I Received the Beast Male Lead as a Birthday Present

Episode 4

Eren Reiner.

He was the third son of a Korean-American noble family, and we had been best friends for ten years since we were ten years old.

Well, to be exact, we used to be friends.

Until just a few years ago, Eren and I were so close that we would contact each other every day.

However, three years ago, he suddenly disappeared without a word, and our friendship came to an end.

“It’s been a while, CeCe. You look even prettier than before.”

While I stood frozen in surprise, Eren greeted me with a smiling face.

For someone who disappeared for three years and suddenly reappeared, his audacity was quite shocking.

‘… How can he show up after three years and greet me so casually?’

I brushed my hair back with one hand and tried to calm my agitated heart.

As the confusion subsided a bit, long-buried emotions began to resurface, one by one.

“…Eren, why are you here?”

Without any greetings, Eren lightly shrugged in response to the abrupt question I blurted out.

“You said you needed a veterinarian. The butler said it was urgent.”

“…A veterinarian? What does that mean?”

His unexpected answer left me blinking in surprise.

“Come to think of it, I remember you mentioning that you wanted to become a veterinarian when you were young.”

It was such a long time ago that I had forgotten about him telling me that.

“I thought you knew I became a veterinarian and purposely called me. Wasn’t that it?”

Finally sensing something strange, Eren looked at me hesitantly.

His expression seemed to say, “Did you really not know?”

I coldly retorted towards Eren.

“I’m not well-informed about the current status of a friend who stopped contacting me three years ago.”

“I see.”

Eren, who had a slightly melancholic expression at my response, soon smiled as if nothing had happened.

“It’s a bit disappointing, but it’s okay. Regardless of the reason, the fact that you called me first is what matters.”

His meaningful muttering left me bewildered.

‘What do you mean it’s important that I called you first? What’s that supposed to mean?’

At that moment, when I was feeling puzzled, Eren’s voice continued.

“So, why did you call a veterinarian?”

“Huh?”

I stared blankly at Eren and suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘That’s right. Now’s not the time to be doing this.’

I could discuss the matter with Eren later when we had the chance.

Right now, I needed to focus on Mikael.

“So, the conclusion is that you’re a veterinarian?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then, can you examine this little one?”

When I pointed to Michael, I had a fleeting illusion that Eren’s smile stiffened.

But it was only for a moment. Eren quickly returned to his usual self and spoke casually.

“I’ll need to keep an eye on him for a while, but his condition doesn’t seem too bad. If you disinfect the wound well and give him his medicine on time, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“Really?”

I inwardly sighed with relief after hearing Eren’s words.

I had anticipated it, but hearing a doctor’s assurance made my heart feel lighter.

“Since the wound might fester if you leave it like that, it would be better to give him a bath first.”

While casually examining Mikael with an indifferent gaze, Eren added briefly.

Upon hearing his words, I paused for a moment.

‘…Bathing, you say. How am I supposed to bathe that big guy?’

I felt overwhelmed by the thought.

Suddenly, the fact that there was a large bathhouse in the western annex came to mind.

Originally, it was built in anticipation of hosting prestigious guests, but somehow it had been left unused.

‘Maybe Michael could fit in there?’

I quickly scanned Michael from top to bottom.

Based on a rough estimate, it seemed like he could fit in there comfortably.

‘The process might be a bit troublesome… but it’s probably better to follow the doctor’s advice for now.’

After a brief moment of contemplation, I went to the waiting room in the banquet hall and pulled the bell rope inside multiple times.

A few minutes later, two servants hesitated as they approached the entrance of the banquet hall.

From outside the waiting room, I could see the servants looking frightened, hesitating to come inside.

As soon as they spotted me coming out of the waiting room, they quickly bowed their heads.

“D-Did you call for us, milady?”

“Yes. Can you bring some water to the bathhouse? I’m talking about the bathhouse in the western annex. It shouldn’t be out of use or anything after all this time, right?”

“Well… We’ll have to check first, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

The servant who seemed less afraid responded calmly.

“When should we have the bathwater prepared until?”

“If we stay here too late, my parents will worry, so please finish it as soon as possible.”

“Understood. We’ll prepare it right away.”

With that, the servants left to get the bathwater, leaving only me, Michael, and Eren in the banquet hall.

“…You know, Eren.”

“Yeah, CeCe.”

When I called his name, Eren turned his head to look at me with a charming smile that could enchant anyone. Unknowingly, I let out a faint laugh.

‘…Anyway, that face has always been incredibly effective, ever since we were kids.’

In the first place, the reason we became friends was because of that face.

‘Of course, it doesn’t work on me anymore.’

Although I might have been susceptible to that face in the past, it had no effect on me now.

I stared at Eren with an indifferent gaze before turning my head.

“How long will it take for that kid’s wounds to completely heal?”

As I gestured toward Michael, Eren responded a beat late.

“Well… We’ll have to keep monitoring his condition, but I think he’ll be better within two weeks.”

“Really? That’s faster than I expected.”

“Just in case, we should be prepared to send him back as soon as possible.”

Considering the noble guests that might be riding with him now, we needed to return Michael as soon as possible.

‘…By the way, why does he keep looking at me like that?’

For some reason, I felt like Michael had been giving me piercing glares since earlier.

‘Did something get on my face?’

Puzzled, I blinked and brought my hand to my cheek. However, no matter which side I rubbed, there was nothing there.

‘If it’s not something on my face, is there something bothering him?’

I turned my gaze back to Michael.

From his eyes, I felt an inexplicable discontent, and it seemed like the latter reason was the correct answer.

‘…He can’t be refusing to bathe, can he?’

Come to think of it, Mikael’s expression didn’t look good when the servants were asked to bring bathwater.

‘He’s not like a stubborn puppy that refuses to take a bath.’

I chuckled inwardly.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Eren’s voice pierced through again.

“By the way, how are you planning to take that wolf to the bathhouse? You’re not thinking of pulling him out through the bars in that state, right?”

“Of course not. Even I wouldn’t do something that reckless.”

I slowly nodded my head.

Ever since I decided to bathe Mikael, I had already thought of a plan.

“Wait here for a moment.”

I told Eren to wait and went outside the banquet hall. After waiting for a while, I noticed a servant carrying a large basket heading towards the bathhouse.

“Hey, can you come here for a moment?”

When I called him in a loud voice, the servant stopped in his tracks and approached me.

“Did you call for me, milady?”

“Yeah. I have a little favor to ask. If you go down to the underground storage, there should be a demon dragon collar made of leather. It’s black with a blue gem embedded in it. Can you also bring a lead rope?”

“A collar and a lead rope, you say?”

The servant paused for a moment at my request but quickly lowered his head.

“Understood. I’ll bring them right away.”

With that, the servant left to retrieve the items.

“A demon dragon collar, huh. Your house has all sorts of things.”

“Eren.”

As I turned around at his sudden appearance, I saw Eren standing by the entrance of the banquet hall, smiling.

He must have followed me without me noticing, leaning against the entrance.

“You know, our father is a collector. Besides the demon dragon collar, there are many fascinating things in the storage.”

I responded nonchalantly to his remark.

After waiting for a few minutes, the servant finally returned from the storage with the collar and the lead rope in hand.

“Here are the items you requested.”

“Thank you. You can go now.”

After dismissing the servant, I walked back into the hall with Eren.

As we approached the bars, Michael began to growl softly upon seeing the collar and lead rope in my hand.

‘As expected.’

I inwardly let out a small sigh.

I had prepared myself to some extent when I asked for the collar.

But now that I saw how much he disliked it, I felt a twinge of guilt.

‘However, I can’t afford to be careless when it comes to safety.’

No matter how gentle the other party may be, I couldn’t let my guard down.

‘With his size, even an accidental move could hurt someone. I need to have some insurance.’

‘Hey, be good. I’m not trying to hurt you, so don’t get so upset.’

I tried to speak as kindly as possible while making eye contact with Michael.

However, Michael didn’t ease his guard easily.

“Krrr…!”

Growling threateningly, he suddenly turned his back to me and sat down.

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought he might be telling me to leave him alone because he didn’t want to look at me.

‘…It turned out like this.’

I sighed softly again, feeling ignored by Michael.

If he continued to act like this, I had a plan in mind.

“I had hoped not to have this conversation, but…”

Intentionally exhaling dramatically, I saw Michael perk up his ears.

Having successfully caught his attention, I continued in a subdued tone.

“You might be used to it and not feel it much, but your body is giving off a terribly foul smell right now. If you don’t intend to kill people with your stench, why don’t you quietly wear this collar and go take a bath?”

I received the beast male lead as a birthday present.