The Obsessive Male Lead Is Actually Scary -
Chapter 52: Her Eyes Were Just Like Her
Chapter 52: Her Eyes Were Just Like Her
"You’ve calmed down."
I sniffed. My eyes were still red and puffy, probably round and swollen like fish mouths from crying.
"Yeah..."
Sniff.
As I rubbed at my face again, trying to wipe away whatever emotional mess I had just left behind, my gaze dropped without much thought. And that was when I saw it.
Right there on Alessio’s white shirt. A large, very obvious patch of dampness. It was right where my face had been resting.
I froze. My mouth slowly fell open.
Was that from me? Had I cried that much? Oh no. Was it just tears? Or worse?
A quiet horror settled in as I stared at the soggy evidence of my meltdown. Alessio, dignified and composed as always, was now wearing the aftermath of my feelings across his chest.
I wanted to curl up in a corner and pretend none of it had happened. Or maybe fall through a conveniently placed trapdoor. Either would do.
"Uh..."
Alessio noticed my stare and glanced down in confusion. His brows drew together, and he looked like he was trying to figure out if maybe one of his buttons had popped open or something.
But just as his gaze started lowering toward his shirt, I shot both hands out and grabbed his face.
"Alessio!" I blurted out, my voice sharp with panic.
His eyes widened, clearly startled. "Y-Yeah?" he replied, blinking rapidly, his expression caught somewhere between surprise and confusion.
His ears were faintly flushed.
"Uh, erm... oh! Right! Th-The maid! You know... was her name Selena? The baron’s daughter you mentioned. It’s been bugging me. I feel like I know her somehow, but I still can’t remember anything. A-and... were you planning to take her with you back then? When you left the estate, was it because you were going to bring her to the capital as a witness, along with the evidence she had? Then, to finally go through the Descent ceremony and be officially recognized as the crown prince?"
The words spilled out in a chaotic rush.
My head was spinning, and my mouth had apparently decided it could function without consulting my brain.
I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore. Every sentence felt like it tripped over the next on its way out.
And honestly, I had absolutely no idea why I was doing this!
This was one of those moments where I really, really wanted to scream into a pillow. Or maybe just curl up in one and vanish.
"Oh, well..." Alessio blinked, clearly caught off guard by the barrage. But now I had his full attention. I finally let go of his face, and as I pulled back, I noticed the tips of his ears were visibly red now.
’Please, please let his shirt dry quickly...’
I prayed in my head so hard I might’ve summoned divine intervention.
"Actually..." he murmured, his expression shifting as if a realization had just dawned on him. He pressed a hand to his chin, lost in sudden thought.
"?" I tilted my head slightly.
"Now that I think about it..." he began slowly, "...your shift in attitude toward Marius started right around the same time Selena came to me. She was desperate to ask for help dealing with him."
* * *
Over half a year ago, at the Wittelsbach estate.
’Another noble from the imperial faction has disappeared...’
Alessio had been thinking about it since morning. Despite the spy team watching Marius’s every move, they still hadn’t found a shred of evidence tying him directly to the sudden vanishing of several noble sons and daughters, and even some heads of prominent families.
’This is getting messier than expected.’
He walked down the corridor with steady steps, his face calm and composed, even though his mind was weighed down with questions.
It happened in a quiet section of the manor, a place secluded and rarely passed through. Just as he passed a shadowed doorway, a hand shot out and yanked him inside.
He reached for his sword on instinct when—
"I’m sorry."
A woman’s voice broke the stillness. It was soft and firm, though it trembled just beneath the surface.
She wore a maid’s uniform.
Alessio paused. Her hair looked a little strange, clearly dyed, with a faint pinkish tint still clinging to the ends, as if the color had faded over time. Her eyes were a clear, lake-like green, and something about them felt familiar. They reminded him of someone... Sonia Mitford.
Her hands were slightly trembling, and he didn’t miss that detail. Slowly, he released the grip on his sword hilt.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice cool but cautious.
"My name is Selena Lippe," she said, lowering her head in a quick bow. "From the Baron Lippe household. Please, help me!"
Alessio’s expression tightened as he raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly do you want help with? And why did you drag me into this room?" he asked, his eyes scanning the dim, small storage room she had pulled him into.
"That’s..." A flicker of hesitation crossed her face before her gaze fixed firmly on his. "You’re with the imperial family, aren’t you?"
His brow twitched slightly, though the way she phrased it as "working under" felt vague enough to be safe. At least she hadn’t figured out his identity as the crown prince.
"I’m sorry," she continued quickly, "but I saw you last night, speaking to a man in a black cloak near the rear storage building. I overheard parts of your conversation. About the nobles that disappeared..."
She rushed to add, "I’m not planning to tell anyone, I swear! I just thought... maybe we could work together."
Alessio narrowed his eyes. "Why would I work with you?"
"Because I can give you proof," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Proof of what Lord Marius has been up to. I’ve worked here longer than almost anyone. I was close to him... and over time, I saw many things while working by his side."
He said nothing, silently urging her to continue.
Selena looked down, her fingers tightening around the edge of her sleeve.
She drew in a slow breath, as if steadying something inside her, and then raised her head again.
Her eyes, though touched with uncertainty, now held a quiet determination that had not been there before.
"There’s a room," she said softly. "One he uses in secret. It’s hidden, far from where anyone might stumble across it. I’ve been inside. I know what he keeps there. Ledgers. Lists of names. Records of payments. Other documents he never wants anyone to find. He hides the things that might expose him."
Alessio watched her carefully. A small crease formed between his brows.
"A secret room. If it’s so well hidden, how do you know it even exists?"
A faint flush touched her cheeks. Her eyes flicked away for a moment.
"I, I’ve been there," she admitted. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "A few times."
"You’ve actually been there?" His voice grew sharper. "Wouldn’t that make you part of whatever he’s doing?"
"No. I wasn’t part of anything shady he was doing," she said, her voice starting off high, then softening to a near whisper. "He just... asked me to be there sometimes. And..."
Her face flushed deeper, and her gaze dropped, as if searching for the right words without giving too much away.
"A-anyway, I wasn’t involved. I couldn’t really ask questions either. He only ever wanted me to do as I was told."
"So where is this ’secret room’?" Alessio asked, his eyes narrowing slightly, the calm in his voice not quite masking his growing suspicion.
Her voice wavered. For a moment, it looked like she might stop altogether. But then she went on.
"He made sure I could never find my way back. Every time they took me there, they blindfolded me. When they removed it, I was already inside. I never saw the entrance or the path we took. And when I left, they covered my eyes again."
Alessio narrowed his eyes.
"So you don’t actually know where it is?"
She nodded slowly. "No. I only know what it looks like from the inside. I know what was there. I remember the names I saw. The numbers. The seals on the documents."
She leaned forward slightly. Her voice grew more urgent.
"If you give me a little time, I can prove it. I know there are records. I’ve seen names that belonged to nobles who vanished without a trace. I overheard him talking with a few of his vassals, something about shipments. Not just supplies or weapons. People. Disappearances no one wants to acknowledge. I think he’s behind it all. And I can help you uncover the truth."
The silence stretched between them. Alessio said nothing. He watched her closely, his expression unreadable.
The woman in front of him was trembling. Her hands were clenched at her sides, and her breath came in unsteady bursts. But her voice didn’t waver. She meant every word she said.
And maybe, just maybe, she was telling the truth. If she was, then she might be the lead he’d been searching for all along.
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