Finally, I found the garden and stepped outside after telling the guards that Fahriye Kalfa had sent me. I kept walking through the long corridors, trying to find the prince they said was here.

I didn’t even know his face.

Suddenly, I heard someone say, "Şehzade, it's starting to get cold. Let's go back inside."

I followed the voice and, behind some trees, spotted two young men walking side by side. By their clothes, I could tell which one was the prince.

I hid in the corridor, waiting for him to approach so I could pretend to bump into him. That was the only plan I could come up with. As he neared, I stepped out and stumbled right in front of him. I braced for impact with the ground, but instead, two strong hands caught me.

"Oh my God." I opened my eyes and found myself looking into a handsome face, his eyes scanning mine with calm precision.

"Sorry," I said quickly, steadying myself.

"Be careful," he said gently. "There’s no need to rush."

I bowed slightly, flustered. "Sorry again."

He looked around, then asked, "What are you doing here?"

Panic crept up my spine.

Was I even allowed here?

"Fahriye Kalfa sent me to check something, and I… I seem to have gotten lost." I hated how unsure I sounded.

He nodded slowly. "You must be new here."

Yes, of course, he must recognize every new tall blonde girl. He probably sleeps with them all.

"Yes, I’m still getting used to the place," I muttered without meeting his gaze.

"Come on, I’m going back inside,"

He walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, and I followed. Thank God he did, because I really was lost. If he had left me, I might’ve wandered another day trying to find the way back.

When we returned inside, he continued on his way, and I headed toward the harem. Before I could even gather my thoughts, a hand grabbed my arm, tight.

I turned to find Fahriye Kalfa, her eyes blazing.

"Where were you? And why were you walking behind Şehzade Mehmed?" she snapped.

"I went out to get some air. The work tired me," I said, shaking my head. "Then I got lost in the garden and met the prince. Thank God he was kind and showed me the way back."

"Do I need to remind you that you are not a princess? You don’t get to act as you please." She squeezed my arm tighter. "Go and finish cleaning. If it happens again, I’ll punish you."

I bit back the curse on my tongue and walked away slowly, muttering under my breath. I wished more than ever to escape this place.

Just then, someone pulled me again, but this time it was Alice.

"Tell me where you were. Why did Fahriye say you were behind Şehzade Mehmed?"

"You should finish cleaning first," I replied coolly.

She sat down, then tugged at my hand. "Tell me first, and we’ll clean after."

I gave in, telling her how I wanted some air, got lost, and met the prince, how he simply showed me the way back. Then we both stood up, finished cleaning, and headed to the hamam to wash off the sweat and exhaustion.

"Didn’t you hear anything about Eylem’s sudden pregnancy?" I asked as I brushed my damp hair.

Alice leaned in excitedly, making sure everyone else was too busy to liste.

"I know the whole story," she whispered. "The dynasty’s in danger, they need şehzades, but they don’t want to risk sending Şehzade Mehmed to Manisa. When they learned Eylem was pregnant, they took it as a sign and allowed him to have children here. But from what I heard, he was furious. He thought Eylem was taking birth control. Still, he’s happy to become a father."

I shook my head." So Eylem broke the rules and, instead of being punished, got a celebration."

"But she lost the prince’s attention," Alice laughed. "Though I’m sure she’ll win it back. She’s known him for over a year."

After we finished bathing, we put on our dull dresses and sat on our beds. I missed having a notebook to write in, I had always kept diaries.

"Mary! Mary, come here!"

The voice rang out a few times before I remembered it was the fake name I had given everyone. I turned around to find Fahriye Kalfa standing a few steps away. I stood and approached her.

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked sarcastically.

"Sorry. I was thinking," I said, lifting my eyebrows. "What do you want?"

"You’re about to become Eylem’s number one enemy." She chuckled, and I stared at her, confused.

"Why?"

"Because Şehzade Mehmed is going on a hunting trip for two days. And when he returns…" she leaned close, her voice a whisper, "you’ll prepare yourself for him. I guess walking behind him paid off."

"What? Is he going to reward me or something?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"What’s wrong with you today? Have you gone stupid?" she slapped my shoulder lightly. "The Şehzade liked you. You’re going to spend the night with him."

My hand flew to my mouth in shock. I knew he was supposed to fall in love with me. I knew I had to get close to him for my mission. But in that moment, it hit me: I would have to give myself to a man I barely knew.

This wasn’t how I imagined it.

I had dreams, marriage, children, love.

Not surrendering my body for duty.