Failed to Train the Beast Male Lead

“Goodbye!”

“Take care, see you tomorrow.”

After seeing off the last child, Carol stretched. Without Benjamin, who usually stayed late, it felt like they finished early even though they ended at the regular time.

‘I should also talk about Benjamin.’

Even if she seemed to dislike conversation, there were things that needed to be said.

“Does it bother you a lot that I’m a beastman?”

“What? That’s…”

“Is that not it?”

Bianca looked at Carol, startled by the sudden direct question.

“…How did you know?”

Bianca rubbed her face. It seemed she had been trying not to show it.

“It was very obvious.”

Carol smiled bitterly. She wasn’t sure whether to be glad that Bianca had tried to hide it, or sad that it couldn’t be hidden despite the effort.

“…Teacher Carol.”

Before talking about Benjamin, Bianca spoke first.

“Yes?”

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

Carol swallowed hard at Bianca’s serious expression.

****

Clunk.

The Duke furrowed his brow as he looked out the window. The tutoring center was visible at the end of the road.

Carol had said she was a bit worried about returning to the tutoring center, as she hadn’t properly talked with Bianca since the kidnapping incident.

[If you want, there’s an easy way.]

He could do anything if Carol wanted it.

[It’s okay. I need to take responsibility for my actions.]

[It happened in an unavoidable situation, so it wasn’t intentional.]

He didn’t think she would allow it, but she was more resolute than he expected. He was displeased that he couldn’t do anything for her.

[Still, I’ll give you comfort as the Duke’s role.]

The Duke knew how beastmen were treated in society.

She probably knew that fact better than he did, or at least wasn’t unaware of it.

[Even so, it’s despicable to be wary of someone who saved you.]

The Duke frowned. If that was the case, it would be better for such a person to disappear from Carol’s side early on.

The carriage came to a stop, and the Duke stood in front of the tutoring center.

The Duke had planned to gently embrace and comfort the teacher in his arms if she seemed dejected.

“No…!”

Carol’s voice made the Duke’s hand stop in mid-air.

“Just a little… Just a little more…”

“Now, ugh, stop…!”

What on earth was this sound? The Duke, uncharacteristically, stood frozen in place.

Inside, unaware of the presence outside, they continued talking.

“Spread them out please. Just a little.”

“That’s…!”

“It’s so soft, really. You know that, don’t you, Teacher Carol?”

Before he could grasp the situation, the Duke flung the door open.

And what the Duke saw was…

“What are you two doing right now?”

Carol had transformed into a bird, and next to her was Bianca, spreading Carol’s wings and burying her face in them.

Thanks to the Duke’s arrival, the situation was quickly resolved.

“I’m sorry. I got too excited, didn’t I?”

Bianca cleared her throat and composed herself after calming down.

“…I didn’t know you liked birds so much.”

Carol said awkwardly as she sat down next to the Duke after changing back into her clothes.

[Can you transform into a bird for me?]

[What?]

It was a proposal Carol had never heard before. She was momentarily dumbfounded, having been prepared for statements like not being able to accept a beastman or having to quit the job.

But soon, overwhelmed by the fervent gaze, Carol transformed. Bianca blushed and exclaimed, clutching her cheeks as if she couldn’t contain herself,

[You’re just too adorable!]

Bianca made requests like asking to hold Carol and press her cheeks against her, or to spread her wings to touch the soft inner feathers. The tension Carol had felt, thinking Bianca had something serious to say, dissipated.

While it wasn’t unpleasant, it was a bit bewildering to receive such requests for the first time.

Bianca’s excessive behavior was for the opposite reason of disgust. She explained that she had asked so gravely because she was nervous about whether it would be a big offense to ask to see Carol’s transformed state, given that there were no beastmen around.

“I thought you had come to dislike me and that’s why you weren’t speaking to me.”

At Carol’s words, Bianca’s eyes widened as if she’d heard something terrible, and she shook her head vigorously.

“How could I possibly dislike the small, cute, and brave bird who saved me!”

“Haha…”

Bianca said, exhaling forcefully, that it was like experiencing a fairy tale in real life.

Carol, who had become the protagonist of that fairy tale, smiled, curling up the corners of her mouth.

She had worried that the kidnapping incident might have caused trauma, but she was relieved that Bianca had overcome it bravely.

Seeing that smile, Bianca cleared her throat again and spoke with a more composed face.

“On the contrary, I… thought that Teacher Carol disliked seeing me.”

“…What?”

“I went to visit you a few times, but no one was there each time.”

“Oh.”

Carol felt regretful at Bianca’s dejected words, saying that she had gone at times when she thought Carol’s siblings would be home, knowing their regular knight training schedule, but still found no one.

“I thought you were deliberately avoiding me. That’s why I wanted to talk to you properly today.”

“My siblings had to receive their knighthood at the royal palace, so there were rarely people at home.”

And Carol wasn’t home because the Duke had taken her out whenever he had time. She swallowed the latter part, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, Bianca didn’t ask further about that.

“…It was all a misunderstanding.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m really glad.”

At Carol’s explanation, Bianca briefly expressed her joy that everything turned out well, then let out a sigh of relief and stroked her chest.

“It might be too late now, but I feel like I haven’t properly greeted you.”

“Pardon?”

Bianca stood up. As Carol looked up at her blankly, Bianca bowed deeply towards Carol.

“Thank you so much for saving me. Benjamin also asked me to convey his thanks.”

“It’s nothing.”

Carol waved both hands. It was her first time receiving such a formal greeting, and she felt embarrassed.

“If it wasn’t for you, Teacher Carol, something terrible would have happened.”

It felt like dismissing it as nothing would trivialize Bianca’s apology. Carol held Bianca’s hands and said,

“I’m glad I could save you too, Teacher Bianca.”

“Teacher Carol…!”

Sensing that Bianca was about to exclaim in admiration again, Carol quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, I’m planning to visit Benjamin soon. Would you like to come along?”

“I’d love to.”

Children transferred to orphanages couldn’t be visited immediately, as they needed time to adjust to their new life.

“I’ve applied for a visit, so we should be able to see him soon.”

Carol briefly considered mentioning the scholarship program but then closed her mouth. It wouldn’t be too late to talk about it after asking Benjamin’s opinion.

“I’ll do the cleaning up today before I leave.”

Bianca said cheerfully, telling the two to go ahead.

“Let’s do it together.”

“I’ll do it. I have some things to think about while cleaning up.”

Carol tilted her head at Bianca’s words. Bianca briefly glanced towards the Duke, then smiled meaningfully, saying it was nothing.

“I’ll do the cleaning next time.”

“Alright. Please go ahead.”

Click.

Before leaving, Carol turned back one last time. Apart from trusting Bianca, she wanted to make sure to say it clearly.

“Teacher Bianca. About me being a beastman…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret.”

Bianca said without a moment’s hesitation.

With Bianca seeing them off, Carol got into the Duke’s carriage.

In the past, they used to sit facing each other, but recently they had started sitting side by side. As soon as they got in the carriage, the Duke interlaced his fingers with Carol’s.

Carol, now accustomed to this level of physical contact, naturally held his hand back.

She opened the carriage window slightly. Feeling the rush of wind, Carol could finally smile with ease.

‘What a relief.’

Despite her initial tension, things had turned out much better than expected.

Although it was a bit overwhelming when Bianca hugged her preciously, saying she loved birds so much, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Today was the day they were going to the Duke’s townhouse to have dinner with Noah, just the three of them.

When the carriage was about halfway there, Carol suddenly noticed that the Duke was quieter than usual.

“Why are you so quiet?”

At Carol’s question, the Duke looked down at her as if he had been waiting for it.

“When I asked if I could touch you before, didn’t you coldly refuse?”

Goodness. Carol’s eyelashes fluttered with each blink. The Duke was sulking.

As soon as she realized this, Carol’s eyes widened as she understood the meaning of his words.

“That’s…!”

She was at a loss for words. Wasn’t that just natural?

‘Even though I do have feathers…!’

As Carol blushed and lowered her head, mumbling, he briefly kissed the top of her head and spoke as if urging her.

“If you have an excuse, I’m willing to hear it.”

Her face seemed to redden along with his reddish gaze visible from the side.