"That's a terrible joke," she says, but her mouth twitches a little. It's a mix of awful, a pun so bad that someone's dad would probably tell it combined with all the real danger that comes from a place where people still fight with swords. Maybe that's why Byerly likes it. He seems like the kind of person who'd like jokes that were a little too true to be completely funny.

"Even on your Earth, they probably know that America doesn't have aristocrats." Of course, she doesn't really think of Russia having them, either, but everyone here is basically Russian, and they clearly give a damn about who's a Vor and who isn't. "And I can't just make myself sound British or--or whatever."