I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 24

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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 24
‘Has consciousness returned?’
Claire regarded Theodore with suspicion as his movements stilled. His hand had moved unnaturally. His face hung vacant, doll-like.
‘Not yet. But at least I’ve prevented the Mansion from collapsing.’
Though I couldn’t fathom why he’d stopped, I chose to find solace in the time I’d gained. Gregory, however, seemed displeased at the interruption of his long-awaited moment, his brow furrowing.
“Don’t interfere with Theodore. Do you understand how crucial this moment is?”
“You dare speak the Young Master’s name while clinging to the power of the dead?”
At those words, Gregory’s expression softened into an artificial smile.
“It was all for Theodore’s sake. To make him a true Voltier.”
Claire clicked her tongue. Pressing her hand against the bleeding wound at her side, she pushed herself upright.
“The Young Master was already a true Voltier.”
Theodore Voltier.
For me, defining him required no consideration of supernatural abilities. Whether strong or weak, exceptional or ordinary—I believed Theodore’s essence remained unchanged.
“Are you so remarkable that you can define what it means to be Voltier?”
The man before me had narrowed Voltier’s worth to a single criterion: supernatural power.
“In my eyes, you’re nothing but a petulant fool who resorts to malice whenever things don’t bend to your will. Arrogantly so.”
Even I, who had lived only in the Forest, understood that the world didn’t revolve around one’s desires. Yet Gregory sought to manipulate both human hearts and supernatural abilities to suit his taste.
‘A completely twisted person.’
His eyes, now devoid of warmth, fixed upon me. A profound emptiness emanated from those unusually dark pupils.
“Arrogant?”
Gregory’s black eyes deepened further. As if the void within his pupils had consumed his irises, there remained no light in his gaze whatsoever.
“Arrogance is a word reserved for those whose actions exceed their station.”
As his eyes transformed completely, his hair began to undulate. Without a breeze, Gregory’s locks moved of their own accord, flowing like they swam through water.
‘Is that the power of the dead?’
While I observed him intently, the Knights lurking in the corner exchanged hurried glances as they eavesdropped on our exchange.
From the moment Theodore awakened House Voltier’s power, the plan to elevate Gregory as the next Count had crumbled to dust. More fundamentally, the problem lay in Gregory’s complete disinterest in the position itself.
“Gregory! Why!”
A Middle-aged Man cried out toward Gregory, his expression one of bewilderment.
“Didn’t you promise us a new Voltier! We—”
Whoosh.
A faint sound, like pages turning in a book, whispered through the air. In that same instant, the Middle-aged Man’s head rolled across the stone floor, his words forever unfinished.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
The other Knights screamed at their comrade’s death, but their cries were equally brief. With those final shrieks, they too departed from this world. Only Theodore and I remained unscathed in this place.
‘He deliberately avoided striking us.’
I watched clearly as his hair, moving like a living creature, pierced through the Stone Floor and rose to sever the Knights’ necks. This was the same power that had attacked me earlier.
“Well, the nuisances are gone now. Shall we continue where we left off? If you suffer a bit more, Theodore will surely find his strength, won’t he?”
I checked my side. The wound that had reopened had already stopped bleeding.
‘Can I do this?’
Could I overcome Gregory and escape with my injured body? I couldn’t be certain.
‘Well, I have no choice but to try. This time, I won’t let my guard down.’
Her gaze sharpened.
* * *
“Theodore.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
A memory from before Theodore’s affliction took hold.
The phantom of that day—holding Ludwig’s hand as I left my father’s tomb. It was a funeral, though I understood that few mourned his passing.
‘Good that he’s dead.’
That’s what people whispered. They spoke freely before the young Theodore about how the blemish upon House Voltier had finally vanished.
“Are you alright?”
The funeral procession dressed in black. I gazed blankly at that sight, like a march of tiny ants. There was nothing sweet about it, yet how had so many people gathered?
“I’m fine.”
My feelings were strange, but not sorrowful, so I answered obediently. It was also because I’d noticed Ludwig’s shoulders sagging unusually.
“Count Voltier.”
At the call from behind, we turned. There stood Gregory.
‘Huh?’
I rubbed my eyes. Among all these ants, Gregory was different. Something larger and more ferocious. Dressed in black and camouflaged among the ants, but looking closely, what protruded beneath the formal wear wasn’t human feet at all….
“A spider?”
The moment I spoke, I was already caught in its web. Ludwig, whose hand I’d been holding, vanished without a trace. Gregory gazed with delight at the child’s face turning pale with panic.
“Oh dear. Now you’re alone, Theodore.”
Gregory approached slowly.
“U-Uncle.”
A gloved hand gently cupped my cheek.
“You must become Voltier. Don’t be so weak—you must become Voltier.”
“Ugh.”
I whimpered. The skin beneath Gregory’s touch burned and stung.
“Uncle, it hurts! It hurts so much!”
“You must become Voltier. You must become Voltier. You must become Voltier. You must become Voltier.”
No matter how much I begged to be released, Gregory repeated the same words like a broken toy. Tears welled up in my eyes.
‘I’m going to die like this. I’ll burn away in Uncle’s hands and die.’
It was in that moment.
Thud.
A quilt fell carelessly from the void and caught in the web. A thick, white cotton quilt. It was something familiar.
“A quilt?”
‘Forgive my rudeness.’
Suddenly, a vision appeared. A woman with deep pink hair apologizing nonchalantly as she rolled me up in the quilt—such an absurd vision.
‘Is it really a vision?’
My stomach churned. I became certain it wasn’t a vision. I squeezed my eyes shut, ignoring Gregory before me, and rolled my head.
‘I have to remember. I have to remember who she is.’
Perhaps my desperation reached through. The vision became increasingly vivid. Pink hair. Light brown eyes. Hands covered in calluses. Fluffy brown ears.
“Theodore!”
Someone called out his name. The moment he recognized that familiar voice, his eyes blazed with life.
‘Ah, I understand now.’
Claire.
The name of the person he’d forgotten was Claire. The instant he realized this, he awoke from the nightmare.
“Claire!”
Gasping for breath like someone jolting awake from a terrible dream, he searched for Claire.
‘Wounds, she must be wounded.’
Finding her didn’t take long. The moment he turned his head, he saw Gregory and Claire. And when Theodore confirmed their presence, his eyes shifted from concern to bewilderment.
In the corner of the dark room, Claire had Gregory by the hair.
* * *
Hair that moved like a living creature. What was the most effective way to suppress something with such tremendous speed and destructive force?
‘Simple. Stop it before it moves.’
Claire gritted her teeth. She’d rushed in despite the wounds accumulating on her body just to seize his hair, and the injuries multiplied rapidly.
‘I’ve lost too much blood. At this rate, it’s going to be close.’
Barely clinging to consciousness as dizziness threatened to overwhelm her, a welcome voice rang out.
“Claire!”
‘Ah, Young Master.’
Theodore had regained consciousness and was looking toward her. The moment she saw him, Claire’s eyes came alive.
“Now!”
At Claire’s cry, Theodore reflexively reached out his hand. He didn’t even know what he intended to do. He only felt the tingling sensation at his fingertips, the heightened awareness. The world that had been colorless suddenly became vivid, as if reality itself had gained hue.
‘This is my ability.’
He knew how to use it without anyone teaching him.
A deafening crack.
A section of the wall and floor was torn away entirely. The jagged fragments, as if guided by will, avoided Claire and struck Gregory directly.
‘It’s certainly formidable.’
Claire released Gregory’s limp hair and stepped back, surveying her surroundings. Through the gaping hole in the ceiling, the night sky was clearly visible.
“Is it finished?”
At Theodore’s murmur, still unable to fully suppress his exhilaration, Claire stared at Gregory, crushed beneath the debris like he’d been buried under a stone tomb. Her eyes narrowed.
‘Something feels unfinished about this.’
Claire recalled Gregory just before Theodore’s attack. Despite the manifestation of the ability he’d so desperately desired, the man was eerily silent. His eyes were vacant, as if his consciousness wasn’t present. It felt like facing a doll rather than a person.
“Young Master.”
But her thoughts on the matter didn’t linger long.
“Claire?”
Theodore turned at her call, his face draining of color. Claire was looking toward him with an expressionless face, slowly tilting to one side.
“I’m losing consciousness.”
As the tension drained from her blood-soaked body, her strength vanished in an instant.
Thud.
Darkness.

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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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