Knowing it's deliberate (9)
I believe the answer is:
conscious
I believe this is a double definition.
'knowing' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)
'deliberate' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'it's' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for conscious that I've seen before include "Having awareness, knowing" , "Deliberate, intentional" , "Aware of surroundings, sensations and thoughts" , "Having awareness of surroundings" , "Aware, of one's surroundings" .)