Liam recovered from his shock and then quietly followed the deceptively young and feminine King.
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't remember seeing such a person in his last life. Not that he had met the King in person.
But he had seen the pictures and the victory parades that happened after successfully defending the invasions.
He was sure that the King was supposed to look like Dumbledore and not like a trap.
How could something major like this change? He had no idea. He also had no other choice except to roll with the punches.
"Your highness." Liam bowed and humbly greeted, while still standing. In front of him, the young King sat down on the huge couch in the chambers.
He had one leg crossed over the other and the man's soulful eyes stared at him silently for a couple of minutes.
Then, as if it was an afterthought, he waved his hand, gesturing Liam to sit down.
If someone else had done the same, such an action would have looked very royal and overbearing.
But unfortunately, because of his petite stature, the effect was just not the same.
From all his mannerisms and actions, it was only painfully clear that this King was trying too hard to look intimidating.
Liam was amused at this new storyline that had suddenly unfolded in front of him, but he kept his straight face and tried to look as serious as possible.
"You may sit."
"Thanks, your highness."
"So it was you who took care of that embarrassing problem… Hmmm…"
Liam once again felt the pair of sharp beautiful eyes try to discern everything about him.
"You don't seem that strong. Just how did you manage something impossible like that?"
"I did have some luck on my side, your highness." Liam cautiously answered. He did not want to downplay anything as that could possibly reduce his rewards.
But at the same time, he also did not want to look extremely powerful, thereby invoking unnecessary suspicions.
"I found an opportune moment when the witch was in the middle of her sacrifice and disrupted her ritual."
"From what I could see, this created some sort of backlash for her and injured her. I used this chance to take her down completely."
Liam completely left out the meat and potatoes and just served the salad to the young king. At this age, he doubted that this person had the wisdom to find the flaws in his words.
So he took a chance and made up something.
The other party's expressions also changed dramatically as he heard his words, from shock to astonishment to approval.
It was amusing that this King was more expressive than his little fox! What a naive person!
Observing each and every move, Liam couldn't remain idle, and his brain started thinking about various angles.
Meanwhile, the young Kind nodded in approval and whispered something to the guard standing next to him.
It looked like this was the King's personal guard as he seemed to be working closely with the King.
And just from a single glance, Liam already knew that this guard was not someone to be messed around with.
Unlike the young King, he seemed far more experienced and mature. His eyes were like unsheathed swords, ready to kill everyone in sight.
Liam's gaze did not linger on the guard and returned back to the King. After conversing with the guard, the King as well turned to pay attention to him.
"You did well. You have served this Kingdom beyond your abilities. I bestow upon you the title of Duke."
The King smiled lightly but that small smile already revealed two dimples making him look even more beautiful.
If this person was born as a woman, she would probably look even more beautiful than the enchantress.
Just how did such a guy become a King? Didn't the previous old King have 4 sons and 1 daughter? Was there some sort of royal clash?
Liam awkwardly cleared his throat, thinking about these various things. He had to consider all possibilities if he wanted to take advantage of this naive person.
However, he did not seem to have a lot of time to fish around.
He was already given the 'Duke' title and once the personal guard returned, he was probably going to get kicked out.
'No, I should not miss this chance. I should dig deeper.'
"Your highness, I will gladly accept it. It would be my great honor." He stood up and knelt down, obediently bowing.
The system notification also chimed in.
[Ding. You have been awarded the title 'Duke']
[Ding. Do you wish to accept it? Y/N]
Liam quickly muttered 'yes' and then stood up to bow in a humble manner, slowly and cautiously starting a new topic.
"Your highness, please forgive my impoliteness... I heard that recently there have been a few sightings of demons on our lands?"
Liam probed by lightly dipping his feet in the water. However, these few words were enough to alarm the king. He immediately stood up and asked. "How do you know about this?"
"Your highness… that… I came across a few demons harassing a small village in the east. I happened to be in that area at that time so I lent a hand and helped them out."
"Oh, is that so?" The King sat back, looking relieved.
"Then, it was indeed a good decision to improve your status and position in the Kingdom. As a Duke of this Kingdom, I hope you can continue to keep serving our people."
"Yes, your highness. It will be my honor." Liam quickly nodded, but he was not done talking yet.
"But your highness, that was not the only time I came across the demons. I also fought with them three more times in three different places."
"I saw a dark crimson portal tearing open in the earth and the demons poured out of the portal, laying waste to our people and land."