Currently, Lucian is struggling between his sense of respect and his own emotions. It is true that he dislikes his father, but he still feels that he has a certain degree of responsibility towards him, and that he should show this even through his dislike of his father's character. His father is interested to see how far he can stretch Lucian's sense of responsibility. That's part of the reason he keeps Emiline off from Lucian. This is so he can further develop the sense of responsiblity of her own emotions to keep better control of her, (than he did with Lucian. But he doesn't feel that Lucian is completely a lost cause.) Perhaps he is planning a rebellion and wants to see what team Lucian will play for? We'll have to wait and see.
As I read the latest comic, I was reminded of a reading I once did for a theology class. The Author stated that Ethics can be either Christian or non-Christian, because both perspectives can lead to the same conclusion about what is moral. The same thing applies here. Magic is accessed through tapping emotions, and what specific emotions you decide to tap does not truly change the reality of the magic. Because what emotions you choose to tap is dependant on your inherant feeling towards those emotions. Therefore, some people(foxes) can better access magic through hate, love, tranquility, fear, or any other emotion(My opinion on the current magic situation). Hm......magic is tricky.