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The next days passed in a blur of preparations. Hatice Sultan supervised every step of the process. Valide, though more distant, had already made sure that everything was arranged. There would be no mistakes. No delays.

Finally, Wednesday arrived.

Hatice stood by the window of her chambers, watching sunset over the city. There was something distant in her gaze as she turned to Aysun, her delicate fingers adorned with rings that caught the dying light.

"It is time" she said.

Aysun lowered her eyes. She knew what that meant.
Tonight, she would stand before the Sultan.

"Everything will go as we planned," Hatice continued, her voice measured. "You have been trained well, you are beautiful, and what's more important, you are new— untouched by the games of the harem. You will charm him."

Aysun's breath was steady, though her heart pounded.

Hatice stepped closer, tilting Aysun's chin up with a gentle but firm touch. "This is not just about power. This is about justice. Hürrem has taken everything—my brother's love, my mother's favor, even my place in this palace." A shadow passed over her face, an old wound reopening. "She must be stopped before she takes more."

Aysun understood what they expected from her. She was to be a weapon, placed in the Sultan's path to take his eyes off Hürrem.

"I will do as you command, Sultanım," she said, her voice steady.

Hatice's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. "Good."

She turned away, signaling to the waiting attendants.

"Prepare her."

____________________________

The bath was different this time. Not the routine cleansing of a servant but the careful preparation of a woman meant to be seen. Her skin was perfumed with amber and jasmine, her hair oiled until it gleamed like silk. Then dressed in a gown finer than any she had ever worn, adorned with delicate gold jewelry that shimmered against her skin. Yet, beneath the silks and perfume, her heart beat with quiet trepidation.

Three years ago, she had been a trembling girl dragged from a ship, stripped of her name and past.

And now, she was to be sent into the lion's den.

As she followed the guards through the dimly lit halls of the harem, every step felt heavier than the last. Whispers trailed behind her—jealous murmurs from concubines who had spent years waiting for the same opportunity that had been handed to her overnight. Some of them hated her already, but Aysun barely noticed.

The doors of Sultan's chamber loomed before her, protected by two guards. Aysun swallowed, there was no turning back now.

A guard stepped forward, bowing slightly. "His Majesty awaits you."

With a slow, measured breath, she took her final step forward and walked inside.

The doors shut behind her, sealing her in the grand chamber. A golden canopy draped over the enormous bed, and silk cushions lay scattered across the floor. Incense curled in the air like a lingering caress.

Then she saw him.

Sultan Suleiman.

She lowered her gaze, kneeling before him as custom demanded, but before she could kiss his robe, he reached out, gently lifting her chin.

Aysun's breath caught in her throat. The warmth of his fingers sent shivers down her spine. She had never been one to dream of seducing a ruler. But standing here, under his gaze, she felt something she couldn't name.