[ Byerly blinks, genuinely taken aback by that reaction. When he tells that story, the reactions tend to fall into two camps: soft people get all sad-eyed about his suffering (his least favorite reaction) and most people get irritated at his apparent dissolution (irritating as well). That's a new one. What is that, empathy?

After a moment of staring, he recovers his balance. Shrugs. The lie is...a little harder to sustain after that comment, so his voice is less arch, more flat. ]

It doesn't much matter to me. For it to matter, it would have to be some sort of loss. Which it wasn't. Did you take revenge against your usurper, by the way?