remedial goodness for Chelish archdukes
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"I am worried about a great many things, that was just a particular highly visible one. Right now with you and Marguerida I am actually mostly worried about whether you are ready to be a father and whether she and you have thought about how you will handle it if your actions have the predictable consequence that she conceives a child."

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Guim does not know how to explain, without sounding completely ridiculous and pathetic, that it seems kind of insane to hold hostage him getting to be with Margarida, who doesn't even let him do that, and not, like, anything Alfonso-Ignasi does, when Alfonso-Ignasi has actually gotten people pregnant, just because they were previously concerned about Guim being in the same technical category as people who they were concerned about for completely different reasons. He's - actually kind of deeply upset about this, enough that it's kind of hard to think around and kind of hard to hide. 

 

"We haven't even done that," he hears himself say, which mostly makes the feeling immediately worse, because - it hurts, having to scrape and beg and admit to not having things in order to be allowed to have anything, when other people don't have to -

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"Because you do not think you are ready to be a father, or she does not think that she's ready to be a mother, and so you're waiting until you are ready?"

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"Because she doesn't want to." Probably that's sort of one of those things, but actually having this conversation is way harder than it was supposed to be. He can tell what the right answer is and can tell that he's supposed to repeat it, and he should obviously just do that and stop getting distracted by how -

It seems really, really unlikely that Margarida is going to want to have this conversation.

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"Good for her. Not because you're not a good man and worthy of her, but because it takes more than being a good man and a worthy man to do right by her, and she is wise to wait even if it is difficult for both of you. If we say you can go back to seeing each other, do you think she'll take that as the Church saying that she ought to sleep with you?"

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"...I don't know? I - " That actually sounds like maybe possibly they don't have to talk to her in order to tell the Archduke to lift the order on him, which seems like possibly the only way to go back to how things were. Focus.

"Margarida says no if she doesn't want to do something. Or she says she doesn't want to do it yet, if she wants to do something else first." He likes this about her. He hasn't decided whether that's ridiculous and embarrassing, but he does. "So, I can promise I'll tell her that you don't think she should do anything she doesn't want to?"

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"I think that's a good idea. And I am proud of you, that she knows she can tell you no, and that you listen when she does, and that you protect her. You're being a good boyfriend to her. 

If she decided she was ready to sleep with you, do you think you are ready to be a father?"

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"...yes." It's slightly awkward because Margarida doesn't live in the house, but it's not like she doesn't have a house, and if she didn't want to keep it there or she gave up or something he would just ask if he could raise it with the captures, and it would be fine.

It's at least a little bit soothing to hear that he's being a good boyfriend. It sounds like something you say to a kid, or something, but it doesn't specifically sound like something you say to a slave, and the burning awful feeling cools off just a little.

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"All right. I do want to talk to Margarida if she's comfortable talking to me but I will tell the Archduke that I do not think the two of you should be prevented from seeing each other." Though Margarida's father should really be preventing that. "Thank you for being willing to speak to me about it."

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Margarida's father is at the worldwound! "Thank you." He can make that one sound sincere. It is sincere. Even though they kind of caused the entire problem in the first place.

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The woman who sits with Carles and his children is also willing to talk to them.

"What do you want to know?"

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"Do you generally feel - safe and respected, in your relationship?"

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"If you were making laws about what kinds of relationships should be allowed or encouraged, what laws would you want to make?"

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" - I honestly haven't thought about it. I can think about what I'd hope for, for my children, but that isn't the same thing as a law."

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"What would you hope for for your children?"

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"At this point I hope that Marina marries someone who she doesn't need to fear, who will protect her. With a good contract, so he knows what he has and she doesn't need to beg for anything. The boys... I hope they earn positions and can support families if they want to, and then I hope they find girls who will respect them, and feel fortunate to have them. But I don't think one can ensure happiness with a law. You can guard against specific unhappinesses, with a good contract, but - the man matters much than the rules he is held to, in the end."

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