There's lying to try and make yourself look better, and then there's lying for something that actually matters. Maybe Vorish aristocrats think their stupid white lies make a difference, and maybe sometimes they even do, but it's probably only by chance. From what everyone's said, it doesn't sound like they're all that interested in doing more than making sure everyone pays attention to them.

Either way, that's not the kind of lying Byerly does. Looking like a drunk won't make you richer. Moving so precisely between one face and another can probably get you plenty of influence, but there's something about the way he does everything that makes her feel like she's missing something. He just doesn't make sense, and getting to whatever explanation would change that seems like an impossible task.

What the hell, she decides. Just say it. "That's not the same. I mean, it's lying, but it's not the kind of lying I'm talking about."