And the child was innocent on all of that. You could hate the empress but hating the child for it doesn't resolve anything and he also favored his crushes child informt of his own son and scolding him even for slightest reasons and didn't care about the abuse.
He was a victim but also became a neglectful abuser in his own way passing on his truma and hatred of empress to his son. We don't appreciate that
i mean, isn't that how the human brain works? he was raped and forced to have a child with his rapist, of course he won't have fond feelings towards the product and constant reminder of his rape and abuser, fatherly/motherly instincts don't just spawn when a baby is born
Human mind works for each their own the child was innocent and suffered no one is blaming anyone but emperor does have a weak spine considering the position he's in and the way he preaches about everyone's well being.
He does get redeemed at the end
The empress raped the emperor to have Etienne