Failed to Train the Beast Male Lead

After deciding to become a tutor for the Duke, Carol was quite pleased with the house she moved into.

It was close to the academy where her siblings attended, and it was within commuting distance to the Duke’s Mansion, which was why she moved in the first place.

However, she also appreciated not having to endure the mixed looks of pity and contempt from neighbors who knew about her family situation.

She hadn’t abandoned her crumbling family home. Managing two houses was a burden, but it was unavoidable.

The harsh and barren land was a neighborhood where a few unwelcome people gathered to live.

Although it was embarrassing to call it a neighborhood as it only consisted of a few houses, it was the only place where her memories with her parents remained vivid.

“Sis?”

Kevin and Dylan, who had gone to clean the family home, returned.

Originally, Carol was the one doing the cleaning, but ever since she became a tutor, the two of them had taken over the cleaning duties.

“Are you both back already?”

“Yeah. There wasn’t much to clean up.”

“Really?”

“Where are you going?”

“…Why?”

“No… It’s just… You seem to be dressed up?”

“Where else would I go but to work?”

Carol looked at herself anew. She was wearing the green dress she had most recently bought, and her hair, which she usually tied up completely, was thickly braided into a single plait over her shoulder.

“Your skin seems to be strangely glowing.”

“That’s because I applied the cream you guys gave me for my birthday.”

“You said you’d only use it on special occasions because it’s precious?”

“…I felt like I was saving it too much, so I used it to change my mood.”

“Really?”

The sharp question ended blandly. Carol inwardly sighed.

‘Today was the day.’

The day of the tactile lesson.

She had even promised the Duke that he could touch her face, so she couldn’t avoid it.

Her siblings could tell right away, and she wondered if other people would notice, so she considered changing her clothes.

‘I’m definitely not nervous.’

Changing here would only prove that she was nervous.

Even the dress wouldn’t be visible if she wore her thickest cloak. She wouldn’t take off her outerwear until she entered the Duke’s room, so it should be fine.

Fortunately, it seemed to pass without incident, and Kevin brought some new news to Carol.

“Louis seems to be bringing someone?”

“Really?”

Carol spoke nonchalantly, but Kevin and Dylan sat down at the table with serious expressions.

“Isn’t he bringing his girlfriend?”

“I thought Louis liked you.”

“He must have changed since he became a central noble’s son.”

“Wow. Is that so?”

Listening to the two of them talking nonsense from the kitchen, Carol put down a cup of milk mixed with honey in front of them and put her hands on her hips.

“Don’t talk about that in front of Louis.”

“We won’t.”

“We’re just friends. And he helped us out of pure kindness, how sad would he be if you said he changed because he became a central noble’s son?”

At Carol’s sharp rebuke, the two of them blew on their drinks and dodged the issue.

“I just wish he could become our family…”

“My feelings are important too. I wish it was just you guys as my family for a while.”

“…Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Me too. I won’t force my feelings on sister.”

At Carol’s words, the two of them emphasized that they were not forcing anything.

“I know.”

“Is there anyone else you’re concerned about?”

“…There’s no way. I spend almost all of my time as a human at the Duke’s Mansion. I don’t have time for that.”

Carol spoke as if making an excuse. It wasn’t a wrong statement, but it wasn’t entirely correct either.

‘I’m not interested in the Duke in a romantic sense.’

It was fortunate that they didn’t seem to doubt what Carol said after hesitating.

Carol clicked her tongue as she compared herself to the Duke. The world they lived in was as different as heaven and earth.

Excluding unusual cases like the DukeWinternox’s family, there was a big power difference between local nobles and central nobles when viewed generally.

Central nobles had a different influence as they were involved in politics by going in and out of the royal palace.

There was also a clear gap in rank.

Louis, who was the son of a baron when he was young, was a distant existence for Carol. If there hadn’t been a happening between them, they couldn’t have become friends.

Even Louis, who had barely become a friend, had widened the gap again by becoming the son of a duke.

He was a duke. A noble bloodline mixed with royal blood.

‘Why am I thinking about this…’

She was really just concerned in a purely platonic sense, not romantically.

It’s just a relationship between an employer and an employee.

‘I’m the only one who knows I was that bird.’

It was better when we met in bird form. The moment when just existing, without comparison or measurement, was enough was an unforgettable memory.

What if I told him I was that bird? I’ve thought about it several times. Since we parted regretfully last time. A mere small bird wouldn’t cause a big wave in his life, so wouldn’t it be okay? That’s what I thought.

‘But if he knew I wasn’t an ordinary bird…’

I thought about going back when I became a sparrow again, but I couldn’t because I promised not to go out transformed with my siblings. Looking back now, it was a relief.

‘He would call me a monster.’

Revealing her identity and being happy about it was just Carol’s delusion. He called himself a monster for transforming like a beast. Wouldn’t he not look kindly on her, a beastman?

Carol lightly slapped her cheeks and broke away from her thoughts. The carriage was due to arrive soon.

“Make sure you both eat your dinner well.”

“Are we babies?”

“Can’t we worry about each other as a family?”

They were the only remaining family members throughout her two lives.

They knew that their grandparents on both sides were healthy, but it had been a long time since their parents cut off contact by eloping out of love.

Because their mother was a sparrow beastman, and their father was a hawk beastman.

“Are you really going to keep going to the Duke’s Mansion, sis?”

“Are you still talking about that?”

“I’m more worried because you sometimes come home just before morning.”

Unlike Carol, the two of them inherited their father’s traits and had a tendency to overprotect Carol.

“Worrying too much isn’t good either.”

Knock knock.

Just in time, it seemed the coachman had arrived, as there was a knock on the door. Carol quickly left the house, saying she would be back with her bag.

“Take care!”

At the shout from behind, Carol loudly replied ‘Yes’.

“…Sigh.”

Despite rushing out, Carol soon realized the content of today’s lesson and bit her lower lip hard.

****

Normally, Carol didn’t ask the Duke any questions outside of what was needed for the lesson. But today was different.

“Do we really have to do this?”

Carol asked one more time with a serious tone.

Hoping that his mind might have changed overnight, the Duke spoke in a low voice.

“I washed my hands clean.”

“…I’m not worried about hygiene.”

“Then…”

After accepting the Duke’s proposal yesterday, the time to leave was approaching and it was postponed to today.

I should have finished it quickly yesterday.

As she thought more and more, she became more embarrassed.

The Duke, not seeing Carol’s blushing face, thought she was just silent.

“Am I scary or unpleasant?”

The Duke said to himself and swallowed dryly.

There were no employees who were afraid of him, separate from work.

The thought that Carol might find him unpleasant, separate from the tutoring, only now struck him as a sudden realization, causing him to be inwardly shocked.

“That’s not the case.”

Carol grabbed the Duke’s wrist and pulled it towards her face. The Duke was taken aback by her sudden boldness, but soon let her lead.

“First, gently stroke the surface of the skin with one finger.”

Sharp fingernails and soft palm simultaneously touched her cheek.

The Duke quickly retracted his nails and began to slowly stroke her smooth cheek with one upright finger.

Caress.

A slight chill ran down her spine at the touch of the Duke’s slightly cold finger.

The Duke focused all his senses on the tip of his finger.

His finger, thicker and blunter than a human’s, stroked Carol’s skin.

“Press a little harder…”

Her voice was hoarse.

As a diligent student, the Duke applied pressure to his hand according to her words.

When he pressed on the skin, the elasticity was clearly felt.

Cardiff was cold and dry.

Naturally, the skin of the territory’s people was mostly rough due to the influence of the seasons. Of course, it was a far cry from the Duke who had servants to take care of him.

But it was also a chronic concern of the territory’s people, so the Duke was aware of it.

“It’s soft.”

“…Yes, it is.”

What his fingertip touched was…a slightly dry, cool, and smooth skin.

The air between the two was taut.

What happens when this breaks?

Carol quickly dismissed the question that suddenly came to mind.