Failed to Train the Beast Male Lead

It couldn’t be justified, but the Duke, who had become a monster, was never depicted as killing a person, even though he had good manners.

There must have been content that was not conveyed in text alone.

‘One of them must be the incident that happened today.’

Carol slowly went over the contents of the novel as she climbed the stairs.

The Duke had tacitly allowed Margaret Chesworth to stay in the Duke’s Mansion for over two months.

The probability was high that he had been too sick to pay attention to her for a few days after she arrived.

He had lost so much blood that he might still have been sick two months later.

Being sick for a long time makes one sensitive. The Duke must have been the same.

Did he take extreme action because he was sick and sensitive, and his emotions were amplified?

Mrs. Wells might have hoped that Margaret would accept the Duke who had become a monster, and persuaded the Duke to meet her.

The beginning of the tragedy where Carol had to intervene most directly.

But first of all, she wanted to check the Duke’s condition.

Knock, knock.

Before she knew it, she had reached the Duke’s room, knocked politely, and entered the room.

Unlike before fleeing, the strong scent of herbs filled the room.

Snore.

And the Duke, perhaps intoxicated by the medicine, was lying in bed with his eyes closed.

Usually, he was so sensitive to smell and hearing due to his lack of sight that he would notice even if someone tried to approach him a little.

“…Duke?”

But now, even though she had entered his personal space that he had set, he did not show any movement, perhaps because he was extremely tired.

Even though she called him softly, the Duke’s breathing was still steady.

‘I thought he would be awake because Norman said he would bring food.’

Carol, who had put the tray on the bedside table, sat in the chair that was pulled out in front of the bed, where the doctor was presumed to have sat, and looked at the Duke.

And she scrutinized the Duke’s face anew.

‘Doesn’t seem like he should be treated as a monster…’

Doesn’t this look somewhat endearing?

Carol pouted her lips, unaware of the fact that she had completely lost her objectivity.

Caress.

The horn, which made him look the most terrifying and strange, was not so scary when looked at closely.

Carol reached out and carefully touched the Duke’s horn with her fingertips.

Contrary to the expectation that it would be rough, the horn was smoother than she thought, and harder than expected.

“…What are you doing?”

“Gasp.”

“The one who should be surprised should be me.”

When his subdued voice carried a hint of laughter, the back of her neck felt hot.

“When did you wake up?”

“From the moment you touched my horn.”

“Did you know it was me?”

“In this castle, the number of people who can enter my room and think of touching my horn is very limited.”

At the Duke’s calm voice, Carol bit her lower lip. Her ears were burning.

“That’s…”

“…”

“Since the Duke also touched me…I thought I could touch you…”

Carol blushed at her own excuse, which she thought was incredibly clumsy.

“It would be better not to say such things rashly.”

The Duke warned in a low voice.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“Then the opposite can also be true.”

“Huh?”

At Carol’s question, the Duke covered his eyes and shook his head.

“No. It’s nothing.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

The conversation felt disjointed, but Carol, who was quite flustered by being caught touching a sleeping person, did not notice the subtle misalignment.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“Norman brought the meal he made, would you like to eat? It wouldn’t be good if you don’t have an appetite.”

Instead of answering, the Duke half sat up.

Carol, familiar with the routine, placed the tray on his thigh and put the spoon in his hand.

Bump!

When she handed him the spoon, her hand brushed against his and she swallowed her breath without realizing it.

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

“All of a sudden?”

“I feel like I’ve shown you a side of me that I shouldn’t have shown to a teacher.”

She realized that the Duke had pondered for a while before saying this. The hand holding the spoon was faintly trembling. Although it wasn’t the first time he had experienced this, the Duke was nervous just because the other person was Carol.

‘How pathetic.’

How many people can honestly say they’re scared?

The Duke, who is good at detecting lies through the tremor or tone of voice, even if it’s a lie of kindness, regretted asking the question.

Did he expect some kind of answer? The darkness that had coiled darkly in his chest seemed to mock him.

“Where would you have the leisure to worry about such things when you’re sick? There’s no need to be scared if you know you’re sick.”

“…”

“I was a little scared. In case something goes wrong.”

Her voice was steady and clear. It wasn’t a lie. Recently, the Duke had been moved by countless moments.

When he felt the cold outside air all over his body.

When he felt the touch of the flowers in the garden.

When he read a new text, not the one he originally knew.

Carol was there in all those moments. The child in the fairy tale was him, and the sun was Carol.

“I see. That’s how it is.”

Small pieces of emotion came together to complete a large piece.

“Please eat before it gets cold.”

Carol, who knew nothing, worried about the Duke, wondering if he wasn’t eating because he was sick. The Duke slowly shook his head.

He couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Not being treated as a monster and rational affection were completely separate things.

“I put strawberry jam in mine.”

“…Strawberry jam?”

“My siblings put chocolate in theirs.”

“…That’s interesting.”

“Do you eat without adding anything, Duke?”

“Isn’t it a food that you eat plainly, not something you add to? The topping you mentioned is a bit… strange.”

“It’s really delicious. Oh, by the way, the Braille translation of McGregor’s new work that I requested is due soon. If the weather isn’t a problem, it should arrive today or tomorrow.”

“Is that so?”

The two had a small conversation.

But they didn’t talk about anything important.

The fact that his fiancée had come outside, the countless rumors spreading among the servants, and the fact that his adopted child had called him a monster.

Words that needed to be said but couldn’t easily be brought up were swallowed down.

‘Even if I hide it, I can’t hide it for a lifetime…’

The matter about Miss Chesworth will be known by tomorrow…

Carol glanced towards the door. She was unnecessarily nervous, as if Mrs. Wells would come at any moment and say that Margaret Chesworth had visited the Duke’s Mansion.

“Of course, you should read it after you’re all better.”

“I’ll be better in a few days.”

“Then should we take a break from lessons for a few days?”

“No!”

“…Yes?”

“…It’s not a contagious disease, and I’ll recover faster than you think.”

At the Duke’s persuasion, Carol ended up bursting into laughter.

“It seems you really don’t like it when I don’t come.”

It was just a light comment to change the atmosphere.

Contrary to what she thought would be stiff, the Duke had a wit and often took jokes well.

This time too, he would laugh it off with a comment like, ‘The monster needs the teacher to pretend to be human.’

“Huh.”

The Duke covered his face with his large hand.

“Duke?”

When Carol called him in a puzzled tone, the Duke muttered in a creeping voice.

“Did it show a lot?”

“Yes?”

“Did it show a lot…that I wanted the teacher to come?”

Pause.

It’s really scary. To say such a thing so casually. The destructive power was considerable.

“Even if you say that, nothing will come out from me.”

Carol naturally turned the conversation around as she cleared the tray.

Fortunately, with the appearance of Margaret Chesworth, Carol was able to remain steady, clearly sensing that this was indeed a novel and that the other party was the male protagonist.

“But what time is it, you’re still here?”

“Well, that’s…”

“I think you weren’t newly hired to nurse me.”

“I couldn’t leave because it was snowing too much. Ah, the guest room…”

Then suddenly, she noticed that the Duke’s room had subtly brightened. With a whoosh, Carol quickly turned her head to check the clock on the wall.

‘When did the time pass like this?’

She had only had a pointless conversation with the Duke, but before she knew it, time had flown by.

The sun in Cardiff rises later than other places, and sets early. It was already past 7 o’clock, and 15 minutes had passed.

“Didn’t the lady guide you to your room? Call her now.”

“No!”

Carol stood up from her seat. It was too late to call Mrs. Wells for a room guide.

Her back started to itch. It was a premonitory symptom she felt every morning. It was a daily occurrence for Carol. It wasn’t anything special, but this place was not home, it was the Duke Winternox’s Mansion.

“I can find it myself.”

“There are so many rooms in the Duke’s Mansion…”

The Duke spoke as if he was puzzled, but there was no time to even make an excuse.

She had to get out of here first.

“Then, as planned, it would be good to see you this evening. I’m suddenly very tired…”

Carol trailed off and hurriedly left the room.