Cersei has been called arrogant before, though she disagrees with the assessment. She is not arrogant; she is skilled, more beautiful than any other woman alive, and more clever than anyone, including even her most decorated professor. These are simply truths, and she reckons it does her good to be aware of them. Perhaps that is what makes his understatements so great: no one would read him, his work is unpolished, he pays no mind to the glories he might reach if he as much as dared.

It is a rather startling thing to witness, seeing how pride runs from the roots to the leaves of her family shrub.

Still – his smile is catching, and she answers it in kind. "Well, I cannot judge it for myself –" Seeing how his notebook is safely guarded, and none of his careful words made him seem keen on yielding his treasures, "but I wonder if you might not deserve more praise than you are willing to grant yourself."

If he thinks he can dodge the subject, he is, unfortunately, mistaken. His absence has made her aware that she might never receive answers to her questions, and now that he has returned, she seems unwilling to hold them back. "What got you started?"