By innate proclivity, Liam was simple and honest. That was his nature, and, in many ways, it still was.
However, simplicity didn't mean naivety, and life had beaten the latter out of Liam time and time again.
Changing a person's nature was harder, but Liam had gone through that, too. He still preferred straightforward approaches, but what that meant had gone through multiple revolutions.
And Liam had to understand the meaning to see his reflection. He needed to because uncertainty led to hesitation, and hesitation was dangerous.
Liam had already seen it with Melissa, leading to a departure before he could express how he truly felt.
The same had happened with Horace Rauret. Liam had always worked hard, but things might have been different if he had been a more mature man back then. If anything, his kowtows might have happened earlier, prolonging the Master-disciple relationship by a few months.
