|Victoria's POV|

-two weeks later-

Everything has been going well so far... Mahmud followed my instructions while I prepared the medicine for Sultan Mustafa once again.

Halime Sultan has secretly hired another girl to slip poison into Mustafa's food, believing that things will go back to how they were. She even scolded Nisa, telling her to stay close to me and that she would wait a few months for the poison to show its effects, making Mustafa lose his mind again.

Since Mustafa has started to trust me and share his problems, I’ve been spending a lot of time with him during the day. 

This has allowed me to see how badly Davut Pasha influences him... Halime Sultan doesn’t directly plant her ideas in Mustafa’s head; instead, she tells Davut what she wants, and he manipulates Mustafa’s thoughts and decisions as the grand vizier.

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I was stepping out of Mustafa's chamber when I bumped into Davut Pasha, who was carrying some papers and getting ready to enter.

"Princess Victoria" he said with a smile "it's nice to see you again; we've been meeting quite often"

"Yes, does that bother you?" I raised an eyebrow, wearing a small, playful smile.

"No, it’s an honor to meet the future Queen of Scotland" he replied, his tone dripping with mockery.

"I see you’re more excited about the day I’ll leave than I am, Davut Pasha" I kept my calm and smile "You don’t like having me here with the Sultan"

"Why would I? On the contrary, I appreciate your friendship with His Majesty, but..." He tilted his head slightly "It would be better if you stopped dragging His Majesty into troubles"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, already knowing they would blame me for everything, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

He sighed and stepped closer, his hidden anger clear in his eyes "Your Highness, if you truly care for Sultan Mustafa, don’t push him into a war that isn’t his... So far, we have welcomed you kindly and have been patient with your actions, but if you don’t back off, things will change soon"

"Really?" I shot back, my anger matching his "Mind your words and remember who you’re speaking to"

"No one can impose their authority on me or owes me respect except the members of the Ottoman dynasty" he said quietly, his voice filled with venom.. Then, with a smirk, he entered the Sultan's chamber.

I sighed softly as I looked at the closed door "I need to get rid of him; he's just going to block my way" I thought before heading to my room.

"Oh, Aunt Catherine" I smiled when I found her sitting on the couch, happily embroidering a dress she had recently learned to make "Looks like you’ve found a new hobby"

"At least it keeps me busy with all this stress around" she replied with a sigh, lifting her head to meet my gaze "Come sit down; I want to talk to you about something important"

I nodded, but before I could sit down, the door swung open, and Dilruba Sultan appeared, her smile wide and bright.

"I came to visit my best friend" she exclaimed, walking over to us.

"Hello, Dilruba" I managed to say, forcing a smile as I tried to mask my true feelings "Please sit down; I don’t want you to tire yourself"

"Don’t worry; I’m still in the early months of my pregnancy" she laughed, settling in next to me.

"Alright, girls, I’ll leave you to catch up...I’m going to my room for a bit of rest" Aunt Catherine said... She had never liked Dilruba.

"So, how are you doing?" Dilruba asked, placing her hand on mine.

I couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal.

"It still haunts me, but I believe they will find who did it" I replied, looking into her eyes.

How could someone who seemed so sweet turn out to be so rvil?

"Yes, I understand" she sighed, her voice dripping with feigned concern "I was really worried, especially about the medicine Mustafa was talking"

"At least we tried, but things didn’t go as planned" I said, pretending to feel sad "After I get the help I need, I plan to leave... I don’t want to get involved in this mess... You can help him, but I’m sorry; I don’t want any trouble"

"I know it’s hard...I can’t even bear to look at my mother and I can’t confront her about it" Dilruba said, lowering her head as if she truly felt the weight of the situation.

                              ---------

-Two Months Later-

I remained awake that night, unable to sleep, It had become a habit... Every time my head hit the pillow, my mind spun with thoughts of my plan. My ultimate goal was to bring down my brother—not just for myself, but for the good of Scotland.

Suddenly, I heard a flurry of footsteps outside. Some were running, and I couldn’t understand what was happening; it was too late for anyone to be awake.

I tried to ignore the noise, but when it didn’t stop, I slipped out of bed, putting on only my nightgown. I opened the door and peered outside. 

The sounds were coming from the harem.. I walked a little closer, and when I saw a maid rushing in that direction, I stopped her.

"What’s going on?" I asked, noticing the stack of towels she was carrying.

"It’s happening... Sedef Hatun is giving birth" she said quickly, her face bright with excitement "I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I must go!"

I nodded and watched her hurry away... Moments later, I found myself drawn toward the harem, specifically to the room where Sedef was... Everyone stood around the door, which wasn't closed.

As soon as they saw me, they bowed and cleared a path... I stepped closer, eager to see what was happening... Sedef was screaming, clearly in distress, surrounded by midwives helping her.

"This is strange; she hasn’t completed nine months yet" I heard one girl say behind me before Menekşe came in and sent them all away.

I was curious... I had never seen a birth before and had never even held a baby... Moments like this made me realize how much I had missed by hiding away from the world.

As time dragged on, I felt the urge to leave, but my curiosity kept me there.. This could be a significant moment—if Sedef gave birth to a prince, he would be the heir to the empire.

I found myself stepping further inside when I saw the doctor pulling the baby out.. Was this the baby’s first moment? How did the mother feel? I had never experienced anything like this because I always considered myself a mistake... My mother and I never had a life together because of her choices, and she died young before she could realize her errors.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard everyone rushing, looking anxious as Sedef cried "Save my baby, please... do something!"

"The baby isn’t breathing... there’s a problem" the midwives kept saying in panic.

I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling overwhelmed...I wanted to cry at the sight of Sedef’s anguish.

One of the midwives began rubbing the baby’s chest, murmuring something that sounded like a prayer... I couldn’t stand back anymore; Sedef’s cries pierced through me. No mother deserved this. She had been so excited about becoming a mom.

I rushed over to them "Stop doing that!" I said, my patience wearing thin as I pushed the midwife’s hand away from the baby’s chest... I had some knowledge of breathing issues, but I didn’t know anything about a newborn.

"Get away from the baby!" I heard Halime Sultan’s voice as she entered the room "What are you trying to do?"

"The baby can barely breathe, Sultana" one of the midwives said in fear.

"It’s your job; do something!" Halime shouted.

These people were foolish; a child was dying, and a mother was losing her mind while they are doing this!

"Just stop!" I yelled, turning to the servants "Bring cold water, and if you have ice, put it in the water! Hurry!" As soon as I finished, two maids rushed off "I need eucalyptus oil or some eucalyptus leaves—whatever you have!"

With this being a royal matter, everything and everyone moved quickly.. Before I knew it, they had gathered everything I asked for.

I took the baby from the midwife’s hands and saw it was a girl... A beautiful baby girl... I placed her in the cold water they had brought, supporting her head with one hand while using the other to apply eucalyptus oil to her nose, moving my fingers slowly.... Please, God, help this child.

I was genuinely praying for this to work; everyone was tense, and Sedef looked like she was about to faint. 

Suddenly, the baby’s color began to return to normal, and her chest started to rise and fall as her breathing stabilized.

Finally, the sound of her crying filled the room, and everyone let out a sigh of relief... Sedef smiled as if she had been given a second chance "Thank you, God" she kept saying.

"This must be because of the premature birth" the midwife said, wrapping a towel around the baby "She will need special care this week"

"Yes, and if she has trouble breathing, let her smell eucalyptus oil; it’s good for breathing problems" I added, stepping back and not looking at Halime Sultan.

After I returned to my room and changed my clothes, Nisa came to me, shocking me when she said Sultan Mustafa wanted me to be present for the naming ceremony of the new baby.

I headed to Sedef’s room, and this time everything was in order. Sedef laid on the bed, looking happy, while Halime seemed displeased... She wanted a male heir to the throne. I couldn’t understand these people; they were upset about the birth of a beautiful girl, not realizing that given the chance, she could be a leader and a queen even better than her male siblings.

"Destur, Sultan Mustafa hazretleri"

When he entered, I saw a sparkle in his eyes... He went straight to Sedef and took the baby into his arms... In that moment, I realized Mustafa was now a Father! I was somewhat shocked by this revelation.

He began to whisper something in the baby’s ear and then announced for everyone to hear "Your name is Hümaşah... your name is Hümaşah... your name is Hümaşah"

Sedef took back her daughter, a broad smile on her face, and Mustafa turned to us.

"Congratulations, son" Halime Sultan said, offering her hand, which he kissed.

"Thank you, Valide" he replied with an excited smile.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty... congratulations, Sedef" I said with a small smile.

"I wanted you to be here, Victoria, as I learned about the help you provided" he said as he stood in front of me, then turned to his daughter "Saving an innocent child is wonderful"

"No need for thanks, Your Majesty" I replied, smiling.

"Alright, let’s let everyone rest... Come on, Mustafa; I want to talk to you" Halime said as she headed for the door... Her behavior annoyed me, and I wished I could scold her.

Mustafa followed her, leaving me alone with Sedef, the baby, and the midwife.

"She wanted a prince, so now she will continue to ignore me" I heard Sedef say, stroking her sleeping baby’s cheek.

"Please don’t think like that" I smiled and moved closer to her bed "You are blessed to have your daughter; nothing else matters"

"I know that; all that matters to me now is my little sultana" she said, lifting her head "Thank you, Your Highness; I will never forget your kindness for as long as I live"

"No need for thanks; what matters is that you and Hümaşah Sultan receive the care you need to get through this critical time" I smiled and then quietly left the room... I needed some rest, so I decided to go to sleep.