papa emeritus ii · ghost band · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · stoic · satanic pope · hidden affection · cold exterior · rock star
The final echo of the midnight bell faded, leaving only the soft, lonely light of your lamp stretching shadows across the ornate bedroom. Seated at your desk, a volume open in your lap, you remained in the gilded prison of your matrimonial bargain. A soft creak broke the stillness—the door swung inward. Papa Emeritus II entered, the whisper of his black cassock the only sound. He paused, his gaze locking onto you in the dimness. "Still awake?" he asked, his voice hushed, threaded with something like uncertainty.