L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 19

“...Cough, cough.”

A violent fit of coughing shook his entire body, jolting him awake. The pain he had been ignoring spread throughout his body, but it was still better than continuing that nightmare.

Haa, haa.

Gasping for breath, he slowly opened his eyes. It had been bright when he fell asleep, but now the sun was already setting. The fever was still there. His burning cheeks and the heavy lethargy weighing down his body made him sigh unconsciously. Just as he closed his eyes again, a strange sense of unease washed over him.

...What is this?

Ashley kept his eyes shut and focused on listening. Maybe it was because of the fever dulling his senses, but at first, he wasn’t sure. However, there was no mistake. Just as his consciousness started to blur again, the sound became clear. Footsteps echoing down the hallway.

A servant? He briefly considered the possibility but quickly dismissed it. Even if he had been unconscious for more than a day, the setting sun proved that wasn’t the case. The servants came in the morning, finished their tasks by noon, and left. If that was the rising sun, it was too early; if it was the setting sun, it was too late. Besides, they were on leave.

That meant... whoever was approaching wasn’t supposed to be here.

A thief?

Ashley remained lying down, thinking. If he had been in his usual condition, he would have grabbed a hockey stick and swung it without hesitation, but right now, he couldn’t be bothered. He didn’t care if they took everything—as long as they left him alone to sleep. Even if the entire mansion disappeared, that man wouldn’t bat an eye.

Though... if Ashley himself disappeared, maybe he would care.

After all, Ashley /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ was his son. His possession, more or less.

Just like the one who had given birth to Ashley had been.

The footsteps grew closer. If it were a thief, they would be rummaging through things, but there was none of that.

The footsteps were deliberate. They had a destination.

Ashley’s room.

...No way. Could it be him?

A pair of detestable purple eyes flashed through his mind, and at that moment, the door swung open.

Ashley instinctively took a deep breath. If it was him, that sickeningly sweet scent would soon invade his lungs.

But—nothing.

Bracing for the inevitable nausea, he had inhaled deeply, only to be met with nothing but the faint scent of fabric from the blanket covering him. Realizing this, Ashley went back to his original assumption.

A thief, then.

He just hoped they wouldn’t threaten him with a weapon or demand valuables. He buried himself deeper under the covers.

Take whatever you want. Just don’t touch me.

That was all Ashley wanted. But the chances were fifty-fifty. He had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Take whatever you want. Just don’t touch me.

That was all Ashley wanted. But the chances were fifty-fifty. He had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

With his eyes shut, he waited. Unexpectedly, the thief didn’t enter the room right away. Maybe they were scanning their surroundings from the doorway.

Then—squeak.

A loud noise made Ashley realize what was happening. That idiot thief was trying to be silent, gripping the doorknob too tightly and waiting. The proof came right away—a sharp intake of breath as soon as the sound echoed through the room.

Just a petty thief, huh?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Ashley, still groggy, thought lazily. Someone that clumsy probably wouldn’t even manage to steal anything properly. He figured they’d just give up and leave soon. With that conclusion, he decided to go back to sleep. He almost succeeded—until—

Creaaaaak.

A sharp noise dragged him back from the edge of sleep. His tightly furrowed brows deepened with irritation. The thief froze again.

Ashley ignored it, forcing himself to sleep.

It didn’t work.

The door creaked loudly again.

He almost shouted for them to just come in already. If not for the fever burning through his body, he would have. Instead, in reality, all he could do was grimace and let out a faint groan.

At least the door stopped making noise.

But then—a different, more unsettling mechanical sound replaced it.

Creak, creak, creak.

Not as loud as before, but still grating on the ears.

What the hell are they trying to steal that’s so important? Ashley clenched his teeth, and just as he did, the sound stopped.

A moment later, he felt it.

A presence.

Whoever it was had entered the room, creeping forward on tiptoe, cautious but unmistakably moving toward his bed.

Ashley didn’t move.

The audacious little thief was checking to see if he was asleep.

He had reached his limit.

Just as the thief carefully lifted the sheet covering him—

Ashley’s hand shot out, grabbing their wrist.

“You little shit, enough already...!”

Startled, the would-be thief was suddenly thrown onto the bed as Ashley, his voice hoarse and raw, shouted at him.

The thief was smaller than expected. If Ashley wanted to, he could snap a bone or two with little effort.

But what truly shocked him was the thief’s identity.

Ashley stared down in disbelief at the familiar face looking up at him with wide eyes.

“...Koi?”

The strained voice barely made it past his throat.

Koi, who had been blinking blankly up at him, gave an awkward nod.

“Yeah, it’s me. ...Have you been okay?”

Looking at Ashley, who was clearly the opposite of "okay," the polite question lost its strength, fading into a whisper.

Ashley just stared at him, dazed, before a violent cough tore through his chest.

“Ash!”

Koi cried out in panic and hurriedly sat up.

Now that the "thief" had been identified, Ashley’s tension finally snapped, and his body collapsed back onto the bed.

“Ash, are you okay? Oh no, you’re really sick!”

Because of you.

Ashley wanted to say it, but he couldn’t make a sound through his coughing fits.

Watching him with deep concern, Koi quickly climbed off the bed.

“Ash, I brought medicine. You should take it—and some soup, too.”

Ashley, still trembling from the effort of coughing, barely managed to open his eyes. And then he realized what that strange mechanical noise had been earlier.

The sound of the cart Koi had dragged in.

“The kitchen is huge.”

Before Ashley could ask anything, Koi spoke first. He ladled soup from a pot into a bowl.

“Vegetable soup.”

“Get rid of it.”

Ashley spat the words out immediately.

Koi hesitated before quickly turning around, pouring the soup back into the pot, and opening another one. He repeated the process.

“Cream soup.”

“...”

Even in his feverish haze, Ashley couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He took a deep breath and looked past Koi—four pots sat stacked on the cart.

“I didn’t know what you’d want, so I bought everything.”

Koi’s face flushed slightly as he spoke.

“I’ll remember that you don’t eat vegetables.”

Ashley just blinked. He didn’t have the strength to argue, let alone think.

Noticing how exhausted he was, Koi's face softened with sympathy. He stirred the soup a few times before lifting a spoonful and holding it out.

“Here, Ash. Eat a little.”

Ashley’s eyes flickered between the spoon and Koi’s face.

Koi wasn’t hiding his concern.

“You need to eat something to regain your strength. Eat first, then take your medicine, okay? You’ll feel better soon.”

He offered the spoon again, ears perfectly still.

Seeing that he was genuinely worried about him made Ashley feel strange.

“...Fine.”

After hesitating, he parted his lips, and Koi carefully slipped the spoon inside before pulling it back out.

Ashley forced himself to swallow as Koi prepared another spoonful.

“Does it hurt?”

Noticing Ashley frowning, Koi reacted immediately.

His throat was too sore. He couldn’t eat any more.

When Koi tried offering another spoonful, Ashley shook his head.

Looking disappointed, Koi set the bowl aside and instead held out a cup of water and some pills.

“At least take your medicine, okay?”

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Ashley blinked up at him before forcing himself to sit up.

Right now, this was what he needed the most.

“This one’s for the fever, this one’s for congestion, and this one’s for your throat.”

Koi explained as he placed each pill in Ashley’s palm.

He even made sure the water was lukewarm.

Every sip sent a sharp pain down his throat, making him wince involuntarily. But by the time he finished the whole cup, at least the thirst had eased.

As Ashley moved to lie back down, Koi hurried over and helped support him.

Even though he didn’t really need the help, Ashley let himself lean against Koi’s shoulder.

His T-shirt was cool against his forehead—it felt nice.

“Get some sleep, Ash. You’ll feel a lot better when you wake up.”