The Pope's Robe Ties

Matronne was the second son of the Orsini family, one of the most powerful families in the Papal States. At the age of three, the pope appointed him archbishop of Akashton. At seven, as the pope's godchild, he swore to serve the Earth Mother for the rest of his life.

She was also the one who, at ten, lost the protection of her godfather and godmother, and was forced to bow to the new pope's oppressive rule and let the crown be taken from her head. She spent fifteen whole years living a life of penance in a tiny cell.

After the Colonna family helped Pope Sixtus win the election, they sent their only heir, Theresia, who had been plagued by rumors and criticism, to the Papal States. The pope should have rewarded Theresia with honors, but he had a more malicious plan.

With ill intent, the pope made the heirs of rival families live under the same roof. Love and hatred, old grudges and bloody reality, the unseen weight of family obligations, all consumed their souls. Perhaps the people who shared meals and a bed were the only ones they could truly rely on?

They were prisoners, cellmates, accomplices, allies, lovers, and rivals... bound together in a relationship from which they could never escape.