I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 15

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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 15
Claire couldn’t dodge away for fear of being discovered by Isabella, so she barely managed to stifle a groan.
‘This foul-tempered bird.’
Veins bulged across her forehead, but the bird shamelessly continued preening its feathers on the windowsill as if nothing had happened.
‘This creature only causes trouble for me every single time.’
Judging by this temperament, the bird was undoubtedly Angela’s messenger pigeon, Dolph. Claire rubbed her stinging forehead and unfurled the small scroll tied around the bird’s leg. Inside was a brief cipher that she and Angela had devised together.
[Mission Complete / Returning / Meeting Requested]
Three time slots were written within.
‘Hmm, I wonder if I can slip away.’
Claire hesitated for a moment. Leaving the raccoon siblings in the wolf’s den felt uncomfortable, but without a reliable source of information, it would be a shame to miss this opportunity.
Peck.
Dolph pecked at Claire’s finger as if urging her to hurry with her response.
‘This bird’s temperament really is….’
Ignoring the obstinate creature, Claire selected one of the three options and made a small hole with her fingernail. The tiny folded note was tied back to Dolph’s leg.
Chirp.
Dolph let out a low cry as if reproaching her slowness, then took flight.
“Claire? Is something outside?”
Claire watched to ensure Dolph escaped safely before answering.
“No, just an insect. It’s gone now.”
When Claire turned away from the window, her forehead was marked with a small, coin-sized red welt.
“Did an insect bite you?!”
Watching Isabella’s alarm at the suspicious mark, Claire thought to herself.
‘Damned bird. Next time we meet, I’ll pluck every last feather.’
* * *
“Claire, is the work manageable?”
Angela asked with a worried expression, watching as Claire stuffed a mountain of food into her mouth and nodded.
“It’s not difficult.”
They met a week after receiving the letter, at an inn in town.
‘I almost arrived late.’
Claire recalled the situation from hours earlier. From the moment she left the Count’s Estate with Theodore’s permission, she’d been followed. Shaking off a tail was child’s play for her, but the problem was that Claire had taken work as an ordinary maid.
‘A blow to the back of the neck would have been fastest.’
In the end, she’d spent time blending naturally into the crowd, which made her cutting it close for the appointment.
“Was there any trouble? That Young Master has such a terrible reputation. Do you know how much I worried about you the entire mission?”
Angela grumbled while picking the meat from a bone and placing it on Claire’s plate.
“The Young Master is actually quite docile. His mannerisms are even cute, like a young raccoon.”
Angela’s eyes widened at those words.
“What’s this? You’ve actually taken a liking to him?”
She regarded Claire anew. She’d worried about the girl who’d only ever lived in the forest suddenly working, but Claire seemed to be adapting well.
‘This is somehow touching.’
Angela continued speaking while holding back the unexpected warmth rising in her eyes.
“The Young Master’s madness is one thing, but his father had such a terrible reputation. I was worried he might have inherited it, but it seems my concern was unfounded.”
“Huh?”
Claire dropped the lamb ribs she had just lifted to her mouth.
‘Whose reputation was terrible?’
She had been deliberating on when to ask Angela about Gregory, but instead, Angela brought up the parents of the raccoon siblings first.
“What’s with that expression? You didn’t review the documents properly, did you?”
Claire, looking caught, averted her gaze.
“I left the paperwork at home when I went to the Mansion.”
“I told you to review it thoroughly before going!”
Claire finally received a sharp slap on her back and pouted her lips. Angela shook her stinging hand to cool it as she spoke.
“That Young Master’s father was a notorious scoundrel.”
“…A scoundrel?”
A brief silence fell. Claire froze at the completely unexpected word.
“Yes, such a scoundrel that you’d wonder how someone like that could come from under Ludwig Voltier. He had no power but plenty of inferiority complex. He vented that inferiority and stress by tormenting the servants, so he had enemies everywhere.”
Claire’s mouth went dry with shock. She lifted a water glass with trembling hands to her lips.
“The one who suffered the most harassment was probably Gregory Voltier, the Count’s adopted son.”
“Gregory…?”
Before she could even take a sip, another bombshell revelation hit. Claire gave up on drinking and lowered her glass.
“He had no power either, but since he wasn’t the Count’s blood relative, there was no problem with that. Moreover, he was extremely kind to both servants and the people of the Estate, so he was quite popular. That’s probably why he was tormented even more.”
Claire sat speechless, unable to find words to respond.
‘What does this even mean?’
Claire had planned to discuss with Angela how to rescue the raccoon siblings from their predicament.
“That’s why, despite being adopted, more people hope Gregory becomes the next Count rather than the Young Master…”
But as she listened, something felt off. There seemed to be something tattered and vicious between Gregory and Theodore.
“The reason I approved your job was because Gregory is supposed to be at the Convent for now. I thought you wouldn’t run into him at least until winter when your work is done.”
‘But he’s already returned.’
Claire nodded with a bitter expression.
“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”
Sensing something odd in her demeanor, Angela leaned in closer and asked.
“Are you really sure everything’s fine? You don’t have any concerns?”
Faced with Angela’s kindness, Claire briefly considered whether to confess the situation honestly. Given her profession as a mercenary who naturally became entangled with people of various stations, her information network would certainly be helpful.
“If problems arise or something seems off, quit immediately. Don’t get involved in such matters. Especially not in anything dirty related to succession disputes.”
Seeing the slight tremor in her expression, Claire answered obediently.
“I know. It’s just that the Young Master and the young lady are so innocent, contrary to the rumors, that I couldn’t help but worry.”
She fidgeted with her utensils as if lost in thought. Normally, she would have agreed with Angela and withdrawn gracefully, but this time she was reluctant to back down so easily.
‘It’s a rare opportunity to gather information.’
Claire withdrew her hand from the utensils and carefully broached the subject as she looked at Angela.
“But Angela, could you possibly… investigate one thing for me?”
* * *
Before parting ways outside the Dining Hall, the two women exchanged one final glance.
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’ll do what I can, but you know I need to be careful, right?”
“I know.”
Angela, who had been facing Claire with a somewhat bittersweet expression, turned to leave before pausing as if remembering something, and whispered.
“Oh! No one’s found out you’re a beastkin, right? Things have been so unsettling lately.”
Though beastkin, the native inhabitants of the continent, had been recognized as a minority long ago, discrimination still lingered in people’s eyes.
‘But I’m confident about that.’
Seeing the worry in Angela’s gaze, Claire puffed out her chest with assurance.
“Of course.”
For over ten years, I had lived restraining my beastkin instincts. My confidence was absolute.
“I’m good at hiding it.”
When people are asked to describe beastkin, they typically imagine humans with animal ears or tails attached.
But this is only half the truth. Most beastkin live in only two states: either completely human form or completely animal form.
In beastkin society, a form with only partial animalization was considered immature—the state unavoidably displayed by children still awkward in their human form, or weak individuals, or the imperfection that occurred in those with diluted blood like half-breeds.
‘Claire will never undergo full-body animalization. Her wild nature is strong, but her beastkin blood itself is diluted.’
Veronica had done everything to hide that Claire was a beastkin. She knew well what treatment awaited if it were discovered that she was of the beastkin race, already in a precarious position, and worse—a brown bear beastkin, notorious for their ferocity.
Fortunately, suppressing partial animalization was not difficult. The child with strong human blood found it far more comfortable to remain in human form, and as she aged, she became increasingly skilled at concealing her animal nature.
‘It’s a shame I can’t see those cute ears though.’
Ian often lamented this, but considering Claire’s future, this was the better path.
“Yes, you’ll do well.”
As Angela gave her shoulder a final pat and spoke, Claire nodded with confident assurance.
“I will.”
The last time she had revealed her animal ears was ten years ago, in the summer when she was eight.
‘As long as I do as I always have, there’s nothing to worry about.’
Or so she thought. Until the early summer of her eighteenth year.
Such was the audacity of one who did not know what the future held.

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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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