I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 30

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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 30
The man hunched his shoulders and stared intently at my face.
Between strands of coarse black hair splayed like a visor, a pair of enlarged violet eyes gleamed with unsettling clarity.
‘Too close.’
My mood soured in an instant.
A disrespectful gaze. In the forest, such a direct stare was tantamount to throwing down a challenge.
“Move.”
I issued a warning, but the man—his attention seemingly elsewhere—refused to budge.
I decided to raise my fist without hesitation.
“I said move.”
I had already tolerated his rudeness twice over; there was no reason to hold back now. My solid fist drove forward, striking his shoulder with a forceful shove.
“Ugh!”
Yet as he staggered backward, the emotion blooming across his face was unmistakable—delight.
“That fist! That strength! That decisive action without hesitation! You must be Veronica!”
I furrowed my brow at the madman before me, but then a familiar name reached my ears.
“Wait—Veronica?”
“That’s right! Veronica. Are you her younger sibling? No, wait—judging by your age, her daughter?”
The tension drained from my clenched fists.
“How do you know my mother?”
“So you really are her daughter! Incredible!”
The man, radiating unmistakable joy, raised both hands toward me.
With a harmless smile meant to assure me he meant no harm, he stepped closer.
“You look like you have business here. Why don’t we talk? I know where the hoofprint grass grows.”
‘Hoofprint grass. The Information Broker Network’s signal.’
This was an opportunity to learn about both Gregory and my mother simultaneously. I nodded, though my guard remained firmly in place.
* * *
Following the man, I emerged into a liquor warehouse.
“Just a moment.”
As he fiddled with something behind an oak barrel, the floor trembled faintly, and a narrow passage just wide enough for one person appeared.
‘This is a different location from last time.’
I gazed at the floor with curiosity. When I had come with Angela, we had only been led to a cramped back room connected to the inn.
“Be careful coming down. The stairs are steep.”
Before he finished speaking, I leaped down more than twenty steps in a single bound—an action I had refrained from during my time at Count Voltier’s Residence, bound by a maid’s duties.
“What—?”
I turned at his stare, and saw in his eyes an emotion that seemed almost nostalgic.
“Never mind.”
He waved his hand dismissively and confirmed the ceiling door had closed before speaking.
“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Kenneth. I serve as the branch director of the Arcadia Guild Information Department, overseeing the western division.”
‘A branch director? He doesn’t look much older than me.’
I felt genuine admiration. Though he appeared to be in his early twenties and had a scatterbrained demeanor, he seemed quite capable.
“It’s Claire. What was your relationship with my mother?”
At those words, the man smiled once more.
Unlike the slick grin from before, this smile carried a melancholy sadness to it.
“Well, it’s a long story. Veronica saved me when I was a child. After that, I came to regard her as my benefactor.”
“I see.”
When Claire answered plainly, Kenneth opened his mouth in bewilderment.
“That’s it…? Aren’t you curious? About what happened?”
“Not particularly.”
“Ugh! Even your coldness resembles Veronica!”
Claire snorted.
Angela had already regaled me with dozens of tales of Veronica’s exploits.
‘She should have saved people only once or twice.’
What I wanted to know about Veronica wasn’t tales of heroism. I lowered my voice and asked.
“Do you know about my mother’s death?”
At that question, the man’s face—which had been exaggerating sorrow—froze entirely.
“Ah.”
His violet eyes rolled slowly toward the wall.
“I did know.”
An evasive response, as if he didn’t want to speak of it. My eyes narrowed.
There were mountains of things I wanted to ask, but there was something I needed to address first. I withdrew a pouch containing the information fee from my pocket.
“I’d prefer we discuss the commission first.”
Kenneth seemed pleased by the change in topic and quickly turned to lead the way.
“Let’s talk about it inside.”
We entered a room at the end of the corridor. The interior resembled a library, with documents piled like mountains atop a desk placed in the center.
“Sorry, it’s a mess, isn’t it? This time of year is when I have the most work.”
Kenneth, who had cleared a seat for Claire, settled into the chair across from her.
“So what’s the commission?”
The man, seated with his back against an enormous bookcase, interlaced his fingers on the table.
‘Now he actually looks like an information broker.’
I regarded Kenneth anew before speaking.
“The first is the current status and location of Angela, a mercenary of Arcadia.”
At those words, Kenneth’s lips curved upward slightly.
“Angela—yes, I know of her too. She was Veronica’s closest friend. So she’s been continuing to help Veronica after all.”
Kenneth’s expression, which seemed satisfied, then hardened as if he were considering something.
“Hmm, it’s difficult to specify her exact destination. She’s currently accompanying an escort mission.”
“It’s been quite some time since contact was made.”
“But escort missions live and die by secrecy, you see.”
Kenneth, who offered an apologetic smile, flipped through several document folders before nodding and continuing.
“If you’re worried about that, you can rest easy on that front. The dangerous regions have already been passed according to the reports, and there are no casualty reports. However, the area she’s currently traversing is barren, so it will be difficult to send messenger birds.”
I regarded him quietly, gauging the truth of his words. He didn’t appear to be lying.
“Do you know when the mission will end?”
“Roughly. If nothing goes wrong, it shouldn’t extend past autumn.”
“That’s good then.”
I nodded. It was disappointing not to see him immediately, but knowing he’d be safe eased my worry considerably. Kenneth retrieved some light refreshments from a storage cabinet and offered them to me as he spoke.
“But you said that was the first thing, right? So there’s a second?”
At his words, I straightened in my chair, leaning forward as I opened my mouth.
“I want to know about my parents. Information about my father—Ian—and my mother, Veronica. Her death, specifically. I want to know where she was and what happened to her.”
Questions that had been gnawing at me for so long spilled out naturally. Since Kenneth seemed to have known Veronica, there was no need to speak in riddles.
I caught Kenneth’s neck muscles tense for a moment. His expression grew hollow, and he spoke with a bitter edge.
“So you don’t know either.”
“Don’t know what?”
“Just because I deal in information doesn’t mean I know everything. All I know about her death is where her body was recovered.”
He rummaged through a small metal drawer for a moment, then retrieved an old photograph and placed it on the table. I picked it up.
“A cemetery?”
“Yes, the Public Cemetery on the outskirts of the Convent. Veronica was found there as a corpse eight years ago.”
A desolate landscape filled with gravestones. My eyes trembled.
‘The Convent? Why there?’
“The cause of death is unknown. There were no wounds on the body, no signs of poison.”
“The body—what happened to the body?”
At my trembling voice, Kenneth answered in a calm, soothing tone.
“Even though she abandoned the Guild, she had once been a member of the Arcadia Guild, so they recovered her remains.”
“I see.”
Kenneth gazed at me with sympathy as my expression grew complicated. He gave me the location of the tomb, then poured warm tea and offered it to me.
“What about my father?”
“He passed away before your mother.”
As I stared at the steam rising from the teacup, Kenneth let the answer hang weakly in the air. He gave me a moment to gather my thoughts before speaking carefully.
“I couldn’t provide information about your mother, but I can tell you about your father.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there’s quite a bit of information remaining about Ian.”
My eyes brightened with a fragile hope.
“Do you know about his ability?”
“To some extent.”
“Good. Then I won’t need to explain further. Do you know Ian’s surname?”
When I remained silent, Kenneth understood the situation and didn’t press further, continuing directly.
“Lloyd. Ian Lloyd. Ian was the youngest of House Lloyd.”
“House Lloyd?”
“Yes, a noble house renowned for their healing ability. The current head is Ian’s eldest brother, Count Hector. Ian was a healing ability awakener who appeared in House Lloyd for the first time in two generations.”
My eyes sparkled.
‘A healing ability.’
It suited my father perfectly—a man who resembled sunlight itself.

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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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