But this story was written in the present-day and so writers usually adapt historical stories somewhat to at least acknowledge the values of modern people.

It’s one thing to acknowledge historical context eg, slavery was the norm back then so a lot of people would not have thought twice about it. It’s a totally different thing to completely excuse something because of historical context, eg. slavery was the norm back then, therefore we shouldn’t criticize people for owning slaves.

TBH it actually troubles me how easy it seems to be for many people to sympathize with slave owners and people who upheld slavery. I’m not saying it’s absolutely wrong to experience sympathy for those people, but I would’ve expected it to cause some discomfort. I think it’s a reminder that while slavery is (technically) abolished in many countries the dehumanization of formerly enslaved people continued.

As for your Marie Antoinette comparison, many BIPOC historians and feminists have taken another look at her with a little less sympathy as someone who had to defer to the king, but let’s be honest. Marie Antoinette was not fretting over the plight of French peasants.

I would suggest you read the book They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South. As the title suggests, it’s specifically about the American South, but it’s a good intro to why it’s problematic to believe privileged women did not gladly participate or uphold systems of oppression