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 loathe this place. Not the splendor of the palace, nor the silk-draped halls—it's the people that fill it. They swarm like insects, buzzing with rumours, whispering about Hatice's perfection, her children's beauty, and her supposed kindness. How sickening.
Hatice, that insipid woman, has everything handed to her. She swans about the harem as if she's some saint, showering everyone with her saccharine smiles and empty words. Does no one else see her for what she truly is? A spoiled, pampered peacock, strutting around on the strength of Murad's infatuation.
And Murad, my Murad. My supposed partner. He's utterly bewitched by her. He doesn't see the schemer lurking beneath that polished exterior. He's blind to the way she manipulates him, and how she uses her children to keep herself secure. Every smile she gives, every soft word she utters, it's all calculated to keep him under her thumb.
Her children are just as insufferable. Mihrimah, the little actress, parades around the palace pretending she's already a sultana. She bats her lashes and recites her lessons with perfect grace, but she's just a child—a vain, precocious child who will fall apart the moment she faces any real challenge. My Hümaşah, however, doesn't need to put on a show. She carries herself with quiet strength, the kind that will command respect without demanding it. Mihrimah is nothing more than a shadow in Hümaşah's light.
Then there's Selim, Hatice's darling little prince. People whisper that he has Murad's charm, his wit, his future. All I see is a boy who clings to his mother's skirts and cries when the world doesn't bend to his will. My Mehmed is everything Selim will never be. Mehmed doesn't need Murad's approval to be strong. He was born with it. He will be the next sultan. He is decisive, clever, and fearless. Selim will crumble under the weight of his name, but Mehmed will rise.
And Hanzade—the jewel of Hatice's collection. Everyone coos over her curls and dimples, calling her the most beautiful child in the empire. But what else does she have? Nothing. She's just a doll, a pretty ornament to decorate Hatice's already charmed life. My Mahmud, however, is so much more. Even as a child, he has an air of command. He's destined for greatness. Hanzade will fade into obscurity, a forgotten flower, while Mahmud will bloom into a ruler.
What infuriates me most is the way Hatice flaunts her children, as if they're the center of the universe. Murad plays right into it, giving them his attention, his praise, his love. What about my children? His rightful heirs?
And then there's Nurbanu, the ever-present shadow over this harem. She thinks herself untouchable, the queen of all queens, simply because Selim married her. What a joke. She's nothing more than the whore of all whores, a woman who clings to her title while her power slips through her fingers. She thinks she's still in control, but she's blind to how irrelevant she's become. If she weren't so old, perhaps she could bear more sons and cling to her influence. Instead, she's left playing politics from the sidelines, pretending she's still the fearsome woman she once was.
And yet, I know she favours Hatice over me. I can see it in the way she looks at her, as if Hatice is the perfect reflection of what she once was. But Hatice is weak, soft. She lacks the cunning that Nurbanu once wielded like a blade.
It doesn't matter. I will see them all brought low. Hatice, Nurbanu, and their precious brood will not stand in the way of my children. I will make Murad see that my Mehmed is the rightful heir. I will tear down everything they hold dear, piece by piece, until there's nothing left.
Hatice thinks she's untouchable, but she forgets: I am patient. I am relentless. I've done it before, haven't I? I convinced Şemsirushar to strike when Hatice least expected it, to poison her while she carried one of those wretched brats. And I'll do it again.
I'll take her children away from her, just like I did with Şemsirushar.
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Short chapter because I'm kind of sick, but it was about time Safiye gave her point of view 🫣
