"No, don't you think saying something like that at a time like this makes it sound like you're trying too hard to prove you have nothing to hide?"
President Keith Nishita stopped twitching. He glanced at his wife and said solemnly, "My dear, you know I was born into an ordinary family. By today's standards, I'm just a small-town exam nerd..."
"Wasn't your father an international trader? Sure, his business wasn't very big, but that hardly makes yours an ordinary family," the First Lady said with a smile.
"At least I don't know the rules of real high society! What taboo did I break? I can change." The president wore a pained expression.
"Oh, don't overthink it." The First Lady shook her head helplessly. "If I told you now that the Alliance has no ruling families, it would probably sound a little too contrived. But you should at least believe that no one can rule an Alliance this vast single-handedly, and no one would risk committing such an unforgivable crime."
So why go out of your way to remind me? Why would you think I'd suspect something like that?
President Nishita's smile was clearly strained. He looked like someone saying, "I'm not well-read, so don't try to fool me." Mrs. Merari was instantly exasperated.
"Darling, we've shared a bed for twenty years. You don't trust me?"
"...Y-you misunderstand, darling. I just feel insecure. Sob, an insecure middle-aged man... Sob, sob, sob. There's nothing more insecure than a middle-aged man who's been badly wounded. My dear wife, please, have mercy on me!"
Mrs. Merari sighed. Wasn't this seamless shift between hard and soft tactics exactly how he'd managed to win her over all those years ago?
Of course, she knew her husband was playing dumb again. But they truly didn't have