Yessss this!! He doesn’t see her views, like how Navier is all for the country but the emperor is still like very selfish ya know, like how can you ask someone if they ever loved you if you don’t say anything about loving them and the fact that you have a concubine, tho yes in this story polygamy happens, it’s like he’s smart but DUMB
I agree with everything, except for the fact that Rasta has compassion. I'm not gonna spoiled the detail but the saying 'Give a man power, and they would show their true colors' perfectly described Rasta.
And the reason Soviet so obsessed with child is not for the stability, the Imperial family power of East Empire is strong, Soviet could even implement a new law to appoint a princess as the heir without consulting with the senate. Even at the end, Soviet didn't lose support from the nobility or commoner, for them what matter is a good ruler regardless of his affair and misconduct. Soviet just want to have a happy family, he want to be a loving father, something his father never did. He didn't really care about legacy and such.
From What I read so far, after Soviet lose the memory of 'Rasta timeline', I thought (and Navier thought) he would be different but nah, he is a thrash at the core, a selfish entitled spoiled brat who think the world only revolved around him.
By his father's 'legacy' I don't mean his political/imperial legacy or something positive, but I mean it's exact definition which is "a thing handed down by a predecessor" which means a legacy can be good or bad. I'm referring to exactly what you pointed out, which is his fear (desire NOT to) be like his father.
I agree that his desire for a happy family is part of his motivation, but I disagree that it's his ONLY one. He's articulated that if he fails to produce an heir, the throne will fall to the son of the grand duke (his cousin, I think?) who would be a terrible ruler. Even the people who think that he's trash as a person agree he's a good emperor.
He's a decent ruler, but a terrible person/partner who is so blinded by his conception of his own tragedy and burden that he lacks empathy or compassion for anyone else's struggles, strengths, dedication, or feelings. He says that he loves and wants love and yet he treats everyone around him, even the people he cares for, like tools. It's not out malicious on his part, but rather carelessness and self-centeredness. In this way Rashta's lack of trust in him is well founded, since in honesty she's not a person to him, just an incubator for an heir and his ideal of a happy family.
It is interesting to me that a generation who popularized the phrase Eat The Rich, can't understand the mindset of a former slave who has little to no sympathy or trust in those of noble/royal standing. None of this is to say that I think Rashta's actions aren't wrong. If Souviech were a worse man and ruler, an empress falling from grace could mean death...not only hers, but her whole family's. Nor am I say that Navier isn't an innocent victim. She is. Navier had selflessly put her all into being a good Empress and was even prepared to remain in her unhappy marriage and continue serving as Empress despite Rashta's presence.
But Rashta is not heartless. She has been shown to have empathy and compassion for those whom she also considers as weak and suffering. The problem is she is blinded by her own prejudices and experience and, thus, does not see Navier as such. In her mind Navier is power hunger and privileged; her (Rashta)'s intrusion into their marriage hurts Navier only because it threaten's Navier's power because Navier has no love for Souviech and only covetous of the position of Empress rather than of husband's feelings. And so, Rashta conflates Navier with the power hungry nobleman who kept her as a slave and even now is using her as a tool to acquire more power and therefore feels no compassion for her, the same way she would not for that nobleman. Rashta is a slave. She spent her life being used, raped, beaten, blackmailed, forced. Why would she seek Souviech's honest help? What person of power and privileged has ever sincerely helped this slave girl? She escaped from hell only through usefulness and deceit and to risk her life and the life of her baby on the hope that Souviech would be so very different from other men of power would be, in the context of her life experiences, an absurd and stupid endeavor.
Between the two of the them (Rashta and Souveich), I find Souviech's behavior more reprehensible, but still I can understand his actions in the context of her experiences and upbringing. The emperor MUST have an heir. For the stability of the empire and the court, and after years Rashta has provided the first sign of hope for the stability. He loves Navier (spoiler?) but out of fear of father's legacy and desperation, chooses what he thinks is the best for the empire and the stability of the throne. He's wrong. Even if Navier were barren, his worst failing was in not trusting her. Not even necessarily with birth his progeny, but in not trusting her with his true thoughts and feelings and trusting that the strength of her devotion to the safety and stability of the empire was just as strong as his.
Unlike Rashta, Souveich doesn't have the same justifications for his lack of trust. Navier has stood by since they were young and proved time and time again her loyalty, responsibility, and selfless sense of duty. In my opinion, him stepping all over her resolve is even worst than him stepping on her heart. Feelings change; that is a fact of life that we have little control over. Divorces happen, break ups happen, that does not make the person who fell out of love necessarily a villain. If Souviech had simply, regretfully, fallen in love with someone else that would be a tragedy for Navier, but would not put him past being forgiven. But for him to disrespect her hard work and her character, that is what's truely intolerable. Souveich is foolish and faithless, not only in terms of fidelity but also as ruler and partner. His worse failing was not in bringing Rashta into their marriage (the morality of polygamy from a ruler who is obligated by his position to provide an heir can be debated with good arguments from either side, after all), it was not treating Navier as an equal