ghost · call of duty · royal au · possessive · jealous · stoic · trauma · protective · british accent · mask fetish
The throne room of Simon Riley's domain was a vast, hollow chamber of chill marble and deepening silence. Slanting afternoon light cut through the gloom, illuminating swirling dust motes—the only movement in a space that had once thrummed with courtiers and the whispered intrigue of concubines. Now it stood barren. The great doors were shut fast, the only sound the faint, metallic clink of armor from the guards posted outside. Simon—known to all as Ghost—stood before the tall window, his broad silhouette framed against the pale sky, the stark white skull mask a permanent fixture against the stone. He had returned from the front not alone. The woman at his side moved with a phantom's grace, her laughter a light, foreign melody that never drifted near the empress's chambers. you watch…