who has for some reason brought Zoyah.

Cyllene has practicing on the lap harp, but only practicing.  She winds down the present exercise.

I read the Duality.  Never have I known anything like it!

"It's important background! Jane, would you go fetch a copy of Tissman's Theology?"

"Yes your highness," says Jane, and she goes.

I am most interested in the higher planes!  What are they like?  This book failed in clarity but I may wish to go to one if a marriage between us is found unwise.

"...so the reason I brought Zoyah so I could send Jane away is not actually that I want a Tissman's Theology on hand but because I don't like talking, in front of the servants, about the fact that that book is not necessarily, uh, true?"

"People believe it and it is very culturally important but you should not expect to encounter angels or get divine backup whenever whatever you are doing is good or plan around ascending to a higher plane of existence."

You said you would tell me which books are not real.  Why do people believe it?

"I am telling you now, but I didn't want to say in front of Jane, she's one of the quicker servants but I have to assume she's religious enough to have a problem with it if she knew I'm not. People believe it because - no one tells them it's not true," he shrugs. "A lot of people would still believe it if one person, like me, said so, so I can't solve this problem by just telling everybody, it'd just make the church angry and then I'd have a problem about becoming king."

The first book I read, I did not know was not real, and when I learned it wasn't I had to aim to forget all I took from it.  This was horrid to me.  I did not th

(And then she's out of room, and she reaches to switch to paper, but - no, if this is supposed to be a secret from Jane then she shouldn't.  So she sighs and shows that much to Cymbeline.)

"I'm sorry. I think the Duality and other things about religion are probably the only thing like that where I can't just say as soon as I mention a book."

Hm.

This is because it is important for all the priests together to not detest you?  And I will have to be as though it is true to marry you?

"Yes. You don't have to act like you're very devout, but you have to - act like you're one of the Dualists and the Dualists are your people, and that means - the stuff in the book."

What is the order of the cosmos if it is not this?????

"I don't think anybody has better information on it."

....................To Zoyah:

What do you believe?

"I'm a Dualist! But like, I'm not going to freak out about Cymbeline not being so sure, if he's wrong then the forces of good'll sort everything out and if he's right then he's right."

Well, if she puts down the slate she can kind of hug herself.  Maybe that's inappropriate.  If it's inappropriate presumably they will tell her.

They don't super know what she's doing but don't exclaim in alarm.

"I'm sorry I didn't think to pass you a note about it or something."

When I was with the sea people I had to seem a person who did not like humans.  But I don't know if I can seem a right way for this.

.....There's really more nuance she would prefer to add, here, but that's what fits on the slate.

"...it doesn't seem very complicated to me but then I've been doing it a long time. What are you imagining here?"

Actually -

How long will Jane be gone?  Must I seem fine when she isn't?

"She'll be back any minute. You don't have to seem like nothing's wrong at all, and we can even have a conversation too quiet for her to hear and too - angled - for her to read, while she's in the room. She's not liable to ask pointed questions. We just can't be alone in a room together for propriety's sake so I brought Zoyah because you didn't know why we'd need to be discreet so I had to send Jane out."

Nod.  Nod.

If she thinks about it before starting and also tries to write small, maybe she can fit all of one thing on one slate...

I'm the sort of person who wants to ascend to higher planes if I can.  If I don't try to do that, then people may guess I don't think I can do that?  I don't want to hide that I want every good thing.