If I'm understanding correctly, the older brother went all evil cuz of his psycho Mom, and because their Dad brought in his younger (apparently, half-brother), thus weakening her position? That's nuts.
Claude had no desire for the throne. All this got started because of the harem power dynamics (in other words, women have no real power in their world).
Here's hoping that Anestasias gets a knock back into reality.
He drove his brother to stop him by his file acts. Now, Anny is doing it again. Though, I find it amusing that he thinks that he'll win. Even if Claude died, Athy would oppose him, and with the most powerful magic user as the male lead, I don't this half-cocked scheme working.
Also, did he just murder the second male lead's dad, or did Anny just curse him/turn him into a mindless puppet? Heh. All this because the Empress had major issues & the Emperor was likely a royal prick.
Lesson: Drama can majorly fuck up kids. Unequal relationships like in patriarchy often lead to horrible ends for communities & families. 🤦🤦♂️😖