Failed to Train the Beast Male Lead

“Yes.”

“Goodness. To give such an expensive item?”

To Mrs. Wells’ astonishment, the Duke responded in a chilled voice.

“Have the Duke’s finances become so impoverished?”

“No, but…even noble ladies in the capital wouldn’t carelessly spend such an exorbitant amount, would they?”

“I lament that this is merely the extent of what I can give her.”

“If Teacher Carol realizes it’s such an expensive gift, she’ll surely dislike it.”

If it had simply been a custom perfume, Mrs. Wells wouldn’t have said anything. But using a sacred liquid exponentially raised the price.

A perfume made by mixing the ingredients with a sacred liquid instead of alcohol!

“Doesn’t the teacher boast exceptionally often about her siblings?”

“Does she?”

“Yes. And rather coincidentally, after she started working at the Duke’s Mansion, her siblings have fallen ill one by one.”

“…You were told it was simply a fever, were you not?”

“I know. So was I.”

“…And it was confirmed it wasn’t a curse transmitted from the High Priest?”

“But if something like this happens again, will she still think the same?”

The Duke didn’t want to entertain such thoughts either. But a curse was fundamentally meant to make one ill and sick. If the curse passed onto him infected her as well…?

“So you used sacred liquid in the perfume.”

“Yes. I don’t even want the mere thought of that possibility.”

“…Duke.”

Mrs. Wells looked at the Duke with a regretful expression. He had struggled the most right after being confined to his room alone.

It’s lonelier to suddenly become isolated after being around others, compared to being alone originally. Once he grew accustomed to solitude, he seemed less anguished.

If he had suffered so greatly at first, to be left alone again this time…

“So let’s not dwell further on this matter.”

“Yes. It seems I’m just needlessly worrying in my old age.”

“You’re still too lively to make such claims, aren’t you?”

“Because I must continue serving you for a long time yet.”

Mrs. Wells was one of the few subordinates the Duke trusted. He entrusted her with many tasks in his stead while confined, and she had never disappointed him. He knew her excessive reaction now stemmed from concern for his well-being.

Which meant…

“So she still hasn’t answered about extending her contract, I take it.”

“Not yet.”

The Duke clicked his tongue softly.

Mrs. Wells pursed her lips. She knew the Duke regarded Carol in a special way. But she had thought it was merely special as she was his teacher. The one who taught him how to live a human life despite his reality remaining unchanged.

But to go this far seemed excessive. He was already compensating her generously, and she tried to view the gift as an extension of expressing gratitude. But the fleeting expression was enough to make Mrs. Wells doubt.

‘Could it be…?’

Mrs. Wells furrowed her brow at the thought that entered her mind.

Not because Carol was a commoner.

“Do you still wish to continue employing the teacher?”

“I simply haven’t found a suitable replacement yet.”

It would indeed be difficult to find someone like her. The Duke knew there was no one who could replace her.

There had been a letter of introduction, and since she was hired urgently, there was initially no plan to conduct a background check.

However, as the Duke’s dependence on her grew and after proposing to extend her employment period, Mrs. Wells did look into her background. This too was simply an old woman’s caution brought about by aging.

Upon receiving the results, Mrs. Wells had no choice but to seek out the Duke immediately.

[Duke, this is a serious matter! To dare deceive the Duke’s household. It must be made public and she must be held accountable.]

[…Let’s observe for now.]

Usually upright, the Duke could not easily decide how to treat her this time.

With a concerned look, placing a hand on her cheek, Mrs. Wells said,

“Wouldn’t it be better to honestly tell the teacher that you’re aware?”

“She will likely flee then.”

“Even though she hasn’t done anything wrong?”

“But she must have her reasons for deceiving.”

“Why would she lie about her name?”

“So she can flee at any time, leaving herself an escape route.”

“I don’t quite understand.”

Deliberately applying to work at the Duke’s Mansion, only to prepare a way to escape later?

Typically, one would conceal their identity and infiltrate to harm the master, steal secret information or valuables.

But she seemed too amateurish for that. If that were her goal, she should have completed the task and left long ago.

While she remained, they checked for any connections between the Duke’s household and potential rival families. There were none.

The reason Carol came to the Duke’s Mansion became a mystery.

“If she had ill intentions, it would have been easier, really.”

The Duke’s eyes glinted dangerously.

If that had truly been her aim, he could have used it as a pretext to keep her at the mansion.

He clicked his tongue in regret.

“Did you say Lord Elais?”

“Yes. Testimonies describe him as an upright person with no ambition for power, generously helping those around him.”

“Is that so? Forging identities doesn’t seem a common occurrence then.”

“No, this is the first time.”

“Then it’s more likely she directly requested the identity forgery herself, rather than having a backer.”

“That seems probable.”

The Duke stroked his chin, deep in thought. If she agreed to extend her contract, he had intended to bring up the fact that she forged her identity. But her deliberation was taking longer than he expected.

“Was the Young Viscount Walden truly an old friend?”

“Yes.”

His expression soured instantly. That was the part he most hoped was untrue.

Claiming to be childhood friends, yet he desired her in a way even the blind Duke could perceive.

The one who had decided they would remain in a safe friendship despite her close proximity was the Duke himself. Yet he allowed rumors to spread knowingly.

The Duke did not take kindly to the Young Viscount’s behavior. His abrupt visit to the Duke’s Mansion following Margaret Chesworth seemed to display his frivolous conduct.

“She didn’t forge her identity with ill intent from the start.”

“It’s possible she did so in a hurry, unable to respond to the Young Viscount’s sudden visit.”

“But it seems too careless, unlike the Young Viscount.”

The Duke spoke with a derisive tone. He had hoped the Young Viscount wouldn’t become entangled with Carol, but that was merely his own desire.

Moreover, even if the other party was undesirable, he was Carol’s friend. Making comments unsolicited would only cause her to distrust the subject rather than himself.

“Shall we investigate further?”

“Let’s not do anything for now.”

As if nothing had happened at all.

Mrs. Wells deeply bowed her head, aware of that the Duke could not see.

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

It felt like seeing the Duke from before–brilliant and radiant, before his monstrous transformation.

Even as a monster, his value remained unchanged. Yet she had overlooked this, as if enveloped in a fog.

‘How utterly foolish of me.’

The reason Mrs. Wells did not speak more forcefully about Carol was the debt of gratitude she owed her.

Having repeated what was considered normal in aristocratic families, Mrs. Wells regretted seeing the current Duke revert to his former self.

‘If only I had helped the previous Duke live more comfortably.’

“There are other pressing matters to attend to as well.”

“I also wish to discuss that with you.”

Mrs. Wells quickly composed herself and straightened her slumped shoulders.

“Oh?”

Rather than surprise, the Duke asked with a somber expression.

He had already assigned someone to watch Margaret Chesworth from the start.

It made no sense for her to neither make trouble nor simply leave while staying put.

The nobles who survived the capital’s social circles were intelligent in a positive sense, and ruthless in a negative one. They had no qualms about using others to achieve their desired ends.

What Margaret Chesworth overlooked was thinking she was the only such person in the Duke’s Mansion.

Her firm belief that the Duke would not mistreat his fiancée was a lingering piece of naiveté.

“She sold an item.”

“What item?”

“Jewels. Uncut emeralds.”

“That’s not particularly unusual.”

Selling jewels when running short of money during long travels was not strange.

“However, they say she disposed of the items at a general store, not a jeweler’s.”

One would sell at a general store for a lower price than the market value, either when needing to sell urgently or unable to prove the jewel’s provenance.

The former did not seem to be the case, as Margaret showed no signs of intending to depart hastily.

“Just in case, I did purchase the items.”

Mrs. Wells took out a small box from her bosom. The Duke traced the contents handed to him–top quality judging by the craftsmanship and size.

“She sold rather expensive pieces. She couldn’t have received their full value like this.”

“Perhaps she had need of urgent funds?”

“Keep a close watch. Even within the mansion.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

With so much to pay attention to, his head was pounding. The Duke massaged his temples as he let out a sigh.

“It must have been quite busy for a while. Take a good rest today. Norman can handle simple tasks like moving things.”

“Yes, I shall.”

The Duke sat on the end of the bed as if the matter was settled, then picked up the book he had set aside to read before sleeping.

Countless secrets existed within the Duke’s Mansion. Like any other day, the secrets were silently buried within its walls today as well.

So no guests visiting would catch on.