|Helena's POV|

-The Holy Roman Empire 1670-

"Gisela!" I shouted in exasperation as I rushed out of my room "Where is my pearl ring?" This was not really a question but a threat, as I knew my twelve-year-old sister loved to take my jewelry without asking.

"Mom, help me!" she lifted her dress and began to run when she saw me "Oh my God, Lady Emiliana, help me!" She threw herself at Emiliana, who was my mother's assistant and one of her ladies in waiting.

"Please, Lady Emiliana, don't interfere!" I approached Gisela and stretched out my hand in front of her "Give me the ring quickly!"

"Come on, girls, you're acting like there's only one pearl ring in this palace!" Lady Emiliana laughed and then ignored us as she continued toward my mother's room.

"Okay, okay... Helena" my sister began to catch her breath "I'll give you your ring, but I want something"

"What is it?" I raised an eyebrow, placing my hands on my hips, waiting to hear her usual conditions... This was the only way to get my favorite ring back.

"I want to borrow something from you" she took a few steps closer, looking at me strangely as if trying to persuade me.

"What is this thing?" I smiled a little, eager to finish this deal.

"You have a gorgeous golden dress in your wardrobe that you've never worn" she clasped her hands dramatically "Give it to me to wear it at Mom's charity gala next week"

"At first, you wanted to borrow it, and now you want to take it" I averted my eyes, thinking carefully "Fine, I agree, I wasn't planning to wear it anyway"

She jumped with joy as if she had achieved something great, then pulled out the ring from under her dress "So here is your precious ring, and I..." she pointed to herself "I will go to get the golden dress that has now become mine"

I laughed, watching her until she disappeared from sight, then I put on my ring and headed to my mother's room.

I opened the door to find my mother, Queen Joanna sitting in her throne, wearing a dark brown dress and a crown on her head... She seemed busy reviewing some papers with Lady Emiliana, as they were certainly preoccupied with preparations for the charity event next week.

"My dear Helena" she lifted her head and looked at me with a smile "Good morning"

"Good morning, Mother" I approached her and sat on a small couch beside her throne "It seems there's a lot to do"

"Yes, there's much to be done" she winked at me with a smile and then looked at Lady Emiliana "Have the Emperor and the Prince returned?"

She shook her head "No, Your highness... not yet"

I don't know why, but I felt anxious... My father, Emperor Rudolf II, and my brother, Prince Mattias, had gone to hold an important meeting with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire... they say the two want to reach a truce and establish a good relationship between the two empires... but I'm afraid the meeting hasn't gone well, and those Ottomans seem ready to declare war at any moment.

At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door as my brother entered, saying "Hello, Queen"

My mother stood up, a wide smile covering her lips "Finally... my dear son" She embraced him warmly, then stepped back to look into his eyes "I was just asking about you and your father"

"My father went to finish some important business, and as soon as I arrived at the palace, I came directly to check on you" he explained calmly, a small smile adorning his lips.

"So how did things go?" my mother asked, this time more seriously, knowing the importance of this meeting.

"Let's say everything went well" he sighed slightly and then sat down, prompting us all to sit and listen to him attentively "Their Sultan is very wise, and we reached an agreement to strengthen our relations"

"What is it?" my mother asked without moving an inch from her upright position.

"The solution that everyone reaches during their alliances" he looked at her seriously "A marriage"

My eyes widened while my mother, brother, and Lady Emiliana maintained their composure.

"You are not serious, are you?" my mother asked, as it was likely he would be married to an Ottoman princess, as political marriages were common among kingdoms.

"No... no... they have one princess, but according to what I learned, a Muslim cannot marry a Christian" he quickly clarified "They haven't decided yet, but they say one of our ministers' daughters will marry the grand vizier of their Sultan"

"Ah, that's good" my mother sighed with relief, and I noticed she had been tense... She definitely wanted to marry my brother, the heir to the throne, to an European princess named Rosalie... I don't know her personally, but my mother has praised her ever since she met her at a charity event, and now she have a good relationship with the girl's mother, just waiting for the right time.

"I'll go check on your father" she stood up calmly and then left with Lady Emiliana and another maid.

"So" Mattias turned to me with a smile "it's a great honor to meet you in this vast palace" he joked, making me laugh, as I indeed spent half my time in my room reading books and the other half in the garden with my friends, who were surely my ladies in waiting.

"Yes, you should be grateful to be in the presence of Princess Helena herself" I raised my hand, tossing my hair back with a feigned vanity.

"Everyone talks about you, Helena" he raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing new" I replied calmly... I'm not trying to be arrogant, but everyone has started talking about my beauty and describing me as the most beautiful princess the Habsburg Dynasty has ever known, which has led to marriage proposals pouring in from every direction... Yet, I am not ready at all... I am still only nineteen.

"Of course, you won't get married before me" he pulled me out of my thoughts while playfully tugging my hair, then grabbed an apple from the table and stood up "Alright, Princess, I have things to do as a prince; I'm not as free as you"

"Ow!" I felt my hair tugging painfully, prompting me to grab another apple quickly and throw it at him, but he had already closed the door behind him swiftly.

I continued to laugh as I thought about what he had said. Honestly, I was glad to be a princess rather than the heir to the throne. I enjoyed my free time, while Mattias had to constantly follow in our father's footsteps. He had to be by our father's side at all times and take on the same responsibilities. Everyone had high expectations for him, and that was a heavy burden to bear.

»»-----　♔　-----««

|3rd Person POV|

-The Ottoman Empire-

"Your Highness" a maid bowed before Valide Turhan Sultan and looked directly at her "Sultan Orhan has arrived"

"Finally" she set down her coffee cup and stood up, adjusting her luxurious green dress before heading to her son's room.

Although she had not intervened in politics for years, her son's meeting from days ago was very important, and now that he had arrived, she needed to know what had happened.

"Valide" he turned to her "welcome" He approached her and kissed her hand.

"Thank God you arrived safely, aslanim" she exchanged smiles with him before they both sat on the couch in the balcony.

"So?" a single word was enough for Orhan to understand what his mother was asking.

"As expected" he raised an eyebrow... "Everything went as planned; of course, they wouldn't refuse any opportunity to improve their relationship with us"

"That's good" she clasped her hands "At what cost?" she added, knowing that there were always certain conditions.

"We established terms that were acceptable to both sides, and everyone agreed" he said, meeting her gaze once more "As is customary, there must be a marriage between the two empires to ensure ongoing harmony... After all, mingling bloodlines holds great significance"

"Yes, exactly" Turhan replied trying to contain her excitement because this was precisely what she was here to hear... Why? Well, she had her plans "Who?"

"We haven't decided yet; we will discuss it later, but..." he began to gaze thoughtfully at the sky "perhaps Mansur Pasha will marry one of their ministers' daughters"

Turhan's eyes widened, and she barely controlled her reaction... Damn it, this is not what she wanted.

"Why Mansur Pasha with one of their ministers' daughters?" she raised an eyebrow in irritation "This type of political alliance requires a marriage between the royal families" she explained quickly.

"It's not possible in this case" he appeared confused, thinking she was talking about his younger sister.. Zeynep Sultan.

"I'm talking about you" she finally voiced what had been on her mind for days.

"Me?" he smiled mockingly as if he had just heard a joke "You must be joking, Valide"

"No, I am not" she replied with great seriousness, looking into his eyes.

"Valide, we talked about this before" he stood up and took a few steps back, placing his hands against the balcony wall.

"Will you remain this way for the rest of your life?" she stood up and approached him, trying to speak calmly to persuade him "It's been three years since her death, son"

"It doesn't matter how much time has passed, Mother... she is the only woman I felt at ease with, and she is the mother of my son and daughter" he responded quietly, as if this topic brought back painful old memories.

"Orhan" she placed her hand on his shoulder, looking at him with affection "every strong man needs a woman by his side... I know you ignore your harem harem, but I believe a political marriage would be good for you, and your son and daughter need a mother in their lives"

He sighed deeply "You are enough for them, Valide"

"Nevertheless, they need her" she took his hand between hers "Do it for me.... you don't know how beneficial this would be for everyone"

He continued to gaze into his mother's eyes, thinking the matter for her sake, while Turhan Sultan thought of many things.

She wanted to end the Sultanate of Women, and now that Orhan had a son, she feared that a concubine would gain power, and the first thing she would want to do is to get rid şehzade Ahmet.

Thus, she believed that marrying her son to a princess would be good, for the princess would not need titles and would act as a fitting Sultan's wife... this is what she wished for... Her greatest fear was the rise of a concubine to the sultanate, repeating the past of murder, crimes, and dark history.