Rise of the Inquisition (Arc 4-6)

Chapter 91: A Seeking Woman

Ashley had her head down facing the top of the table as she was sitting at the dinner table. There was white plate entirely full of food sitting in front of her, not a single bite was taken out of the creamy potatoes, yellow corn, or slices of toasted chicken. However, Ashley's glass of red wine was continuously empty. Every single time that she finished the glass one of the servants to House Athena would walk over and would fill it up again. Ashley however wasn't zoned out, she was listening to the conversation that Lady Athena and Paladin were having.

"So---Paladin."

"Yes?"

Paladin's glass of red wine was still not touched at all, to a normal person looking on they would've thought that he just had his glass refilled again. Both of Lady Athena and Paladin's plates were empty, with a few scraps remaining on the plates from the food they ate.

"So what is your opinion on marriage?"

Ashley while her head was still down froze, and she was carefully listening for the next thing Paladin would say.

"Well--" Paladin took his right hand and brought it by his chin, with his right hand's index finger and thumb he would start to rub his chin. "What specifically are you asking about when you mention marriage? Like, that could be asking me a lot of things. You want to know my thoughts on two people becoming eternally bound together? Are you asking for my thoughts on the process to get married? Or are you asking for if I plan to marry someone?"

"Tell me all of it--"

"In what order?"

"Any order."

Paladin turned to look away from Lady Athena, and he looked at the empty space in front of him. He was trying to conjure up his thoughts on marriage, how he felt about the process and the whole thing of two people becoming eternally bound together. While Paladin was thinking, Ava got out of her seat and walked over to Lady Athena. While Lady Athena while still looking at Paladin and awaiting his answer, Ava bent over and whispered into the right ear of Lady Athena. The back of her left hand covering up the space between Ava's mouth and Lady Athena's ear. When Ava finished whispering into the ear of Lady Athena, she pulled away from her ear and she stood up while also looking down at Lady Athena. Lady Athena paused briefly but then she nodded her head.

"Go ahead."
"Thank you."

As Ava turned and walked away Paladin turned to look at Lady Athena, his response to the question that Lady Athena was ready.

"I think it is a wonderful thought, two people becoming eternally bound together is wonderful. Humans naturally desire partnership, and in that particular way the desire for partnership is eternally dealt with. However, two people being eternally bound together can be horrible--"

"How could it be horrible--" Lady Athena interrupted Paladin.

"Well, if the bounding of the two people were done for all the wrong reasons then the bounding is horrible. When two people are to become eternally bound to one another, they should be doing it out of love for each other. They shouldn't be doing it for anything else, they shouldn't be doing it because it creates a powerful dynamic, they shouldn't be doing it because the other person has significant wealth and redeemable monetary qualities, they shouldn't be doing it for looks, and they shouldn't be doing it because they are seeking power."

Lady Athena nodded her head as Paladin spoke, she was carefully listening to everything that Paladin was saying about marriage. However, as Paladin mentioned that nobody should be married to another person because they are seeking power, her eyes briefly grew wide before returning back to normal.