Machiavelli argues that it is better for a Prince to be feared, rather than loved and in-fact does not argue against cruelty, just excessive cruelty. I think you miss the point of The Prince, a device Machiavelli hoped would ingratiate him with the Medici and restore his place as civil servant. How did Machiavelli really feel? One has to read his work, The Discourses to understand this as there are connections between the two books and Machiavelli intended to conceal his preference for an egalitarian republic to the common reader.