And Colin would agree--Byerly is an ass. But Byerly also doesn't seem to be comfortable with being liked, which gives Colin a particular pleasure in liking him anyway.

"Nobles think of him as a sort of pet, I think," he muses. "Someone weak and stupid and clearly in their pocket. They think he thinks like them, so they let him in. He's in all sorts of circles, and look at who it is he helps with it."

It's as close as he can come to outright explaining Byerly's profession.