tbh she is a decent match for him under the correct circumstances. Having a good speech, a high ambition and great potential in politics, she would be great at dealing with external affairs as well as be being beneficial to the inner workings of the territory, combined with MC's appraisal to...
A general goes out with an overwhelming army, powerful mages, and a hero to capture a small castle town. The hero got killed along with their mages, the army was soundly defeated with major losses and the general even was spared, only loosing a hand as a warning. THAT is a black mark on a record...
I'm glad this was picked up, not many stories out there with the premise that humans are the pets/food in the world and stays in the perspective of a pet rather than joining a rebellion.
she does know, and she wants it that way, less attention on her and makes Rachel look better, more likely to become queen and with a less shiny record it would be easier for her to leave.
not sure if you understand the plot or not, but the reason why she encounters all these scumbags is because they pissed off someone to the point of hiring her.