I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 35

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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 35
“Rozina.”
In the darkness of the room, the woman leaning against the window frame turned her head at the call. Her face was pallid, beautiful yet worn by exhaustion, her eyes a weary hazel.
“Father.”
At her response, the middle-aged man who entered the room’s expression hardened.
“Father? When we’re alone, you will address me as Count.”
In the man’s eyes as he looked down at Rozina lay a chilling contempt—a gaze tinged with regret, as if observing a worthless commodity. It was the same look she had endured ever since awakening her ability at twelve and being dragged into the Lloyd Family.
“Last week you purified a mere eight individuals? Ah, that Ian—he could manage eight in a single day without breaking a sweat.”
The man, Hector, the patriarch of the Lloyd Family, recalled his vanished youngest brother with a wistful expression. The goose that laid golden eggs, sustaining the Lloyd Family. Though he had been wrung dry by excessive exploitation and had become frail, there was no commodity quite so cost-effective.
‘Damn it, if only that woman hadn’t spirited Ian away.’
Sending Ian away for recuperation was never the true intention. It would have been far more efficient to confine him within the mansion and extract his abilities to the fullest, then use him as a breeding stallion to pass on his power once his strength waned.
‘The old fool’s eyes have grown clouded with age.’
Hector clicked his tongue. Still, having learned that Ian had a child, the goose hadn’t flown away entirely.
‘I haven’t found them yet, but I should verify just in case.’
The healing ability belongs to Lloyd. Or perhaps not just the healing ability, but…
“House Voltier—if they would shelter those filthy beast-kin, then surely there must be something more.”
He turned his gaze toward the defective product with a contemptible smile.
“Even if the genuine article returns, don’t worry. I’ll strip away that noble lady’s position, but I’ll make full use of your abilities.”
Rozina’s shoulders trembled. Hector slammed the door shut and left the room. The heavy iron door closing strangled her breath.
“The genuine article returns?”
Her life had been nothing but horrific since awakening her ability. Days spent having her purification power exploited until coughing blood became routine. The only thing that made it bearable was the hollow title of House Voltier’s young lady.
‘But if even that is taken away…’
What would follow was as predictable as fire. Hector would surely lock her away and drain her ability until death. Perhaps even after.
“No.”
Rozina pulled her knees to her chest.
‘I won’t let it be taken.’
Whether the other was genuine or not didn’t matter. She refused to sink any lower than this.
* * *
A small cabin with windows sealed shut by nails.
“Ugh.”
In that pitch-dark space, I opened my eyes while clutching my head.
“This is killing me, seriously.”
Muscles stiffened from prolonged stillness screamed in protest. It wasn’t my first time experiencing this, but no matter how many times I endured it, the sensation never became easier to bear.
Grasping at my foggy consciousness, I pushed myself upright, swaying slightly before regaining my balance.
“I think I slept longer than expected.”
The deep pink hair that had once brushed my shoulder blades now hung loosely to my waist.
Checking my body’s condition, I made my way toward the cabin door. As I forced open the stubborn door, light poured through the gap.
The light was so intense after so long in darkness that I stepped back from the doorway and squeezed my eyes shut.
‘It’s still daytime.’
I waited for my eyes to adjust to the brightness, when suddenly a floral fragrance drifted in from somewhere.
‘What is that scent?’
As I slowly opened my eyes, drawn in by the familiar fragrance, I found myself captivated.
“Did you sleep well?”
A soft yet tender voice drifted down with the light and floral aroma, settling against my ears. The voice belonged to someone familiar. Yet his appearance was nothing like I remembered.
“Surely not.”
A strikingly handsome man with lustrous silver hair and azure eyes, holding a bouquet of flowers. His frame was so tall that even I, larger than most men, had to look up at him—his body lean and muscular.
‘Am I still half-asleep?’
In my drowsy state, I found myself uttering his name almost like a sigh, without thinking.
“Theodore…?”
At that, Theodore’s eyes gleamed with delight.
“Yes, Claire.”
At his gentle reply, I bit the soft flesh inside my mouth.
“I missed you.”
My face flushed with bewilderment as I blinked rapidly. His shirt hung open where he leaned against the door, his chest fully exposed. Despite his gentle expression, the taut muscles beneath made me tense, and I quickly averted my gaze.
‘Is this really the same person?’
Winter hibernation lasted only one season. In that brief span, Theodore had transformed completely. The frail, delicate Young Master had vanished entirely, replaced by a steadfast silver wolf that would not falter even before a grizzly bear.
“Listen, Claire.”
Oblivious to my flustered expression, Theodore approached me naturally, extending the bouquet. His next words came as a whisper against my ear.
“When would you like to have the wedding?”
“What?”
At his question, my face drained of all color.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
Like someone struck by a sudden downpour, my expression twisted, and I stared at Theodore in stunned silence.
The man who had just dropped this bombshell still wore that cheerful smile, though his eyes burned with intensity.
“Young Master, what are you saying?”
“Hmm. You can keep calling me Theodore, you know.”
“That’s not the important thing right now… wait.”
My eyes widened as I pressed my hands to my throbbing head. Something felt wrong.
‘What is that flower field?’
My cabin stood in the heart of a forest dominated by deciduous trees. When winter came, the ground was blanketed in dead leaves—the only flowers visible were small wildflowers.
“Is that… freesia?”
“It is.”
Yet the landscape visible beyond Theodore was a riot of golden light. As if calculated for the moment I opened the door, a lush flower field greeted me directly. But that wasn’t all that bewildered me.
“…Am I dreaming?”
As if my soul had left my body, I moved past Theodore and stepped outside. The flower field wasn’t all. The dense forest that had surrounded everything was gone.
‘No, the trees didn’t disappear.’
I pressed my hand to my forehead as I gazed at the familiar building visible beyond the fence. The forest hadn’t vanished.
‘My cabin was moved.’
My entire cabin had been relocated inside House Voltier’s walls. With a laugh tinged with shock, I turned back toward the approaching Theodore.
“What have you done?”
I was too bewildered to even muster anger at the absurd spectacle unfolding before me. Nothing felt real.
“There were circumstances I needed to attend to. I apologize for not explaining sooner.”
“An apology isn’t what’s needed here—an explanation is.”
At her firm words, Theodore set aside his smile and lowered the bouquet as he spoke.
“Those pursuing you have descended all the way to the Forest Village.”
Claire exhaled slowly.
“Pursuing me?”
“Yes, they’re likely searching for the whereabouts of your parents.”
“…So you already knew.”
Claire remained unmoved by Theodore’s manner of speaking, as though he were fully aware of Veronica and Ian’s circumstances.
‘He must have investigated after all.’
It was a result I’d anticipated to some degree ever since meeting Kenneth and learning about my parents. Now that Ludwig had regained his senses, it was only natural that he’d become curious about the identity of the one who served as his successor’s closest aide.
“You’re not surprised.”
Theodore offered a bitter smile. I barely managed to suppress a frown. I’d planned to leave under the pretense of hibernation precisely because I didn’t want to see that expression—and now it had all fallen apart.
‘I wanted to part ways cleanly without revealing any of these troublesome family matters.’
Family affairs were my burden alone to bear. That’s what I believed.
“You slept through all this commotion without realizing? Surely Count Voltier didn’t use his ability to relocate us?”
“No, I did it.”
Her eyes widened at those words.
“Young Master?”
The fact that he’d developed enough in such a short time to relocate the Cabin and a portion of the surrounding ground intact was astonishing.
“I didn’t want to damage it. It’s a place precious to you. I made sure I could restore it exactly as it was later.”
At his bashful words, I found myself at a loss for what to say. Pursuers had caught up, and Theodore had used his ability to shake them off.
‘Why would he go this far?’
Perhaps it was the intensity of the spring sun. It was unbearably warm. As Claire stood there in confusion, searching for words, Theodore seized the moment and extended the bouquet toward her once more.
“So when would be a good time for the wedding?”
Claire fixed him with a cold, piercing stare.
As though she’d been struck across the jaw, a tangle of complex emotions suddenly crystallized into clarity.
After several sharp intakes of breath, Claire finally spoke.
“Young Master, you’re not in your right mind.”
Even at her frigid expression, Theodore continued to smile.

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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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