Failed to Train the Beast Male Lead

After being preoccupied with Benjamin’s matter for several days, I only realized how much I missed him when we met again.

Carol embraced the Duke’s waist.

“But you said earlier that you’d never do anything I dislike.”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t completely dislike it.”

“…Teacher.”

The Duke called Carol with a pained voice, but she didn’t stop speaking.

“…I mean it’s okay to some extent.”

Like earlier.

The Duke chuckled at Carol’s confession that she wasn’t the only one who felt unsatisfied.

The Duke lifted Carol by her waist. He sat on the sofa, placing Carol on his thighs.

“Provoking me won’t do you any good, Teacher.”

The Duke whispered in her ear, fiddling with her earlobe as if telling her a secret.

“But you’ll stop if I ask you to, right?”

Carol smiled, her eyes curving.

It was an innocent face, unaware of how dangerous the beast was.

The Duke was momentarily speechless at her trust.

“Since it’s your first time, I’ll exercise patience so we can stop when you want.”

The Duke stroked the nape of Carol’s neck with his fingers. This time, Carol cupped the Duke’s cheeks and kissed him.

Their breaths mingled between their pressed lips.

Soft brown hair fell onto his face from above.

“Hah.”

Carol seemed like a demon disguised as a human, testing his patience.

‘Even if that were true, I wouldn’t be able to refuse.’

The Duke smirked at his own thought. Even if she were truly a demon and he knew it, he would gladly offer his very soul and more.

Heat radiated from where their bodies touched.

The Duke openly showed his craving for Carol’s love, and although Carol blushed at this, she didn’t push him away.

The Duke lightly lifted Carol. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

Smooch.

Even while moving to the bed, the Duke persistently sought Carol’s lips.

She felt the soft touch of the blanket on her back. Only then did the Duke raise his head to look at Carol.

For the first time, the Duke realized that something too precious could also be frightening.

“Haa…”

The Duke’s long fingers ran through her hair.

As if wanting to swallow even her heated breath, the Duke kissed her again.

****

The Duke opened his eyes, hearing steady breathing.

With no time to close them, the curtains remained open. Soft moonlight of dawn shone through the window onto the bed. Looking to the side, he saw Carol hugging a pillow.

“I really don’t want to send you home.”

The Duke muttered, furrowing his brow.

He wished they could see the same ceiling and eat the same breakfast every day.

The Duke was surprised by his own thoughts.

Always accustomed to being alone, he never doubted he’d want personal space regardless of his emotions.

But his true feelings mocked such expectations.

He wanted her to invade and monopolize his entire being.

Rustle.

The Duke brushed her hair aside before rising from the bed.

He had been busy for days trying to get royal approval for the Northern Academic Academy.

That task ended today, and the Duke had actually planned to make Carol a recruitment offer.

‘But if I ask now, I’m sure to be rejected.’

The Duke clicked his tongue. He poured some of the room’s provided alcohol into a glass and returned to the bed.

‘Should I just settle this on my own?’

Though unspoken, it was actually the simplest method.

The Duke would arrange a few minor misfortunes for that child’s father, and have him step on them. That would be enough.

“Mmm.”

Carol’s stirring, perhaps dreaming, snapped him out of his reverie.

Smooch.

The Duke briefly kissed Carol’s smooth forehead.

Not doing what he could was for the sake of his future with Carol. To be with her, he needed to minimize such noble methods as much as possible.

If he kept using the same methods behind Carol’s back, and she found out later…

‘Nothing good would come of it, surely.’

The Duke hoped to hide as little as possible from Carol.

He hoped the matter would be resolved smoothly, without taking too long. After all, the Duke’s patience wasn’t very extensive.

‘I should hope there’s no need for me to step in…’

But if he did have to intervene, he intended to handle it without leaving any future troubles.

The Duke’s face turned colder than the northern winter.

****

Bianca warmly welcomed Dylan and Kevin who came to the tutoring center.

“Oh my. What brings you here?”

“We finished work early for once and went home, but sis wasn’t there.”

Despite his large, muscular build, his way of speaking was adorably cute. Bianca could somewhat understand why Carol was so fond of her brothers.

“So we came to pick her up.”

The two peered over Bianca’s shoulder with eager eyes. Bianca had to disappoint them, clapping her hands.

“Ah-! Carol will probably be late. She had an appointment today, but I think she forgot to mention it, mistaking today for Thursday.”

“Oh…”

The two deflated simultaneously, making Bianca feel unnecessarily sorry.

“…Teacher, do you know who sis is meeting?”

However, this wasn’t a question she could answer.

Although she was itching to speak given how influential the person was, it wasn’t her place to say.

“It’s not fair to ask me.”

At Bianca’s firm response, the two slumped their shoulders.

“Alright. I guess sis will contact us somehow, maybe send an errand boy.”

“That’s right.”

“By the way, it’s well past closing time. Should we keep you company?”

The two offered after noticing a child still inside while looking for Carol. Despite the long summer days, the sun was already setting.

Bianca looked at the clock.

“I’ll be leaving soon too.”

Probably.

Bianca swallowed the last word. She sighed deeply as she saw the two off.

Today was exceptionally late.

Usually, someone would come within an hour after the tutoring center closed, but today it had been over two hours.

Unlike Carol, Bianca wasn’t planning to let this slide.

She had seen many people like this before.

“Mr. Bain.”

“Yes.”

Despite Bianca’s tense face, the man seemed distracted.

“From now on, if you’re going to be this late, you need to either send someone or let us know in advance.”

Only after Bianca’s sharp words did the man, who had been staring into space, look at her.

“You haven’t said anything until now, have you?”

They say continued favors are mistaken for rights, and this was exactly that situation.

“That’s because we’ve been accommodating you until now.”

“Can’t you keep doing so?”

Bianca rubbed her forehead at his brazen attitude. She wondered why he acted this way despite being wealthy.

“…We can’t always accommodate you, especially in cases like today.”

“Hah.”

The man’s face twisted unpleasantly.

“If this issue persists, we’ll have to take measures.”

The man’s face turned red and blue at Bianca’s firm stance.

“Just moments ago, you were flirting with men while neglecting the child.”

“…Pardon?”

The man seemed to misinterpret Bianca’s confusion at his sudden, incomprehensible words, becoming smug.

“Calling two men, and to a tutoring center no less! Other parents know how truly immoral this is!”

“…Huh. What are you…”

Bianca wondered if this was about Carol’s siblings who had come earlier. But even if she had called men, she hadn’t done anything inappropriate, nor did she intend to.

“Teacher Carol brazenly enters expensive hotels from early evening!”

The thought crossed Bianca’s mind: how did this man know when and where Carol went? Could it be that he was late because he had been following Carol?

“To think the women at the tutoring center are such snobs, only interested in young men with titles. I almost fell for it! Damn it!”

The man sputtered, unable to contain his anger.

Sensing danger, Bianca stepped back. Her survival instinct was telling her to run.

Bianca hurried inside and tried to close the door.

Tried to, that is.

Thunk.

If only a foot hadn’t blocked the doorway.

“Hey!”

Benjamin clung to the man’s pant leg.

“Father, no. Please.”

“You’re really not helpful at all.”

“Benjamin!”

As the man tried to kick Benjamin sprawled on the floor, Bianca screamed and hugged Benjamin.

Thwack!

That was Bianca’s last memory.

The carriage that had stopped right in front of the tutoring center left the place, rattling as if nothing had happened.

He arrived home and slammed the door shut, spewing curses.

“Why did you have to provoke my anger!”

Surely she must have been comparing those men to him in her mind. Thinking of the woman looking at him with arrogant eyes made him angry again.

“Come to think of it, Teacher Carol deceived me too.”

The man gritted his teeth.

His life changed drastically due to his impulsive act.

But now that he had done it, it didn’t seem like much. This was, if he had to say, the fault of those who had disrespected him.