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...
Rukiye and Mihrimah had a playdate. My beautiful sultana was wearing a baby pink dress to her very important meeting with her bigger sister in her and Şemsirushar chambers, which were much more modest than ours.
"She hasn't been able to talk about anything else!" Şemsirushar greeted us. I laughed since her daughter was not even six months older than my daughter and they could barely form coherent sentences. "She keeps repeating 'Mima, Mima', it's driving me crazy!"
"Oh, that is so cute!" I chuckled as they immediately gravitated towards the wooden and cloth dolls. They began to play with them, babbling about mothers and babies.
What struck me as odd is that, while Mihrimah made her dolls kiss and hug, Rukiye made them cry only to ignore them. I felt an odd pang of discomfort watching the little girl's play. It seemed somehow detached, her dolls showing no sympathy for the crying child she had created.
I glanced at Şemsirushar, curious if she noticed the peculiar way her daughter played, but she only chuckled. "Children can be so funny with their games," she said. "Rukiye must be imitating something she's seen among the servants."
Trying to shake the unsettled feeling, I decided to help Mihrimah adjust her doll's bonnet, pulling out a tiny handkerchief from the nearby drawer. But as I did, a crumpled paper caught my eye, wedged in the corner. Instinctively, I unfolded it, scanning the strange symbols and hurried script.
It read in uneven lines: "Ensure she drinks it all. Nothing too obvious, only a subtle taste. Use lemon to mask it, and let no one suspect."
My heart skipped a beat as I realized what I was holding. My fingers tightened around the note, and a chill ran through me. Here, in the innocence of a child's playroom, was proof that someone close to me had aimed to harm me, perhaps to harm my children.
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Keeping my expression neutral, I tucked the note into my sleeve. "It's amazing how little ones learn from their surroundings," I murmured, trying to keep my tone light. I couldn't risk alarming anyone, not until I was sure. But the sick feeling in my stomach told me what I didn't want to admit: the poison had come from someone within my own home.
"Mihrimah, sweetheart, say goodbye to your sister. It's time we head back," I said, lifting her gently into my arms. She pouted, reaching back for the doll, but I whispered reassuringly, "You'll see her again soon."
Back in my own rooms, I called for Gülbahar and Raziye, showing them the note in hushed tones, watching their faces darken with understanding. They exchanged a look that needed no words.
"It was found in Şemsirushar's quarters?" Gülbahar asked softly, horror evident in her eyes.
"Yes," I said, feeling the weight of what had to come next. "I need proof—absolute proof that she's the one. Until then, say nothing of this to anyone."
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
"I need to talk with Halime Daye, please. It is very important."
