Richard had a rough start—his birth was traumatic, and his mother never got over it. She couldn't stand him, seeing something monstrous in her youngest son. His father, though, was oblivious to her contempt and showed Richard the affection his mother withheld. That early rejection left deep scars. Richard grew up plagued by visions of Joan of Arc telling him he was a demon, and he lived in constant fear of being abandoned.
Physically fragile compared to his older brothers, Richard threw himself into training to compensate, driven by a need to prove himself. His siblings accepted him despite his weakness—everyone did except his mother. That lack of maternal love only intensified his attachment to his father, who became the emotional center of Richard's world. He craved his father's approval and presence in a way that shaped everything he did.
As he grew, Richard became obsessed with self-improvement through relentless training. Part of it was about overcoming his physical limitations, but deeper down, he was waiting. Waiting for his father to claim the throne, waiting to finally matter, waiting to become great enough that maybe he'd stop feeling like he didn't belong.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
