Being embraced like a friend by Velucan, which was something Layland had never experienced in his life, he didn't know what to do in that situation. He could only stand there rigidly like a statue, portraying himself as a stiff guy in the people's mind.
You might normally think that if someone didn't reciprocate your gesture of friendliness, they either didn't like you or they were too nervous to react—socially awkward.
For the Generals, from how steady the flow of Layland's Mana was, Layland was by no means nervous. This is the reason why the Generals thought that Layland was just an uptight person.
From the lack of ill intent, they, of course, could easily tell Layland didn't hate them, so they never considered Layland's "cold" response as his way to reject them.
