I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 55

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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 55
“Does it suit your taste?”
Aaron, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the bathtub, opened them at the familiar voice.
“Leon.”
The man with blue hair and round glasses—Leon—placed a hand over his chest and responded with utmost courtesy.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Silence.”
The moment those words left his lips, a brilliant flash erupted where Leon stood, and his side caved inward.
“Excellent! The performance is undeniable, is it not?! Both the response speed and destructive power far exceed the previous iteration!”
Even as blood spilled from Leon’s mouth, there was no trace of fear in his expression. Rather, as he gazed at his own charred wound, his face twisted into an expression tinged with peculiar exhilaration—a sight that made Aaron click his tongue in irritation.
“Umbra seems to be a gathering place for deviants.”
At those words, Leon burst into laughter and touched his wound. Like paint spreading across a canvas, his injury gradually mended itself.
“In a sense, you’re quite right. In any case, you’re experiencing no complications, correct? Combining multiple abilities is something we approach with extreme caution.”
Leon’s thoughts drifted to the sisters Eris and Erika.
‘I believed they would be more compatible due to their blood relation, yet that very fact caused their minds to collapse.’
Though he had wasted valuable material, through such trial and error, they had ultimately succeeded in synthesizing Aaron’s abilities.
“Then my work here is complete. I shall take my leave. I would be most grateful if you would speak favorably of me to the Empress.”
Leon’s form, having bowed in final greeting, transformed into something like black liquid and dissolved away.
Aaron gazed silently at the spot where Leon had vanished, then extended his hand. The flash that erupted from his fingertips struck the mirror on the bathroom wall, and the thick glass shattered instantly into countless fragments. Despite the thunderous roar that followed, no servant entered the room.
“How presumptuous.”
Veins bulged across Aaron’s forehead.
Bianca.
Born into nobility and standing beside the Emperor—the Empress of this realm and his mother.
To her, who possessed everything, a son who fell short of perfection was a flaw she deliberately concealed and pretended did not exist.
‘Yet thanks to her, I have gained tremendous power, so I can endure such repugnant obsession.’
However, whenever people fawned over him in an attempt to curry favor with Bianca, as they did now, an inferiority he could not suppress would seep through.
People did not bow to Aaron, the Crown Prince of the Imperial Family who lacked their abilities. Though he had long since reached adulthood, his mother’s shadow perpetually loomed behind him.
He cast an indifferent gaze upon the shattered mirror fragments.
The mirror, fractured into hundreds of pieces, lay scattered throughout the room, reflecting its corners in chaotic disarray. It was a display of power his previous abilities could never have achieved.
‘Can this truly be mine?’
Each time he witnessed this power bestowed so easily, fear gripped him—the terror that it might vanish just as suddenly. Perhaps this anxiety was amplified by Umbra’s use of his abilities as leverage over Bianca.
‘If only I could completely seize their power for myself.’
The water in the bathtub had long since grown cold. As if to cool his heated thoughts with the chill, Aaron leaned against the tub wall and slowly closed his eyes.
* * *
How did things end up like this?
“This one is really delicious too.”
A woman with an animated expression held out a skewer. Claire accepted it with an awkward smile.
‘It is delicious.’
Her eyes widened at the sweet sauce. Rozina, watching her with amusement, covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“Eat slowly, Hannah.”
When Rozina spoke affectionately, Claire—who had just sold out Hannah’s name—nodded continuously in agreement.
To understand why they were doing this now, one would need to rewind two hours.
Ever since arriving at the Convent, Theodore had been frantically busy without a moment to catch his breath. Many people sought him out, as he was visiting the Convent in place of Ludwig, who had to guard the Border.
For the first week, Claire understood. Politics was complex and difficult work, and she was grateful simply not to accompany him.
But the problem was that life in the Capital Residence, where she had to constantly mind the gazes of those around her, didn’t suit her well.
‘Ebon, could you change my appearance?’
Eventually, she requested that Ebon alter her form. A new transformation for Claire, different from her time on the Laten Plain. This time, she became an ordinary girl with dark hair.
‘This should keep me from drawing suspicion.’
Claire ventured outside with Ebon to test it out.
In her modest clothes and appearance that screamed servant to anyone who looked, no one spared them a glance. Thanks to this, the two comfortably explored the Convent. The well-maintained roads and shops, each beautiful enough to grace a postcard.
But what Claire sought was not the upscale boutiques frequented by the upper classes.
“Places like this are fun.”
As they crossed the main avenue and emerged toward the Plaza, a proper Market unfolded before them. It was a local Market selling everyday provisions and various handicrafts, and due to the influx of people from across the Empire gathering for the hunting festival, its scale appeared unusually vast.
“Ugh.”
Ebon, whose attention had been caught by a large fish, let out a groan as he was jostled by the crowd.
“We need to be careful not to get separated. At this rate, we’ll lose each other.”
If they lost sight of each other in this throng, they would become lost. Ebon wanted to prevent that misfortune, but ominously, no response came.
“No way.”
With an uneasy feeling, Ebon quickly turned around. As expected, the spot where Claire had been was empty.
‘This can’t be happening! Where did she go?!’
While he silently screamed, Claire stared helplessly at the empty space behind her. They had walked while talking about various things, but she had no idea when she’d lost him.
‘I should retrace my steps.’
Just as Claire was about to move forward with that thought.
“There’s something better than knitting, I’m telling you.”
“Yeah, miss. Just spare me some time.”
Though the Market was noisy, certain words caught her ear distinctly. When she turned toward the source of the voice, she saw two men surrounding a girl about Claire’s age.
The girl, wearing a summer hat with a brim, seemed frightened, clutching a bag containing knitting supplies while keeping her head bowed.
Claire’s eyes turned fierce, but she didn’t rush forward immediately. In a crowded place like this, to avoid drawing attention, she had to move discreetly.
What she ultimately chose was a pebble rolling across the ground.
“Ugh.”
“What?!”
Mixed into the crowd, she hit each of them with a stone. At first, they thought it was their imagination and grew annoyed, but when small rocks kept flying from an inexplicable direction, they became irritated and huffed away, abandoning the girl.
Claire watched the two men disappear with a satisfied gaze.
‘Now, let me go find Ebon.’
“Did you help me?”
Claire, who had discarded the pebble and was dusting off her hands, flinched at the voice coming from behind her.
When she turned around, the girl who had been harassed was standing there, looking at her.
‘How did she know?’
The trajectory had been so discreet that even the targets hadn’t noticed.
‘She has quite sharp instincts.’
If I’ve already been caught, there’s no point in making excuses.
I finished tidying my hands and stood up, nodding at Claire.
“That’s right. I’m glad nothing serious happened.”
From now on, stay away from ruffians and live happily.
Speaking as though delivering those words, Claire turned away with understated grace.
“Wait!”
But this time, the other person caught Claire’s arm.
“Yes?”
“What’s your name?”
Claire paused briefly before answering.
“Hannah.”
“Hannah—I like that. I want to repay you.”
“Repay me?”
At those words, exhaustion washed rapidly across Claire’s face.
‘A reward for throwing a few pebbles? Seriously?’
“That’s not necessary. I have somewhere to be, so I’ll take my leave.”
It was Rozina who found herself taken aback by Claire’s response.
‘What? She acted without expecting anything in return?’
She’d wanted to buy yarn sold only at the General Market and had deliberately caught the eye of a conspicuous escort. She’d been ready to signal Knight if those ruffians crossed the line any further, but it was Claire—moving frantically like a squirrel, hurling stones—who stopped her.
‘I could see her feet completely under the cart.’
Rozina found herself drawn to Claire’s careless honesty and inability to hide her emotions. She was different from those who concealed daggers behind their teeth with every word.
“Just a moment would be fine!”
She wasn’t ready to return home yet. This was precious freedom she’d seized while Hector was lost in indulgence at the Gambling House.
‘I’m sorry, but you’ll have to humor me for a bit.’
Beneath her blonde bangs, eyes the color of warm brown—so like Claire’s—narrowed with quiet determination.

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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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