Was he supposed to be ugly?
I’d like to think that it’s just a way to support the idea that he was never ugly or scary, people just chose to be afraid of them and call them ugly. It’s also more so of the personality that they gain after being cursed that gives them the name of ‘monster’. The ML killed people in the forest because of his curse for years. It’s not that they ever LOOK like monsters, but the way they act or how people perceive them? Correct me if need be though :p
It either might be the fact that the author just didn't know how to make him rotten (cuz it was said that people affected by the curse are immortal and can heal instantly but their body does rot) or it might be a mental disorder (there is a mental disorder that makes a person think they are ugly so maybe the curse can do the same thing to people affected by it so simply an illusion). Tbf I would like if the knight is just ugly and his lover accepts it rather than making him handsome again. Acceptance can be more healing than any outer change.
The mc's mom is utterly shocked by his appearance and there is some conversation of reason being that he is a monster (though it might be due to the fact that he was a victim of the curse but it seemed she guessed that even before he took of his helmet thing as she said "the man next to you is related to it"). His face most of the time is covered by a speech bubble or in shadows until much closer to the end of the chapter. Also mc is planning to fix his skin so there must be smth wrong with it in other ppl view. So this is an obvious conclusion many might make.
I had the same thought as many - whats wrong with how he looks, he looks just fine to me, and then read all the other comments, that the authour couldnt portray the ugliness well, but he is supposed to be ugly. But damn, at the last frames he was drawn quite clearly (not in shadows like in the beginning of the chapter) and he looked perfectly normal! So no wonder ppl couldnt understand and make assumptions. Again ppl just assume that "the author just couldnt draw the ugliness well so we got what we got, no offense, guys". I still find it weird, it seems not to be a big deal just to add some strange scarry texture all over his skin, or make it green or bright red or smth, and then no one will have questions. Otherwise no wonder everyone is surprised why a perfectly normal looking person is perceived as a monster...