Twisted Reign | 𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔦𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔱 ℭ𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔶

𝟎𝟑

|Victoria's POV|

-Two Days Later-

I was sitting on the floor, trying to catch my breath while gripping the sword in my hand tightly.

It was midnight, and we were supposed to be sleeping peacefully in the palace that Halime Sultan had set aside for us. But somehow, we were attacked. To be more precise, I was attacked.

I opened my eyes to find someone in black clothes trying to kill me... Fortunately, Henry appeared and saved me, leading us into a fight with the remaining attackers... I have no idea why the other palace guards disappeared!

"Who the hell is behind this?" auntie Catherine said impatiently as she tried to stop the bleeding from Henry's arm.

"They want the informations I'm sure of it" I turned to them "Maybe Sultan Mustafa... Instead of helping me, he wants to take the information and get rid of me... In the end, no one will care if we die"

"I don't think it's him... The man is insane and doesn't seem capable of thinking clearly" my auntie replied, then began bandaging Henry's arm "Don't forget that his mother and his vizier run this entire state"

"If that's the case, we need to get close to the Sultan alone" I threw the sword from my hand and stood up "We have no other choice... We're going to die regardless, but if we try with this crazy Sultan, we might just win and overcome my Psycho brother"

-The Next Morning-

After what happened, some guards suddenly appeared and said they had lost consciousness and were taken away.

We went to sleep, and this morning we woke up to the news that Sultan Mustafa had learned about the incident and requested to see us immediately.

In just two hours, I was in the Topkapi Palace, in a spacious hall with the Sultan, who wore his strange long crown and sat on his throne, while his quirky grand vizier, Davut Pasha, stood beside him... On the other side stood his mother, who had been giving me strange looks since I entered.

"We also don't know who attacked you last night" Davut Pasha said, then added "The state is full of spies... but the investigations have begun, and we promise you we will find who was behind it"

"I came here seeking protection and to make a mutually beneficial agreement, but..." I looked at Halime Sultan "You said I would be protected, yet I was attacked in a way that could have cost me my life... If you're not ready for this agreement and can't protect me, I will leave" I said calmly, mixed with some anger, as if I truly did not care, even though I knew this was my only chance... But I also knew Halime Sultan was a smart woman, and she must want the documents I possessed.

"No no no! You will not leave!" The Sultan jumped up, eyes sparkling with madness... he turned to his mother, voice rising with excitement "Mother...Our guest must stay... Give her bags of gold and sweets...lots of them! We'll make her love it here" He clapped his hands, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"There was a mistake, and it will not happen again" Halime Sultan said, intertwining her fingers "We want this agreement, we just need to agree on a few things"

"Those villains will not dare attack you again!" sultan Mustafa exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement "From now on, you will stay here in the palace, where I'll protect you with all my might"

I looked at him in surprise... This could be very beneficial for me... I would enjoy better protection and be closer to the Sultan, which would allow me to propose my entire plan and have him help me away from his mother and vizier... Before I could thank him, Halime Sultan interrupted me.

"What!" Her eyes widened as she looked at her son "She cannot stay in the palace! She is a free woman"

"She will remain outside the harem" Sultan Mustafa declared, raising his finger dramatically, a wild glint in his eyes "I am the Sultan, and these are my orders! You must obey without question" He clapped his hands together, an excited grin spreading across his face "The princess is our guest! We must celebrate her arrival with a grand feast"

"Thank you, Your Majesty" I replied with a smile, then bowed and left the room with Henry, returning to gather our belongings... What a twist of events; we would remain in Topkapi Palace.

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|3rd Person POV|

As soon as Victoria left, Halime Sultan, along with Davut Pasha, exited the room, leaving Sultan Mustafa to play chess alone.

"How could you let something like this happen?" Halime Sultan said angrily, trying to lower her voice "You had one job, and you failed to execute it!"

"I'm sorry, sultana" Davut Pasha lowered his head "I was sure it would succeed... I told the guards not to resist, and I sent ten men to kill her and bring those documents, but her guard showed up and ruined everything!"

"We must get rid of him!" Halime turned away, thinking "I don't want to enter into an agreement with her while we can get what we want without giving anything in return" She paused for a moment and then went back inside to her son.

"Mother, you're back!" He showed her the chessboard "Look, I defeated myself in a way that has never happened before!" He began waving happily "I am the king of chess"

"My son" Halime Sultan gestured to him "Alright, put the chess aside..we need to talk about something important"

"What is it, Mother?" He stepped back a few paces "Are you upset that I invited the princess to stay with us here?"

"Yes, I am upset about that, but we need to discuss something else related to her" She replied calmly, trying to get into the topic.

"Are you going to send executioners after me and the princess?" He started stepping back more "No, no!"

"Mustafa!" Halime shouted in frustration, which brought Mustafa back to his senses somewhat "You are the Sultan; no one can harm you"

"Oh, I'm the Sultan" he smiled, adjusting his clothes as if this reminder made him happy "for a moment, I felt scared"

"Listen to me carefully" Halime stepped closer "What do you think about getting rid of the princess and obtaining the information we need?"

"No!" He rejected strongly "I promised her, and I will not betray someone who came to me peacefully"

"But..." She could not finish her sentence as he interrupted her angrily.

She knew that despite his madness, when he got angry, he could give an order to exile her... This whole suggestion was a foolish plan... She knew that all Mustafa wanted was peace, and the word "murder" terrified him more than anything else.