Same. I pity him. If only someone good (his nanny or maid or butler or teacher) influenced him just like how Tia influenced Perez, he won't grow like now. Sadly there's nobody like that. Astana's current life is too cruel, I hope the author make another story where Astana knows better.
What book did you reference?
Finally, someone said it. He was clearly being manipulation by his own mother and there were signs of abused too. The empress wants a foolish child, dumb enough that won't oppose her. Spoil him enough so that he will be "comfortable" of the pleasure of "power." I am not saying that his actions should be excused, he clearly deserves those consequences. But it clearly shows that raising a child properly is important. This could be applied to all children with the same situation as Astana, including Jovannes.
Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you don't know the series, I suggest reading It, but I know there are A LOT of them so you can either at least read only the dark-hunter series and forget about all the other hunters or if you wanna read it as a stand-alone, read first Acheron and then Styxx. Also just in case, It has many triggers: mental health, self-harm, se+ual abuse among others...
I do feel bad for Astana because he was raised to be a future puppet emperor by his own mother. He grew spoiled because no one would dare defy his mother, and his mother needed a dumb son Who didnt know better and wouldnt think about going against her, so no one taught him better and was manipulated and emotionally abused.
I by no means think what he did was right or anything of the sort. However, I feel bad because he was made to be Evil and violent by the environment he grew up in.
One of my favourite quotes from a book I love is "I am a selfish bastard. I had to be, because no one else gave a single shit about me except me" and I think that applies to Astana. He had to grew up selfish because even though he was a prince he had no one really caring for him and was just raised to be a pawn with no education and no real good parental figure or someone to humble him down.
I know he was not really evil because he did realise from time to time that his mother's actions were wrong but he was also a child that had no power against his mother.
Many people are just in pain and by acting out they are just trying to protect themselves from being hurt more.
Again, I do not endorse his actions but I wonder how Astana would have turned out and what would have happened if Tía or someone else had helped Astana since he was little instead of just thinking he's the empress' son and another Angenas.