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

Marius slammed the table, the sound cracking like thunder through the study.

The two knights standing before him flinched. The fury radiating off Marius was palpable, thick enough to choke on. His eyes burned like embers, and his clenched fists dug into the polished surface of the desk. The knights could hardly keep still, their legs stiff and trembling beneath the weight of his glare.

"How much longer are you going to make me wait?!"

"Y-Your Grace," one of the knights stammered, bowing slightly as sweat formed at his brow. "W-We've scoured the western territories. The locals mentioned some talk about a woman who matched the lady's description heading that way. We went after the lead, questioned everyone we could, and searched the area thoroughly… but there was no sign of her."

Marius narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping into something far more menacing.

You Belong to Me