Scheming? Hardly. Cyrilos is generally very open about his beliefs. He's the most genuinely evil character I've ever played. In fact, he's the only truly evil character I've ever played. Hireshmont wasn't truly evil; he was desperate and devoted to his realm(s), and did everything in his power to preserve them. But, ultimately, he wasn't a warmonger, a butcher, or even that much of a meddler. He was just typically on the minority side, and determined to save that side from defeat (usually with only marginal success). Supporting Meridian Republic's secession was probably the most easily evil thing he did in his career, but, even then, he did it because he genuinely believed them to be the "lesser of two evils."
But Cyrilos? He'll side with anyone that will let him kill Enweilians.