'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

For the rest of the meal, Liam was entirely preoccupied with appeasing the teary little menace on his lap.

Mize, the great manipulator had played his hand well.

The moment he turned on the waterworks, Liam had folded like a house of cards in a storm.

Now, he was trapped in an endless cycle of "Here, Mimi, say ahh~" and "I swear I’ll never do it again, okay? Cross my heart."

Yeah, right.

Mize knew Liam had his fingers crossed somewhere.

The Yama Lord was many things, strong, mysterious, but trustworthy?

No, that wasn’t on the list.

Especially when it comes to him promising not to be perverted, impossible!

Totally impossible!

Being a pervert was as important as breathing and drinking for him, his body required it!

Still, Mize accepted every bite of food like a spoiled kitten being hand-fed, while Liam maintained a gentle but slightly exasperated smile, acting as if this wasn’t the strangest dinner situation he himself had created.

Eventually, the meal was finished.

The plates were cleared, the candles burned lower, and the hall quieted.

Liam, still holding the very clingy Mize on his lap, suddenly straightened his posture.

His usual smirk faded.

"Now, before we continue with anything else," Liam said, his voice smooth.

He lifted one hand in an elegant gesture, exuding the air of a ruler.

'Perverted ruler'

A ruler who just so happened to have a small, disgruntled person clinging to him like a koala.

Mize, comfortably nestled in Liam’s arms, blinked lazily.

"This," Liam announced, voice deep "is my wife, Mize."

A silence followed.

Elias, the composed green-haired minister, coughed into his hand, though his eyes sparkled with amusement.

Aizen, the ever-smiling one, simply nodded as if this was the most obvious fact in the world.

Halb, the broad, red-haired warrior, looked genuinely confused for a moment before shrugging as if accepting some divine decree.

Mize, on the other hand, twitched.

Liam. Did. Not. Just. Say. That.

But before he could protest, Liam smoothly changed his tone, his voice dipping into something softer, something almost coaxing.

"And Mize..." Liam murmured, his breath warm against Mize’s ear.

Mize instinctively hummed, tilting his head slightly to glance back at Liam, only to realize too late that he had just fallen for whatever trap the Yama Lord had set.

"These are my generals," Liam continued smoothly, now fully in control of the conversation.

"The first one, Elias. He oversees the entire territory’s management. If you have anything to do in relations to his scope of duty, then you may go to him for advises"

Mize’s gaze flickered toward the green-haired man. Elias smiled politely, his demeanor calm and composed, as if he could handle a thousand problems without breaking a sweat.

'He seemed decent enough'

Liam gestured next to the black-haired officer.

"This is Aizen," he continued. "He’s responsible for security, supervision, and… other details"

Mize squinted slightly at Aizen.

He had that same polite smile as Elias, but the difference was in his eyes.

Cold, calculating, like he saw everything in the world as either useful… or disposable.

Mize did not like that.

And finally, Liam turned to the red-haired, mustached warrior.

"And this is Halb, the highest-ranking officer under my command," Liam introduced. "He leads the troops and maintains security within the territory"

Mize studied Halb for a moment.

The guy was huge, his arms thick with muscle, his posture relaxed yet solid.

But unlike Aizen, his expression was genuinely warm.

If Mize had to guess, he wasn’t the smartest in the room, but at least he didn’t seem like a schemer.

That was a relief.

Still, Mize wasn’t about to let his guard down.

"It’s nice to meet you three," he said, keeping his tone formal.

His eyes flickered between them once more, quietly making his own judgments.

Elias smiled pleasantly.

Aizen smiled too pleasantly.

Halb smiled like an excited golden retriever.

Mize internally sighed.

Yeah… this was gonna be interesting.

For the next few hours, Mize sat there like a forgotten decoration while the four men at the table drowned themselves in discussion.

It wasn’t just any discussion, it was the kind that never seemed to end.

They covered everything.

Territory updates.

Mining resource channels.

Trader’s market construction.

Territory wall maintenance.

Severe lack of resources.

Requests for further army expansion.

Mize’s ears twitched.

It wasn’t that he cared, no, not really. But something about the sheer amount of things Liam had to handle as a Lord caught his attention.

‘Damn… There’s a lot of stuff that goes into running a territory, huh?’ Mize thought, blinking as he tried to process everything.

From the outside, being a Lord sounded cool.

Commanding armies, having an entire land under your control, walking around like a king… But now?

Now it just sounded like a lot of work.

Mize yawned quietly, resting his chin against Liam’s chest.

Not that anyone noticed, because they still weren’t paying attention to him.

It wasn’t until Liam’s hand suddenly landed on Mize’s back that he perked up.

"Now then," Liam’s voice shifted, becoming deeper, serious. "For the most important topic of today’s meeting."

The three men at the table straightened immediately.

Mize blinked, slightly tilting his head.

Then, Liam dropped a bombshell.

"From today onward, Mize Adhart will be the main lady of this castle and this territory," Liam announced smoothly. "The one and only."

Silence.

Mize froze.

What?

Before he could even process that, Liam turned toward Elias.

"Elias, prepare the necessary arrangements for the title bestowment" he ordered, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"I want it to be carved into a golden scroll and etched onto the territory's history"

"Yes, my Lord," Elias replied immediately, hands clasped in thought. "Shall I arrange a ceremony for the announcement?"

But before Liam could even open his mouth, Mize was already shaking his head.

"Nope."

A pause.

"I don’t like large crowds," Mize added, lips pressed tight.

U-uh…

Elias glanced at Liam for guidance, but Liam simply sighed.

He should have seen this coming.

"Fine," Liam relented, rubbing his temple. "Since she doesn’t like it, then just make sure the news spreads. I don’t want people being unaware of her presence."

"Understood, my Lord," Elias nodded, ever professional.

Meanwhile, Mize squinted.

The main lady of the castle and territory? The one and only?

Was this guy serious?

Liam didn’t even give Mize time to process what was happening before he continued, his voice pressing down on the room like a weighted blanket.

"One more thing," he said, tone cool. "I’ll be merging the authority of this territory with hers. Send the troops into town and stay on high alert. We’ll commence the merging process in one hour."

The room tensed.

Elias blinked.

Halb raised a brow.

Aizen paused mid-sip of his tea.

"Territory merging?" Elias muttered under his breath.

"So My Lady is a Lord herself?" Halb mused, arms crossed as he weighed the implications.

Mize, meanwhile, just sat there. Confused.

‘Merging authority? Didn't Liam said that it was a sharing system?'

It sounded important, but he had no clue what it actually meant in depths.

Yet despite the surprise, the three generals didn’t ask further. Their role wasn’t to question. Their role was to execute.

Liam leaned back slightly, eyes flicking to Halb. "Ready the army. Be on high alert for any territorial shifts."

"Yes, my Lord," Halb nodded without hesitation.

He stood up, his massive frame moving with unexpected speed as he left the room.

Mize’s eyes followed him, intrigued.

‘Damn. For a guy built like a fortress, he moves fast.’

Then, Liam turned to Aizen.

"Aizen."

"My Lord," Aizen responded immediately, eyes gleaming.

"Ensure nothing changes in your laboratory."

The air shivered.

"As you command," Aizen murmured, rising from his seat.

He pressed a fist to his chest in a polite bow, then vanished.

Like that.

Mize stiffened.

‘Yup. Lab guy. Suspicious as hell. Totally bad vibes.’ He added that to his mental notes.

Then Liam’s gaze shifted.

"Elias."

Elias stood straighter, hands folded neatly behind his back.

"You’re coming with me to the Heart of the Territory."

"Understood, my Lord," Elias nodded. Unshaken.

Liam stood.

And before Mize could even think about standing himself.

He was lifted.

Just. Like that.

No warning. No preparation.

A smooth, effortless princess carry.

‘Oh. We’re doing this again, huh?’ Mize internally sighed.

For a brief second, he thought about protesting.

Making a fuss. Demanding to be put down.

But then he thought about how much effort it would take to walk.

And instead…

He just shrugged, wrapping his arms around Liam’s shoulder like a good obedient girl. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

‘Might as well enjoy the ride.’

Mize’s ride continued smoothly, Liam’s arms steady as they moved through the vast corridors of the castle.

Honestly, Mize had no complaints.

Walking? Too much effort.

Getting carried? VIP treatment.

So he just sat there, arms loosely wrapped around Liam’s shoulders, occasionally glancing around at the sheer scale of the place.

And man, was it this big.

From the dining hall alone, he saw multiple expansive chambers branching off in different directions, massive open spaces filled with official-looking people, dressed in sleek, well-tailored uniforms, hurrying back and forth with urgent expressions.

It looked like a government center.

But, you know. Fancier.

And every now and then, as they passed a set of open windows, Mize caught glimpses of the garden.

‘Holy'

His ruby-red eyes widened slightly.

Sprawling hedge mazes. Crystal-clear fountains.

Vibrant flowerbeds bursting with deep purples, rich reds, and soft blues.

There were even cherry blossom trees lining one of the outer courtyards, their petals drifting softly in the breeze.

‘This place is straight out of a fairy tale.’

He half-expected some mystical deer to pop out of nowhere and start singing.

But the scenery didn’t last long.

Because soon enough, they arrived at what was, undoubtedly, the core area of the castle.

A massive gate.

Easily five times the size of the others they’d passed.

And it wasn’t just big, it was intimidating.

Towering, black stone slabs carved with intricate engravings.

Strange golden symbols weaved across the surface, perhaps runes? Formations? He doesn't know, but they looked cool.

Mize stared.

‘Damn. That’s thick.’

‘And it looks hella heavy.’

Like, no way this thing was budging without some serious manpower.

But then.

The stationed guards, standing on either side of the gate, stepped forward.

And with a single gloved hand each, they casually.

Pushed it open.

Boom.

Mize’s thoughts did a full 180.

‘Alright. It’s light then.’

His eyes spun slightly, processing the absolute disrespect to physics.