|Helena's POV|

-The next morning-

I was sitting in front of the mirror, barely paying attention as Sibylle brushed my hair and Isabel adjusted my dress... anastasia was in the corner, holding a tray of perfumes and oils while  I was practically vibrating with frustration.

“Helena, you are ready...Is there anything you’d like to change?” Sibylle glanced at me, trying to lighten the mood

“No, nothing” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.

I could feel their eyes on me, and I knew they were probably dying to ask what was going on and finally, I can see that Isabel couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Helena, what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice full of concern “You look like you’re about to burst”

I sighed and leaned back in the chair “It’s... Orhan” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

Both of them immediately froze, then exchanged a look before bursting out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I blinked at them, confused.

“Orhan? The husband you married... purely for politics?” Isabel grinned, her eyes full of mischief.

“It’s not like that” I said, trying to sound serious “I’m just... frustrated” I rolled my eyes, but the laughter was a little contagious.

“Ohhh, frustrated with your dear husband?” Isabel teased, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not like that at all” I muttered “It’s just... I saw him with Rana last night... standing there, talking, and I don’t know, it just... bothered me”

“You’re jealous” Sibylle leaned in, still grinning.

I shook my head, though I couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at my lips “I’m not jealous” I said, trying to sound firm “It’s just... it’s complicated...”

"Do you remember when we came here and you were saying that you didn't care about him?" Sibylle laughed and then turned to Isabel "Isabel, would you like me to share an interesting historical fact?"

"Yes, I'd love to hear it, Sibylle" Isabel said with fake seriousness, knowing there was a joke coming.

"Did you know that the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon to Isabella of Castile was purely political, and they ended up having like five children?" they both burst out laughing, and even Anastasia couldn't hold back her laughter... I couldn't blame her because I found myself laughing too.

“Can we stop now? I’m trying to be serious here” I said, standing up and smoothing down my dress.

I left my room, having placed a veil over my head, and decided I would first go to get Aysel ready... Afterward, I would take her with me to check on Ahmed, who would be with his teacher.

I entered Aysel's room, where Elena was quietly moving around, careful not to wake the sleeping princess, preparing her clothes.

I smiled when I saw that she had chosen three different dresses, knowing that Aysel always likes having options.

I gently approached her bed and woke her up, placing soft kisses on her cheek... Slowly, her eyes opened, revealing the deep blue of her eyes.

"Good morning, sweetie" I said softly, and she responded with a sweet smile.

After a few moments of choosing and a few short conversations, Aysel was ready.... She wore a purple dress, and her golden blonde hair fell gracefully like strands of silk.

I sat on one of the couches and helped her with breakfast while I watched her with a smile, trying to push aside the feelings of anger that had taken over me since last night, along with the sadness from my conversation with Ahmed.

Once she finished, I held her hand and we walked out of the harem toward the room where little Ahmed would be studying with his teacher.

I was surprised when I saw Mansur Pasha standing by the window, seemingly watching Ahmed and his teacher.... his hands were behind his back, and as soon as he heard our footsteps, he turned around... When he saw me, he lowered his head and placed his hands in front of him.

Seeing his face made me recall the day Zeynep met him when I was with her... I'll never forget it, and I’m still firm in my opinion... I don't like him.

"Good morning, Your Highness" he said in a respectful, calm tone.

I nodded politely, then stood by the window, holding Aysel’s hand, trying to keep her quiet so as not to distract her brother.

"If you have any plans with şehzade Ahmed after his lesson, I just wanted to inform you that Rana Hanim Sultan asked me to bring him to her once he’s done" these were the words I heard behind me, of course, from Mansur Pasha.

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I turned to look at him.

He seemed to understand my question, as I was genuinely puzzled about what Rana wanted with Ahmed.

"They will be playing in the garden" he replied calmly, without lifting his eyes, though I detected a hint of provocation in his tone.

I remained silent and went back to watching Ahmed, who seemed very focused on his teacher... They seemed to get along well, and Ahmed appeared very comfortable with him.

"Alright, but when you take him to the garden, be careful of the cold weather... We don’t want the prince to catch a cold" I said, warning him, giving him a serious look then I walked away again, holding Aysel’s hand.

Truthfully, yes, I did have some plans for the children, hoping to support Ahmed and make him happy... But it seemed there was someone else who wanted to spend time with him as well.

Soon, I found myself in Zeynep Sultan’s room... She was sitting on one of the couches, busy with some embroidery.

"Auntie" Aysel said, letting go of my hand and running toward her.

"My beautiful flower" Zeynep said with a smile, hugging Aysel tightly, then looking at me with a smile.

"This might be the first time you’ve come to visit me, Helena" she said, laughing as I sat beside her.

That made me realize she was right... she often visits me in my room, but I had never come to her room alone before.

After a few moments, a maid brought two cups of coffee that smelled absolutely delightful then she told Elena to bring Aysel's toys to keep her entertained for a bit.

"How are you, dear?" I asked, placing my hand over hers and looking at her with a smile.

"I’m not sure, Helena" she replied with a faint smile "Mansur says it’s up to me to bring up the topic of our marriage with my mother"

"What?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise at what she said "He should be the one to bring it up with His Majesty!" I said, my voice laced with annoyance without even realizing it... I really didn’t like the pressure he was putting on her.

"That’s what I told him... My mother will never agree if I bring it up" she sighed a little, as if thinking about her mother’s possible anger... then she turned back to me "let’s not talk about that... How are you and Orhan?" Her tone sounded strange, as if there was something hollow inside her.

"Uh..." I hesitated, looking away "Everything’s fine... Why?"

"Helena" she paused, pressing her lips together as if holding something back but eventually, she seemed to give in "Actually, my mother keeps wondering why you don’t spend the night in Orhan's chambers"

I lowered my gaze, feeling... I don’t know, not shy exactly, but a bit uncomfortable that they were getting involved in this matter.

"Don’t worry about it, Helena" she smiled and started speaking in a more comforting tone "She just wants you two to have a good relationship... Also, when she saw Rana on the balcony with my brother last night, she got very upset"

I looked at her, pale-faced... It seemed everyone had seen what happened last night, but why would Turhan Sultan be bothered by it? She knew they were just cousins.

"What was Rana doing there?" I asked, feigning surprise, as if I hadn’t seen that scene last night... even though it had haunted me in my dreams.

"Mansur told me that she was just talking with Orhan about how much his children have grown and things like that" she said, smiling a little "Orhan also took the opportunity to check if she was alright after losing her fiancé just days before their wedding... Then she went back to her room, and he continued working with Mansur"

I listened intently as she spoke, trying to act uninterested, though, deep down, I couldn’t help but feel bothered by Rana’s attention toward Orhan... her looks, her smile.... All of it made me wonder if maybe...

Well, Helena, don’t be too harsh.... The girl lost her fiancé, and it seemed like she was just in shock, acting awkwardly.... Perhaps that was why she spoke so coldly to me that day.

I had lunch with Zeynep while Elena took Aysel to her room for a nap... Just before I was about to return to my own room, we were surprised by the entrance of Sumbul Agha, who bowed before us.

"Sumbul Agha... What’s the matter?" Zeynep asked, surprised, as she dabbed her lips with a handkerchief.

"I just wanted to inform you that tonight there will be a family dinner in His Majesty’s chambers" he said quietly and politely, lowering his head.

Zeynep and I exchanged a glance, and I froze... A family dinner meant everyone would be there tonight... I could feel a wave of unease wash over me... Oh God I didn’t want to be there.

__________________

Once again here we’re seeing the start of a conflict between Helena and Mansur... Their relationship might seem normal for now but trust me there’s going to be a lot of drama between them and we’ll find out why soon..... Helena will also play a big part in the relationship between Zeynep and Mansur and .... (🤭🪄)

I’m also excited for the dinner because it’s going to be a mess!!! Just a heads up we still have about 5 or 6 chapters of slow-paced events but after that we’ll start speeding things up a bit cuz I wanted to dedicate the first 30 chapters of the story to Helena settling into the palace... getting used to some things and figuring out everyone’s place in her life especially the two kids and Orhan.... + there’s still a lot of years to come in this story<333