I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 52

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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 52
“Ugh.”
As the hallucination faded, Ebon collapsed onto the floor and retched violently.
‘Matthew! Just how many sins are you committing?’
Claire and Theodore exchanged glances instantly. A being capable of stealing and transplanting abilities. A single man materialized in both their minds simultaneously.
‘Gregory.’
The organization known as Umbra surfaced as a critical lead.
“Erika.”
Whether the hallucination she’d shown them was her final strength, Eris had become so frail that her death would have been unremarkable.
“Erika.”
A voice threaded with metallic resonance endlessly repeated that single name.
As death drew near, there was one face I longed to see above all others. My younger sister, twelve years my junior, who had always weighed upon my heart.
I wished to see her face one last time through a final hallucination, but my strength had utterly depleted—I could barely conjure even the faintest whisper of power.
“Erika.”
Claire perceived what Eris desired from the shadow that flickered in and out of existence. She moved to Eris’s side and knelt beside her.
A rough yet warm hand gently enfolded Eris’s own.
“Ah.”
In that moment, Eris’s eyes flew wide open.
Power surged through her. The ability she’d believed completely exhausted swelled gradually within her body and manifested at her fingertips.
“Erika.”
Tears welled in Eris’s eyes. Erika sat beside Claire, her form as she had been in health, gazing down at Eris with a gentle smile.
“You are a tender-hearted child. I’m sorry for taking away someone so precious to you.”
Claire said nothing. She simply held Eris’s hand until the very end.
“Beware of Umbra.”
With those words, strength gradually drained from Eris’s hand.
‘Erika. I’m coming to you.’
The legend of Laten Plain drew its curtain thus.
* * *
“Claire.”
Angela gently placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder. Even after Eris’s breath had ceased, Claire remained seated on the ground, unable to escape the lingering weight of it all.
“Angela. You’re alright, aren’t you?”
Claire turned to face her with a forced smile, feigning composure, but Angela embraced her instead.
“Of course. You came to save me, after all.”
“Mm.”
Angela barely held back her tears despite her stinging eyes. Even in such circumstances, Claire could not easily surrender to her own emotions.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
They held each other for a long while, sharing their warmth.
‘Was I afraid?’
Claire pondered as she felt Angela’s body heat. With Veronica, I could do nothing. I could only wait helplessly and receive word of her death—that was the best a child could manage.
‘But this time, I wasn’t too late.’
I held Angela tighter, trying to hide the trembling in my arms.
“Claire.”
“Hmm?”
“Can’t breathe.”
When I lifted my head, Angela—her complexion pale—was forcing a smile.
“Oh.”
I hastily released my grip. At the sight of me scratching my head awkwardly with my usual expressionless face, Angela burst into laughter.
“The other gentlemen helped you as well, didn’t they? I’m truly grateful.”
Angela turned to the three men and bowed her head. I was about to introduce them to her when a sudden, thunderous realization struck me rigid.
‘Come to think of it, Angela still doesn’t know about the engagement.’
My plan to tell her in person had spiraled far beyond that point.
Angela’s warning to avoid entanglement with the Nobility echoed in my mind now. Yet I had gone beyond entanglement—I’d smashed through the wall entirely and embedded myself within it.
“Angela, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Unable to delay any longer, I carefully opened my mouth.
* * *
Hannah was waiting for us when we descended to the Village.
“You’ve returned safely!”
Hannah, who had learned of our return when the sky passage opened, gladly offered her home as our Lodging.
“I’ll be out, so please make yourselves comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
After Hannah left, we gathered on the First Floor.
Heavy silence filled the space. Kenneth and Ebon exchanged glances.
‘Why are we…’
“If you don’t mind.”
“Yes.”
All four of us answered simultaneously, startled.
“Would it be alright if Claire and I spoke alone?”
“Of course.”
“By all means.”
Ebon and Kenneth slipped away with obvious eagerness, while Theodore was practically dragged out despite his reluctant, lingering footsteps. Once Angela confirmed we were alone with a sidelong glance, she rose and approached me with purpose.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Thwack.
A sharp hand struck my back.
“I told you not to let anyone discover you’re a Therianthrope, yet you got exposed. I said not to cause trouble, yet you went and beat up Gregory. You said you’d hibernate for winter, and now you’re telling me you’re engaged?!”
“It’s a contract engagement, though.”
“Be quiet!”
“Yes.”
Angela pressed her temples firmly, speaking through the pain.
“How could you not tell me a single word through all of this?”
“But you were busy with your duties.”
“You should have at least sent a letter!”
Even as Angela spoke those words, she could dimly sense why Claire hadn’t told her. She must have worried that her own circumstances would interfere with Angela’s mission.
“Getting entangled with an aristocratic house is never a simple matter.”
“Still, the people of House Voltier are truly kind.”
“I’m sure they are.”
Working as a bodyguard exposed one to all manner of humanity. And most nobles regarded human lives as worth less than flies.
“The outside world isn’t nearly as beautiful as you might think. Even in the Convent, demons wearing human skin run rampant.”
Moreover, the house Claire had bound herself to was no ordinary family—it was House Voltier, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
It would certainly provide protection, but it inevitably meant becoming deeply entangled with power itself.
‘And if she participates in high society, she might even encounter people from the Lloyd Family.’
Angela gazed quietly at Claire’s face, which bore such a striking resemblance to Veronica’s. Her features were far too distinctive to conceal her bloodline.
“Claire, would you like to run away?”
“Run away?”
Angela suppressed the urge to light a cigarette as she spoke.
“If it’s because the old Cabin was discovered, there are other regions. There are plenty of places like the Laten Plain where demihumans can hide and live comfortably. Right now it’s far too dangerous. If you find somewhere quiet with good water and stay hidden, you could live as you did before.”
As you did before.
The weight of those words felt different now than it once had.
“Alone, that is.”
Claire briefly imagined a new Cabin. A new Forest, a new valley, new animals. The imagined Cabin, devoid of even memories, was beautiful—but it held no warmth.
‘Claire!’
Naturally, the events she’d experienced outside the Cabin surfaced in her mind.
The process of the prickly Raccoon Siblings gradually learning to smile naturally, and the countless people she’d met afterward. The small anecdotes that had existed between them.
When she weighed the Cabin against all of that, the answer was clear.
“I’m not ready to go back yet.”
Claire was somewhat surprised by her own words. A year ago, she would have constantly thought about eventually returning to the Cabin. But now her feelings had shifted slightly.
“Even if I do return someday, I want to see a little more of the world first.”
Claire smiled shyly. Since she’d rarely had conversations like this with Angela, her chest felt oddly ticklish.
Angela couldn’t easily find words to speak.
A gaze that seemed both moved and somehow sorrowful lingered on Claire for a long moment. With a bittersweet smile, she finally spoke.
“You’ve grown up. I suppose it’s time I gave you Veronica’s keepsakes.”
* * *
“Ah, I suppose it’s dead then?”
A frivolous voice echoed through the Study. Gregory, lounging on the couch with a book, kept his gaze fixed on the page as he answered indifferently.
“Is that so? It lasted quite a while.”
“It finally burned through all its power, I see? For a failed chimera, it was rather impressive. Ah, it would have been nice to extract its ability before it died.”
The Red-haired Woman slid down the wall with a scraping sound and plopped directly onto the floor.
“Kaya, sit in a chair, not on the floor.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kaya gazed listlessly at the name “Eris” inscribed on her forearm, now crossed out with a line.
“It was the finest specimen among Umbra’s recent test subjects. What a shame. Shall we search for the corpse now?”
“Never mind. They’ve already exhausted every last ounce of power lingering in their soul anyway. There’s nothing left to extract.”
“True enough. Still, at least we got a decent test out of it.”
Thud.
Gregory closed the tome with an audible snap, then reached for a ledger resting beside him.
“Now then, let’s begin preparations for the summer hunt. It’s about time we sent a gift to our esteemed Crown Prince.”
The ledger contained a meticulous catalog of abilities. Gregory hummed softly to himself as he flipped through its pages, as though selecting items from an evening menu.

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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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