I hate these kinda guys. He thought it was unfair to not marry someone he loves (bc at the time he was a dumb 12 yr old who thought he knew everything) so he neglected her but got use to how she still tried her best n doted on him. N of course since he had a bias for years n only saw hiw on the surface his friends didn't like her he thought automatically she wasn't worth his time.
Oddly enough if things hadn't been such a guilt shock he probably would have let her go. But the moment she steps away (bc my guess he never let her go with him to parties n never picked her uo when she went to afternoon tea) he sees all the bullshit she's put through bc no ones there to "protect her"
But bc he feels guilt over realizing just how much of a jackass he was after years being praised for being a pillar of the community, he's obsessing over it to try n "fix it" bc his ego was shot to hell.
It's pretty obvious he was the type who would say "Dont Bully The Weak!" only to find out he was doing EXACTLY THAT.
In political marriages, its easy to see why one would think its unfair, n bc even his parents werent on her side he was never told to atleast be nice and get to know her. It's even easy to think her clingy nature is bc she was spoiled, and the upgrade in title is what she's after.
But doesn't excuse anything. He finally realized he jumped to conclusions (in the one event that triggered it) but decided to wait for her to come to him to attempt an apology only to find out she was gone from someone else.
Guilt shock is a powerful thing especially with a big ego involved. N sadly it turns people into obsessive possessive assholes, bc now he wants to fix it and "protect her" n bc everyone hates her, he defaults to isolating her.
GET THE FUTURE EMPRESS OUTTA THERE ASAP