|Münevver Victoria's POV|

-The next day-

"Have there been any letters from Murad yet?" I asked, setting my coffee cup down, my gaze directed at Nisa, who, as usual, was holding that large notebook, reviewing the tasks awaiting me for tomorrow.

"Not yet, Your Highness" she replied, her fingers grazing the pages before she looked up "His highness must be very absorbed in his work there and has likely forgotten about this matter"

"I know" I said with a warm smile, imagining his joy and immersion in his work, something he had longed for since he was twelve.

"So, what do we have tomorrow?" I asked, rising from my seat and walking towards the mirror, sitting on the small sofa so Yasemin could begin removing my jewelry.

"In the morning, you'll meet with Astrid Hatun" As soon as she mentioned the name, our eyes locked in the mirror, both of us rolling our eyes, as if it were instinctive upon hearing that name "As usual, she has new complaints to present for you to solve"

"If she stopped her business dealings, it would be the best favor she could do for both herself and me" I replied with a weary smile, gesturing for her to continue while extending my hand for Yasemin to remove my rings, keeping only my favorite one.

"After lunch, you and Sedef Sultan will leave to meet with the women of the charity, and your meeting might run a bit long" she said then she made sure I was paying attention as her eyes lifted, and once I nodded, she lowered them again to continue "Then, after that, the important dinner, Your Highness"

I slowly withdrew my hand, my mind already drifting to that important family dinner tomorrow.. It was crucial, for after it, Sedef and I would raise the topic of Hümaşah's marriage to Mustafa.

It seemed like he had forgotten how much his daughter had grown.. she was now eighteen, and rather than treating her as if she were still a little child, he needed to understand that she was of marrying age.

I had told Sedef to discuss the matter with Mustafa alone, but she insisted that I be there with her because she was nervous.. not about the idea of marriage itself, but about the fact that Hümaşah had already chosen the one she wanted... and to be honest, I had no idea how Mustafa would react.

We had rejected so many suitors in recent years, and he would undoubtedly want a thorough explanation of why this particular match had been chosen.

"Well, tomorrow we have a lot to do" I said with a smile, rising again as Yasemin gently applied some perfume to my neck before I looked into the mirror, placing my hand on my belly.

"I think you should rest a little, Your Highness" Nisa expressed her concern, stepping closer to me "Your pregnancy is already difficult, and it's only been tough these first few weeks"

"Don't worry" I said, turning to her and placing my hand on her arm "Pregnancy has never been easy for me, but as I've made it through the previous three, I'll do it again" I finished with a smile, then headed towards the door, making my way to Mustafa's chambers, where I knew he would have returned by now.

As soon as the doors opened, my eyes landed on him... There he was, sitting at his desk with a piece of paper in hand, scanning it.

The moment he heard my approach, he raised his gaze with a calm smile, though it quickly faded when he noticed the change in my expression and the pale look on my face.. It was evident, no doubt, that I was tense-especially since I hadn't yet told him about my pregnancy, and I had gone to bed early the night before, too exhausted to see him except for a brief moment this morning.

"Victoria" he said softly, placing the paper down and rising "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm" I reassured him, gesturing for him to sit back down, for he must be very tired "I'm just a little tired" I moved closer, forcing a smile on my lips before sitting on the edge of his desk "How was your day?"

"It was ordinary, as always" He raised his hand, brushing his fingers over his cheek, though the concern in his eyes remained "What about you?"

"It was chaotic" I replied, running my fingers down his arm before straightening my posture, trying to gather my thoughts "Actually, I have some news"

"Tell me" he said, lowering his hand and looking at me with such focus that it seemed like he was bracing himself for bad news, given the change in my expression.

"I finally agreed, after Aunt Catherine's insistence, to see the doctor yesterday" I let the words leave me calmly, taking his right hand in mine.. for a brief moment, I saw the fear flicker in his eyes, so I hurried to add "Don't worry, everything is fine... I'm pregnant"

"Wh..." He paused, and it wasn't so much the pregnancy that seemed to shock him, but the way he appeared to be processing the anxiety caused by the mention of the doctor and the pallor of my face.

"I didn't expect it either, but I'm really grateful" I added with a wider smile this time, gently tracing his fingers with mine, silently awaiting his response.

"That's wonderful news, Victoria" he said, his voice still laced with surprise, and then he fell silent again, as though searching for the right words.. finally, he looked at me, his eyes filled with clear joy "Well... I thought it would be Murad making us grandparents soon" he teased, raising his hand once more to rest on my cheek "But here you are, still blessing me with children" I couldn't help but laugh, but it seemed Mustafa wasn't finished yet, as he added "What were you saying that day... that I was becoming very old... well..."

Once again, I laughed at his silly jokes, which, at one point, I had thought stemmed from his madness.. But after spending so many years by his side, I came to realize that this was simply part of his personality, unrelated to any eccentricity.

Mustafa, of course, was like any man still in an age where fatherhood was possible.. He could father children even twenty years from now.. But I, being a woman, was different.. some lose the ability in their thirties, others in their forties, and a fortunate few may still be able to conceive in their fifties.

Though I was still in my late thirties, I had thought Osman, born four years ago, would be my last child.. Even if I desired more, I believed I couldn't bear another.

What led me to believe this was Aunt Catherine's words, that our family had never been particularly fertile, and most of the women had only two children at most before their fertility diminished in their early thirties.

It seemed I hadn't understood it properly, and the reality was different for me.. After deep reflection, I found that having another child was a good thing for both me and Mustafa, who had always dreamed of a larger family.

Seeing him happy about it brought me joy because I knew well the pain he had endured, especially considering his difficult relationship with his mother over the years.. He must have struggled with it for a long time, and though he tried to avoid the topic, the burden of what she had done to him must still linger in his heart.

Amidst these thoughts and my conversation with Mustafa, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my head and stomach.. Though I tried my best to ignore it, it became impossible to do so.. I decided to retire to bed early, hoping that sleep would help me get through this difficult phase, which I believed would pass in the early months of pregnancy.

Still, this pain felt different from anything I had experienced before.

»»-----　♔　-----««

|3rd Person POV|

"Quickly, we must finish before His Highness arrives" said the girl named Vittoria, adjusting the bedspread in the prince's quarters.

Svetlana and another girl, Fahriye, were busy preparing a small couch and a table where Şehzade Murad would enjoy a small dance performance, organized by Efsun Kalfa, who had carefully selected six girls to dance for him.

Svetlana's eyes fell upon Şehzade Murad's desk, cluttered with disorganized papers, as the words of Dilruba Sultan rang in her mind... Perhaps there was something in these papers that could prove useful to her.

Taking advantage of the others' distraction, she approached the desk under the guise of tidying up.. She began to slowly lift the papers, glancing at their contents as swiftly as she could before placing them in an organized stack to the side.

Just then, she heard footsteps nearing the door, a sound that made everyone freeze in place and lower their heads, all knowing that it was the unmistakable sound of şehzade Murad, talking with his friend, Necmeddin.

As the door opened, Svetlana quickly slipped one of the papers back into her hand and lowered her head, standing beside the desk.

Murad scanned the room briefly, then tossed his brown coat onto one of the sofas before heading to his desk, signaling with a wave of his hand for everyone to continue their work.

Before Svetlana could move to light a few more candles, she lifted her eyes slightly, curiosity tugging at her.. She glanced quickly at Murad, who had seated himself and was beginning to sift through some papers, eager to finish them and hand them over to Necmeddin.

She moved quietly, trying to finish her task swiftly despite the tension mounting in her chest.. The other girls had already left, and it seemed that her being alone was the reason Murad lifted his eyes to her, giving her a brief, almost absent glance before turning back to his work.

"Do you need anything else... Your Highness?" she asked nervously, barely lifting her eyes as she turned to the desk after lighting the candles.

"No, you may leave" Murad replied, his gaze slowly drifting over her, scanning her from top to bottom.. After watching her leave, he rose from his chair, papers in hand, and called out to Necmeddin.

Svetlana walked quickly down the hall, feeling a twinge of frustration.. She hadn't found anything useful in the papers, and though this was only the beginning and a long road lay ahead, she wanted to finish this quickly so she could return to a life of peace, somewhere far from all this chaos.

As she entered the harem, her eyes immediately landed on the gathering of girls, their voices buzzing with excitement and she knew exactly why.

They were all gathered around the six girls who would perform a dance for the şehzade, one of whom was Gülüm because Emine had convinced Efsun Kalfa to choose her, praising her beauty and body, which seemed to be sculpted to perfection.

"Quiet!" Efsun Kalfa snapped, clapping her hands as she entered "Follow me... the rest of you, go to bed and stop making noise"

"Wish me luck" Gülüm whispered with a small smile beside Svetlana's ear, adjusting her sky-blue dress.

"This isn't about luck... this is the moment you've been trained for.. You must seize it" Svetlana replied with a serious tone, her eyes scanning Gülüm from head to toe.

Inside, she prayed Gülüm would win the şehzade's favor quickly, so they could move on to the next step of their plan.

As Gülüm stepped into the şehzade's room with the other girls, the music began to play.. Murad, lounging in his chair, sipped from his glass every so often, his eyes wandering from one girl's waist to another.

Murad's eyes were always wandering.. he loved beauty, adored women..One woman's hair would captivate him, while another's lips would draw him in.. He relished his life in Manisa, enjoying the freedom to do whatever he pleased, whether it was work or spending time with girls of every shape and color.

By the end of the dance, Murad had clearly fixed his attention on one girl.. Gülüm, the one with the brown eyes and full, beautiful lips, who moved with grace in her sky-blue gown, like the waves of the sea and what actually made him decide he wanted her was the way she had gazed at him throughout the performance.

Meanwhile, Svetlana sat stitching a garment, relying on the soft light of a small candle beside her.

As she heard footsteps approaching, she lifted her eyes to see five of the girls returning..but Gülüm was not among them.

A small smile played on her lips.. she decided to retire for the night, content that Gülüm had taken the first, most crucial step in this long and complex path.

The next morning, as soon as Svetlana awoke, she noticed that Gülüm had returned, though it seemed only recently.. however, they couldn't talk about it yet, as Svetlana had to begin her tasks with the other girls after breakfast.

"Well done, girls.. Hurry up, so we can sit there" Reyhan said, resting her hands on the short wooden railing, looking down from the favored girls' floor at those working and cleaning below.

"Where's Rahime? I realized we haven't seen her this morning" asked another, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger as she glanced around the room.

"I'm not sure... she's probably locked herself in her room, crying as usual whenever a new girl is brought to His Highness" Reyhan replied sarcastically, prompting a few girls to laugh, which caught Svetlana's attention briefly.. still, it didn't last long as Efsun Kalfa and Rahime Hatun walked in at that moment.

"Are you not done yet?" Efsun Kalfa snapped impatiently, gesturing for them to hurry.. then, her gaze shifted to Rahime "Go to your room and rest.. I shall inform His Highness when he returns"

"No, please" Rahime said, offering a soft smile, her eyes pleading while her words immediately captured the attention of everyone around them "I want to inform him myself"

"Very well" Efsun Kalfa replied, her voice softening "When he returns, I'll accompany you to him" She motioned for Rahime to leave so she could continue her work, but before she could move, the girls' voices interrupted with curious questions.

"How insufferable you all are" Efsun Kalfa said sharply, raising a hand to silence them, before turning her gaze back to Rahime "Rahime Hatun is pregnant"

The place fell into a hushed silence as the news sank in.. some gasped in shock, others smiled in awe at the idea of one of them fulfilling the dream they all secretly wished for.. But for some, like Reyhan, a look of envy and discomfort swiftly replaced any smile.

The moment Gülüm heard the news, her gaze dropped, swiftly searching for those familiar blue eyes.. she soon found Svetlana, who was already looking at her.. their eyes met briefly in a silent exchange before both turned away, absorbed once more in their own thoughts and tasks.