"Let's go together."

Carlota collects a sheaf of transcripts from one of her servants on the way out of the Mansion and then they can head into the palace. She contemplates saying something to Alexeara to the effect of “I am sorry I assumed that the Church had unreasonable priorities instead of just deeply unreasonable problems” and decides that they do not have that kind of relationship. They can have that kind of relationship once they’ve taken Razmiran.

Even the Queen’s paladin friend and adventuring companion doesn’t get a meeting instantly so they’re shown to a lovely sitting room. Carlota reads the transcripts. Her assistant has underlined the important bits. 

“I understand that you probably cannot compromise on torture but I think you should on the less important matters be willing to let Fraga and Cerdanya buy your nonparticipation on Urban Order’s measures that are probably a bad idea but not actually very important. You’re going to need the rural nobility for the antiwar fights, and there’s a lot more at stake in those.”

"...I would be willing, if they’d tried to negotiate something. You’re going to tell me that I should have started negotiations instead of waiting for them."

“Actually I have no criticisms right now of how you’ve been spending your time and attention. I was missing some context on what else you had to worry about. But I think it’d be a good idea to speak to them about it tomorrow. They would like to have you as an ally. If we play it right we can make sure they find it reassuring rather than concerning that you are marrying me, and tomorrow’s the right time to set the tone there. And - if their mayor is no good, the Queen can fire him. Public executions - I’ll vote with the Church but I’m genuinely not sure it’s a bad idea, with trust in the state where it presently stands.”

"You think public executions would be…reassuring? Do you expect people won’t trust that executions are actually being performed, or that they are imagining the executions far worse than they are?"

“Both, I imagine. Mostly I think they just don’t trust a word that anyone - I had a man on my staff who handled a report of ghost activity very stupidly and caused me several weeks of headaches, so I reassigned him to a different position, and learned two months later that everyone else had been assuming I’d had him killed.”

“Yes. It is absolutely true that some people will - watch it to indulge in watching others die - but also people will watch it and know what actually happened. And unless we lose the torturous executions fight they won’t be watching others suffer….if I convince you too effectively then you will be unwilling to trade with the conservative nobles for their support on antiwar measures. The Lord Mayor does seem like an actually bad idea, if that helps.”

"I’ll talk to them in the morning."

She considers an appreciative smile and then decides that would be manipulative and she should separate the interactions where she tries to project adoring happiness at Alexeara and the ones where she tries to get him to do politically sensible things. This is the latter kind, obviously. “Fraga thinks of you as a natural ally and feels frustrated that you end up arguing in committee. Cerdanya I think has less of a desire to think of himself as an ally to the Church but is quite sincerely anti-war.” She shuffles through the other transcripts. “And if you’re going to try to get the constitution to require the Church’s approval for war Requena’s going to be very passionately opposed and Fraga’s coalition contains most of the nobles willing to openly go against him.”