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Olivia is basically used as a scapegoat/punching bag by everyone in her life since she’s powerless.
Her father brought her home solely to sacrifice her in Estella’s place and somehow managed to place all of the blame from the chaos brought on by his infidelity onto her shoulders. The duchess had no idea she existed, or that there was any infidelity at all until she literally laid eyes on Olivia. The entire situation was terrible, but that was quite possibly the worst possible way to broach the subject. She was going to divorce him because of the infidelity. Olivia’s existence may be tangible proof of that betrayal, but she wasn’t the reason for it. If his wife had been told earlier, she may have visited her parents sooner, creating a much different timeline and possibly preventing the accident. It was a sudden and unplanned trip because of the random news of her husband’s illegitimate child.
The comment the Duke made at the funeral about how Hazel “would never have known anything” if they hadn’t ran into each other in the hallway shows that he knew about, approved of, and probably encouraged the abuse Olivia experienced. She already knew about Olivia’s existence and why she was brought into their home during their first meeting, so the abuse is the only new information she got after actually interacting with Olivia. That may have been an even greater trigger for the divorce. Cheating is one thing, but learning that your spouse is deliberately abusing a child they only brought home to exploit for the benefit of their “real” daughter is an entirely different beast.
Olivia did not choose to be born a bastard. She did not choose to come to the duchy. He could have sent her away, adopted her out to other people, or raised her at a different estate. The entire situation was solely caused by the Duke, but how convenient for him that everyone including his kids were more than happy to blame the child instead of him. I feel like he just rolled with it so he wouldn’t have to own up to the reality that everything was/is his fault.
Since they had no decent adult guidance it’s not surprising that her brothers were poisoned by the tidal waves of malice directed at Olivia from every direction at any given time. However, they are old enough to have matured and recognized reality. The fact that they haven’t, and go out of their way to show cruelty to someone who is essentially suffering in Estella’s place is beyond the pale. It’s honestly sadistic at this point. Who sends back vital aid supplies in wartime because they don’t like the sender?! It just shows the level of immaturity, self centeredness, and unwarranted hatred.
Estella is also at fault, though everyone else contributed to the mess by keeping her in the dark about something so publicly “known” that there was no way she wouldn’t hear about it eventually. She heard something terrible about a person who has always been kind and loving towards her from someone she knows to be duplicitious and malicious. She immediately believed her words without any investigation and spit poison at Olivia. I think Estella is going to be devastated and horrified when she learns the actual details of her mother’s death because she is going to recognize who was actually at fault while Olivia is constantly and unjustly punished for it.
The prince and Ethel are angry and frustrated that they can’t marry, but Olivia makes a much easier target that the Emperor, Empress, and Duke who are the actual reason the engagement can’t be called off. Both of them clearly consider Olivia to be inferior. Ethel was outraged when she was called a mistress, but that is genuinely all she will ever be. It’s clear that the emperor and Empress are insistent on forcing a marital alliance with the duchy (which they apparently can’t refuse). Even if Olivia runs away, the fiancée slot will be passed to Estella, still rendering Ethel nothing more than a mistress. That would be much more difficult for the prince and Ethel because the Duke would actually start pressuring them to treat her appropriately as a fiancée. Ethel’s family would probably get smacked by the duchy’s power. I honestly don’t understand why if the empress constantly makes threats about taking Estella if Olivia doesn’t measure up, the Duke hasn’t found her a good fiancée to get engaged or married off to so she’s safe from palace machinations. If Estella was unable to marry the prince it’s likely that they would find yet another fiancée from a powerful family (basically not Ethel’s).
The prince takes Olivia’s feelings for granted while openly mistreating her. He knows that he can do whatever he wants to her without complaint or condemnation from the ducal family or the public at large. Olivia is powerless to call off the engagement, but she’s easier to condemn and blame than the actual architects, his parents