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

Emir tugged at my sleeve, holding up a small carved dragon figurine from a nearby stall. Its wings were painted with gold flecks that shimmered in the sunlight.

"It is," I said with a grin. "Looks fierce enough to guard your dreams at night."

"Look, look! There's a whole set!" Amira pointed excitedly at a neighboring vendor, who had a display of tiny animals carved from polished stone.

"I want to try carving something like this someday," she added, her eyes shining.

We continued strolling through the market, laughter and conversation weaving between the crowd's gentle hum. Alessio walked a step behind me, calm and alert. Every now and then, I'd catch him glancing at me and the kids, watchful, thoughtful, protective in a way he probably didn't even realize himself.

In the Blink of a Market Stall