To be honest i feel a bit bad for him... If you think about it this is normal mentality for a medieval nobelty and all he ever wanted was to keep his sister safe and be with his so called "best friend"... If you change the point of view even he is pitiful... That of course doesnt justify his actions, the problem with these novels are that the main characters are too righteous for medieval times... And that is what makes them special but totaly out of place... But lets be honest... Gerard Parlam is not a sadist... He is doing bad things but not out of pleasure but with a goal that all started from love for people who are dear to him... This story shows him as the villain but what if it was reversed? In royalty you can never trust anyone and you never know if a kind smile is not hiding a dagger that could cut your throat...