Kelebek Sultan | {SULEIMAN} Magnificent Century

i - the capture

Split, Croatia

"SHE EVEN LOOKS LOW CLASS," Ivona heard one of the girls from their church mutter softly to Kata as they left morning prayer, "I don't know how you endure living with her. I surely wouldn't cope."

From the other side of the girl, Kata and her brother - two of Ivona's many step siblings - laughed quietly, glancing towards her.

The young blonde did not bother to react. Far worse comments had been directed at her over the years; this one was mild by comparison. It was also entirely untrue, considering the fact that Ivona and her step-sisters all wore the same modest white dresses.

"And the nerve of her to hold her head so high! As if she would be anything more than a farmer's whore had my father not married her mother," Kata added, malicious blue eyes glancing over to gage her sister's reaction.

Ivona's face did not so much as twitch. The other girl did not even have the time to frown at her lack of misery before two little hands shoved into her back, pitching Kata into the muddy earth.

With Kata having fell, a young, blue-eyed boy was revealed. He scowled down at the crumpled form of his half sister as he shouted, "don't say that about Ivona! That's mean."

The blonde hid a smile as she rushed to the young boy's side, pulling him away from Kata before she could think to retaliate. Unable to resist it, however, Ivona also yelled over her shoulder with a cheeky smile, "who looks like a farmer's whore now, sister?" before continuing to pull the boy along.

Though he undoubtedly didn't know what she was saying, small giggles erupted from the boy as he tugged Ivona into a small run, heading towards the overgrown fruit gardens located not far from the church.

When they arrived, ripe apple trees towered over them and strawberry and raspberry bushes bloomed nearby. The duo headed in different directions, picking and biting into various fruits, before sitting next to one another on the grass with grinning, sticky faces.

After embracing this moment of peace and joy, Ivona told the young boy, "you shouldn't antagonise Kata too much."

"Why?" The fair haired boy asked her with wide eyes.

"She is father's," the term still felt wrong on her tongue, no matter how much the man had insisted she use it, "only biological daughter. He loves her best. Should she try to turn father against you-,"

Leon pouted stubbornly, protesting, "I don't need anyone but you Ivona. You're my favourite person in the entire world!"

Deciding to drop it until he was old enough to fully comprehend her words, Ivona adopted a teasing smile instead, "really? The world is a very big place you know."

"And you're the bestest person in all of it!" The boy of six proclaimed proudly, earning a laugh from his step-sister in response.

Quietly, she confined, "you're my favourite person too," which only increased his pride.

It was not exactly a hard title to win, considering that the list of people she liked consisted of Leon and her mother, the later of whom was very, very dead.

Still, Leon did not seem to care, because he jumped into her arms, wrapping his own chubby limbs around her as the girl of seventeen held him tightly in response.