I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 37

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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 37
“I made such a promise?”
“Yes, you clearly answered that night in the Flower Bed.”
Watching Theodore’s sorrowful expression, I blinked.
‘That night? Did I?’
Desperately searching my memory, a fragment suddenly surfaced.
‘…Is there…?’
‘What?’
‘Hmm? Are you making a promise?’
‘Yes. Well.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes? Wait, but what—’
Recalling that conversation sent a chill through my veins. I had indeed answered something. I glanced awkwardly at Theodore.
“You remember now.”
“I don’t.”
“Liar.”
“I honestly didn’t hear properly back then, so I just answered.”
At that, Theodore let out an almost derisive laugh.
“Is that perhaps an excuse?”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth!”
As the serious atmosphere from moments before evaporated and the two of us began bickering, Ludwig raised an eyebrow.
‘Their relationship is far better than I thought.’
The tension had loosened considerably. The old man did not miss this opportunity.
“Hmm. I didn’t know there was such an important promise between you two.”
“It’s not a promise!”
“Yes, Claire. I understand your feelings. This old man was hasty and lacked consideration. If a one-sided marriage is uncomfortable, what about making a simple contract instead?”
“A contract?”
“Actually, while you were asleep, we discovered traces that appear to belong to Gregory.”
The unpleasant name captured my attention. Theodore’s gaze darkened as well.
“Gregory?”
“Yes. In the cemetery of an ability user who died in an accident, we found that the corpse’s heart had vanished. In the place where the heart had been, there was only a bundle of crumpled red talismans.”
I recalled the mass of red talismans that had burst from Theodore’s Bedroom.
“Were they the same objects as those?”
“Exactly. The handwriting and shape were completely identical, and they appeared to have been made recently. In fact, no one can say whether the accident itself was truly a coincidence.”
I paused to consider. If those traces truly belonged to Gregory. And if that madman obsessed with abilities still coveted my power.
‘If I capture him together with House Voltier, could I learn what happened to Mother?’
Veronica had said the corpse was discovered in the Capital Cemetery. It might be mere coincidence, but Gregory’s attitude of feigning knowledge about my parents kept nagging at me.
“So here’s what I propose: stay with us until winter returns. You can remain in a safe place while you master your enhancement ability, and in exchange, we can eliminate the moths that target you while gathering information about Gregory.”
As I hesitated, Ludwig added one condition.
“Stay until winter, and if by then you still don’t wish to spend winter with us, we won’t press the matter further. By that point, we’ll have gathered sufficient information anyway, so it benefits us both.”
Lost in thought, Claire agreed with Ludwig’s proposal. Without an immediate way to shake off her pursuers, staying at House Voltier where safety was guaranteed seemed like a rational choice. Since she wouldn’t be unilaterally indebted to them, it would be acceptable as long as the duration was set.
“Very well. In exchange, I hope you’ll share everything you learn about Gregory.”
“Of course.”
Ludwig, having obtained what he wanted, smiled with satisfaction.
“And if there’s anything else you need, I’ll help with whatever you ask.”
Theodore’s expression softened with relief. Ludwig’s gaze carried trust. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, Claire found the sight oddly embarrassing and averted her eyes, nodding in agreement.
Ludwig restrained his urge to draw up a contract immediately and opened his mouth once more. There was still one crucial matter left to address.
“So, Claire, to properly protect you, there’s one thing we need….”
* * *
Claire emerged into the Garden with a deflated expression, trudging along. Water droplets from the Fountain splashed continuously as she sat before it, but she was too dazed to even dodge them.
‘What just happened?’
Even the warm spring sunlight felt strangely unreal.
“Claire!”
It was Isabella, rushing toward her from a distance, with Theodore following behind her, that pulled Claire back to reality.
‘Ugh, I don’t want to see the Young Master right now.’
She wanted to jump up and leave immediately, but she’d already made eye contact with Isabella. Claire greeted her with a resigned expression as the girl bounded toward her like a puppy.
“You’ll hurt yourself if you run like that.”
“Claire! Is it true?!”
Isabella, who had rushed to the Fountain while clutching her dress haphazardly, cried out with unbridled excitement.
“Did you really get engaged to my older brother?!”
“Yes.”
Claire squeezed her eyes shut.
An engagement that allowed her to avoid marriage while securing protection from House Voltier for the duration of the contract.
“…Yes. I did.”
It was an engagement.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Unlike the exhausted Claire, Isabella bounced excitedly in place, her red hair fluttering up and down repeatedly as she jumped.
“It’s really true!”
Watching the girl’s innocent delight, Claire’s troubled mood improved somewhat. She was about to reach out and tidy Isabella’s hair when—
“So! Um, if you’re really engaged to my older brother now! Will you just call me Bella instead of Miss Isabella?”
“Miss Bella?”
“Without the Miss! Just Bella!”
Claire’s hand stiffened momentarily.
‘I hadn’t thought about that. Even though it’s just a contract, now that we’re engaged, I can’t speak to her the way I did before.’
She turned her stiff neck to look at Theodore, who had approached, and he opened his mouth with an expectant expression.
“That’s right. From now on, Young Master, you shouldn’t call her Miss, and it would be more natural to speak more casually with her.”
Two pairs of blue eyes sparkled, urging a response. It was as if she could see a hallucination of excited raccoons wagging their tails enthusiastically.
Claire bit her lip. Her mood had shifted beyond mere awkwardness into something irritating. She was embarrassed. Yet she didn’t even realize she was feeling that embarrassment.
“Later.”
Unable to bear the awkwardness, Claire unconsciously struck the edge of the Fountain where she’d been sitting with force and stood up.
Crash—
The stone fountain crumbled like tofu, shattering into fragments.
“Once you grow accustomed to it, you’ll naturally learn to release your grip.”
Water erupted from the fountain in torrents, drenching the clothes of all three present, yet no one voiced a complaint.
“Mm…”
“Very well…”
* * *
“Elliot! Did you see what that cunning wretch has done?!”
Bianca hurled her jeweled fan—adorned with peacock feathers—with violent force. Gems scattered from the ornate fan, littering the floor in disarray.
Crown Prince Aaron regarded the rolling jewels with an expressionless gaze for a moment before approaching her with a gentle smile.
“Please, compose yourself. You’ll injure your hand at this rate.”
Bianca’s bloodshot crimson eyes fixed upon Aaron with burning intensity.
“He dared to outshine the Crown Prince himself! He sought to bewitch His Imperial Majesty with such vulgar parlor tricks!”
Her sharply manicured nails dug into Aaron’s forearm. From her gaunt frame emanated a strength impossible to fathom, gripping him with surprising force.
“The Crown Prince stands right here. A legitimate and formidable Crown Prince, right before you.”
Golden hair swept back with elegant grace, a physique bearing the perfect proportions of a temple sculpture, eyes beautifully tapered at the corners and filled with deep olive irises.
The man possessed a beauty worthy of sacred paintings—the flawlessly perfect visage of a Crown Prince.
“What is this trivial ability compared to our Aaron? How dare they belittle him?”
Aaron was Bianca’s masterpiece, crafted through a lifetime of devotion. A legitimate Crown Prince born of an Empress from a high noble house and the Emperor himself. Everyone had deemed it natural that Aaron would become Crown Prince.
That remained true until his younger brother, Second Prince Elliot—two years his junior—awakened the Imperial Family’s ability.
“Do not concern yourself with such trivial abilities. I shall procure for you powers far greater and superior. No one shall dare belittle the Crown Prince.”
Aaron cradled the sobbing Bianca in his arms with practiced ease, patting her gently.
“Fear not. I am forever grateful for your grace and devotion, Mother.”
Yet his expression belied his tender words—cold and barren as winter stone. He spoke words of comfort with the hollow tone of reciting a well-worn script, watching her as one might observe a theatrical farce. It was tedious, but unavoidable. As he waited for this moment to pass, his mind drifted to the documents he had reviewed that morning.
Deep rose-colored hair and familiar hazel eyes. Someone came to mind.
‘If she truly is Ian’s daughter, she might prove worth investigating.’

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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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