"It's been a while, Baron."
"Have you been well? I see you've grown a bit of a beard."
"Once I dipped my toes into this world, people treated me quite differently because of my boyish looks. So I started growing a beard to look more mature, but it's been no easy task."
Leo von Vermeer had changed so much from the soft, gentle first impression he'd made that I wondered how a person could mature this much. The crown prince was slowly shedding his pretty-boy looks too, but this guy was on another level.
"No wonder Hilda was shocked."
"That's because Lady Hilda only remembers how I used to look."
He was still handsome, but he and the crown prince were both eighteen now, and it was only natural that they'd changed. Their pretty-boy days were behind them. Young men here matured quickly, and by that age many were already sporting thick, full beards.
