Why Does Cardan Hate Jude In 'The Cruel Prince'?

The dynamic between Cardan and Jude is one of the most psychologically complex relationships in fantasy. Cardan's hatred stems from deep-rooted faerie prejudices against humans, but it evolves into something far more personal. Initially, he bullies Jude because she's an easy target—a mortal in a world that despises her kind. But as she keeps standing up to him, his hatred becomes fascination. He's used to everyone either fearing or pitying him due to his position as the least favored prince. Jude treats him with neither. Her defiance forces him to confront his own worthlessness in the court hierarchy.

Their relationship mirrors the toxic politics of Elfhame. Cardan's cruelty isn't just personal; it's performative. By tormenting Jude, he reinforces his status among the faerie nobility who see humans as playthings. Yet there's a perverse admiration in how far he goes to break her—because if he can destroy someone as strong as Jude, maybe he isn't as powerless as he feels. The more she resists, the more obsessed he becomes. His hatred is a mask for his own insecurities, and Jude's refusal to play along threatens to tear that mask off.

Let's cut through the fantasy tropes—Cardan doesn't hate Jude because she's human. He hates her because she's better at his own game. While he slacks off and drinks to avoid responsibility, Jude studies swordplay and politics like her life depends on it (because it does). His 'hatred' is really frustration that a mortal outshines him in the skills that matter in Elfhame. Every time she bests him in combat or outmaneuvers him politically, it's a reminder that he's wasting his potential. The court already sees him as a disappointment; Jude's competence makes that harder to ignore.

Their rivalry is charged with something darker than hatred. Cardan enjoys provoking Jude because her anger makes her feel real in a world of cold, beautiful immortals. He's drawn to her humanity—her capacity for both vulnerability and vengeance—because it's everything faeries pretend not to be. His cruelty is a messed-up way of keeping her attention. When he finally betrays her in the throne room, it's not just about power; it's about forcing Jude to acknowledge him as a worthy adversary. Their relationship is less about hate and more about two broken people refusing to admit they're mirrors of each other.

Cardan's hatred for Jude in 'The Cruel Prince' isn't just petty cruelty—it's a toxic mix of envy and self-loathing. He resents her human resilience, how she refuses to break even when the faerie world treats her like dirt. As the youngest prince, he's spent his life drowning in his family's neglect and the court's expectations, and Jude's defiance makes him feel even weaker. His cruelty is a twisted way of proving he still has power over someone. He hates that she sees through his drunken, lazy act to the insecure mess underneath. It's not really about Jude being human; it's about her being everything he pretends not to want to be: brave, determined, and utterly unbreakable.

He's a classic example of a character who only knows how to interact through conflict. Love, kindness, respect—these are foreign currencies to him, likely never genuinely given or received. What he understands is power dynamics, humiliation, and rivalry. So, when he develops any strong feeling towards Jude, his brain immediately translates it into the only emotional vocabulary he has: hatred and the desire to dominate. It's not that he doesn't feel something more complex; it's that he lacks the framework to identify or express it. His cruelty is a malformed attempt at connection. It's horrifying and abusive, but from his broken perspective, it might be the only way he knows how to engage with someone who truly captures his attention.