|Helena's POV|

I was taking a sip of my coffee when I noticed Zeynep's glance. It was a silent signal, reminding me to do what she had asked of me the day before. I returned her gaze with a calming smile, placing the cup down, then I turned to face Turhan Sultan, who was busy with her breakfast.

"The weather looks lovely today" I said, a soft smile touching my lips.

"Yes, you're right" Turhan Sultan replied, nodding slightly before looking out the window toward the balcony "But winter is just around the corner"

"I was thinking maybe Zeynep and I could go out for a bit" I added "I'd like to take a stroll through the market... I'm sure my ladies-in-waiting would enjoy it"

Finally, I said what I had been preparing myself for.

"Of course" Turhan Sultan said, smiling "You can do whatever you wish.. But don't forget, our personal seamstress will come after lunch... Perhaps you'd like to join us and choose some new gowns"

Although my wardrobe was already filled with a variety of dresses, I found myself craving something different, something with that special touch, the "Sultanas' touch" as I liked to call it... The thought of that day in the garden came to mind, when Orhan had told me to start covering my hair when leaving the palace... And so, I found myself in need of veils.

"Yes, I'd love that..Thank you" I replied with a smile, then stood up with Zeynep... We both bowed slightly before leaving the room.

"Thank you, Helena" Zeynep said with a wide smile, though there was something in her tone that suggested a deeper reason for our outing this morning.

"It's nothing" I replied, raising an eyebrow playfully "But I do need something in return"

Zeynep raised her own eyebrow in curiosity.

"Let me borrow a veil" I said, smiling mischievously.

"Of course, which color would you prefer?" she asked, though her surprise was evident in her eyes.

"Hmm..." I paused, glancing at my dress "Maybe white"

"Alright, I'll get you those" she replied, smiling.

We walked to her room, where a maid helped us adjust the veils on our heads, and soon after, Isabel and Sibylle joined us. We made our way outside, where a carriage was waiting.

"Alright, tell me why we're here" I asked Zeynep as we stepped out of the carriage and began strolling through the quiet streets.

"I'm meeting Mansur" she whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement "But we have a problem, Helena" she added, her voice growing more serious.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to make sense of her words, still taken aback by the idea that Mansur Pasha was secretly involved with Zeynep Sultan.

"Youe guards" she said, her eyes briefly flickering to the two guards following us before returning her gaze to me "My guards are loyal to me, but the ones my brother assigned to you... they can't be trusted"

"You're right" I murmured, nodding in agreement "So, where are you meeting him?"

"There's a small shop in one of the narrow alleys" she said, her voice full of anticipation "We always meet there"

"I'll take care of it" I said with a reassuring smile, then turned to Isabel.

I whispered instructions to her, asking her to lead Sibylle into one of the nearby stores and pretend to be distracted.. I would then tell my guards to stay with them, and if they objected, Zaynab would reassure them that it was fine... As expected, the plan worked perfectly.

"This is the place" Zeynep said, and I could hear the excitement in her voice.

I nodded and followed her into the small, dimly lit room. The shop was empty, except for a small window letting in a few rays of sunlight, and there, by the window, stood Mansur Pasha.

"Mansur" Zeynep said, her face lighting up with a wide smile.. She hurried over to him and threw herself into his arms.

I watched them, smiling softly.. There was something beautiful about seeing my friend so happy, so loved... It was something I had never experienced, something I had never felt for myself... Still, I wanted to give them some privacy, so I moved away and stepped into a back room, as most of these shops were divided into two sections.

"Don't worry, you can trust Helena" I heard Zeynep say, and I guessed Mansur was surprised to see me there.

I decided to ignore the exchange, hoping to distract myself while they spoke. I began sorting through some old boxes that were haphazardly piled in the corner.

"I sent you so many letters these past few days, but you never replied.. You didn't meet with me either" Zeynep said, her voice filled with concern.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort at how easily I could hear their conversation in the empty shop.

"I was upset" Mansur replied, his tone serious "And I still am"

"Why?" Zeynep asked, her voice laced with worry.

"I thought I'd be the grand vizier, but I was hit with a harsh blow when His Majesty announced that Ali would take the position" Mansur replied, his voice carrying frustration "I needed some time alone"

"I know how much you want that position, Mansur" Zeynep said gently, her soothing voice attempting to calm him "But don't worry, you're still young.. You're only thirty-two, and I'm sure you'll get it someday"

"I don't know when his majesty will stop ignoring me and giving that position to the wrong people" Mansur said, his voice full of frustration.. I, too, felt uncomfortable hearing him go on and on about this, while Zeynep seemed so happy just to be with him "And being away from you only makes it harder... We need to get married, Zeynep ..Maybe then, people will take me seriously"

"I want that too" Zeynep replied, her voice bright.

"I'll wait for the right moment, and then I'll speak to his majesty about it" Mansur said, his tone calmer now "Also, Zeynep, try to use your influence with the Sultan... He adores you .. you're he's only sister... You must try to persuade him to choose me as his grand vizier"

"I'll try" Zeynep replied quietly, and then there was a pause, as if she were gathering her thoughts. I could sense a shift in the room... After a few minutes, Zeynep walked toward me, smiling brightly.

"Come on, Helena" she said, her energy now restored.

I nodded and followed her, noticing that she exchanged a few more smiles with Mansur before we left the shop.

When we returned to the palace, I went straight to my room to rest before lunch. Yet, without fully realizing it, my thoughts wandered back to that strange encounter between Mansur and Zeynep.. Despite their smiles and pleasant demeanor, something felt off.

If I were in her place, I would have felt uncomfortable, because instead of expressing his love for her, he spent the whole time complaining about not being chosen as the Grand Vizier.

I tried to push these thoughts out of my mind. After all, it was their personal matter, and it didn't really matter what their personalities were like. What mattered was that Zeynep seemed happy and at ease with him-and that was the most important thing.

After lunch, I sat with Zeynep Sultan and the seamstress, who presented us with several fabrics in all kinds of colors and styles... I truly enjoyed the experience, picking out some pieces that caught my eye and describing exactly how I wanted my gowns to look.

Night came quickly, and I was excited about the dinner I was going to share with Isabel and Sibylle. We had planned to have some fun, so we decided to invite Sumbul to join us as well.

"The dinner was delicious" I said with a smile, sipping from my glass of water as I glanced at them.

"Yes, sultanim, I'm glad you're enjoying the food here" Sumbul replied with a smile, still eating some chicken.

"Well, it's time" Sibylle said happily, clapping her hands, causing us all to turn and look at her in confusion.

"Time for what?" Isabel asked, puzzled, as she dabbed her lips with a handkerchief.

"To dance" Sibylle declared, standing up and pulling Sumbul with her "Come on, we want to have some fun, and you'll teach us how to dance"

My eyes widened, as did Sumbul's. He looked at me with a puzzled expression, unsure of what to do in front of me.

"Sibylle, have you lost your mind?" I said, standing up and staring at her as she kicked off her shoes.

"Come on, Sumbul" she insisted, grabbing his hand.

I sighed, stifling a laugh.. I knew Sibylle wouldn't back down, so I nodded in agreement.

"Alright, it will be my pleasure" Sumbul said with his usual politeness and smile, then added "But we'll need some music" He walked to the door, opened it, and spoke to the girl standing outside... He instructed her to gather a few others and bring them to play music for us.

"Let's start while they prepare" he said, walking over to Sibylle, and began teaching her some dance moves... Isabel and I watched and laughed, which seemed to annoy Sibylle so shehe pulled us by our hands.

"Come on, you two, stop laughing and join in" she ordered, then turned to Sumbul "Let's start again, everyone.."

They resumed copying the dance moves, and Isabel and I tried to follow, laughing all the while... We wanted to make the atmosphere lighter and enjoy ourselves, especially since we had been feeling a bit bored. In the end, it was these silly little moments that always made us laugh the most.

As we continued to move, we suddenly heard footsteps, which made Sumbul cheer "It seems they've come quickly"

We kept dancing, trying to mimic the movements, until the door swung open. My eyes widened, and I froze in place.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Orhan, who paused for a moment, raising his eyebrows slowly as if he was shocked by what he saw.

Sumbul, still in motion and facing away from the door, hadn't noticed him enter.

Isabel gave him a warning glance, and Sumbul quickly stopped dancing and turned around. The look on his face was priceless, and I could hardly hold back my laughter.

"Oh, my goodness" he whispered under his breath then he took a few steps forward "Your Majesty, I-" But Orhan cut him off before he could finish.

"Helena" he said, his gaze locking onto mine "I need to speak with you" He finished his sentence and turned to leave, clearly signaling for me to follow.

As I watched him walk away, I felt a sudden rush of anxiety. Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, I couldn't shake the fear that something important was about to happen. What did he want to talk about? Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind-did he know about Zeynep's meeting with Mansur? Was I in trouble for helping her?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and followed him. When I caught up, he was standing just a few steps ahead, waiting for me then we began walking together, side by side.

"Your Majesty, about what happened..." I started, but he interrupted me.

"You can just call me Orhan" he said, glancing at me with a small smile "I've told you before, you can consider me a friend"

His words made me pause, a small, surprised smile forming on my lips. There was something about the way he spoke-warm and almost... gentle-that made me feel a little lighter.

But then, I remembered what I had done earlier that morning, something that went against the customs and laws here. Had I betrayed my friend by helping my other friend? Orhan was kind, trustworthy even, and he had entrusted me with his children's care... Some might say I was overthinking, but I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt.

"Well, Orhan, we were just trying to make things more fun.." I said softly, glancing at the floor as we walked "Sumbul really does know how to make us laugh"

"Yes, I understand" he replied, his tone still calm and reassuring "I wanted to speak to you about something related to that, actually"

We reached his room, and he motioned for me to enter first. I smiled and stepped inside, followed closely by him. As I stood in the middle of the room, he turned to face me.

"Yesterday, when we entered your room, your friend mentioned something you wanted to tell me" Orhan began, his voice steady.. He paused, watching me closely as I blushed, remembering the scene from the day before "And also, my mother mentioned that you've been feeling a bit bored here"

"Your M... Orhan" I said, pausing for a moment to choose my words carefully but finally, I decided to speak honestly "Sibylle had asked me to get your permission to travel to one of your other palaces, but of course, I told her that wouldn't be possible" I glanced up into his eyes, trying to read his expression "I don't want to trouble you with such trivial matters.."

"There's no trouble at all" Orhan sighed, shaking his head slightly "I understand.. I know that staying here, seeing the same people every day without anything to do, would make anyone feel bored" He looked at me thoughtfully, then added "If that's what you want, I'll speak with my mother or Zeynep... You can go to Bursa"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise but he continued "You can take the children as well.. I was planning to go there for a hunting trip and to spend some time, but I'll finish some work first and catch up with you later"

"... Orhan" I said quietly, still trying to take in what he had just said, but I felt a spark of excitement at the thought of traveling to a new place "Thank you so much"

"No need to thank me" he said, his hand briefly touching my arm in a small, comforting gesture "Alright, get ready tomorrow... I'll tell Ahmed, he'll be thrilled to skip his lessons"

I laughed softly looking at him then after a brief conversation about when and how we would leave, I thanked him again before returning to my room.

As I walked away, my heart felt lighter. There was something about Orhan's kindness that always surprised me-he was not just a ruler, but someone who seemed to understand more than he let on.