"I think I'll have to go back to more of these," Xavier says. "Every woman who wouldn't provoke riots either isn't trained for the job or is already doing it in her own lands." And none of either subset are interesting.

Uh huh. Yeah, she's heard that before.

"You liked the Napaciza girl," she points out. Accurately.

"I believe you have previously told me what you think of my taste in women and how it affects my prospects of ever finding a wife?"

"I did! So of course I noticed when one piqued your interests despite that. Because I don't, actually, think she'd be a terrible choice."

"You know, I was expecting this conversation to start with me idly saying that I was considering marrying her, and then you explaining in great detail why this would be an act of utter foolishness for my family and for the realm and that I should do no such thing. I expected I'd get a rise out of you."

"No. It's a bit unconventional, not to mention risky, and it could potentially destabilize Sirmium itself and get your family branded as infernal blooded for the rest of history, but there are definite concrete benefits for the country overall. Which as I understand it is your ultimate priority." If that's changed upon seeing what an absolute mess the overall country is, now's the time to let her know! But she doesn't think that's changed.

"It gets me no meaningful alliances, since Napaciza isn't a count, he's a regent. It scorns every powerful noblewoman and every powerful nobleman with a daughter in all of Cheliax to marry a bastard's daughter. All my loyal men from Molthune and all the new lords I've made will think I've taken leave of my senses, or more likely been quite literally enchanted by her. A fiendish archduke of the richest province of Cheliax" bar the heartlands "would be a disaster for the entire nation. The Lord Protector's men will have a thousand new arrows to fire at everyone who moved south of the border, and I have no evidence that she can be handed the job of ruling a domain larger and more populous than Menador, let alone her father's lands, without causing some sort of disaster."

"Oh, I can see these are all of the reasons you were telling yourself not to do something stupid," she says, delighted that he has been thinking so much about this. Anyway, now to rip all of these reasons to shreds.

"In the sense of ordinary noble marriage alliances, you are correct, but in the sense of gaining the favor of the most martially powerful native nobles of Cheliax? I think Menador's a tightly-knit crowd, regent or no, and the others will pay attention and remember anyone reaching out a helping hand to any of them, and you'll make more allies than you think. Loyal ones, too, by my reckoning.

"Right now, everyone's too busy scrambling for matches to be all that put out by you choosing a strange one, I think. You saw how many were flinging themselves at the paladin, and you're not even the only unmarried Archduke. If you are going to choose an unconventional match, now's the time to do it, when everyone's too overwhelmed by choice to be particularly upset if they lose out on any.

"Your loyal men and lords will only think you've been enchanted by her if you walk up to her and ask her to marry her in the blunt way you're tempted to. If you instead properly court her, introduce her around, make it clear this is a reasoned and rational decision, to court and then marry the dashing young noblewoman who gave her life to defend the common folk from an unjust mob... I think you could win them over. You're good at that.

"A fiendish archduke would indeed be a problem, but from her, I think a sorcerous bloodline is more likely than returning to consorting with fiends. Men turn to devils when they see no other option, which is part of my argument; she and her children will all be very aware that you saved them from the tender mercies of a country foolishly trying to excise itself of all infernal history. But I do agree that it's a risk, and it's quite fair if you'd rather not take it. I just think that, for the sake of Cheliax as a nation, pretending that no one has any infernal blood is counterproductive and impractical, and its leaders would be better off leading by example and showing that merit means more than bloodline.

"As to the last, well. You did hear my recommendation for a longer courtship, yes? You have time to gauge her sensibility and skill at rule, and even more time to teach her if you decide she has the potential talent for it. Skills are things that are gained by practice, and compared to a lot of her peers, she actually has any."

"Everyone else scrambling means I'll enrage more people, not fewer, I think," he says, "because I'm an archduke and I'll be slighting more different people by failing to choose a sensible candidate. I'm worried about my working relationship with the duchess of Chelam, for one. She was in Axis, so possibly I need to politely tell her 'I'm sorry, I'm hiring for a position and you already have a job that conflicts with it', but she's not the only person with votes who will be furious if I pick someone who they can't tell themselves made more sense for me to pick.

"I'll admit that the Menadorian allies could be useful if it gets me most of them, but it'll lose me the people of Molthune." Who are all his new lords of Sirmium. "Her father is kin to devils." The slightest accusation of infernal blood is a dueling offense, in Molthune. "There is no way to phrase 'I am marrying a woman whose father is devilblooded' such that my own men will not think I have taken leave of my senses.

"And - it's not that I expect any children we have to be diabolists, particularly. I'm just worried we'll get someone with horns and a tail who likes to torture cats. Or, worse, someone without." 

"I think the duchess is aiming for someone else - the paladin, probably, or her own archduke. But by all means, include her and tell her the overall explanation that it's for the good of the overall country. Ask her counsel, maybe, I believe she desires to be kept relevant and informed more than being the one you pick out. Though, yes, others not so much, you're of course quite correct." She taps her fingers thoughtfully on the table as she puts her thoughts to words.

"Hmm... so, while I agree that it'll lose you support in Molthune and with your own vassals, the problem I'm concerned with is... having too many divisions among our people on a national level. This is what I meant by destabilizing Sirmium, I do agree it'll be inconvenient for you in the short term. And probably also the long term. But in the longer term, if there are strong lines in the proverbial sand, if everyone in your province and Molthune refuses to associate with or deal with anyone of infernal blood... how long do you think it'll want to stay a part of a Cheliax that was once infernal? If they can say, with surety, that they are not, so that anyone with any infernal ties becomes a 'them,' instead of an 'us.' After the riots, and being able to lift her in particular up as one who gave her life to save the servants, it'd the best chance we're likely to get to bind up that particular division as best we can. Which is how you'd sell it to everyone else, but of course, they might not accept that and if that's not a loss you're willing to take, fair enough.

"I think any problems of nature can also be overcome with nurture, and nurture goes better when the married couple actually like each other, but, well. It is another risk. It's ultimately your choice to make, and I'll respect it either way. I merely want to help you talk and think through your options. And you like her."