I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 26

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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 26
Theodore averted his gaze from Ludwig’s penetrating stare and offered an explanation.
“I was simply resting for a moment.”
“On the floor?”
“My legs gave out.”
Theodore rose unsteadily from his position with a vague answer. Claire regarded him with an expression of disbelief.
‘I was careless. I thought he’d grown stronger, but he’s still as fragile as paper.’
Since Theodore had already fabricated an excuse, it would be absurd for her to confess that she had struck him. In the end, Claire deliberately turned her attention toward Ludwig, as though the incident had never occurred.
‘Enormous.’
He was a man whose robust frame warranted the description of being powerfully built.
His stature exceeded that of most adult men by a full head—taller even than Claire, who stood well above average. Though well past sixty, Ludwig’s musculature remained taut beneath his garments, as though threatening to burst through the fabric itself.
‘Judging by his appearance alone, bare-handed combat must be his specialty.’
A competitive gleam ignited in Claire’s eyes. Ludwig, recognizing that spark in her gaze, raised one eyebrow.
“I offer my respects, Count Voltier. I am Claire, the direct attendant of Young Master Theodore.”
As Claire composed her expression and bowed, Ludwig lifted her up and responded.
“That’s enough. It seems you already know who I am.”
The elderly man nodded and approached the bedside. Isabella gazed anxiously between Ludwig and Claire.
“Um, Grandfather. About Claire…”
Before Theodore could continue, Ludwig silenced him with a light gesture and suddenly bent at the waist.
“Oh!”
Isabella’s eyes widened. As Ludwig folded himself forward, the crown of his head came fully into view—a sight no one in the Mansion had ever witnessed. Yet Claire’s expression remained utterly serene as she observed it.
“Thank you truly for saving the children. And I apologize for putting them through such hardship because of my own failings.”
At Ludwig’s solemn words, the shoulders of the raccoon siblings trembled. Claire glanced at the siblings once more, then spoke to Ludwig, who still held his head bowed.
“I accept your gratitude. But I don’t believe your apology is meant for me.”
Her voice was calm, devoid of accusation or anger. Yet Ludwig immediately grasped the meaning behind her words.
He raised his head and clumsily extended his hands, grasping Theodore’s and Isabella’s hands in turn. His weathered, calloused hands completely enveloped theirs.
“I’m sorry. I was foolish and destroyed everything. I made you both suffer.”
Claire observed the scene and nodded inwardly.
‘This is right.’
He had been deceived. He had been manipulated. Regardless of the circumstances, the wounds inflicted upon the raccoon siblings would not disappear. The children had never been protected; they had endured endless suffering. That truth remained immutable.
‘Young Master and Miss will eventually forgive him.’
The expressions of the two who held Ludwig’s hands appeared conflicted—resentful yet joyful. Yet despite their ever-shifting emotions, they did not release their clasped hands.
‘So family is… this, after all.’
Claire clenched her fist beneath the blanket, hidden from view. An inexplicable emptiness stirred within her.
“Claire, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
After exchanging words and resolving their emotions, the House Voltier members turned their attention to Claire simultaneously. Their identical blue eyes seemed particularly vivid.
“Tell me what you desire. Anything at all—money, rare jewels, the Mansion itself. I will repay you with whatever you wish. If you wish to leave this place at once, I will provide travel expenses.”
At Ludwig’s words, the raccoon siblings’ mouths fell open.
‘Leave?’
They gazed anxiously at Ludwig’s lips, dreading what they might say next. If Claire decided to depart, there would be no way to stop her.
‘I’ve already been through dangerous situations and even suffered injuries.’
Theodore bit his lip hard.
‘But now that my abilities have awakened and I’ve learned how to grow stronger… if Claire leaves before I’ve given her anything in return, what will I do?’
However, when Claire saw the baby raccoons’ tails drooping, she answered firmly.
“I don’t need any particular reward. I was simply doing my job. I just wish to continue serving as Theodore’s maid.”
The season had already turned to summer. Soon enough, the time would come for hibernation.
‘Even if I left now, I’d only be preparing for winter sleep. It’s better to save money while working and leave when the time comes.’
Fortunately, I had found my first job, and it suited me well. Though the workplace had minor issues, this opportunity had resolved them.
‘So there’s no reason to leave early at all.’
I marveled at how I had become a perfect working member of society. Angela would surely have praised me if she knew.
However, Theodore seemed to have received the news differently, for his entire face had turned crimson.
“Are you running a fever?”
“…No.”
Ludwig observed the two of them for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. Then I shall defer the reward until you have need of something. If that is what you wish, you may continue freely.”
“Thank you.”
Claire felt relieved that she could continue at her ideal position. As she exhaled contentedly, something she had forgotten came to mind, and she opened her mouth slightly to ask.
“By the way, what became of him?”
House Voltier’s victory seemed certain, but the dazed demeanor Gregory had shown at the end of the battle bothered me. At Claire’s question, Ludwig’s expression darkened.
“I shall answer that.”
Emilia, the Count’s adjutant, stepped forward into the silence.
“Gregory’s corpse has vanished.”
“His corpse?”
“Yes, only traces of an ominous black liquid remained. It is likely residue from his ability.”
Claire’s brow furrowed.
‘Did he escape without dying?’
That composed attitude he maintained until the end—was it because he had an escape route prepared?
“The details are still under investigation. However, this phenomenon did not occur only here. At the very moment Gregory’s form disappeared, a Knight’s body melted away at the Border.”
“An ability?”
“The investigators believe it to be the same ability.”
An unsettling feeling. Though all the servants who had rebelled had been purged and the restructuring under Ludwig’s command was complete, Gregory’s damp shadow seemed to linger somewhere in the darkness.
Whether aware of Claire’s unease or not, Emilia continued with a reassuring smile.
“We are continuing the investigation, so the truth will soon come to light. When it does, I shall inform you of exactly what transpired.”
Claire reluctantly nodded.
‘I also need to find out how Gregory knew about my father.’
She decided she had to meet Angela.
* * *
Leaving Claire in her room, the Voltier family stepped out into the Garden. The Garden, which had been the site of the recent commotion, was in disarray with trees uprooted and earth scattered in patches.
Ludwig cleared away an ancient tree blocking the path with his ability as he spoke.
“We must capture Claire.”
The gleam of a master warrior’s eyes. An inner resolve as steadfast as a pine tree. He had never seen a child so remarkably capable.
“Pardon?”
Theodore asked blankly, and Ludwig, turning back, placed a hand on his shoulder.
“There is no child more perfect than her to be the mistress of House Voltier.”
Status, bloodline—none of it mattered. She was the brilliant light that had saved House Voltier from the dark clouds of annihilation. Ludwig had no intention of letting her slip away.
Behind Theodore, who blinked in disbelief at his own ears, Isabella stood with a serious expression, her hand resting thoughtfully on her chin.
‘If I marry my brother, Claire will stay here, won’t she? Then I can keep seeing Claire!’
Soon Isabella’s eyes began to sparkle. She suddenly embraced Theodore’s waist and spoke.
“I would love it if Claire became family!”
In her eyes, which shone with blind enthusiasm, the image of Claire in a wedding dress was already taking shape. Though it did sound rather like Theodore was the one being carried like a princess, such minor details hardly mattered.
“Besides, the Young Master bears such a striking resemblance to the Count in his youth, with such beautiful features, that it should not be difficult at all.”
Even Emilia chimed in with encouragement. Theodore gazed blankly at the three of them before nodding with firm resolve.
“I will do my best.”
Claire delighted at the sight of a frisier. Claire happy eating salmon. Claire cunningly overturning the chessboard. Every moment of her flashed before his eyes.
‘If only I could remain by Claire’s side until the very end.’
The helpless madman was nowhere to be found now. A determined raccoon looked up at the sky. The summer sky was perfectly clear, without a single dark cloud. House Voltier began to burn brilliantly with a single purpose.

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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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