
he was a slave that was abused physically, mentally and emotionally. had zero social interactions, and has no name or power to himself. pen then groomed him into loving her and coming at her every whims. he doesnt know how to love her properly, he prob already hates himself with his status and everything else. hes a slave to his environment and the consequences held against him.
if anything he is just as much as a victim as penelope. im not excusing his actions but there is no way he could be a loyal and protective man when penelope also never taught him to love correctly, she always kept him at arms distanced and didnt teach him much about the world. if anything, she is essentially one of the catalyst to why he is the way is, ofc i dont blame her bc she is also a victim to this world

That much is true as well, if we take into account his mental stability. However, make note that he KNEW that Penelope was using him. He wasn't a dumb or oblivious little boy who was getting brainwashed. He knew that she had a goal in return for his affection (Which still doesn't make it any better at all). He never trusted her and eventually his feelings of resentment turned to obsession because he was afraid of losing her even if he was aware she was someone he couldn't reach. I get what you're saying though, he did endure many hardships, even that is an understatement. One could only hope that even after he was aware of his situation as well as Penelope's he would be smarter when it comes to trust, ESPECIALLY after everything he's been through.
i knew she was gonna end up with the crown prince but i also secretly hoped something between her and her personal knight would’ve developed better. sad to see that he may become obsessed with her. and not the good kind