I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 38

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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 38
Somehow, I had become engaged. Though it was only a temporary contract.
“Try this as well. The fish is quite tender.”
“Claire, what will you do after eating?”
“Should I plant more flowers in the Garden? Oh, building a Greenhouse would be nice too.”
Claire held her fork to her lips, her expression growing weary.
‘This is strange. It’s supposed to be a temporary contract engagement.’
Yet from the moment the deal was struck, everything changed. The Room, which I had already thought was excessively ornate, became far more lavish, and now House Voltier’s crest was openly displayed on tapestries and furnishings arranged throughout.
‘This is only a Room I’ll use until winter. There’s no need to go this far.’
‘But you’re the Young Master’s one and only precious fiancée! Please do accept it!’
These raccoons knew no moderation. Claire, who had barely managed to prevent them from forcing through an engagement ceremony by making her resistance almost comically obvious, let out a sigh and pushed away the plate thrust before her.
“I appreciate it, but I’ll manage on my own.”
Though I was receiving excessive attention, I was no child. Eventually, I escaped to the Garden alone, evading the persistently hovering members of House Voltier. Spring was in full bloom, and the Flower Bed was saturated with the sweet fragrance of blossoms.
“Hand that over here!”
“I need to trim these branches.”
The sounds of servants working diligently echoed through the air—a vitality I had never felt during my time as a maid.
‘The staff has grown considerably.’
The old servants who had been corrupted by Gregory and were slowly rotting House Voltier from within had all been dismissed, replaced by new people.
‘There are many people of working age.’
Claire quietly observed the people laboring beneath the Tree Shade. Some of the newly hired staff were those who had served during Ludwig’s younger years, dismissed when Gregory seized control of the household and now returned.
“My goodness. Why is this so heavy?”
Tom, an elderly gardener attempting to move a box filled with gravel, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, I told you not to put it all in one box. Honestly, that Oliver fellow.”
Blaming his son without cause, he rubbed his aching lower back and rose from his seat, deciding to wait for his son to return since he doubted his own strength.
“Oh!”
But the moment he stood, the box was lifted effortlessly. Startled, he looked up to find Claire holding the box with a serene expression.
“Goodness! Miss Claire!”
Tom jumped back in alarm, reaching out his hands.
“Oh no, you’ll hurt yourself. Please, let me have it!”
“What? Miss?”
Tom pulled with all his might to reclaim the box, but it didn’t budge in Claire’s hands. More than that, she seemed entirely unaware of his effort, her expression merely bewildered.
‘Miss? Me, a miss?’
Claire felt oddly unsettled. The engagement itself had been surreal enough to feel almost unreal, but this change in how I was addressed felt different.
‘It’s strange.’
Unaware that Tom was now practically hanging from the box, she opened her mouth.
“Miss is unnecessary. You may simply call me by my name.”
“That’s impossible! You’re the Young Master Theodore’s one and only bride! Please, just let go of—”
Bride.
‘I see. Those unaware of the circumstances must believe we’re truly in love.’
Heat rushed to Claire’s ears. Before she could even process what she was feeling, her fingers curled with an urge so intense she wanted to smash trees and boulders.
“Where should I move this?”
“I can handle it.”
“No, I’d like to exert myself a bit.”
Simple labor was the finest remedy for intrusive thoughts. Seeing Claire’s sincere expression, Tom could no longer protest and guided her to the Warehouse. As they walked, he witnessed her stack three additional boxes—a fact he kept to himself, his eyes widening in astonishment.
“All finished.”
Claire brushed the dust from her hands and surveyed the fruits of her labor. Observing her quietly, Tom realized that beneath her expressionless facade lay a subtle satisfaction he hadn’t expected to perceive.
‘What an intriguing person.’
It wasn’t merely her formidable strength. She was the sole heir of House Voltier’s betrothed—a woman of such station that she need never soil her hands with rough labor in her lifetime.
Though she wasn’t born into nobility, the world was one where status shaped character, and many who ascended the social ladder grew arrogant in proportion to their newfound rank.
‘Clear and upright.’
Yet Claire was different. She harbored no disdain for others and willingly embraced dust and grime to aid him.
‘How fortunate Young Master Theodore is to have such a woman by his side.’
His weathered eyes crinkled warmly. He had returned to House Voltier after being driven away, and having witnessed both its most glorious and darkest epochs, he could speak with absolute certainty.
Claire was the very spring of House Voltier’s renewal.
“Would you care for this? It’s not in season, but it’s quite sweet.”
Without thinking, he withdrew a snack he’d tucked away—a single roasted sweet potato, crudely baked and dusted with ash, no larger than his palm. As he held it out, realizing he had nothing better to offer, his expression faltered at the sight of the black soot coating his hand.
“A sweet potato? Thank you.”
Claire’s eyes widened with delight as she eagerly accepted it.
‘A sweet potato!’
A precious famine crop—among the forest’s delicacies, it ranked in her top three favorite foods.
‘And roasted properly over open flame, no less.’
Her eyes sparkled as she encountered this cherished memory, a treat she’d forgotten since descending into the Secular World. Tom barely suppressed the laughter threatening to burst forth at her innocent delight.
“Should you desire more, simply say the word. I have quite a stockpile.”
“Thank you.”
He understood perfectly why Theodore had fallen in love.
‘May only happiness fill their days.’
It was a day when the Spring Sunlight Area felt particularly warm.
* * *
“Claire!”
As Claire emerged from bidding Tom farewell, she encountered Isabella. From the way she was spreading a mat and arranging refreshments, it appeared she was preparing for a picnic.
“Miss Bella.”
Claire bowed respectfully to the maid retrieving teacups from the basket, then allowed herself to be pulled by Isabella’s hand to sit upon the mat.
“If you’re not busy, have some tea with me. Yes?”
At Isabella’s wheedling tone, Claire yielded with a pretense of reluctance. Having already been caught, it would be heartless to turn away.
“You weren’t waiting here knowing I’d pass by, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t!”
Her voice rang with unconvincing haste, which Claire found rather endearing, causing her lips to curve upward slightly.
Isabella, who had been stealing sidelong glances at Claire’s expression, caught sight of her smile and broke into a radiant laugh.
“Hehe.”
With the servants dismissed, they savored the languid afternoon beneath the Spring Sunlight Area. As the tea ran dry, Isabella’s eyes began to grow heavy with drowsiness.
“Shall we take a short nap?”
“Hmm. But is it all right to sleep here?”
Seeing Isabella hesitate, Claire shrugged and lay down first. As she settled onto the ground, her head drifted into the Tree Shade—the perfect spot for an afternoon rest.
“With the two of us, it should be fine.”
At her playful remark, Isabella promptly lay down beside Claire.
“Oh.”
Light scattered into fragments through the leaves above, dancing as if she were gazing upon a rippling Lake. Mesmerized by the sight, Isabella forgot all drowsiness and watched the spectacle for a long while.
‘Has Claire fallen asleep?’
After a moment, she came to herself and glanced toward Claire.
Somewhere along the way, Claire had drifted into slumber, her chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm. Watching that serene sight, Isabella felt a longing stir within her.
‘Would it be all right to move just a little closer?’
The distance between them was barely a hand’s breadth. Isabella hesitated, then slowly turned her body and inched forward bit by bit.
Tap.
The moment her forehead touched Claire’s shoulder, Isabella broke into a gentle smile. The steady breathing, the warmth and rhythm of another’s body—all of it reached her.
‘Claire, I love you so much.’
Her heart grew warm. Those days when she trembled in loneliness gradually dissolved whenever she was with Claire. Isabella too began to drift slowly into sleep, certain she would have the most wonderful dreams.

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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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