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“Is the rumor really that outrageous?” Violet frowned. “It wasn’t a few doses. There were just laxatives in the pregnancy supplement she was taking.”
At that moment, Rowan walked up and added, “That concubine who lost the baby had been taking medicine to promote blood circulation and reduce stasis. But the medicine was switched out a while ago.”
Violet and Sophie both reached out for Rowan’s arm at the same time. “Who told you this? Tell us everything.”
–
Sebastian’s apprentices were well-connected in the capital’s medical circle and quick to catch wind of any news.
As the controversy surrounding the workshop and Jessica grew louder, many in the medical community began to gossip. They questioned how a single dose of laxatives could lead to a miscarriage.
One person muttered, “She’s been drinking Redroot Restorative all along, and that’s meant to stimulate blood circulation. That stuff can be dangerous, potentially causing excessive bleeding if taken in excess. How could she not lose the baby?”
The gossip spread quickly, reaching Rowan’s ears. Naturally, he investigated further. It didn’t take long before he found out that the person who had spoken was Aaron Hawthorne’s apprentice. Aaron was the personal physician to the Marquis of Ironridge’s family, although he also ran his own small clinic and had several apprentices.
Rowan dug deeper and discovered that Aaron, under someone’s orders, had been sending a special blend of herbs to Ironridge Estate every day. The mix included a small amount of Redroot, combined with other herbs, all masked with dried fruits to hide the taste.
At Glimmering Tower, a middle-aged man with a few strands of gray in his hair was speaking to Luke about the marquis’ household.
“If not for Jessica’s interference, Lady Emma wouldn’t have passed away so suddenly. She was so upset. Since she entered the marquis’ household, Jessica made things difficult for her at every turn. Her life was full of grievances, and at such a young age, she fell ill and passed away. It was heartbreaking for us servants to see,” he said, his voice still carrying bitterness.
Luke listened, his expression impassive. He looked up, his voice cool as he asked, “I heard Lady Emma lost a child last year. Is that true?”
Still lost in his feelings, Giles instinctively nodded. He was about to speak when he suddenly realized what he had done.
At that moment, Sophie and Violet walked through the door.
His eyes widening with surprise, Giles immediately stood up and bowed. “Greetings, Your Grace.”
Sophie studied him for a moment before smiling. “Giles, please sit.”
He paused, clearly uncomfortable. “I dare not, Your Grace. I’ll stand and wait on you.”
“Please sit,” Sophie said warmly. “I’ve asked about you several times but never properly thanked you with a cup of coffee. That was rude of me.”
She sat down first, raising her eyes to look at him and gesturing to the chair across from her.
Giles instinctively glanced at the door, where he noticed a woman standing. He immediately recognized her-Violet from the Spencer family in Ebonflow, who had helped organize the workshop.
He hesitated, unsure whether to leave or remain. He stood with his hands hanging loosely at his sides, his face betraying uncertainty as he glanced at Luke, who remained silent.
Luke’s gaze was cool, as if to say, ‘You deceived me once. Don’t expect me to let it slide without a response.’
“If you prefer to stand, that’s fine. I have a few questions, and I hope you’ll help me with them,” Sophie spoke up, breaking the tension.
Giles bowed slightly. “Your Grace, please ask. If I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to find out for you.”
“You must know something about this. It has come to our attention that it was you who spread the rumors tarnishing Jessica’s reputation and the workshop’s name. I want to know why you did that and who gave you the order?” Sophie asked. Giles’s face drained of color, turning as pale as a sheet. His eyes widened in panic as he immediately denied it.
“Your Grace, where did you hear such things? I never did anything to harm the reputation of the workshop. There must be some misunderstanding.”
“There is no misunderstanding,”
Sophie replied coolly, her eyes sharp. “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer that question. But I have another one. After Lady Flora became pregnant, she was taking pregnancy supplements. However, somehow, that medicine was switched out with Redroot
Restorative. Do you know anything about this?”
Giles was visibly startled, his face full of disbelief. “How could that be? The pregnancy supplement was personally brewed by her mom. She has given birth before, so if anything had been added to the medicine, she would have known. And Redroot Restorative has such a strong taste-it’s impossible to hide.”
Sophie’s voice was filled with pointed meaning as she said, “If the dosage is small, the taste is mild. Otherwise, why would it take over a month for the effects to be seen? A stronger dose would have caused a miscarriage with just one use. And the person who brewed the medicine wasn’t Lady Flora’s mom. It was the other concubine in the household, Serena.
“Don’t bother denying it. I’ve already looked into it thoroughly. The Mystic Army has investigated the source of the herbs, the daily dosage, and how the leftover herbs were disposed of. If this were solely a matter of the Marquis of Ironridge’s family wouldn’t involve myself. However, since it involves the workshop, I can’t stay silent. So, tell me, Giles, do you want to escalate this or do you wish to handle it quietly?”
Giles remained silent, his mind racing. He was unsure how much Sophie truly knew and feared she might be bluffing.
Violet spoke up loudly, “What’s there to decide? Just present the evidence and report it to the authorities. Even if the culprit is dead, the deeds they committed still need to be accounted for.”
“No!” Giles suddenly dropped to his knees, panic flashing across his face. “This has nothing to do with Lady Emma! She’s already gone; we cannot disturb her spirit. Your Grace, please, it was all me. I did it all. I was also the one who spread the rumors about the workshop.”
Sophie’s gaze turned cold as she stared at him. “Ms. Spencer didn’t even mention Lady Emma, yet you’re in such a hurry to bring her up. I suppose it’s time for us to report it to the authorities.”
Giles pressed his head to the ground, his fear genuine. “Please, Your Grace! Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. If you want my life, I will gladly give it up without a word of complaint.”
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 fianc? 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.
Due to Flora’s discomfort during her pregnancy, her mom, Barbara, was called to stay with her. Meanwhile, Emma asked Serena to assist, taking responsibility for brewing the medicine.
The medicine was provided by the physician, and the kitchen staff was watching when it was brewed. After taking the medicine, Flora didn’t feel any significant discomfort. The physician visited daily and confirmed that the pregnancy was stable, so neither Flora nor Barbara had any reason to suspect anything.
At first, Jessica wasn’t involved in the whole scheme at all. However, after a few arguments between her and Barbara, Jessica instructed Serena to secretly administer a dose of laxatives to Barbara. Such a golden opportunity was not one Emma would let slip by.
Serena was in charge of administering and changing the medication. The dosage, carefully decided by the physician, was enough to cause Flora to miscarry and damage her health permanently.
Since Jessica became involved in this, Emma knew the only way to eliminate any future complications was to have her removed from the household. But Margaret was kind-hearted. When Flora miscarried, Jessica was not divorced or cast out.
Then came the incident of Serena being pushed into the lake. With both events Kappening together, Emma cried in front of Margaret.