@FireCamp I see the flags and am fine with those. Let me be clear here, I don't hate him as a character. meddling, intelligent characters who follow the MC because they amuse them have high potential for hijinks and fun stories. In that way, I LOVE the prince.
BUT I would hate him as a person because I can't trust someone who would have another person dancing on the palm of their hand for entertainment, even if the dancer is benefiting from it. That he's the moral foil to the fiance and high probability future love interest is irrelevant. He's still a prick, again, not as bad as his brother but still not someone I would consider good company to keep, and I fully support Scarlet's desire to punch him in the schnoz.
...wait, what part of "oh this person/object/concept looks interesting I'll stick around a lot and try to drive it into the direction i want it to go using my influence" isn't being manipulative? And if it's primarily for his own entertainment, that makes him a jerk. A beneficial one, but still a jerk. At the very least that seems to be how he is perceived by SCARLET. He is welcome to change that first impression as the story goes on. Rather, if he becomes the romantic lead, I would expect it.