Muhtesem Yuzyil Imagines ♡

The Golden Age of Sultan Mustafa I: Crown Prince (Part 5) (by MillsTeeth)

—ATTENTION! SULTANA MIHRISAH CICEK IS HERE! —a guard shouted as Mihrisah entered the harem.

The odalisques and maids were whispering and chatting as usual in the harem chambers. When Mihrisah entered, the noise immediately ceased and they quickly formed a line in the hallway to bow to her.

She sat down on one of the chairs at the back of the Harem, where Hürrem usually sat when she was running the harem. She entered with Miss Gülfem and an unknown kalfa named Nurgül who had finished her training for the position shortly before Mihrisah took over the management of the harem.

—Ladies, please pay attention. —Mihrisah said firmly to the maids in the harem. —As you may know, Sultana Hürrem no longer runs this harem for... personal reasons. From now on, you must know that I am in charge of running the harem. The only thing I am going to ask of you is that you behave and respect my authority, be intelligent, prepare and study, because any of you could be the next lucky one to visit His Majesty's chambers. I have brought some gifts for you, I hope you enjoy them.

Aga entered carrying chests full of very fine fabrics and good quality jewels that the Sultana had financed from her own pocket. The maids thanked them for the gifts and went to choose fabrics so they could make new dresses. While the maids were busy choosing jewels and fabrics, Mihrisah beckoned to a very young Aga and took him to a corner.

"Good morning, Aga," the sultana greeted her affably. "What is your name?"

"Kasim, Sultana," the man replied obediently as he bowed.

"How long have you been here?" the sultana asked again.

"A very short time, Sultana, no more than two months," the young Aga replied again.

—Well, the reason I called you is because I need you to do me a favor. —Mihrisah spoke again in a very low voice, getting straight to the point with what she wanted from the Aga. —I want you to take a good look at the girls in the harem, if you find any that are not only pretty, but also stand out in their training and have a good character, let me know.

"Consider it my sultana, I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust and it will be an honor to serve you," the Aga assured Mihrisah.

"This is a very important matter, I ask you to please be very discreet," Mihrisah ordered in the same low voice as a while ago. "No one must find out. If you succeed in your mission, you will earn my trust and my protection." The Sultana concluded, taking out a bag of gold and handing it to the Aga, who smiled upon receiving the gold.

—Today it was the Harem, tomorrow it will be my father and then it will be your reputation along with your children. —Mihrisah sentenced without an ounce of compassion towards Hürrem in her mind. —Because if I carried the pain all these years along with Mustafa, the weight of the blame will be yours. My mother is not alone and my brother is even less so.

***

Mihrisah sat in her chambers going through the accounts and records, she noticed several inconsistencies in the money coming in and out, there were missing records and as Gülfem had told her earlier, the accounts did not add up. Mihrisah immediately called for Hürrem. The Sultan had given his eldest daughter practically the same powers that the Sultan's mother had previously had, so Hürrem simply could not disobey her or disrespect her if she did not want problems with His Majesty.

"Sultana, she sent for me," Hürrem greeted, bowing reluctantly to Mihrisah.

—Sultana Hürrem. —Mihrisah greeted Hürrem in a neutral tone. —I won't take up much of your time and I'll get straight to the point. I need you to hand over the accounting records for the time you were in charge of managing the harem.