Being the sultan's daughter made everything easy to Nafize. But when she came of age marriage was a must and her parents chose the most unexpected person for her.
Malkoçoglu Bali Bey, was a military commander who was one of the most loyal men of th...
I let the brush run through Rukiye's hair softly to not hurt her if there were hidden knots I couldn't find. Rukiye let out a big sad sigh and hugged her stuffed doll closer to her body. I stopped my movements for a second debating if I should ask her or wait for her to tell me herself but my mother instincts won this battle.
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"What's wrong?" I asked my little girl. Rukiye turned around to face me with a frown on her beautiful face.
"I miss daddy, are you sure we can't meet him soon, mommy?" Rukiye's words brought tears to my eyes. My father didn't even think about my children or how they would react to their father's departure.
"I'm sure darling, he is waiting for us in the sky and when the time comes we will all join him" I whispered pushing back some of her brushed hair. Rukiye sighed again and looked down at her lap. The doors to my room burst open making me and Rukiye jump and turn to find the source, it was Mustafa my brother.
"Brother?" I asked confused standing up. Mustafa never has ever in his life barged into my room like this.
"Rukiye, go play with Mehmed and Orhan, they miss you," Mustafa said or more like ordered. Rukiye's face lightened up at the mention of her cousins and ran out of the room without protests.
"What is going on? Why did you barge in like this?" I asked my brother. I placed Rukiye's favorite hairbrush on the coffee table beside the couch before stepping closer to my brother.
"Don't act dumb Nafize" Mustafa said. I raised my eyebrows truly confused. Mustafa ripped the doors open again after they had been closed by my maids after Rukiye had run out. He took hold of someone's arm and dragged them into my room, it was Yusuf.
"May I know why you're dragging around my chief Eunuch?" I asked crossing my arms and glaring at my only true brother.
"Because I heard him talking to your favorite maid Nur about all your sins, Nafize," Mustafa said gritting his teeth.
"What sins?" I asked acting dumb. He can't have heard anything, Mustafa has always been honorable, what if he tells our father and gets me punished. I did everything for him yet he was angry about it.
"How you killed Selim and Beyazid. How you put spies in all of our harems" Mustafa yelled angrily. My eyes widened and turned to Yusuf I can't believe he was stupid enough to talk about things like this out in the open.
"Get out" I ordered Yusuf. Yusuf looked at Mustafa who nodded his head. Yusuf bowed shakily before walking out of the room.
"Brother I'm begging you do not tell father" I begged my brother. Mustafa clenched his fists seeming to get even angrier with my begging.
"Why shouldn't I?" Mustafa asked challengingly while raising his eyebrow. "Father would love to punish you especially after your stunt when he arrived from the campaign and all the times you refused to go meet him"
"Because I did all of this for you, I'd rather they die instead of you" I yelled angrily. Mustafa stalked over to me and wrapped his hand around my throat in a chokehold. I tried to pry his hand off but he was too strong for me.
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"I'd rather we all lived!" Mustafa yelled back shaking me while he still held me in a chokehold. I gasped trying to get any air back into my lungs but it burned and hurt me even more.
"Please don't deprive my children of their mother, Ismihan is still too young, she's only one" I begged while choking. Mustafa tightened his grip even more around my throat.
"You will do whatever I ask of you otherwise I will tell father, do you understand me?" Mustafa threatened. I nodded my head wanting to just get him off. I was getting lightheaded from the lack of air in my lungs and my knees were giving up on me but Mustafa held me up with his grip around my throat.
"You will marry Taslicali Yahya and you will move with me back to Manisa without a complain and then I will see what I will do with you" Mustafa ordered. My eyes widened at the mention of a marriage when I if been widowed only two months ago, yes my hidad had ended and I was allowed to marry after Bali Bey but that was not part of the future I wanted or planned, I wanted to live peacefully with my children away from this hell.
"Brother please" I wheezed. Mustafa closed his eyes to hold back the anger.
"Shut up, I don't want to hear your voice," Mustafa said. He pushed me back with the hand on my throat making me drop to the ground. He glared down at me for a second before turning around and walking out of the room leaving me behind a sobbing mess on the ground.
"Sultanim!" Nur explained when she walked in and found me on the ground crying. She helped me sit up and moved me to sit on the couch where I was brushing Rukiye's hair earlier.
"Oh Allah" she whispered when she spotted the bruise around my neck. I held out my hand making her stop her fussing.
"Take the children to stay with Mihrimah tonight" I ordered. Nur was hesitant to leave me alone but eventually bowed and left me alone.
The second the doors closed behind her I burst out crying again. How could Mustafa ask me to marry when I had just gotten widowed. How can he do this to me when I put myself on fire for him and his well-being. I married Bali Bey out of love for him and now he wanted me to marry another man after nineteen years of marriage to Bali Bey. How did I end up like this? What have I done to myself?
