I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 56

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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 56
“This one is delicious too. There’s honey inside.”
Claire, who had insisted she needed to leave soon, grew increasingly docile as Rozina led her through the Market.
‘She really does resemble him.’
The soft, flowing golden hair and warm brown eyes reminded me of Ian, and my resolve crumbled before such familiar features. I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand away from hers.
‘It tastes good.’
‘This is fun.’
And truthfully, I was enjoying myself.
Everything she recommended suited my palate perfectly, and the Market held so many wonders.
‘Come to think of it.’
I suddenly realized this was my first time playing with a female friend my own age. There was something exhilarating about it, like a spring breeze lifting my spirits.
And Rozina was equally delighted by this situation.
‘Her innocence is adorable.’
I had teased her deliberately, but the way she accepted everything without resistance and seemed to genuinely enjoy herself was rather endearing.
“Oh, and if you go over there—”
As Rozina spoke with animated excitement, a lone escort Knight appeared in the corner of my vision.
‘It is time to return, my lady.’
As the Knight spoke silently with his lips, the sparkle drained from Rozina’s eyes.
‘Right, there was treatment for the elderly today.’
She quickly masked her cooled expression and turned to me with an apologetic smile.
“Hannah, I’m so sorry. Something’s come up, and I really must go.”
“Not at all. Thank you for buying me all these things.”
“It was sudden, but I’m grateful you indulged me.”
Rozina waved cheerfully and disappeared into the crowd. I watched the direction she’d gone with a wistful expression.
Once the distance between us was great enough that Claire was no longer visible, the Knight whispered to Rozina.
“My apologies for the interruption. Two people have been waiting since three o’clock.”
Rozina’s expression had turned blank. She handed the knitting set in her hands to Jack, her escort Knight with dark skin, who took the bundle with practiced ease and positioned himself behind her.
Walking briskly to escape the streets, I recalled Claire’s gentle smile.
‘There’s no reason we’ll meet again.’
I deliberately didn’t ask for details. I would return to the Lloyd Family, and once the Hunting Festival ended, I’d be worked to exhaustion without time to venture into the Market.
‘This detour is enough.’
I didn’t want to create bonds with someone precious. Soft parts are always vulnerabilities.
‘Hector would never overlook another’s weakness.’
The joy evaporated quickly. My steps back to the Mansion felt unusually heavy.
* * *
This is a dream.
Kenneth felt bored by the familiar lucid dream.
“When permanently implanting an ability, I need to address the side effects….”
“Mental-type abilities seem to have particularly severe side effects.”
The location was a Basement reeking of iron and brine. Despite being furnished with antique furniture and ornate wallpaper, it was oddly divided—half iron-barred Stone Floor, half a cozy Room, as if drawn with a ruler.
“How did 4923 manage to succeed?”
“Wasn’t it just a good compatibility match from the start? It’s a specially managed specimen, after all.”
In this lucid nightmare, Kenneth was always an observer. Unable to possess a body or intervene in events, he could only accept the ancient horrors unfolding before him.
‘It had the appearance of a Market, but strange people came far more often than customers.’
Looking back now, these individuals appeared to belong to that organization called Umbra.
“4923.”
Someone called out to the young Kenneth huddled beyond the bars.
“Use your ability.”
My body reflexively activated the ability.
Whirrrr— A mechanical grinding sound filled the air as wind swept through the iron cage.
“Any signs of contamination?”
“None. This is genuinely a successful case.”
As they muttered about results and contamination, I simply waited for this moment to end.
Sold to the Market in place of debt, then passed on from the Market to some unknowable place.
I couldn’t even remember when I last saw the sun and sky. A suffocating sense of helplessness had paralyzed my mind, reducing me to a shell.
“Hmm, then why not try implanting another ability?”
“But this one was being raised as a cornerstone for the grand project.”
“With this level of stability, implanting two should definitely be possible.”
Lying on the ground, I looked up at their eyes gleaming with greed and recalled the moment my first ability manifested.
The bitter cold surging to my scalp, the agony of every joint snapping. Simultaneously, I seemed to hear screams echoing from somewhere.
‘It must have been like being connected to hell itself.’
I never wanted to experience it twice. But the most horrifying truth in my life was that I had never been given a choice.
“Let’s get permission and abandon it if we can’t.”
“Leon, that madman will definitely insist on trying.”
Even the word “fed up” had become exhausting. I wanted to escape. I wanted to break free. But I couldn’t.
Like an elephant raised in chains, I was utterly powerless.
“For now, bring him to the next transaction. We don’t know if we’ll pass him on anyway.”
Within the dream, the location shifted rapidly.
The new location was also underground—a basement that resembled a more conventional Market.
‘Am I being sold?’
My throat was parched. But they gave me nothing except at the designated feeding time once a day.
“Well then, shall we grab a meal before we go?”
Just as they were about to leave the basement, chuckling amongst themselves—
Crash— Someone burst through the wall, shattering it completely.
“Who is it!”
A figure wrapped from head to toe. Their gender and age were indecipherable.
“Ahhh!”
Even those who appeared strong crumbled like brittle bones beneath the intruder’s fists. After swiftly dispatching the people, the figure surveyed the surroundings as if searching for something, then sighed deeply when they found nothing, approaching Kenneth.
“Little one, are you alright?”
At the gentle voice, the tension drained from Kenneth’s shoulders.
He lowered his mask slightly, revealing his face to Kenneth alone.
Eyes as resolute and sharp as Claire’s own. Yet those same eyes softened infinitely when gazing upon a child.
As tension drained away, drowsiness crashed down like a wave. Thud. The child’s body toppled sideways.
That’s right, Veronica. Claire truly resembles you so much.
* * *
Kenneth awoke, wiping away the cold sweat streaming down his face.
His entire body felt drained, as though he had just finished an intense bout of exercise.
‘Now that I think about it, this time it really was similar.’
When Claire had followed Ebon into the Market and emerged with Anthony rescued, he had felt a nostalgia that seemed out of place for the moment. Recalling that time now, an involuntary smile crossed his lips.
“Kenneth, come out.”
The sound of a lock disengaging echoed as the heavy iron door swung open. Kenneth squinted against the light he hadn’t seen in ages.
“Ah, has it already been five days?”
He had failed to uphold the Information Broker Network’s principles and had been caught using information for personal matters. After his journey with Claire concluded, the Guild had summoned him, and his punishment was five days of fasting and confinement.
“Wash yourself, tidy your appearance, and then go to the Master.”
Kenneth nodded obediently and staggered out into the Corridor. After completing his preparations, he stood before the Guild Master’s Building.
Kenneth watched silently as water dripped from his half-dried hair, pooling on the stone floor beneath his feet.
‘I really don’t want to go in.’
As if reading his thoughts, the door slid open smoothly.
“It’s better to take your punishment quickly.”
A gentle, youthful voice pierced Kenneth’s ears. He exhaled a heavy sigh and reluctantly stepped forward.
“I apologize for the delay.”
“There’s no need to apologize when you knew you’d be late.”
Upon entering, what lay before him was not an office but an enormous Greenhouse. Five stories of soaring height, with an artificial Waterfall dominating one entire wall. Rare plants filled every corner, and occasionally an elegant white deer would peek its head through the trees before vanishing.
“Drop the expression. Even as you’ve aged, that sullen look remains unchanged—you truly never change.”
Kenneth’s gaze fell upon the figure seated at the desk before the Waterfall.
A child appearing no more than ten years old. Pristine white hair and violet eyes beneath it, mysterious and ethereal. Skin as pale as snow gave the being an otherworldly impression, as though they were something other than human.
This was Sio, Arcadia’s sole Master.
Upon confirming Sio’s appearance, Kenneth spoke with visible displeasure.
“Why do you insist on taking that child form again? You’ve eaten enough.”
“Your mouth is as tactless as ever, Kenneth.”
Though his voice was soft, it carried clearly even through the roar of the Waterfall.
“Sit.”
A small hand gestured toward the chair before the desk. Despite his reluctant expression, Kenneth obediently sat, desperately avoiding Sio’s gaze.
“Now then, tell your godfather—what drove you, who was always so well-behaved, to suddenly act out?”
Sio asked as though already knowing the answer, offering a languid 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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