Responses
Not just the father's influence but also the people who taught him from a young age. I mean he is the crown Prince. So he was given the education of one and maybe because of their beliefs he just followed their example and gradually drifted away from the mom.
What exactly did the empress do (or neglect to) that made Raymond turn out the way he did? She's literally his birth mother yet her own son is one of her biggest opps. Like there has to be a story there on why he doesn't listen to and/or avoids his mother. It could just be his fathers influence but I still think she should be closer to Raymond especially with his father being that man. I can't imagine him laving attention all over Raymond when he was young yet that's the parent he goes to first when he wants something.