He didn't lie, but he wasn't any better.
!!!!!! MAYOR MAYOR MAYOR SPOILERS!!!!!!
If you don't want to know, don't read! ;)
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He is in love with Ruby and although I am not entirely sure about that, there might be a chance, that the original Ruby was in love with him too. (She is not his sister by blood, so there is actually no incest here, but since the Pope added her to the family tree, it would look very very strange, since most people don't know that she is not the pope's daughter.)
Nevertheless, Cesare is kind of aware that she is not his sister anymore (although he doesn't know how or why) and that is why he started to punish/ hurt and almost kill her.
Since he still cannot stopp his possessive behaviour/ love for her, he is kind of unstable in his behaviour, but lashes out as soon as Ruby defines him or doesn't show the love/interest in him that he wants.
That's why he is so unhappy that they consumed the marriage, but he still tries to take her back. (And to do so, he gets the help from the queen and kills his brother.... Because why not?)
Wait so the brother isn’t actually villain but is on our heroine‘s side? And it‘s the father we have to look out for? So actually the brother was just in a representative function for his father and reminded ruby of her father‘s disapproval of her and the dark past they shared and hence reacted like that everything she saw her brother?
Or am I reading too much into that sob story and short glimpse of a heart being there in that hot mess of a Brother?