[He'd rather be boring than be that depraved version of himself back in Orleans. Marie had been correct when she told him, that time, that his blade had become rusty and he had lost sight of what it truly meant to be an executioner. Sanson would not make that same mistake.

The idea of that manifestation of him and Marie Alter together...

When she finally lets go, he manages to regain some of his composure and points out:]

He's not a real executioner. A true executioner wields his blade only for justice, not for the enjoyment of killing.