|Victoria's POV|

-After Two Weeks-

I was sitting on the couch, chatting with Nisa as she filled me in on the latest gossip. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Hümaşah Sultan appeared.

I was a bit surprised since it was her first visit to my room.. We had met a few times and exchanged little unimportant conversations, but this felt different.

"Hümaşah Sultan" I smiled and stood up, welcoming her "Welcome" I gestured for her to take a seat on the couch.

"Thank you, Victoria" she replied, returning my smile.. She moved closer and sat down, and I did the same.. Then I turned to nisa "Nisa, please bring us some coffee"

Nisa nodded and quickly left the room as I turned my attention back to Hümaşah Sultan, who was gazing out the window behind us.

"I'm here to discuss an important matter with you, Victoria" she said softly, then glanced at me with a small smile "But first, you must understand that I am not your enemy"

"That's good to hear since I already have so many enemies in this palace" I replied, teasingly yet confidently.

"Yes, I know" she sighed a little before adding "Unfortunately, our dynasty is full of snakes.. That's exactly why I'm here.. the birth of little Hümaşah Sultan was just an excus.. I've been receiving news about everything happening here"

I stayed silent, carefully observing her words, trying to decipher her intentions-whether she was indeed an enemy or an ally. Just then, Nisa returned, placing the coffee in front of us before leaving the room again.

"I know something is different.. I was here at Ahmed's funeral and stayed for two days until Mustafa took the throne.. he was quite insane, but I had to leave to deal with some personal issues and prepare for my divorce" Her last words shocked me a bit, and I could feel my surprise showing on my face.

"Now that I've gotten rid of that stupid man, I've returned to my home to take care of my nephew Mustafa.. But I've heard that you have provided the necessary help" she said, placing her hand over mine "Mahmud told me everything.. He's a good man and he's loyal to the dynasty"

"Oh" I raised an eyebrow "he didn't mention you at all, Sultana" I was quite taken aback by these new details.

"Of course, he wouldn't if I didn't allow it

. As I told you, he is loyal to the Dynasty" She smiled, raising an eyebrow "But you, Victoria, what is this change in events? From a princess wanting the Scottish throne to the Haseki Sultan?"

"I don't want the Scottish throne; I want the fall of the Scottish king" I said, looking out the window "I am still determined to achieve that"

"What about Halime Sultan?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I want her to fall too, not for selfish reasons, but purely for my husband's safety" I said, looking straight into her eyes.

"If that's what we'll do, I'm ready to help.. If you need anything, just let me know" She took a sip of her coffee looking at the window again.

---

|3rd Person POV|

-In Scotland-

Francesca rushed into the queen's room, holding a small letter in her hand.

"What is it, Francesca?" Caroline asked as she brushed her daughter Sophia's hair.

Francesca didn't speak but instead showed her the letter with a small gesture.. Caroline nodded and then returned her attention to her daughter.

"Okay, darling" she said, placing the comb down and giving her daughter a couple of kisses on her cheeks "It's time for bed"

She gave Sophia a beautiful smile and signaled to the maids to take her to bed. Once the room was empty, Caroline stood up and took the letter from Francesca.

"Let's hope it's good news" she said as she opened it... With each word she read, her smile grew wider.

"What's going on, Your Majesty?" Francesca asked, her impatience showing.

"Oh my God!" Caroline exclaimed, putting the letter down and looking at Francesca "Victoria has married Sultan Mustafa"

Francesca gasped, placing her hand over her lips, taken aback by this dramatic turn of events.

"But Your Majesty, we haven't received any reply from her regarding the letter you sent" Francesca pointed out.

"That's alright; we've made our move, and now we wait for the reaction" Caroline replied as she settled back onto her couch "I'm sure Victoria's response will reach us soon"

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|Victoria's POV|

I couldn't see Mustafa anywhere in his chamber, but when I glanced toward the balcony, I spotted him standing there, holding something in his hand as if he were reading it. I quietly approached him from behind, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head against his back.

"Victoria" I heard him say with a smile.. He placed his hand over mine, then pulled me in front of him and wrapped his arms around my waist "I've missed you" He began planting scattered kisses on my face.

"I've missed you too" I replied with a smile, even though I had only seen him a few hours ago.. He was busy all day, and spending the night together never felt like enough.

"How was your day?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"Very boring" I said, placing a kiss under his jaw "What about you?"

"Quite busy" he smiled, then took my hand and led us to the couch nearby "I also wanted to discuss something important with you" He showed me the paper in his hand "You know very well what this document contains"

I sighed as I looked at the paper, realizing what Mustafa was hinting at.. There would be an attack on the Ottomans next spring from several European kingdoms... Perhaps Mustafa was preparing for it, planning to surprise them before they could surprise him.

"Have preparations started?" I asked, looking at him intently "And don't forget, there are spies everywhere who will inform them of your preparations for this war"

"Don't worry...For weeks now, I've been planning this alone with Mahmud, whom I trust for many reasons.. We thought of confusing the enemies... They will believe I'm preparing for a campaign that won't happen in spring but rather in summer against another country, but in reality, we will shock them"

"That sounds good... So only you and Mahmud will know the truth, and the rest won't find out until the last moment" I said, mentally reshaping the plan.

"Exactly... If preparations start soon, we could launch the campaign in three months" he said, placing the paper down.

"Three months!" My eyes widened "That time won't be enough at all.. It takes a long time to prepare everything"

"I know that, but we need to double our efforts if we want this plan to succeed" he replied calmly, then took my hand "And don't worry about your brother; he will be overthrown right after this war"

"Actually, I also wanted to talk to you about this issue" I sighed a little, organizing my thoughts in my mind.

I was going to tell him about the offer from Caroline, my brother's wife, but I wouldn't share the whole plan just yet.. It involved something related to Halime Sultan, and I didn't want him to know her truth until I had proof in my hands.

"Weeks ago, I received a letter from Scotland. It was sent by my brother's wife, Caroline, stating that she is an ally of mine, and she also wants my brother to fall for the good of Scotland" I sighed again "From what I've learned, he is cheating on her and planning to get rid of her, and he is obsessed with the idea of having a male heir, which might lead him to get rid of his daughter as well... The only difference is that she said she wants the throne for her daughter, Sophia"

"To be honest... when your aunt was reading that letter, I heard it... but wait" Mustafa raised an eyebrow "Since your brother is two or three months younger than you, that means he is still nineteen... How old is the daughter they want to place on the throne?"

I was somewhat shocked.. After our marriage, Mustafa had told me that he heard what I said that night to my aunt, but he didn't mention anything related to the letter. I felt a bit tense, but I remembered that she had only read the first part and hadn't finished it.

"She is four years old, as far as I know... Before he passed away, my father wanted Charles to take the throne and continue the lineage through him.. So, when he turned fifteen, he married Princess Caroline, who was sixteen at the time, and that same year, they had their daughter" I briefly explained the whole situation.

"Just like my brother Ahmed, who had his firstborn at a young age" he said after understanding everything..Then he looked at me again "And what's your decision?"

"When I read the letter, I thought carefully and realized that putting Sophia on the throne would be a better choice... I wanted to stay here with you" I held his hand and smiled.

"I didn't have a strong background like hers; I needed to think selflessly... Sophia's mother comes from a royal family, so if she ascended to the throne, she would have many people around her who understand politics.. But if I were to take the throne, I would only have my aunt, and that would lead exploitative politicians to take advantage of me.. They would tarnish my reputation, and I would become a puppet queen, controlled by others' decisions" I shook my head "So the most important thing is that my father's and brother's nightmare will come true... They hate seeing a woman wearing a crown and ruling a kingdom, and that's what will happen.. If not me, then it will be Sophia.. the next queen of Scotland"

Mustafa fell silent, as if he were deep in thought.. Then he said "It's a terrible thing for you to be the ruler, yet no one takes you seriously, and everyone shows loyalty to people of no significance" He sighed a little and looked at me "That's what really bothers me"

I completely understood what he was talking about because everyone obeyed his mother and Davut Pasha and didn't take him seriously.

"You need to make them pledge their loyalty to you, Mustafa" I took his other hand and looked directly into his eyes "You are the one and only owner of this entire empire... You are the true possessor of power here... They need to see you, Mustafa.. They haven't seen you since the day you took the throne.. You must show them that you are the opposite of what they think"