Sevda Sultana, with Hatice Sultana's meticulous gaze, carefully scanned her surroundings, seeking answers within her complex emotions. Hatice Sultana's voice echoed with firmness as she said, "Take a look around. Is there someone you've been overlooking?"
In confusion, Sevda Sultana looked at her sister and asked, "What do you mean by that, sister?"
Hatice Sultana smiled, but this smile contained a hint of both bitterness and knowledge. "Oh, my naive sister. Can't you see the prince who is circling around you like a moth?"
Sevda Sultana's eyes widened, "What? Which prince?"
With a friendly hand on Sevda Sultana's shoulder, Hatice Sultana continued, "My dear foolish sister. Haven't you noticed yet? Prince Vural is madly in love with you. He wanders around like a moth, playing the violin in the palace at nights, right next to your room. Don't you realize, Sevda, that your love has softened the stone-hearted man? Fortune has smiled upon you."
Sevda Sultana, faced with her sister's words, remained in a mix of astonishment and excitement. The traces of love were shaping themselves on the mysterious walls of the palace in a world she had yet to discover.
Sevda Sultana spoke with a voice trembling with anger, and storms raged within her emotions. She began by saying, "Sister, are you aware of what you're saying?" Her eyes gleamed with sorrow. "Not love, not passion, not infatuation, not the bird of fortune! Prince Vural is my brother, my actual brother. Can't you understand? I can't love him. I don't. He's my brother!"
Hatice Sultana calmly replied, "Foolish! Well, let it be that way. Calling Vural your brother? Your brother... huh... let's see if you can also treat Prince Mustafa like your brother when you see him tonight after all these years!"
Mustafa and Vural were brothers, both being Sevda's cousin. They are almost the same age.
Sevda Sultan, her voice trembling, asked in bewilderment, "What? I don't understand. What Mustafa, sister?"
Hatice Sultana spoke with a determined voice, creating an emotional atmosphere in the room. "Look at me, Sevda, do you think I'm foolish? I'm your sister, your elder sister. Do you think I haven't noticed your love for Prince Mustafa since childhood?" Her eyes delved into echoes of the past, and the room was filled with memories. "I know your heart, your essence. Why did this heart, these eyes, start smiling again after such a long time? Could it be because tonight Prince Mustafa is returning from Manisa? Since the day he left, your face hasn't lit up. Isn't it known that you still keep the blue-beaded necklace he gave you as a child by your bedside?"
Sevda Sultana, in a bewildered tone, responded, "Sister, how do you know this? Did you rummage through my room? No, sister, you wouldn't do that!!!" Tension filled the room, and the walls seemed to reflect the secrets of the past.
Hatice Sultana's voice became distinct in the room as she decisively said, "Forget about all that and let's focus on the main issue," getting up abruptly. Continuing to stroke Sevda's face with hennaed hands, she said, "Sevda, I know you are in love with Prince Mustafa. There's no need to deny it. But don't do it, my sister. Don't spend your life on unrequited love. As painful as it may sound, I have to tell you... Prince Mustafa never loved you. He saw you as a sister, protected and cared for you like a sister. Please, start seeing someone who loves you. Don't dive into empty fantasies with someone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings and ruin your life. I don't want you to be disappointed, my sister."
Just then, Hatice Sultana's room door creaked open, and a woman entered, saying, "Who might be the one upsetting my sultans' sultan niece?" Hatice Sultana and Sevda Sultana, in a flurry of excitement, quickly stood up, expressing, "Your Majesty, did you arrive? Please forgive us; we didn't hear you coming." The room instantly filled with chaos and excitement, much like the mystery and emotional tension it contained.
Valide Sultana, the mother of Mustafa and some other princes, the true lady of the palace, approached Sevda Sultana with determined steps, placing her hand under her chin. "Let's see who might be the one upsetting my niece," she said. Valide Sultana was tall, with sharp facial features, and appeared remarkably young regardless of her age. She had a penchant for wearing green or blue dresses and was an elegant woman who enjoyed using an excessively ornate crown adorned with blue and green stones.
Sevda Sultana, with a mixture of excitement and hesitation hearing Valide Sultana's words, responded, "No, Your Majesty, nothing at all. We were just joking as sisters do."
Valide Sultana smiled and said, "Alright then. No one in this palace can upset my nieces. I won't allow it. Well, Hatice, you've become a beautiful bride, Mashallah to you." Valide Sultana's presence seemed to dominate the atmosphere of the palace, much like being under the gaze of a queen.
Hatice Sultana, speaking sincerely, said, "Thank you, my mother. It is through your efforts that we have come this far. May Allah never deprive us of you."
Valide Sultana responded with a gentle smile, "Well, Sevda, since your elder sister has already become a bride, it's now your turn. I will arrange the most magnificent wedding for you in this world, rest assured."
Sevda Sultana was shocked to hear these words because such a topic had never come up between them before. Unable to understand why Valide Sultana suddenly said such a thing, she thanked her by saying, "Thank you, your majesty." The surprise and curiosity in her eyes left an imprint on Sevda Sultana's face in response to Valide Sultana's unexpected proposal.