Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1045

Although the authorities hadn't been alerted, the truth had already been uncovered through Rowan's investigation and Giles' admission. The only remaining question was whether the Marquis of Ironridge and Margaret had known about Emma's actions and chosen to cover for her.

The entire scheme had indeed been orchestrated by Emma, with Giles and several of her trusted maids tasked with carrying it out.

The reason behind it was simple—Emma knew her time was running out.

Around this same time, Leopold had told her he planned to take another secondary wife to manage the household. He had already chosen the candidate: Flora, who had recently entered the household as a concubine.

In other words, Leopold had intended to marry her as his secondary wife from the start. While secondary wives were technically concubines, they held a higher status than common concubines as they were still rightful wives.

When Leopold spoke of Flora, he had admiration in his eyes. He mentioned that her father was a scholar and that she was a well-mannered, cultured woman who would be perfect to manage the household.

After inquiring more about Flora, Emma learned that she was young and beautiful. She had once been engaged, but her fiancé had died, leaving her unmarried well into her twenties.

Emma was deeply familiar with Leopold, so she immediately declared that Flora was unlucky and couldn't bear the title of secondary wife. If he truly liked her, he should just take her as a concubine, not a rightful wife.

Leopold was well aware of the objections raised by Emma, and he understood that her words were her way of blocking Flora's entry as a secondary wife. Yet, despite this opposition, Leopold couldn't deny his feelings. After much consideration, he ultimately decided to marry Flora anyway.

The night Flora entered the household, Emma's condition worsened. She felt a deep sense of despair, realizing that after so many years of marriage, there was no longer any affection between her and Leopold. Naturally, she began to plot for the future of her own children.

After Flora entered the household, Leopold stayed in her room nearly every night. It wasn't long before she became pregnant.

Emma had been managing the household for years, so she had deep connections both inside and outside the estate. Because she had experienced a miscarriage before, she was well-acquainted with the physician who dealt with gynecological issues. After a bribe of five hundred silver coins, the pregnancy supplement was quietly swapped for Redroot Restorative.