I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13
“So her name is Claire.”
The storm clouds retreated, and moonlight seeped through the curtains, illuminating the study.
Gregory, who had been standing by the window lost in thought, let out a low chuckle.
“With such a striking resemblance, the fabricated identity proves utterly useless.”
The study. On the desk at its center lay the documents Claire had submitted when applying as a maid.
“How intriguing.”
He approached the desk and lifted the papers. Eighteen years old. Nearly of age.
“Her appearance is entirely Veronica’s, yet I wonder if her father’s features shine through as well.”
Gregory drew a candle near and set the documents ablaze. It took mere seconds for the false identity to crumble into ash.
“Bender.”
He crushed some of the ash between his fingers as he summoned the Head Butler.
“Yes, sir.”
The Head Butler lay flat on the ground, cold sweat beading his brow.
“Sir?”
Gregory’s lips curved into a chilling smile as he slowly turned his gaze toward Bender. His dark eyes gleamed with menace.
“Your master is not me. It is House Voltier.”
Gregory stepped closer, stopping directly before Bender. The Head Butler’s body trembled, yet he kept his eyes fixed on the floor as he spoke.
“Y-yes. My apologies.”
Bender laughed obsequiously, attempting to appease him.
Gregory regarded him with emotionless eyes and opened his mouth.
“I sent you to care for Isabella well. Yet what I’ve heard of her circumstances strays far from those instructions.”
At this, Bender lifted his head as if aggrieved.
“That is—!”
Before Bender could utter an excuse, Gregory’s icy gaze forced him to seal his lips once more.
“Bender.”
A quiet voice filled the study.
“What you think of my brother is none of my concern. However.”
The man’s face remained shrouded in shadow, yet his eyes gleamed like a predator’s in the darkness.
Bender barely suppressed his trembling as he listened intently.
“Should you attempt to harm House Voltier itself out of some ancient grudge.”
Gregory leaned forward. His navy hair, bound in a single knot, slipped smoothly across Bender’s cheek.
“You will not leave this Castle alive.”
“I-I apologize. From tomorrow onward, I shall handle matters properly so as not to trouble you further.”
Gregory nodded lightly and dismissed him.
Silence returned to the study.
He gathered the remaining ash from the desk and scattered it out the window—a gesture as solemn as dispersing bone dust.
“I had intended to release you, yet fate has brought you back to this place. Perhaps this too is destiny.”
Gray smoke drifted through the pale moonlight before vanishing without a trace. Gregory watched it disappear with dimmed eyes, then closed the window.
* * *
The sky was unusually clear today, as if the aftermath of yesterday’s heavy downpour had washed it clean.
The scent of wet earth lingered in the crisp air, and the trees swayed gently in the breeze—a moment of perfect peace.
“Nnnngh!”
If not for Theodore’s convulsions.
“Forgive me. Please hold on just a bit longer.”
The moment Claire, having expertly restrained him, confirmed that Theodore’s eyes were clearing and was about to release her grip—
“Theodore?”
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Gregory’s voice.
“Theodore? Are you awake?”
The instant Claire and Theodore heard Gregory’s voice, their eyes met.
Claire quickly tidied the disheveled bed and furniture from the convulsion, while Theodore rose and checked his appearance.
Once Theodore nodded to signal he was ready, Claire opened the door.
“Uncle.”
“Ah, you’re already awake.”
Gregory entered the room with a warm smile, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Theodore. How have you been?”
“Well, Uncle, thanks to you. I heard you returned yesterday.”
“Yes, it was late at night, so I postponed my greeting until this morning.”
Gregory approached Theodore’s side and regarded him with a look of concern.
“My, you still don’t look well. Please, sit comfortably.”
Seeing Gregory settle Theodore onto the bed, Claire brought him a chair to sit in as well.
“Thank you.”
As Gregory sat in the chair she had brought, he smiled warmly at Claire.
It was a smile as beautiful as a painting, yet for some reason, it sent a chill down Claire’s spine.
‘There’s something unsettling about that man, just looking at him.’
Pulse. Breathing. Temperature.
All the signs of a perfectly healthy person. And yet, there were moments when she sensed something strange emanating from him.
“Uncle.”
“Yes, Theodore.”
“I’m relieved to see you looking so well. I have something I’m curious about—may I ask?”
“Of course.”
Gregory nodded readily.
“I’d like to know why Isabella is in the Annex.”
‘Finally, he asks.’
Claire’s ears perked up.
“I thought you might ask that.”
Gregory, his face full of affection, patted the back of Theodore’s hand.
“I apologize for not telling you sooner. There are two reasons. The first is that Isabella wished it.”
“Bella did?”
“Yes, she was having difficulty adjusting to convent life. And second, since I plan to stay in the Estate for a while, I sent her down early to help her acclimate.”
“But I cannot fathom the treatment Isabella received.”
Well said.
Claire found herself in agreement with Theodore’s words.
“That child was left abandoned in the Annex, and from what I gather, she was even deprived of basic provisions and meals.”
At this, Gregory’s voice softened with a note of regret.
“I am truly sorry for that. I was informed that several servants behaved abnormally. I have dismissed all the staff from the Annex, so such things will not happen again.”
Spoken in the gentle, measured tone one might use to soothe a child, Theodore accepted the words without resistance, nodding obediently.
“Yes, Uncle. I trust your word.”
The warm conversation continued for a time, and before long, Gregory rose and departed from the room.
Claire waited until his presence had completely vanished from the doorway before turning to face Theodore with a subtle nod.
“Claire.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“I fear I have been foolish all this while.”
His expression grew bitter as he gazed toward the door through which Gregory had exited.
Now that my madness had subsided and my mind had grown clear, speaking with Gregory made one truth unmistakably evident.
‘My uncle conceals much from me.’
Though he spoke with the facade of a benevolent elder, his words held no substance whatsoever.
Bender, the Head Butler who orchestrated everything, alone escaped punishment, and his closest associates remained unscathed.
‘Bender is my uncle’s instrument—an extension of his very will.’
Though the immediate threats and cruelties might cease, without eliminating the source, all of this amounted to nothing more than a fleeting deception.
“Claire.”
“Yes.”
“There is something I must tell you.”
There is no longer reason to conceal the truth. I resolved to lay bare my circumstances to Claire without reservation.
‘I cannot hide the truth from one who chose to remain by my side. If she wishes to leave after hearing everything, I must let her go.’
Though I steeled myself for this moment, Claire’s expression grew noticeably darker.
‘Surely he is not about to dismiss me again?’
Whether or not Theodore perceived Claire’s anxiety, he spoke with grave solemnity.
“Are you aware that House Voltier is a family blessed with supernatural abilities?”
Claire nodded readily. She recalled Angela had briefly explained this to her before she entered House Voltier’s service.
‘House Voltier has inherited these abilities across generations, but since only the Count at the Border currently possesses them, I need not concern myself with that matter.’
Supernatural abilities.
Just as the beastkin possessed a power called ‘Ferocity’ that enhanced their bodies, humans too possessed transcendent abilities known as ‘supernatural gifts’.
Not all humans possessed them—they were a form of blessing passed down only to a chosen few.
‘House Voltier is said to be one of the Four Great Houses, particularly renowned for their formidable supernatural gifts.’
“Yes, I am aware.”
“I have come to suspect that the supernatural gift passed down through our bloodline may be the source of my madness.”
“Your supernatural gift?”
Theodore paused briefly, then lifted his hand to touch his own hair. The coarse, ash-grey strands whispered softly beneath his fingertips.
“There is an ancient legend passed down through House Voltier: those born with ashen hair are destined to wield extraordinarily powerful supernatural gifts.”
“Ash grey.”
At those words, Claire gazed quietly at Theodore’s hair, which resembled storm clouds.
“Yes, ash grey. That’s why everyone held such expectations when I was born, but even after I turned ten, my abilities never manifested.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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