"Sultana, don't be in so bad mood now. Your wedding is tommorrow, you should be happy about that," Zeynep Kalfa has said to me while I was sitting on my couch in my chambers.

"Why should I be happy about the marriage with the person who betrayed me?" I said.

I didn't know what to think about Iskender anymore. I believed him that he didn't call the Sultan there, but he alone said he knew for the trap about Murad Pasha they made to me and he didn't believe me but he rather believed them.

My emotions were hurt as I really started to like Iskender and now everything was destroyed. I occupied myself with reading a book and that was the only thing that made me not focus on else things happening in my life now, and none of them was good.

"Sultana, there is a maid who wants to confess something to you. She says it's urgently," Musa said as he entered my chambers. I wasn't in mood for anything right now, especially not for some maids to confess me something but since it could tell me something about the poisoning or the trap they prepared to me, I nodded him with my head to let her inside.

A young lady with long wavy brown hair entered my chambers. I think I have never actually saw this woman, or it was maybe I didn't care a lot about Mehmed's Harem.

"Sultana, this is Sureyya Hatun, she has something important to say you," Musa said and Sureyya barely could even look at me as she seemed really afraid of me.

"Don't be afraid of me, just tell me what it is," I said trying to relax her and make her calm down since I knew so many servants were afraid of us Sultanas so they wouldn't say everything they should.

"Sultana, I am serving in Harem. I hear so many girls gossip around the Harem about you..." She started telling but she seemed too embarrassed to tell what was the real thing.

"Yesterday I heard one concubine telling to Mahfiruz Sultan's kalfa about you, about poisoning you and making you a trap," she took a deep breath and continued.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"Bidar Kalfa, there is something serious I need to tell you about. I can't stay silent anymore, they could put Valide Sultan in danger," a concubine named Azize walked to main Kalfa of the Harem Bidar Kalfa, and also right hand of Valide Sultan.

"Tell me Hatun, what would put the Valide Sultan in danger?" Bidar Kalfa took her hand and took her to the corner of the Harem where no one could hear them, except for Sureyya who was cleaning and they didn't care a lot about her since she was new.

"I served Esmahan Sultan this morning. She wrote one letter and gave it to me to pass it to Gulcicek Hatun, I think it must be something related to Handan Sultan simce Esmahan Sultana was very nervous while passing the letter," Azize said.

"Have you opened the letter?" Bidar asked angrily.

"Of course, I did. It says Kapudan Murad wants to meet Handan Sultana before her marriage with Grand Vizier," Azize said and she seemed like she is afraid if Bidar will be angry on her for opening the letter.

"Sultana did a good job. Our Valide Sultana wanted to make two sisters fight, and she did it so well. Esmahan Sultana is smarter than anyone thought," Bidar said with a smirk on her face.

"But when I passed it to Gulcicek Hatun, she asked me if she should poison her again. I stayed shocked on that and Gulizar realised she shouldn't tell me this, now I am afraid of her," Azize said.

"Are you normal talking about this? Shut up! No one will know about this! You have to keep your mouth quiet or I will throw you at the deepness of Bosphorus. The main goal is to get sisters fighting, and you almost destroyed it," Bidar said angrily.

"You will put this letter in Grand Vizier's chambers today, and make sure he is not there," Bidar said and passed a small paper to Azize.

Azize went to the Grand Vizier's chambers when she opened the letter from curiousity: "Your future wife has a lover and you know nothing about that. You will marry a woman who has another one and doesn't even care about you. It's Kapudan Murad. If you don't believe me, follow Sultana today where she is going."

I couldn't believe what I have just heard right now. I thought Mahfiruz has organised to poison me, not Esmahan. I mean, I could think about it, but I thought at the end we were of the same blood and she would do nothing like this to me.

"Sureyya, you did great job. You can ask from me whatever you want," I said to her and she had a shy smile on her face.

"My only wish is to serve you Sultana," she said. I nodded her to leave my chambers and at that moment I ordered Musa to call Gulcicek in my chambers. I needed everything to be done before the wedding.

"Sultanim," Gulcicek said when she entered my chambers and bowed to me. She seemed quite anxious when she heard I would invite her.

"Sit down," I said to her and pointed on a pillow which was standing next to my ottoman.

She was so confused why would she be here and why would I invite her to talk with me, and especially to allow her to sit next to me.

I nodded Musa and at that moment Zeynep Kalfa bring us two sherbets. They gave one to me, and one to Gulcicek. She took it and her hands were shaking like she thought the drink was poisoned or something.

"Why are you shaking so much? Are you afraid to drink that?" I asked her and she keep silent. I took a sip of my sherbet and when she saw it's fine she took a sip of her too.

"I am not afraid, I just know you Sultana don't think of me well because I loved your future husband," Gulcicek said and looked at the floor anxiously.

"That means nothing to me when Iskender could never be able to be with you, but with me. I asked you to come here to talk about these things," I said.

"Sultana, everything is in the past, I will forget about Iskender Pasha," she said and I fake smiled to her.

"I didn't call you to talk about Iskender," I said.

"Then for what?" She asked me confusedly.

"Are you ready to explain everything to me about my poisoning?" I asked her and she raised her head to look at me, pretending she is shocked at my words.

"What poisoning has to do with me?" Gulcicek once again pretended to be stupid and understand nothing.

"The poisoning you were in, when you all wanted to get rid of me with a cup of sherbet," I said and Gulcicek became silent. She became red on her face and there was nothing she could say.

"Sultana, I.. I know nothing about,... That," she started to say but at that moment she started coughing.

"You know it because you know everything about it," I said.

"I, i am choking," she barely could say from the coughing she had.

"That's because I put poison in your sherbet. You will survive only if I give you anti-venom, and I will give you if you tell me the truth," I said and she became so afraid of me that it was even harder for her to speak.

"Spare my life Sultana!" She yelled.

"Then speak!"

"Esmahan Sultana wanted me to poison you because she wanted Kapudan Murad only to herself and to love only her. She promised me she would marry me with Iskender Pasha if I would do this!" Gulcicek said the final truth after being so afraid that she would die.

I nodded Musa who gave her anti-venom and few minutes later she started breathing normally.

"Now you will go with me and tell to Sultan only the thing you did it because you thought that with getting rid of me you would get Iskender. You won't include Esmahan Sultana in this," I said to her and she was still too afraid for her life so she knew she must do everything I order from her.

"But it's Esmahan Sultana's order, why would only I?" She started to say but I stopped her with my hand.

"Because Esmahan Sultana will suffer the whole time while being married to a man who doesn't care about her," I said and got up and she got up immediately and started following me.

We came in front of Mehmed's chambers and Iskender was standing there. He bowed to me and smiled when he saw me, but he was surprised when he saw Gulcicek standing behind me.

I gave him a look "we will talk about this later", which he understand and opened us the door of Mehmed's chambers.

Mehmed was surprised to see me, especially when a maid came inside together with me.

"Handan, did something happen?" Mehmed asked me worriedly when he saw me and he immediately left the books he was reading behind on his bed and got up closer to me.

"A maid came to my chambers and confessed me about poisoning. She couldn't keep it anymore for herself," I said and he realised it was Gulcicek.

"How dare you poison the Ottoman Sultana? Who do you think who you are?" Mehmed yelled on her and she has already started crying. I knew I scared her well so she won't tell anything that isn't supposed to do.

"Hunkarim, forgive me, I did it for my love," Gulcicek said and went down on her knees.

"I thought I would get Iskender Pasha to myself if I would get rid of Handan Sultana. I am so sorry," Gulcicek said and begged on her knees.

"How dare you to even think of Handan Sultana's future husband like this? Who are you woman?" Mehmed yelled angrily.

"Aghas, take her and lock her in dungeon!" Mehmed yelled and aghas opened the doors, but I stopped them.

"I don't want to punish her that way, I want to do something that will punish her even more," I said and everyone looked at me surprisedly.

"I want to take her in my new Palace when we move so she can always look how men she loves doesn't care about her,"