Gulliver's Travels
the king of the lilliput had a soft corner towards gulliver explain
gulliver in his captivity
gulliver in his captivity
I think when he was able to converse with Gulliver (he learned the language) the emperor warmed up to him. In particular he began to see Gulliver as a weapon he could wield against his neighbours. That really had him liking Gulliver, as long as Gulliver did what he was told.