Chapter 10: Say What!?

"Heh?" Liam said with a surprised look. "Don't you hate me?" Liam asked.

"Why does that matter if I'm horny?" She asked as she moved closer to Liam and went on her knees.

"Either way, I'm fine with what's happening." Yue said as she moved her hands to Liam's nether region. Suddenly, the door burst open as one of the slaves entered into the room.

"Apologies for interrupting, but a letter has just arrived for Master Liam." She said. Yue and Julianna looked at each other with disappointed looks. Julianna stood up.

"Who is it from?" Julianna asked. 'There shouldn't be anyone who knows about Liam, not yet at least.' Julianna thought.

"Lord Gray of Kyrak city." Maya said.

"Fuck~." Julianna said with annoyance. "Of course he would notice. Liam, I blame you for this." Julianna continued.

"Who is that?" Liam asked.

"The guy is an earl and his province is this city, Kyrak." Julianna said.

"I see. I assume he had people at the auction house, then." Liam asked. Julianna nodded.

"Likely. They probably took note of the inane amounts of money you spent and decided to report to him since you are an unknown individual." Julianna explained.

"Inane amounts of money?" Yue asked.

"Yeah, several coins of the highest type." Julianna said exasperatedly. "He drew too much damn attention, and you know what? He said he wanted to not draw too much attention!" She continued to rag on Liam.

"In my defense, I was trying to outbid a lot of people." Liam said.

"And that justifies spending inordinate sums of money?" Julianna asked.

"Well, it helps that I practically have infinite money." Liam said.

"Infinite money?" Maya and Yue both asked.

"Well, I am a goddess, after all." Julianna said bragadoshisly.

"Yes. A goddess under the command of a human." Liam said. As Liam's words gracefully touched the drums of Julianna's ears, she felt a surge of pain from the burn she just received.

"Master Liam, how did you manage something as difficult as subduing a goddess?" Maya asked. Liam laughed slightly.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Julianna yelled.

"Changing topics, hand me that letter." Liam said. Maya handed him the letter as well as a letter opener and he opened it, leaving the wax seal unbroken. He pulled out the letter and began reading.

'Dear Liam Torrson.

I have recently been informed of an individual with vast wealth who has come to my city. As such, I invite thee to a dinner party. There will be several guests and you may bring guests of your own if you wish. I will send a carriage to your estate on the day of the banquet.

-Earl Gray Herms of Kyrak city.'

'This could be dangerous... I am probably expected to bring a gift... What to do...' Liam thought to himself.

"What's it say?" Yue asked.

"We've been invited to a dinner party." Liam said.

"Politics. Yay~." Julianna said sarcastically.

"Well, we are going to have to deal with it at some point." Liam said as he stood up. "He said he will send a carriage to this estate on the day of the banquet. Maya, ensure that there is someone ready to greet the carriage." Liam commanded as he walked behind the couch. Maya bowed, then left the room. "I was told I may bring a few guests, I will be bringing you two." Liam said.

"Alright..." Julianna said.

"Wait, so we are going to be attending a noble's dinner party?" Yue asked. Liam nodded. "Julianna, come with me, I need to choose clothes!" Yue yelled as she pulled Julianna out of the room.

'We are going to have to brush up on our manners...I am not a noble either, so I need to be careful. The only reason I wasn't given a specific time or date to arrive is that I am a lowborn individual and too noble's, my schedule doesn't matter. If I am invited, I am expected to go as soon as invited or whatever transport was setup arrives. What a drag....' Liam thought to himself. 'Theoretically, my outfit is acceptable by noble standards. Acceptable. If I want to make a good impression, I should go with something else, but not something that will outshine the host. That would be a poor decision... So maybe my current outfit is fine?" Liam found himself lost in thought.

After a while, Yue and Julianna came back to the lounge in new outfits. Yue is wearing a light green dress. Any strings that are necessary for the outfit are woven into the design and golden in coloration and the accents of the dress are white. Her hair is braided intricately into a waterfall braid.

Julianna is wearing a dress that pushes her breasts up a bit more, making them look a bit more plump than usual. Her dress is red with black accents. Her hair is braided into a half halo braid.

Both Julianna and Yue have a few bracelets made of silver and gloves to match their styles, Julianna's gloves are black, and Yue's are white. "You two look good." Liam said as he looked back from his seat.

"See! I told you he would like it!" Yue said, clearly winning some argument.

"I didn't say he wouldn't I just said that he probably wouldn't care if we had something simple or intricate." Julianna said. "Either way, I don't require his approval to feel good about how I look." Julianna said. 'That being said, it certainly does help.' She thought.

"Just make sure not to outshine the mistress or wife of the earl, that could end poorly for us." Liam said.

"Right, that's true. Also, do you want a different outfit? Although it is acceptable, it's really just that." Julianna said.

"I know. I'll keep it that way. Just as you can't outshine the women, I shouldn't outshine the men. We need to come across as non-threatening." Liam said.

"Why is that?" Yue asked.

"Let's say you're a duke in a king's court. An issue arises and you come up with a solution, so you say, 'we should do this, as it would fix the issue,' although this would garner you respect from the courtiers, the king may also begin to see you as a threat, why?" Liam explained.

"Essentially, the king would see you as a threat to his power. The more respected someone is the more authority they tend to gain, especially in a court, thus, the king would see the respectable duke as an enemy or hostile force. How do you avoid this?" Julianna chimed in to help explain.

"You make it seem like the king came up with the idea through conversation. You allude to the plan that could save the kingdom from whatever threat is at large and allow the king to say it. Whether he realizes that you came up with it or not, you have allowed the king to take credit and garner the respect that comes with the solution. Therefore, the king sees you as an important asset." Liam finished his explanation.

"Okay, but what do clothes have to do with that?" Yue asked.

"If you saw someone walking down the street in fresh new Gucci merch, what would you think?" Liam asked.

"They have a lot of money and a lot of people probably flock to them." Yue said.

"Right, so let's assume something similar here. The finer the clothing I have, the more it seems like I'm metaphorically flexing on the earl. It's a passive way of showing your rank, authority, or general economic prowess." Liam explained.

"So you basically want to say, through your clothing, that you aren't a threat?" Yue asked. Liam nodded.

"Although generally, I would be less respected than if I showed up in some fancy silk royal outfit, I am still showing I can manage to look like lower nobles. Since I do not yet have my own rank, it is likely the best course of action, at least until I have a rank close to his." Liam said.

"Then why don't you have Julianna grant you a rank?" Yue asked.

"I have thought of that, but if I come from nowhere with a noble title, that calls several questions into the discussion. Furthermore, if I were to do some great act and gain a title through that, I would be received far better than if I was born into nobility. At least, to an extent." Liam explained.

"I see. So it's basically a giant game of subtleties and manipulation where you are trying to be someone who is worthy of respect and admiration, yet only feared enough to prevent people from going against you." Yue said, ensuring her understanding is correct. Liam nodded.

"Generally, yes." He said.