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 been 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

"We'll start your real training tomorrow," Alessio said, handing me a towel to wipe off the sweat.

I flashed him a confident smile as I took the towel from his hand, dabbing at my forehead like a proud overachiever who just conquered a mountain.

"Oh, done with training already?" Caleb called out, walking over with Mateo beside him.

Mateo handed a rolled-up paper to Alessio without a word.

"We just got word from the team," Caleb went on. "They've been digging into Count Belmont's records, both recent and old. Turns out he's been funneling funds through false ledgers and front estates for years. There's strong evidence of black market dealings, and signs of embezzlement too, likely tied to House Wittelsbach. It's still under investigation, though. The auction site within the Empire hasn't been pinpointed yet."

Mateo spoke next, calm as ever. "We've stationed a few men near his manor in the capital. The rest are on their way to his estate."

Blushing Prince