Alberto Benso was better known by the nicknames “Pockmarked Alberto” and “Ugly Alberto.” A terrible plague he had suffered in childhood had left indelible marks all over his face.
The scars were apparently so severe that, in the north, “Alberto” had gone so far as to become practically synonymous with “ugly.”
Anyone might have shrunk into themselves under circumstances like that, yet surprisingly, Young Lord Alberto was said to have never neglected cultivating his inner self. From childhood, he had diligently involved himself in all affairs great and small throughout the territory, and, unusually for the eldest legitimate son of a noble house, had even gone abroad to study in Bretagne.
—He is a truly cultivated and gentlemanly young lord.
Even Sir Masain, who had been dealing with Alberto on Sungjin’s behalf until now, had given him such an assessment.
That was why Sungjin had secretly been looking forward to meeting Alberto. At the very least, he had figured the man wouldn’t be some hopelessly narrow-minded bastard who was impossible to talk to.
And yet—
The attitude of refusing to give up and trying to make the most of his appearance is certainly positive. But still, no matter how you look at it…
He had never expected Alberto to come out with his entire face covered in white powder, topped off with vivid red rouge on his cheeks. Sungjin desperately concealed his bafflement as he thought,
…Bretagne-style rouge? You bastard, points deducted from your first impression.
On top of that, Alberto was dressed in the style currently fashionable in Bretagne. A coat emphasizing his narrow waist, thin trousers that left his calves fully exposed, and…