CH 6

Meeting the Ugly Duke

Ramilio, with a letter in his hand, muttered to himself.

“I did tell him that because I didn’t need a dowry, she could come here with only herself.”

“You did say so. Your Excellency is a bargaining chip.”

“N-no, it’s because I’m the “Ugly Duke” who’s had six broken engagements, okay?”

Distracted by his anxiety, Ramilio put his hand on the hood that covered his face.

Although he usually managed to lead an ordinary life by hiding himself like this, he couldn’t avoid showing his true face to the woman who will become his wife.

Already, six women had come to him for his lands and wealth, but they had fled in fear of his appearance. What about “The White-Haired Lady”? Would she be able to withstand Ramilio in her unfortunate state due to the messy breakup of her engagement?

“I wonder how long it will last this time.”

“I’m hoping she will stay at least until I take off the hood.”

Ramilio pondered for a while.

“I understand that she is a girl who needs to recuperate. Let her stay for a while, and when she feels better, we will return her to the kingdom.”

“You’re going to let her recuperate on the premise of breaking off the engagement? How kind of you…..”

“I wonder why your compliments sound so insincere.”

Irritated by his aide, Ramilio decided to put the thought of the white-haired lady to the side for the time being.

But soon after, a new problem came up.

“…..You know, I’ve been thinking about this. Is our country a place where young ladies of the Illuminati Kingdom can have fun?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure the scenery would be lovely.”

The Illuminati is home to the latest trends, and there are many fun places to visit.

Ramilio’s territory, on the other hand, barely had anything to offer except for the magnificent castles and palaces built by their ancestors.

The palace where Ramilio lives is also old and uncomfortable to live in.

Ramilio suddenly stood up.

“This is bad. She’s a precious guest. If she doesn’t enjoy her stay, our reputation will be at stake. We must at least do something about the room she will be staying in.”

Ramilio hurriedly called in a large number of merchants.

“I want you to provide all the amenities a woman needs to live here.”

“How much is your budget, sir?”

“I don’t care how much it costs, as long as it is done within three days. Also, I need to get the engagement papers done as soon as possible…. As expected, it’s easy when it’s your seventh time. I can easily figure out what to include.”

Seeing Ramilio making preparations so quickly, one of his aides remarked, “…..Your Excellency, aren’t you actually looking forward to it?”

Ramilio blushed awkwardly, and said, “Shut up.”

He kept getting turned down six times because of his face.

He was just about to give up when this poor beautiful girl showed up. He was sure she wouldn’t be creeped out if he was at least a little nice to her. And, if things go well, she would be grateful to him too.

It wouldn’t be so twisted to think so, having been run off by so many women.

Ramilio himself was looking for some kind of solace in this peculiar marriage.

***

A few days later, he received word that a carriage had arrived in the territory.

“H-how was she?”

Ramilio nervously asked the messenger who claimed to have seen the white-haired lady through the carriage window, but he shook his head.

“I couldn’t see her face well because it was hidden by a veil, but she was dressed in a low-key manner.”

Ramilio’s anxiety and tension culminated.

“You’re hiding your face….. just like me.”

The aide gave him a composed look.

“Your Excellency, don’t be too hasty with your imagination. In marriage and love, a man who rushes into things too quickly will not be well-liked.”

“I know even if you don’t tell me. How many times do you think I’ve had my engagement broken?”

He was saying that, but he also looked in the mirror and adjusted his hood a little bit.

***

The Duchy of Pastore is located in a buffer zone between two large countries. As it is a prosperous transportation hub, the roads are well-maintained and carriage rides were comfortable.

Passing through the peaceful countryside, we proceeded through the urban area where horse-drawn carriages were coming and going.

‘I was surprised to see so many people coming and going.’

It doesn’t have all the entertainment facilities of the Illuminati Kingdom, but it seems to be a lively place.

Eventually, the small two-seater carriage in which Lucrezia was riding came to a stop in front of the palace where the Ugly Duke resided.

The person ahead of us opened the door and escorted Lucrezia out.

Lucrezia immediately understood that the hooded man, who looked like a hermit, was the “Ugly Duke”. When he asked for her hand, she looked at his face from a very close distance.

“―Oh? Is there anything wrong with this person?”

There’re no apparent scars on his cheeks or mouth peeking through the hood. He is a man of average skin tone. His nose is neither high nor low, and the bridge of his nose is straight. The clean mouth and the masculine jawline, which suggests that he has a good set of teeth, are far from “ugly” in any way.

Lucrezia’s eyes were still transfixed on him as she stepped down from the carriage.

Lucrezia gasped as their eyes met.

‘This person…. he’s wearing tinted glasses, isn’t he?’

The glasses were made of a very dark crystal, she couldn’t see beyond them at all.

It was apparent that he probably had something wrong with his eyes and wanted to hide it. This was probably the reason why he was named “Ugly Duke”.

The “Ugly Duke” quickly took his eyes off Lucrezia and pulled his hood back on deeply with both hands. The way he nervously tugged at the cloth, you could tell that he was quite concerned about it.

“I apologize for dressing like this. Normally, I should take it off to greet you, but circumstances have forced me to leave it like this. My name is Ramilio Pastore.”

He greeted her with a bow, and Lucrezia also bowed.

“My name is Lucrezia Serravalle.”

When it came time to kiss the back of her hand, Ramiro pretended to kiss her from a considerable distance and didn’t touch her in the slightest.

Lucrezia could tell by that gesture alone that he had been hated because of those back hand kisses.

Lucrezia felt a throbbing pain in her heart. The pain of being rejected by others can sting, even if it is someone else’s. She couldn’t help but think that it must have been painful.

“Do you know what my nickname is?”

“Yes….. but…”

Lucrezia quickly approached Ramilio.

Ramilio was startled by the girl who suddenly approached him with a big stride and backed away.

Lucrezia took another peek inside Ramilio’s hood and was convinced.

“I knew it. The newspaper articles were lying.”

“Of course they’re lying. I’m not a monster.”

Although Ramilio said it as if he was disgusted, he was still cautiously wearing the hood. It seemed that he didn’t want Lucrezia to peek at him no matter what.

Lucrezia was impatient and decided to ask him directly.

“Excuse me, may I see what’s under your hood?”