The other woman

The gritti dinner

After suleyman helped me changed he went to go get hurrem from her chamber. I started my way to the carriage.Hurrem and I would share and suleyman would ride by himself. I would have preferred my own, it's not like I hate hurrem but I also like my space. Hurrem and I enter our carriage and settle in. " I wonder if senora will be in black still or if she will wear colour" I say. " what do you mean ?" Hurrem asks. " well she lost her husband at a young age she is close to your age hurrem, it's tradition to wear black in western culture for mourning " I say smiling. " she is my age?" She ask. " yes of course and if she is anything like gritti is appereance she will be beautiful" I say smiling looking out the window. She looks at me with wide eyes for a minute and then turned away and looked out her window. I'm sure the pasha had been entertaining them all afternoon since our arrival would be early evening they would be well equipped and ready to do etiquette that was already required of them. Finally we.  arrive I am helped off the carriage first by servant and then harem after me we then settling behind Suleyman and begin our walk inside. Servants announce his arrival first we enter the room to see for people bowing to us. I was right the senora was beautiful and she was a black very beautiful colour especially on her hurrem looked quite confident looking at them all. I felt confident too. Mister gritti introduced the sultan to his sister. " and to hurrem sultan and the lovely Sofia sultan" he added smiling at me. Monica Curtseyed very low to the ground Hurrem was staring her down. " sultan Suleiman, I am honoured to meet you" she says in Italian. hurrem looks confused and I motion to Ibraham translate of course we were the only two besides the gritti siblings that understand.  "Your majesty the ladies expressing how honoured she is to meet you" Ibrahim stated. Suleiman welcomed her. Monica then turn to hurrem and bowed she then turned to me and bowed and smiled at me I winked at her to show some sort of kindness. " signora Monica terese only speaks a bit of Turkish your majesty I will be helping her learn her language with the help of Sofia " hatice says smiling to me. " we would be happy to hear you speak our language signora terese " Suleiman stated. " you have found yourself the best teacher there is in these lovely ladies " he adds. Hurrem looks annoyed but nothing could be done she only technically spoke Polish and Ruthenia and as well as Turkish and bit of Arabic whereas I spoke many languages including Italian Latin Spanish French English of course Turkish and many others."Your Majesty by early we could move onto the meal" Ibrahim says Suleiman nodded and we all go to our seats. Dinner was brought out and Ibrahim said he wish to show his Majesty's portrait. He pulls off the fabric and reveals the most beautiful painting, very well done looks like him. He looks at it almost as if it was a mystery Ibraham finally pipes up " how do you find it your majesty do you like it?" " it's beautiful " Monica says. " I agree it looks exactly like you a strong sultan who is conquered the globe and will continue to conquer my dear sultan" I say smiling. "What do you think hurrem ? He asks " I love it . It is beautiful " she says. We all turn back to our food. " Ibrahim pasha tell Leo Efendi to come to the Palace tomorrow. I want to congratulate him in person" Suleiman says. " he cannot come your majesty he has left I let him go" Ibrahim states. " what do you mean where has he gone? "Suleiman asks. Hurrem looks relives to hear such a thing which makes me very curious and look in her eyes she knew Leo much more than just a painter but it's not my place to anything damning come through it just damns herself. " to Ruthenia the land where he found his love" Ibrahim states. Hurrems face drops. With that statement I know exactly who he is there was a rumour about her saying that she was once engaged before she was taken Leo was that fiancé I'm guessing would make sense why she was so shocked but it's not my place to say. Suleiman looks at Ibraham again "you let him go?" He says  shocked. Suleiman looks away from him and the motions to us all to eat.  We ate dinner and I conversed with her in Italian. " you speak Italian so well you wouldn't know you were Turkish " she says to me " indeed that's what happens when your mothers noble woman she was raised with so many languages she taught them all to me" I say eating dinner. " what a blessing you are to his Majesty to the country to the people a woman who can connect with everyone and everything, May God always keep your woman safe sultan for she is a blessing beyond compare" she says smiling to the sultan. " signora you're making me blush I am not that much of a blessing I am just a blessing for my family just as they are blessings to me" I say and with her saying that hurrem gets more irritated by this point she's in a bad enough mood that she could snap at me. We finish up dinner and the men go outside to chat about government we go sit in the corner seats hatice makes sure they bring drinks and snacks. "Hurrem sultan do you live in the harem?" Monica asks. " your married to sultan suleyman?" " I have 3 children I have given birth to heirs" hurrem states. " heirs ?" She tries and says failing miserably . Hurrem looks to me and I was about to translate but she catches on and in A common language that almost combined Ruthenian in Italian she said the prince. Monica understand and then looks at me. " I have one prince myself and my daughter Sultana as beautiful as hatice sultan, I also live in the harem but in private apartments closest to his Majesty " I say in Italian. Hatice smiles knowing I said something involving her in a good way of course. " we have four princes, he has another prince born to Sultan mahidveran " hatice says. Hurrem turns green at the statement it concerns me a bit. " The Sultan has many wives? They say he has 10, hundred, even thousands of slave women. How many women does a sultan have question? " Monica asks. " that's a lie there is no thousand women" hurrem says annoyed. Hatice looks entertained at the thought. " I wouldn't say there is about 1000 but I would say maybe about 50 or less the harem is not big some of the women are you are supposed to be favourites Some are servants to help care for us women or children and all of us" I say . There's a harem in every palace is it not the same in Venice?" Hatice says. " no not in Venice The church forbid it" Monica states. " then how is your mother and signor gritti mother are not the same? " hurrem asks. "My father married twice". " I thought you said the truth had forbid in it" ." My mother was married in the church Alvise mother was not "Monica states. " see your father has his own harem too" hurrem jabs at her. She looks quite proud of yourself with that one I look to hatice and try and keep myself from laughing." Are you both the sultans queen?" She asks us. " we have no queens" hurrem says, Monica Asks sadika her name which shocks her, she tells her. "Are you also sultan Suleiman's concubine? "Monica asks her. My eyes goes wide  hurrem looks annoyed , hatice speaks up and states the obvious. " all the women in the palaces are his majesty's harem " . "How is that possible? I could not. "  Monica states. " neither can I " says hurrem. Sadly Monica sticks her nose where she shouldn't have " what about Ibrahim Pasha? Does he have a harem? " she says. Haticeface  falls. "No " " only you ? No one else ?" Monica asks. " no one else. It is forbidden, In such a situation I would divorce him" she says. " my sultana why you leave I would like to go out to the garden" hurrem says I nod wanting to get out too.  It had gotten uncomfortable in the last few minutes. Hatice agreed. So we all stood up and left.  We went outside to the tent where the men were sitting we all bowed. " it is time to go" Suleiman stated standing up. hatices protestant him leaving asking him to spend the night. He told her another night. " I am more than happy with your hospitality" he says. Monica also thanks her. So does gritti. " signora terese I would like to invite you to my palace you can meet my mother" Suleiman states she bows to him thanking him. Hurrem turns to pasha but I ignore it. " come hurrem  come Sofia " he says. Hurrem states it was nice to meet them both and we leave I bow to them and smile. We easily return to the palace. Hurrem takes to her room wanting to see her children. I bow to suleyman but he grabs my arm. " where are you going?" He asks. " shouldn't I go check on our children?" I say taking a step back out of his grasp. " didn't you leave them with your servants for the night" he says smiling. " yes but our daughter is what 9 months old now? " I say taking another step back. He looks at me as if I was prey and he was a lion. " women don't think you can run for me  I will catch you eventually" he says smiling. I giggle and take off into the garden. I hear him chasing after me I giggle very loud as I quickly round a rosebush. Hi behind a bush but suddenly someone grab my waist and pulls me close." Looks like I win this round " he says. " and what will you do now that you have me hun? " I ask looking at him. " what ever I wish "he says back I try and take off again but he grabs me and quickly throws me over his shoulder. " Suleiman! This is not proper put me down ! I say " no I caught you and now I get my prize and now since you tried and run away from me again I will carry you past the harem too just for good measure!" he says. " this isn't proper we will get scolded by valide later mark my words" I says as I look at the guards behind him. They are holding back there laughter. He really does what he says he doesn't care who's watching we pass many of the women who bow and just snicker as I am over top of his shoulder when you get to the harem sumbul aga announces our arrival everyone comes outside and bows. I send sumbul a look of help me but he shakes his head and ask his majesty if he will need anything for the evening.  That stops him right in his tracks.  " no sumbul aga but please send breakfast in the morning and have the hammam prepared for the sultana for the afternoon"  he says looking over his shoulder at me. " now will you put me down" I whisper  "no I will not be putting you down till we get to the chamber " he says loudly for everyone to hear. I sigh. " sumbul will you please let us go so I can get down from here "I say " of course sultana " he says bowing Suleiman continues to carry me even upstairs to say I was annoyed was the least here I am being paraded  around a man's shoulder for everyone to see. Finally we got to the private chamber and he put me down. " was that necessary? "I asked. Looking up at him. " yes it was I should have spanked you too for good measure " he says. I'm about to say something when he kisses my lips. Hard I might add.  Suddenly I feel his hand ripp down my dress and I find myself bare his strength was amazing. He grabs my waist and pulls me to the bed and begins removing his clothes. " you couldn't wait could you ? " I say breath heavy feeling his lips on my neck, " no not after you teased me so much around that garden" he says. " well then my love show me how to behave " I says suddenly he pushes into me and I just melt in his arms.