“So, you’re saying that Rubia is going to teach me acting?”

“Yeah, I’ve picked up some skills for work. Wait a second, why are you looking at me like that? I really am a great actor!”

“Then what about that earlier mess?”

“That, that was an accident!”

“In acting, maintaining composure is important, right?”

“I couldn’t help it! If you suddenly jumped out of bed in your underwear with everything showing, you wouldn’t be saying that…”

“……”

“No, that’s not what I mean! I’m not being indecent! I just wanted to talk about empathy!”

As tears welled up in Rubia’s eyes, I recalled her advice about acting.

I looked once again at the scene before me.

The scent of cigar smoke filled the air.

A blonde guy was staring at me closely, practically breathing down my neck.

The second prince of the Empire was right in front of me.

Time to get real.

Mistakes were not an option.

Cooling my head, I dove straight into the performance.

Of course, that didn’t mean I erased the unease and fear on my face.

In fact, it was quite the opposite; I didn’t hide it, I let it show.

After all, I was a little boy meeting the prince of a nation. Not showing any reaction would be even stranger.

So, this way felt more natural.

“What’s your name?” the second prince asked as he looked at me.

I told him my name was Sion.

From there, he started firing off all sorts of oddly bizarre questions.

My gender.

My age.

Those silly questions.

There was only one clear purpose behind that kind of questioning.

A common method to discern lies.

He was establishing a baseline.

Those questions were obvious, with answers that could be anticipated.

He was analyzing my habits and expressions to create an indicator of truthfulness and deception.

Certainly systematic.

Not just anyone could be a prince of the Empire without cause for concern.

But hey, this wasn’t something I had to worry about.

“I’d say I’m about fifteen. I was abandoned as a child, so I don’t know the details.”

“My hair color? That’s white, of course.”

Though effective, that method didn’t quite mesh with me.

I was a reincarnator.

I could be fifteen, or twenty-five, or potentially even longer than that.

My hair was white but also black at the same time.

While such characteristics might seem clear to some, they were not for me.

Thus, using such questions to establish a baseline was impossible. To grasp that, one would need to comprehend the most crucial aspect: my reincarnation.

Logically, that would be impossible.

Eventually, he must have realized that this tactic wouldn’t work. The meaningless interrogation questions came to an end, and the serious questioning began.

“What’s your origin? Explain how you ended up here.”

He fixed his gaze directly on me while asking.

But I didn’t respond immediately.

Not because I was flustered and couldn’t come up with an answer; I simply thought taking my time felt more natural.

“Taking a moment to pause before answering questions is effective,” Rubia had once told me.

In such interrogations, responding immediately would seem strange.

It takes time to gather one’s thoughts.

If you’re not a skilled speaker, tense situations will inevitably lead to awkwardness or stumbling words.

Only someone who prepared their answers ahead of time could speak clearly without hesitation.

I considered that and narrated the fake identity Rubia had crafted for me.

An orphan abandoned by parents.

A person who had lived at the bottom of society.

A story that could be found everywhere.

After hearing my explanation, the second prince asked again.

“Why did you do something like this?”

Responding that I merely came to take an exam would be the worst possible answer.

Just going along with the exam with no intent, swinging my sword casually, only to have it result in this mess — who would buy that?

No fool would believe such a tale.

But the issue didn’t particularly concern me.

“Blending lies with truth always works. There’s a reason it’s frequently used.”

All I had to do was skillfully mix the truth with lies.

“I did it to get attention.”

“Attention?”

He looked at me with interest.

I continued speaking while observing his reaction.

“To have my value acknowledged, one must first draw the attention of those who will recognize it, right?”

“So you’re saying you dared to use the Empire to get your talent recognized?”

A sharp aura emanated from him.

But I wasn’t worried in the slightest.

“How arrogant. It’s quite the audacity to not feel an ounce of guilt for such actions.”

From all my experiences, and what I’d gathered about the second prince’s personality through Balzac, I knew right away.

Yet, he was getting overly dramatic.

However, I was aware of what I had done.

“Nevertheless, I’m lenient towards the arrogance of those with true merit.”

He exerted his strength upon my hand that he was gripping, feigning anger to shake me up.

“You’re lucky. You will receive the recognition you desire — fame, status, power. You can have anything you want.”

…Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t a bit nervous.

But it seemed things were unfolding better than expected.

I figured it would take months to get appointed as a guard knight, but with the prince’s backing, that process would speed up tremendously.

Now all I had to do was casually ask the second prince to support me.

Compared to earlier, this was like child’s play.

I could finally breathe a little easier.

Just when I thought that and looked at the second prince’s face…

…Something felt off.

His expression didn’t match his earlier words at all.

The pressure from his grip indicated something was amiss.

The second prince’s eyes met mine.

With a menacing smile plastered on his face, he spoke.

“You really thought I’d fall for such a ridiculous lie?”