Ximene feels that the circumstances she finds herself in are a kind of purgatory.
She is naturally self-disciplined and principled in everything she does. She has firm control of her emotions and believes there’s a right way to do things and a wrong way. She wants to do it the right way. She holds herself up to the highest self imposed standards.
However she expects everyone else to adhere to the same high standards.
She is resilient and searches for the best way to deal with all the problems she faces. She will stubbornly fight for knows what she believes is right.
Deep within she looks forward to her future life and is exited at the prospect of becoming rich and famous, but she will not admit this to herself or anyone else. She justifies her ambition by projecting her destiny as being totally concerned with assisting the people of Occitan.
She emerges from her Cathar education, which included practical sexual experience, sexually competent but cold, with a tendency to enjoy pleasure without love.
She enjoys the convenience of a lesbian relationship with her best friend Philippa (Pipa), but searches for a powerful man who can deliver everything she wants. She is quite prepared to marry the Prince and has no qualms about any sexual demands her may place on her, as long as he allows her to achieve her objectives.
She is determined to avoid marriage, however, until the required conditions are written into the marriage contract. This brings her back to her need for freedom.