|Victoria's POV|

-Two Days Later-

"Are you sure about your decision, Victoria?" my aunt asked as she moved closer and sat beside me "Have you thought carefully about what you will say?"

"Yes, I know exactly what I'll write" I sighed slightly and began to write on the paper in front of me.

It's time to respond to Caroline's message. I will trust her and our plan, even though I have never met her before.

Dear Queen Caroline,

I wholeheartedly accept your offer, for together we shall forge a new destiny for Scotland.

It is time to remove my brother from the throne, for his rule no longer serves the realm.. Instead, we will crown Sophia, as the rightful queen.

The fate of Scotland rests in our hands.

Haseki Victoria Sultan

After finishing the letter, I went to Hümaşah Sultan.. I needed a favor from her because she is powerful here, and no one can oppose her.

I decided it was time to take a look at the list of the girls in the harem and decide who would be married and who would take on other roles in the palace.. Since the list is with Menekşe, she wouldn't agree to give it to me... but she cannot oppose Hümaşah Sultan.

"Destur! Hümaşah Sultan and Haseki Victoria Sultan!"

We stood before the doorz where the girls lined up, curious because I never usually came here, and Hümaşah Sultan rarely mingled with others.

"Menekşe" Hümaşah Sultan called her "come here"

She looked surprised and annoyed but quickly approached and bowed before us.

"Sultana" she lifted her eyes "what is it?"

"I want a list of all the girls here, their ages, and what they do" she said without any interest, knowing this was not a request but an order that must be followed.

"Why, Sultana?" Menekşe hesitated a bit "I don't think that's possible"

"Who are you!" Hümaşah Sultan raised an eyebrow "Who are you to tell me what is possible and what is not in my palace... Go and do as I instructed you"

I smiled slightly in secret as the place we were sitting in was prepared, then we started sipping coffee and chatting until Menekşe returned with what we needed.

"Give it to Victoria Sultan" she said without looking at her.

I took the book from her under a deadly gaze and opened it "Every girl I call, let her come and stand before us"

In that moment, Sedef Hatun entered, looking a bit shocked, but she quickly approached and bowed before us.

"Come and join us, Sedef" Hümaşah Sultan said with a smile, gesturing for her to sit.

"What's happening here?" she asked with a small smile, glancing at everyone before looking at us.

"We're about to have some fun" I joked "We'll clear out the harem"

She looked astonished, but soon she laughed a little "That's good; all they do is gossip all the time"

We all laughed, as we truly considered it just a bit of entertainment and a sharp blow to Halime Sultan.

Hümaşah Sultan would help me with this, as she has names of men working in the state who could be married to some of these girls.

"Kalika Hatun" I read the first name.
.Menekşe pointed to her, and the girl came forward "I see you are good at cooking, something you learned before coming here at the house of Mehmet Pasha's wife" I lifted my eyes from the book "You will join the palace kitchen"

She seemed not to understand what was happening but simply bowed.

"Ceren Hatun and Hatice Hatun" I said their names together since I noticed they both had good sewing skills "You will be joined with the palace seamstresses"

"But why!" one of them said, and I didn't know if it was Ceren or Hatice "What are you doing?"

"Girl, respect yourself!" Menekşe said "Be quiet!"

"How can I be quiet... We are the harem of Sultan Mustafa, and she is treating us like servants... Who is she!" she complained, looking very annoyed.

I understood why; since they were little, they had been trained and filled with the idea that they would one day have the chance to become sultanas and mothers of princes.

"I am the Sultan's wife, and he tasked me with this mission, which will be good for you" I replied calmly, signaling for them to move her away.

"Nazli Hatun" I called again, and a girl who looked so pretty came forward.

"What do you think?" I asked, looking at Hümaşah sultan.

She sipped her coffee and smiled "She will be married to Ömer Pasha" she said, then waved her away.

"Derya Hatun" I called once more, and a girl who looked shy and quiet came forward.

"What do you think?" I asked again, this time looking at both, Sedef and Hümaşah.

"Well, since I'm spending time here, I've noticed she is a calm and kind girl" Sedef said, then added "If there's no objection, I want her to help me take care of my daughter"

"Yes, of course" I replied with a smile, then gestured for her to step back.

I was about to name the next girl when we heard an announcement of Halime Sultan's arrival.

"Destur! Valide Halime Sultan!"

As soon as those words were spoken, she stood at the door in a dark red dress, looking furious.. In fact, she always looked angry; I couldn't remember ever seeing her smile nicely.

"What is happening here?" she said, looking at all the girls, then her gaze fell on us.

"Come here, Halime; maybe you can help us with this" Hümaşah Sultan said, seeming to mock her, knowing that Halime had already heard the news.

"What is this mess?" she approached us, her eyes landing on the book I was holding "Who are you to interfere in the matters of the harem?"

I was about to answer, but Hümaşah Sultan quickly stepped in and moved closer to Halime Sultan.

"I don't care if you're a Valide Sultan; throw that title aside" she smiled calmly "This palace is mine, and my orders are above everyone's, even yours.. Don't forget that when you came here, I was already a real sultana, giving orders to people like you"

I truly didn't expect this, but it seemed Hümaşah Sultan was done with Halime.. She had slowly poisoned her first nephew until he died and then tried to make Mustafa go mad... Hümaşah Sultan doesn't seek power; she wants to give power to the dynasty and the empire and she feels responsible for protecting Mustafa, even from his own mother.

---

-The Next Day-

"So, what is the complete plan now?" my aunt asked while I was combing my hair.

"Caroline and I will ignite a revolution, a coup against Charles, which will make him feel afraid.. This might also cause him to withdraw his attack on the Ottomans" I shrugged slightly "It doesn't matter if he withdraws or not; in either case, Mustafa will send part of his army to join the soldiers supporting Caroline, and Charles will be overthrown.. Then the people will decide his fate, and likely he will be executed, allowing Sophia to reach the throne"

"So this could take months" my aunt sighed.

I knew she was tired of the Charles situation, and she was also praying for the day of his downfall to arrive quickly.

"Yes, but great things simmer slowly" I smiled, feeling a bit of happiness because the fall of that devil would be soon.

All I need to do now is wait a little; it doesn't matter if it takes even a year or more. I have waited for many years, and now that a glimmer of hope has appeared, it is worth waiting a bit longer.

As I lay down on my bed, feeling tired after a long day, I realized I wasn't just tired...I felt a bit off, like I was coming down with something.

Mustafa was busy with Mahmud, leaving me to rest alone.. There was a heaviness in my body that was hard to ignore.. As I closed my eyes, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, and I hoped it was just a passing illness.