Twisted Reign | 𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔦𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔱 ℭ𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔶

𝟑𝟏

|3rd Person POV|

Halime Sultan gently placed a kiss on her sleeping grandson's hand. In a tender motion, she handed him over to the maid, who took him to his cradle, ensuring he was tucked in comfortably.

"Do you feel any better, Mother?" Dilruba asked with a hint of worry in her voice, her eyes scanning Halima's face, which was etched with pain from the severe headache that had plagued her since Mustafa's announcement.

"I won't feel better until that snake is gone from this world" Halime replied fiercely, recalling the name Victoria with disdain "We must find Zeynep and kill her"

"Mother, we can't act against Victoria right now" Dilruba said, pushing her feelings of hatred aside and trying to think rationally "My brother left her in our care, and if anything happens to her, it would bring ruin upon us.. But..." a sly smile crept onto her lips "her death must appear natural"

Halime Sultan studied her daughter for a moment, then a smile spread across her face "Once she gives birth, she should die in childbirth"

"And in this way, we could have a şehzade or a sultana, and Victoria would tragically pass away due to complications during delivery" Dilruba said, her tone dripping with mockery.

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|Victoria's POV|

-Three Months Later-

"Sultana" said nisa, stepping closer to me and Hümaşah Sultan "As you ordered, Selim Agha has gone to check on Zeynep... Everything is in fine"

"That's good" I replied with a smile, placing my hand on my belly and turning to Hümaşah "There's not much time left"

"Also there are those letters you told me about... all of this will drown Halime" she responded calmly, her gaze shifting to my belly "How are you feeling? The birth is approaching"

"I'm fine" I said, lowering my eyes to my belly "Maybe in a month and a few days?" I smiled slightly, truly unable to wait to welcome my little baby.

Just then, we heard the sound of the door opening, and one of Hümaşah Sultan's maids entered, holding a letter.

"Sultana" she bowed before her, then bowed to me and looked back at Hümaşah "Asim Pasha sent this to you and said it is very urgent"

A wave of concern washed over me... Asim Pasha was one of the ministers who remained with us in the capital.. He had attended some divans and seemed like a quiet man, speaking little, but his eyes were sharp, like a hawk, and he appeared to know many secrets while harboring disdain for some ministers.

He must have sent the letter to Hümaşah Sultan because it concerned her or because he was loyal to her.

Hümaşah Sultan took the letter and began to read it aloud:

"We have no time to waste.. There is a traitor among us.. Last night, my men captured a messenger headed to one of the European kings, carrying documents and information.. He believes our sultan is not heading to North Macedonia, but in truth, he is planning a trap for them.. I am also shocked by this news and was unaware of it... but since this is the reality, we must act. With the traitor among us, they will likely send another messenger to inform the Europeans of Sultan Mustafa's trap"

My heart sank with every word she read.. At least I didn't have to explain the whole situation to her, as I had shared the plan with her weeks ago.

"We must do something" I said, standing up quickly.

I didn't hear what she was saying as I rushed out of the room, shouting for Selim Agha to gather all the ministers for an emergency meeting.

I hurried into my chamber and opened a small secret cabinet where I kept some jewelry and important documents left to me by Mustafa.. As I feared, the documents were not there... we had been betrayed.

Moments later, I found myself in the divan room, surrounded by all the ministers.

"Is this how you serve the state?" I spoke sharply, not having the time to soften the blow of what had happened "I don't know who among you is guilty, but I must do what needs to be done" I took a deep breath, then shouted "Aghas!"

Many guards rushed in, standing behind the ministers to take them to the dungeons.. We needed to prevent them from sabotaging our plan. I knew most of them were innocent, but we had to imprison everyone until the truth came to light.

"What are you doing?" shouted Vizier Ali as he was pulled away "We've been left with a fool to rule us... When the Sultan returns, he will know about all of this!"

"We are all waiting for the Sultan's return, Ali Pasha, don't worry!" I retorted angrily, then left to return to the palace, feeling some pain in my belly from the tension.

I couldn't write a letter to Mustafa and send it, as we didn't know who was watching us.. Even Mustafa and I had agreed that he wouldn't send or receive any letters to avoid anyone discovering his destination. Even his own men would be surprised by where he was headed... I must be patient until he returns safely.