I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 29

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

Chapter 29
“Count Voltier?”
Ludwig released his grip as he met Claire’s wavering gaze. The moment their contact broke, the luminescence faded from her eyes.
‘As I suspected.’
Ludwig’s expression darkened. He glanced around to ensure they were alone before speaking.
“Claire. Listen carefully and don’t be alarmed.”
“Yes?”
Ludwig lowered his posture and whispered softly.
“Are you aware that you possess an ability?”
“…An ability?”
Claire furrowed her brow as though hearing something absurd.
“No. That can’t be right.”
“Then you’ve never encountered anyone with an ability?”
“I haven’t…”
In that instant, images of Claire’s Father and Ian flashed through her mind.
The brilliant gleam in her father’s eyes when she was very young. She hadn’t understood its meaning then, lacking anyone to explain it, but the moment she saw Theodore’s eyes, she finally grasped what it meant.
“So you have.”
The old man’s blue eyes deepened. Seeing wariness settle across Claire’s features, he exhaled a heavy, prolonged breath.
“So Theodore wasn’t the only one to awaken his ability that day.”
It was a murmur, almost a sigh. After gazing at the ceiling for a moment, he turned his attention back to Claire.
“You may not realize it, but you possess an ability. However, it’s far from ordinary.”
Most abilities manifested as physical force upon objects—attacking with tangible elements like water or fire, or, as with House Voltier’s ability, transforming and moving things without direct contact. These were the typical cases.
“Spatial displacement, healing, mental manipulation. Those with special abilities rather than raw physical power are always coveted by greedy eyes.”
He clenched and unclenched his fist lightly.
“Your ability seems particularly exceptional among them.”
Claire continued to stare at him with an expression of incomprehension.
“What exactly is my ability? And how do you know this, Count Voltier?”
“I wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t sparred. Your ability is ability amplification.”
“Ability amplification?”
Ludwig’s expression grew complicated. Had he not become entangled with House Voltier, this was an ability she could have lived her entire life never knowing about.
‘I hope we haven’t become a dark cloud over this child’s life.’
The Empire’s citizens were obsessed with abilities, and those born with them pursued strength. If Claire’s ability became known to the masses, she would undoubtedly face tremendous upheaval.
“Yes. An amplification ability that increases the limit of a person’s ability by at least double upon contact. If it catches the eyes of the greedy, you won’t escape unscathed.”
At those words, Claire clicked her tongue and covered her face with one hand.
‘How troublesome.’
Such thoughts flooded her mind. Even so, Ludwig continued with a grave expression.
“I understand House Voltier bears much responsibility for your ability awakening. So House Voltier will do its utmost to provide protection and compensation…”
“That’s enough.”
Claire cut him off and spoke firmly.
‘If my ability only manifests through contact with others, I can simply return to the Cabin and no one will ever know.’
Though confusion clouded her mind, she recognized that blame would solve nothing. The moment she accepted this, clarity bloomed within her thoughts.
“Surely the solution is simply to avoid contact with ability users?”
“What?”
It was Ludwig who found himself taken aback. House Voltier harbored not one, but two individuals blessed with supernatural gifts.
“Theodore possesses one as well, does he not?”
“What occasion would I have to touch the Young Master?”
Claire gazed up at him with an innocent expression. Theodore no longer suffered seizures, and his body had recovered completely—he required no assistance with dressing or washing anymore.
‘It felt hollow, but there was no helping it.’
Claire chose to regard his recovery as a stroke of fortune. When winter came and she departed, Theodore would need to adapt to a new servant anyway; maintaining distance now might prove prudent.
Yet Ludwig regarded her with an expression of subtle complexity.
‘Hang in there, Theodore.’
He exhaled a weary sigh before speaking.
“You’re right about that much, at least. Still, should any trouble arise, you must tell me without hesitation. Everything House Voltier possesses stands ready to aid you.”
This time, Claire nodded obediently.
“Understood.”
After parting with Ludwig and leaving the Training Ground, her expression remained serene, yet her mind churned with turbulent thoughts.
‘If my ability came from my father’s bloodline, might it connect to his family as well?’
Gregory had conducted himself as though he knew Claire’s Father intimately. To speak with such deliberate weight suggested he might have known of her father’s gift.
‘Where did Father come from?’
Veronica and Ian had never breathed a word about family matters to her. Ian had even stripped his surname entirely, which was why Claire bore her mother’s name.
‘All I know is that they fled in the dead of night and came to live in the Cabin. Beyond that….’
A melancholy feeling settled over her. Veronica had revealed nothing to her daughter until the day they left the Cabin. Even if it had been an act of protection for a young child, those left behind found it difficult to fully comprehend.
‘Now that I think of it, Angela kept deflecting as well.’
Claire’s fingers traced the place where her wound had been. She was grown now. She had become large enough to work independently and solve her own problems.
‘I truly need to know now.’
Questions about her father and her mother’s circumstances rose to the surface, rippling across the waters of her life. If she could not bury them forever, she had to unravel them as quickly as possible.
It was time to contact Angela again.
* * *
Yet as though Angela’s resolve had somehow infected her, Dolph—Angela’s messenger bird who visited on schedule—did not arrive.
‘He’s running a week late, maybe more than usual.’
Anxiety seized Claire’s heart. The ignorant girl she once was would have simply assumed Angela was busy and moved on, but having faced Gregory’s threat and learned the dangers of supernatural abilities, her instincts sang a different tune.
‘I cannot simply wait.’
Waiting passively was something she had done plenty of in the Cabin. This time, Claire resolved to take action herself.
‘I’ll seek out the Information Broker Network.’
The intelligence division of the Guild to which Angela belonged—visiting there would surely reveal Angela’s current circumstances.
That night, Claire scaled the Castle Walls in secret and made her way to the Guild.
‘I’m glad I followed Angela that time.’
The Information Broker Network Claire chose was the very place she had visited with Angela when her false identity was being forged.
[The Goat and Sheep Dancing Place]
Claire stepped beneath the sign, its elegant script carved into a wooden plaque.
“I came on Angela’s recommendation to purchase Horsehoof Grass Liquor.”
The establishment appeared ordinary on the surface—a typical tavern—but the structure was designed so that those who provided the referrer’s name and password would be guided to a room where they could meet the Information Broker.
“Hmm.”
However, the Short-haired Bartender behind the counter did not guide Claire anywhere. Instead, she spoke with a grinning expression.
“Ah~ We don’t sell Horsehoof Grass Liquor here.”
“What?”
Had I gotten the password wrong?
I racked my brain earnestly.
“Pigfoot Grass Liquor?”
“Pardon? What are you talking about, miss? The menu is over here.”
“Goatfoot Grass Liquor?”
The woman behind the counter no longer even bothered to respond, merely smiling with a cold expression.
‘This is strange. Did I misunderstand something?’
As I turned to leave with a dejected expression, someone approached me.
“My, my. Sounds like you heard about some outdated liquor. Miss, we can’t get that anymore. It’s been sold out for quite some time now.”
When I turned my head, I noticed a man leaning casually against the counter. He had jet-black, coarse hair that brushed his shoulders, and stood a head taller than me. A distinct beauty mark adorned his face, and his violet eyes crinkled with an engaging smile that left a striking impression.
“Who told you about it?”
The man tilted his head to meet my gaze and asked warmly, but I responded with a cold expression.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious? It’s not a common liquor, after all.”
His tone was smooth and practiced, like that of someone addressing a long-time lover.
‘How amusing.’
He possessed striking beauty and an elegant smile, yet his emotions were difficult to discern.
‘I should avoid getting entangled with him.’
My keen instincts issued a warning.
However, the problem was that from his reaction, it appeared the man knew something about the Information Broker.
“Then how do you know about it?”
“Well…”
The man, who had been about to speak casually, suddenly stiffened.
As though he had realized something, he opened his mouth wide and stared intently at my face before speaking.
“Veronica?”

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