The words were said to the ghost of her seemingly dead childhood-friend fiancee.

This scene happened some time after she agreed to marry someone she didn't like, someone who even tried to take advantage of her before getting married, only to ultimately scheme their family out of money to save her brother.

The scheming FL who is willing to use her reputation and even in extreme circumstances be alone and unable to marry for the rest of her life for the sake of saving her brother's life, and the FL after falling in love is just different. She's literally dragged around because of differences in status, she still lets her guard down around others, literally acceping favors from people who want to help her in her unfavorable situation to then use it to threaten her, she still accepts and her fate can basically be determined at the drop of a hat.

Then she gets her emotions manipulated because somebody got himself probably deliberately punished for her mistakes to then make her feel guilty for him.

The scheming aunt is scheming because she wants to have more, she needs more, justifying it by saying "for my son, for my daughter", while the children's relationship is actually quite good and they don't wish for their mother's 'good intentions'. One of the princes is arrogant and forceful for the sake of being arrogant and forceful?

I suppose him threatening her for the sake of obtaining more of her feelings even though he knows she already has somebody in her heart, could be justified if he was slowly falling for her? (no)