A-Game ✔

weight of choices / episode twenty four / orhan

✧･ﾟ: The night was heavy with tension, the air thick and suffocating in the Sultan's chambers. Orhan sat on the edge of his bed, fingers tapping against the carved wood as his mind whirled in disarray. Two weeks had passed since Sophia's confession—two weeks of sleepless nights and restless days. He could not stop thinking about her words, the vulnerability in her eyes, the fear she had tried so hard to hide.

"I can never have children," she had said. And those words had gripped his heart like a vice.

The empire needed heirs. The dynasty demanded it. And yet, in those nights spent with Sophia, he hadn't cared. Her presence brought him something no one else ever had—comfort. Trust. A sense of companionship that went beyond mere duty.

But duty was not something that could be ignored.

➣ A soft knock at the door snapped Orhan from his thoughts. He straightened, brows furrowing as he called out, "Enter."

✧･ﾟ: The door creaked open, and a figure glided into the room. Orhan's heart sank as soon as he saw who it was—Mara Vellas-Andres. Draped in luxurious silks that shimmered under the candlelight, her lips curved into a practiced smile. Her every movement exuded confidence, control. The scent of jasmine followed her as she stepped forward.

"Sultan Orhan," she purred, bowing slightly, but her eyes never leaving his. The subtle challenge in her gaze made his stomach twist.

Mara wasn't like the others. She knew how to play this game—how to navigate the politics of the harem, how to get what she wanted.

➣ Orhan stood, tension building in his chest. "Mara... why are you here?"

She gave a slow, deliberate smile, stepping closer with graceful ease. "I thought, my Sultan, that you might like some company tonight. It must be difficult, carrying the weight of an empire on your shoulders."

Her voice was soft, smooth, like honey, but there was something beneath it—a sharpness he couldn't quite ignore.

➣ Orhan glanced away, his mind still tangled in thoughts of Sophia. He didn't want this, didn't want Mara here. But he knew the expectations. He was the Sultan. The dynasty needed to continue. And Mara... Mara could give him what Sophia, perhaps, could not.

Still, his chest tightened. He could feel the wrongness of it, like a shadow lingering at the edge of his conscience.

✧･ﾟ: Mara's fingers brushed lightly against his arm, her touch soft but insistent. "You seem troubled, my Sultan. Let me ease your burden, just for tonight."

Her voice was like a serpent's whisper, wrapping around his resolve, making it harder to think clearly.

➣ Orhan closed his eyes for a moment, his thoughts spiraling. Sophia. He thought of her, her gentle smile, the way she spoke so openly, so honestly with him. She wasn't like the others—she never would be. But she had told him the truth. She might never bear a child.

And the empire... the empire needed an heir.

He could feel the pull of duty, the weight of the empire pressing down on him. Mara stood before him, offering him what everyone else expected him to take. She was beautiful, and she knew it. She had the power to fulfill what his empire needed most.

Orhan's throat tightened. The decision lay before him, and it was so easy, so tempting to take the path of least resistance.

But he didn't want it. Not like this.

✧･ﾟ: Mara sensed his hesitation and stepped closer, her hand moving to his chest, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I can give you what you need, my Sultan. Let me take care of you."

The room felt suffocating. Orhan's pulse quickened, the conflict tearing at him from the inside. His body was already leaning into the choice, even as his heart recoiled. He was a Sultan—a ruler. The empire came first, didn't it?

His mind swirled, and in that moment, with Mara so close, so intent, he made a choice—a choice he knew, deep down, was wrong.

➣ He reached for her, pulling her close, his fingers tightening around her waist as the weight of duty crushed the last of his resolve. The room spun around him, the world blurring into a haze of jasmine and silk. He was the Sultan. He had responsibilities.

But as he drew Mara into his arms, the emptiness inside him only grew.

✧･ﾟ: Hours later, Mara left the chamber, her victory sealed with every calculated step. Orhan sat alone in the darkened room, the silence suffocating him. His hands rested on his knees, his head bowed.

The echoes of the night clung to him, suffocating. This wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't the connection he had found with Sophia. But it was done.

He had taken a risk—a very bad choice.

➣ As the moonlight filtered through the window, Orhan felt the weight of his actions settle deep into his bones. His chest tightened, guilt gnawing at him, but the decision had been made.

He couldn't take it back. He couldn't undo what was done.

And yet, even now, even after everything, his thoughts returned to Sophia. Always to Sophia.