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𝐀𝐲𝐬𝐮𝐧'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

The crisp breeze of early March rustled the tulip beds in the garden, as the palace was preparing for an event that had been long postponed and even longer hoped for, the wedding of Hatice Sultan and Ibrahim Pasha.

For days the harem had been in a quiet frenzy. Silks, perfumes and jewelry everything laid out and sorted for the grand celebration. And yet, beneath all the laughter and flowers, there was something else in the air.

Hürrem was coming back.

After four months in the Old Palace, sent away in shame but protected by the child she carried, she was returning to Topkapi to give birth and to attend the wedding of Hatice - the woman she hated the most.

Everyone was whispering. Some said the Sultan's weakness allowed her return, others that it was a pity. But I knew better. Hürrem never accepted defeat. She waited, and now she was back.

The morning sun filtered through the windows as I cradled my little Osman, now nearly four months old, his soft curls were thickening each day. Yasmin came in a hurry.

"Sultanım," she whispered, "Hatice Sultan requests your presence. She called for someone."

"Someone?" I lifted a brow.

"A fortune teller, it's a secret " she replied, almost in a whisper. "She wants to know what the stars say about her marriage, and she asked for you to be there."

I put Osman in his crib and commanded Yasmin to stay with him.

Under the shade of a flowering magnolia, the woman sat cross-legged, her hands full of rings and her eyes lined in deep kohl. She bowed low when I approached.

Hatice, dressed in pale gold, smiled with a softness. "I want to know what awaits me," she said glancing at me. "And I want you to know too. Maybe fate owes you something."

I chuckled lightly. "I'm not sure I trust the stars, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to listen."

As we were about to start a voice cut through the garden. "I'm surprised no one invited me to such entertainment."

We turned in unison.

Hürrem.

Heavily pregnant, but no less commanding, draped in deep crimson with her hair braided. Her smile was cold and her eyes sharp.

"Fortune telling?" she said mockingly, stepping closer. "How fascinating."

Hatice rose slowly, annoyed. "This is private," she spoke.

Hürrem chuckled. "There is no such thing in this palace. I came to bless the wedding, surely I can be part of this meeting?"

She turned her gaze to me. "And Aysun, always where the secrets are whispered."

I met her eyes. "You must be careful, Hürrem," I said softly. "Fate listens."

The old fortune-teller's eyes, milky with age but still sharp, flickered over each of us. "The spirits will speak in order," she murmured.

Hatice leaned forward, her long fingers laced together, nerves flickering in her gaze.

The fortune teller's voice was low and melodic as she read the lines of Hatice's palm. "There is love... but shadow follows light. Jealousy surrounds you. A fire tries to reach you, but your heart is guarded by an ocean."