
I'm rereading this, and now I'm confused. Neveah's mother is a maid, who abused her daughter. The same woman we saw still standing by her father's side. Neveah was shunned because she was born from a maid. Then, where did her sister come from? If they share the same parents, why was Neveah treated differently?

So Neveah is an illegitimate child and her younger sister is a legitimate one (which means she (younger sister is was a child born to parents who are legally married (The duke and duchess) to each other but Neveah was born outside of that marriage since she was born from a maid who was not married to her father the duke.) Both of the sisters are half-sisters since the only blood they share are their father the duke. They treat Neveah differently since she has the blood of a commoner hence her mother was a maid but also because she is an illegitimate child.
Just because you're 20 does not mean you can wander off alone in a place you're not familiar with. Not to mention, you're in the body of a female child. You can easily be overpowered. People often account age to maturity, but I'm also 20, and I still feel immature asf despite living on my own, working, and paying off my tuition.