author_lyse

I used to think obsessive male leads were kind of hot. You know—the intense stares, the undying devotion, the way they’d burn the world for the woman they love? Swoon, right?

Wrong.

That fantasy went up in smoke the moment I woke up in the body of Sonia Mitford—the heroine of The Crimson Devotion, the first obsessive romance fantasy novel I ever read. The one that ended on a mysterious hiatus. The one with Marius Wittelsbach—a charming, possessive psychopath who thinks an ankle shackle is a love language.

Now I’m trapped in a velvet-draped prison, shackled to a bedpost like some porcelain doll in a gothic fairytale. And Marius? He’s worse than I remembered. Sweet, soft-spoken... and utterly unhinged.

"You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll take care of you."
Translation: I’ll murder anyone who blinks in your direction and serve you tea over their corpse.

"Anyone who bothers you... anyone who looks at you the wrong way... I’ll get rid of them for you."

I thought I was playing the role just fine—smiling, nodding, pretending not to be horrified.

But then—plot twist! Alessio Slovene, the forgettable side character, walks in looking like a golden retriever knight and drops this bomb: he’s actually the crown prince in disguise. And he’s investigating Marius.

Finally—a lifeline. Maybe.

Because people are vanishing. The body count is rising. And every time Marius kisses my forehead and calls me “Nia,” I feel one step closer to becoming the tragic heroine in a blood-soaked love story.

Obsessive male leads aren’t dreamy.

They’re terrifying.

And I might be in way over my head.

The Obsessive Male Lead Is Actually Scary

I tensed up at what he said, completely thrown off. But Alessio didn't stop.

"To be honest, before the incident at the cliffs where you were involved, I had already been summoned by the emperor to return to the capital and begin preparing for my public Descent as crown prince. I was finally deemed ready to take on the role officially," Alessio said, his tone steady but tinged with something heavier.

"But our key witness, a maid who had promised to deliver evidence, suddenly disappeared. So, I had no choice but to cancel my departure to the capital."

He went on to explain that this was why Sonia had become the only key witness he had left.

He believed she must have discovered something about Marius, something serious enough to drive a wedge between them and change their relationship from how it used to be.

One Bite, One Lead