Caterina spent her whole life being underlooked and misunderstood.
Hatice spent her whole teenage years chasing a man who loved another.
But Hüsniye became more than a pawn. She became a queen. She conquered the heart of the Ottoman Sultan, the hear...
I hate my family. Perhaps one should not say that about their own flesh and blood, but I don't care. Those power-hungry snakes sold me to a slave market without a second thought, hoping the imperial harem would buy me, dreaming I would become a sultana who could serve their ambitions. Did it ever occur to them that I might end up in the hands of some cruel man, or worse, a brothel? No—they only cared about their selfish schemes.
Well, I have dreams of my own. A loving family, a legacy, and, above all, to never be a pawn in someone else's game again.
"Next, a very handsome young girl from Milan!" The man's voice broke through my thoughts as he shoved me into the centre of the stage, forcing me into the eager eyes of strangers. As if I was a prize—a piece of livestock. "Knows Turkish! From a fertile family! Ten brothers, four sisters!" The perverts leaned closer, offers climbing with every word.
At last, a figure placed the highest offer, claiming me like a prize. The crowd parted, and we left that nightmare behind. The woman with him removed her face veil, and I caught my breath. She was beautiful—yet more than that, she carried an aura of power that made me fall silent. One look told me she could shape my fate with a single word.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding truly worried, which surprised me. "Did they touch you? Abused you?"
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"No, señora. Only shoved me," I muttered, shivering at the memory of their eyes on me, my wrists still bound tight when I tried to shake it away.
"Gazanfer, remove that rope immediately. There. Better?" I nodded. Who was this woman, why did she buy me, and why was she so nice? "I can see the doubt in your eyes. I will not hurt you, but you will do something for me."
"What do you want from me?" I murmured while caressing my wrists.
"Don't talk that way to our sultana!" The man scolded me, while the woman –sultana, apparently– shushed him, and led us to a lonelier ally.
Wait. Sultana?! Don't tell me that my parents' plan worked.
"Who are you, señora?"
"My name is Nurbanu. Nurbanu Sultan. And you, my dear, will be Hatice."
"Hatice? What does that mean?"
"Is your new name," she clarified. "It means 'premature', as you are merely a child in these cruel conditions. I have great plans for you, Hatice." I was right. This woman –formerly Cecilia Venier-Baffo– truly held my fate in her hands.
Lucky me. Hatice... The name felt foreign on my lips, yet... powerful. "Great plans?" I echoed, daring to hope that something might change.
Nurbanu smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "The harem is a world of its own, Hatice. A world where alliances must be forged carefully. But with patience and wit, even a pawn can become a queen."
Her words sent a shiver down my spine. She was offering me more than a name. She was offering me a destiny. She was offering my dreams.
Nurbanu reached forward, gently rubbing my arms. "From this day on, you are not a girl to be cast aside. You are my protégé; together, we will carve a path worthy of a sultana."
For the first time, hope sparked within me. I could see my dreams becoming a reality, and this was just the beginning.
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Hi! This is my first time writing, so I'm open to any and all feedback!
