@omnilynx
I think it's fine that he doesn't want to help with the Duchy. It's one thing to offer help due to worry about her safety, it's another to help the advancement of an unrelated territory.
She also stated explicitly that she would come back after fulfilling her duty. Mind you that duty involves having sex with a beast and bearing its child; any sane person would try to talk her out of it. So if he loves her I think it's logical to try to increase his power and social status to ensure he could be of help to her then.
And when you love someone it's natural you will want to get closer to them. He did not press on when he saw she would not have accepted. Instead he went back to become a better man, whatever that meant to him, so he could be her equal.
So far I see him as respectable. Whether he will go against her wishes and interests for his own selfish desires or not is something I have yet to see.
Thank you for raising some valid concerns. I sure hope he would accept whatever her feelings might be, and remain respectful and loyal towards her.