wanting to test the drug before killing me.’

As a result, he’d been nearly out of his mind for a month. He barely had any memories before arriving at the Dilucia estate.

‘But it was four days last time, and now just two?’

He couldn’t understand why. It didn’t seem like the drug’s effects would’ve simply worn off, given the beastmen’s confidence.

Several hypotheses crossed his mind.

The drug’s effect wore off quickly because he was a beastmen-human hybrid.

Or, because he was a Sword Master, his body detoxified it faster.

If not…

Ludwin glanced at the door that led to the next room.

‘That’s absurd. It’s just speculation.’

However, no matter how much he denied it, the intervals between transformations had shortened only after coming to the Dilucia estate.

Especially when he was near Tyria, his mind was clearer than usual.

Though not to the extent of regaining his full consciousness.

‘I’ll have to check.’

This was a crucial matter. If he ignored it and transformed suddenly in front of Tyria, it would be disastrous.

He took out new clothes hidden under the dresser by his collaborator and approached the door.

“Hoo.”

After a deep breath, Ludwin cautiously turned the doorknob.

Click. The small noise echoed in the stillness of the deep night.

It was Tyria’s room.

Ludwin approached the bed with careful steps.

The closer he got, the harder his heart pounded.

Tyria was fast asleep in the canopy bed adorned with white chiffon curtains.

Her beautiful silver hair shone like it was infused with moonlight, her deep violet eyes hidden. Her delicate features were still breathtaking.

Ludwin’s eyes, which had been tense, softened.

“Tia.”

How long had it been since he last called her name?

Just saying her name made his heart warm.

Ludwin knelt on one knee by the bedside.

“It’s been a while.”

Tyria seemed to still sleep as deeply as she had when she was young.

Feeling fortunate, he stretched out his hand toward the bed. The hand, which was unusually thin and long for someone who wielded a sword, paused just before touching her.

He tried several times but couldn’t bring himself to touch her small, white hand.

Ludwin’s white face had already turned bright red.

Holding the hand of a sleeping person would make him nothing short of a pervert.

Especially since it was Tyria’s hand.

‘I need to check.’

He just couldn’t bring himself to grab that small, white hand without permission.

‘How did I rub against that hand so easily while I was a dog?’

He vaguely remembered the daytime incident when, without paying attention to Tyria’s reaction, he rushed over to her hand and started acting cute.

His memory was hazy, but he knew roughly what he’d done.

It seemed as if steam was rising from Ludwin’s bright red face.

“Hah.”

He eventually gave up, rubbing his face with his hand.

It was too much for today.

Ludwin rested his head on his arms, gazing at Tyria as she slept.

“Tia.”

Just this was enough to make him incredibly happy. A soft smile spread across Ludwin’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect you.”

Even if he turned back into a human every once in a while like this, he could hide that fact and guard her.

At least he knew she wouldn’t run away when he was a dog, and that was enough.

‘I wish she would treat me comfortably like before.’

Perhaps because she knew his identity, Tyria never touched him on her own even though he made cute faces.

Ludwin achieved his initial goal of wanting to stay by her side, but now that he was actually here, it somehow wasn’t enough.

‘Maybe I should try to be more proactive starting tomorrow.’

As he thought of plans that would shock Tyria if she knew, Ludwin closed his eyes, savoring this peaceful moment.

Engrossed in this pleasant thought, he didn’t notice Tyria’s eyes flutter open briefly.

 

*****

 

And the next day, the long-awaited grand opening of the flower shop had arrived.