The Obsessive Male Lead Is Actually Scary
Chapter 44: The One Thing That Shook Him

Chapter 44: The One Thing That Shook Him

* * *

Alessio moved swiftly through the crowd, his pace unhurried but purposeful, flanked on either side by Caleb and Mateo. The noise of the market faded behind them as the three slipped into a narrow side street lined with shuttered doors and old brick walls.

"If he’s planning to run, then we’ll need eyes on every major exit," Alessio muttered, his tone firm. "Ports, stables, private carriages. I want everything blocked before he gets the chance to vanish."

"I’ve already set up teams along the harbor and the merchant’s road," Caleb said. "He’ll have to try something reckless if he wants to escape, unless he’s got help from above."

"Yeah. We’re dealing with Count Belmont, who was directly backed by the Wittelsbach Duchy. There’s also suspicion the sultan himself might be involved. We need to move quickly before word reaches him," Mateo replied.

Alessio shot him a quick look. "Report the arrest to the kingdom only after we catch him. We can’t ignore the possibility that they’re helping him escape. We need whatever he’s carrying."

"Understood!" Caleb and Mateo replied in unison, both nodding firmly.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Mateo glanced at Caleb and extended his hand.

"Caleb. Let me use your pendant. We might need an update."

Caleb’s hand went instinctively to the chain around his neck, tugging the pendant free from beneath his shirt.

Communication artifacts like these pendants were exceedingly rare.

There were only a limited number of these communication pendants in existence, remnants from the time when magic stone mines were still active. No new ones had been made since the mines went dead.

Most were held by members of royal families across the continent and assigned to the leaders and vice leaders of key departments. Mateo, as second-in-command of the Imperial Spy Division, possessed one, but he’d left it behind with a trusted team member monitoring Count Belmont’s movements.

The rest were scattered among noble families, though the exact number still in circulation remained unknown.

Caleb handed it over with a curt nod. Mateo pressed two fingers to the surface and whispered:

"Call."

A faint vibration rippled through the pendant. The stone pulsed once. Then again.

A voice crackled through, low and even. "Team Three. This is Rafe."

"It’s Mateo. Report."

"Count Belmont is still inside the estate. He’s been pacing around his study for the last half hour, speaking to no one. He ordered the servants out earlier. He’s currently alone."

"Any signs of contact?"

"Not yet. But he’s packing."

Alessio’s expression tightened.

"What exactly is he packing?" Mateo asked, voice calm but focused.

"Documents, mostly. Some scroll cases. Looks like ledgers or personal files. Also a few gold ingots, small valuables, and a sealed case... We couldn’t get a good look at it. No guards inside. The house is quiet."

Caleb took the pendant. "Is he preparing to run?"

"Judging by his movements? Yes. He’s been pacing and muttering to himself for a while. We couldn’t make out the words, but he’s clearly agitated. Looks like he’s coming apart."

Alessio’s jaw tightened. "How soon can you move in?"

"We’re already in place. Just give the word."

"Wait for our signal," Mateo said. "We’re two streets away. Five minutes."

"Understood."

The connection cut off with a soft chime. Caleb tucked the pendant back under his collar.

"Fear makes people predictable," he said. "That’s when we strike."

"Scared men still carry knives," Alessio muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Let’s not drop our guard."

* * *

Inside the Belmont residence, the Count moved with short, frantic steps.

The grand study that once radiated power and prestige now felt like a cage. Papers lay scattered across the floor: maps, receipts, private correspondences. Most of them were torn or half-crumpled in his fury.

"Damn it..." Belmont hissed, flinging a scroll across the desk. "All those bribes, all that work—ruined."

He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pouch of coins, jamming it into a half-filled satchel already bulging with velvet-wrapped trinkets and sealed scrolls.

"I told them I could fix it. I told them I just needed time!"

He slammed the drawer shut and staggered to the cabinet on the far wall, fumbling with the lock. His hands were shaking now, not just from anger but from the creeping realization that there would be no second chance.

He yanked the cabinet open and grabbed the thick-bound ledgers inside, stuffing them into the bag with growing desperation.

"...Sabotaged. Every route. Every broker."

His voice dropped to a bitter whisper.

"I should’ve known... That cunning bastard never forgives failure."

He paused as he reached for a silk-wrapped case sealed with black wax. He stared at it a long moment, then tucked it into the false bottom of the satchel.

"You swore you’d protect me, damn it. You promised..."

His breath hitched. He crossed to the window and peeled back the curtain.

The alley behind the estate was quiet. The getaway carriage he arranged should’ve been waiting there by now.

He muttered, "...If I can just get out... just make it to the coast..."

A knock.

Sharp. Twice.

He froze.

No one was supposed to be in the house. The servants had been dismissed. The guards... bribed.

Another knock.

"Who’s there?" His voice cracked. Thin and tight.

No answer.

Slowly, he reached under the desk, fingers brushing the hilt of a concealed dagger.

He crept toward the door and flung it open.

Nothing. Just the hallway, dim and still.

Too still.

The silence pressed in, unnatural and heavy.

Then—

A noise behind him.

He spun around, heart racing.

Alessio stood in the doorway.

Caleb and Mateo flanked him, silent.

"You..." Belmont’s face twisted.

"Yes," Alessio said, his tone like ice.

"You bastards think you can just walk into my home?"

"We already did," Mateo said calmly.

"Count Belmont," Caleb declared, "You are under arrest for conspiracy against the Crown, illegal trafficking, corruption, illicit trade with foreign agents, and crimes in violation of Imperial law."

Belmont took a step back, eyes darting toward the desk.

Too late.

Alessio moved like a striking wolf. He seized the Count’s wrist mid-reach, twisting sharply. The dagger clattered to the floor.

"Argh—!"

"You really thought you could vanish without consequence?" Alessio growled.

Belmont squirmed in his grip. "You don’t understand! I had no choice!"

"You still chose to profit from it," Caleb said coldly. "And now it ends here."

Mateo stepped forward and ripped the satchel from Belmont’s shoulder.

"I’ll take that. Let’s see what our friends in the capital think of your precious secrets."

"You’ll regret this," Belmont spat, his voice raw with panic. "You don’t know who you’re dealing with!"

Alessio stared him down. "Oh, I do."

Without another word, he struck the Count across the head, sending him crumpling to the floor.

"Let’s go."

Outside, the sun was already beginning to dip below the roofs of Kalvena. The city bustled around them, unaware that one of its most powerful residents was being escorted through the back streets in silence.

From the shadows, several plainclothes agents emerged and took position around the group. Rafe approached and gave Mateo a quick nod.

"Clean," he said. "No witnesses."

"Good. He’s to be transported to the old jailhouse for now. Send word to the capital at once."

As Belmont was dragged away, Alessio exhaled slowly, as if finally letting go of something he’d held in too long.

"That’s one snake caged," Caleb said.

"Too many left to go," Mateo replied.

But for now, they had done what needed to be done.

Alessio’s pendant, tucked beneath his collar, pulsed faintly with light.

He turned slightly, touching the cool metal with two fingers. It glowed again, vibrating faintly, before a voice crackled through.

"Your Highness, this is Khan. Did you finish everything up there?"

"Yeah. I just wrapped it up. What is it?"

"Good. Then I can report now. Amira was kidnapped earlier in the market. The culprit’s a man named Kareem, the thug leader from the warehouse."

Alessio froze mid-step. His body stiffened, eyes widening.

"What?!"

"Ah, calm down. Lady Sonia already rescued her."

"...Sonia did?"

"You wouldn’t believe what I saw. She was up against fourteen armed men and—"

Alessio cut the connection, barely aware his feet were already moving.

His breath caught in his throat.

"Your Highness?" Caleb called behind him, startled as Alessio suddenly turned, already moving. His face was pale, his eyes lit with urgency.

"Take care of the rest," Alessio said, his voice tense. "Question him carefully. I’m heading back to the inn."

He didn’t wait for a response.

He spun on his heel and broke into a run.

Caleb and Mateo exchanged confused glances, but still gave silent nods behind him, already stepping toward the unconscious Count Belmont.

Alessio moved like a shadow breaking its tether.

His feet barely touched the cobblestones, each step blurring faster than the last. He passed two corners before anyone even noticed he’d gone. Faster than Mateo ever moved on infiltration missions. Faster than he had any right to move in a crowded district.

But he couldn’t calm himself.

The words kept echoing.

Kidnapped.

Sonia was there.

Fourteen armed men...

He grit his teeth.

’Sonia... What were you thinking?’

A knot twisted in his chest, painful and tight. His mind conjured the worst images without permission. Blood. A limp figure. The soft voice that wouldn’t answer anymore.

"Dammit," he breathed.

There wasn’t a trace of calm in him.