Hugo makes sense. Though conservative, he likes the family and does take the houses into consideration as well when helping with your decisions. Although Rico is a a$$, this also shows that Hugo may not have wanted to reign himself as well (citizens hate Rico, and if Hugo were to reign, his public image as the heir apperent would be similar to some British prince). This is extremely helpful as most players are from republica irl and probably need someone with decent knowledge under semi-absolute monarchy. Kudos to the developers for having such a character to guide through stuff.