This becomes obvious how much the FL isn't loved by either her mother or stepfather, after the FL's brother is born. When the FL was a baby, the mother paid people to babysit her despite knowing the daughter wasn't being cared for properly and was being starved by those same minders (even they noticed the mother didn't have any affection for the FL) but because she didn't like being around her daughter, she didn't care if the daughter lived or died. Let alone if she was being "neglected". She even demanded the FL pretend to be a boy and put herself at risk because her brother "matters more".
The mother's resentment towards daughter is explained in three parts > 1) she resents the daughter for being fathered by a nobleman who seduced and impregnated her then outcasted her and their child when he felt no more interest in the FL's mother 2) the daughter reminds her too much of herself and reminds her of the shame she feels. Especially since the daughter looks like her and is interested in books. 3) the daughter is a "burden" in the way of her happy family with her husband son. She treats the daughter like she isn't there at best and like an unwanted bad at worse. Ironically, the real "burden" is actually the FL's brother whom the mother doted on.
I pity the FL she thinks she needs to live for "revenge" for parents who never loved her and is burdened to care for her sick brother whose parents neglected and resented her.
Her mother clearly never loved or wanted her.
This becomes obvious how much the FL isn't loved by either her mother or stepfather, after the FL's brother is born. When the FL was a baby, the mother paid people to babysit her despite knowing the daughter wasn't being cared for properly and was being starved by those same minders (even they noticed the mother didn't have any affection for the FL) but because she didn't like being around her daughter, she didn't care if the daughter lived or died. Let alone if she was being "neglected".
She even demanded the FL pretend to be a boy and put herself at risk because her brother "matters more".
The mother's resentment towards daughter is explained in three parts > 1) she resents the daughter for being fathered by a nobleman who seduced and impregnated her then outcasted her and their child when he felt no more interest in the FL's mother 2) the daughter reminds her too much of herself and reminds her of the shame she feels. Especially since the daughter looks like her and is interested in books. 3) the daughter is a "burden" in the way of her happy family with her husband son. She treats the daughter like she isn't there at best and like an unwanted bad at worse. Ironically, the real "burden" is actually the FL's brother whom the mother doted on.
I pity the FL she thinks she needs to live for "revenge" for parents who never loved her and is burdened to care for her sick brother whose parents neglected and resented her.