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...
My ears were ringing. She's pregnant resonated over and over again in my head. The words looped in my mind like a cruel echo, growing louder with every passing second. My hands trembled as I set the coffee cup down, the porcelain clinking faintly against the saucer. Raziye's worried eyes locked onto me from across the table, but I couldn't meet her gaze. Around three months; the words seemed to mock me.
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I blinked hard, trying to make sense of the spiralling thoughts in my head. "Why does he do this to me?" My voice was soft at first, trembling with disbelief. "Why? Is my love not enough? He can't even respect me in our marriage?"
"If it's around three months, he could've done it before your wedding!"
"That doesn't help, Bahar."
I dropped my head into my hands, my tears hot against my palms. "Seven heirs," I whispered, as if saying it out loud could lessen the weight of the truth. "Seven. Is that not enough for him? For this cursed dynasty? When will it ever be enough?"
"Hatice... I'm sorry, Hüsniye–"
I put my head up, "No. Hatice died to leave room for Hüsniye. And Hüsniye"—I straightened my back, my voice growing steady—"Hüsniye will not sit here weeping over a fate she can still change."
Gülbahar laughed nervously, "You're scaring me. Are you going to kill her or something?"
I frowned, the absurdity of her suggestion momentarily cutting through the haze of my emotions. "Don't be ridiculous. Killing her wouldn't solve anything," I said sharply, brushing off the thought as quickly as it had formed.
"What then?" Raziye asked, her voice laced with concern.
I rose from my chair, the legs scraping against the floor as I stood. My heart pounded, but my resolve had solidified. "I'm going to the root of the problem."
"And then?" Gülbahar pressed cautiously.
I met her gaze, my voice cold and deliberate. "Uproot it so that it never becomes a problem again."
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
"Hüsniye, I wasn't expecting you." I bowed reluctantly, for my anger does not mean disrespect. "Did you hear the joyful news? Fakriye will give birth to a member of the dynasty soon!"
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