" Attention! His Imperial Higness Şehzade Mehmed!" Agha in front of my chambers said and I stood up immediatley shocked but what he has said. Sehzade Mehmed?

I got up and bowed as young Şehzade which was my age came into my chambers totally unexpected.

" Şehzade." I said and I bowed to him. I was still impressed, or rather traumatized by his mother's threats. I wondered why he was visiting me now.

" Huma, I wanted to talk to you." Mehmed said as he sat on sofa next to me and then allowed me to sit next to him.

Mehmed was my age. He was the total opposite of his brother Osman. And in appearance, and in character.

" Tell me, Şehzade." I said to him as I was trying to be nice towards him, because I don't believe he is same as his mother is. He looked really nervous for the whole time and that is what was weird for me. Why would he act like that?

" You should stay away from Osman. He won't bring you any good." Mehmed started telling me seriously, and even kinda proudly. I knew there is rivality between him and Osman, but I didn't know why he would tell something like this to me.

" What do you mean, Şehzade?" I asked him as I didn't know why he would tell me things like those.

" Osman already has a concubine and it will stay like that. You won't be part of his harem so you shouldn't get some emotions for him." Mehmed said seriously. I couldn’t help myself but laugh at his words and what he came to talk here to me.

" I am sorry you misunderstood me, Şehzade. I do not wish to have anything with Şehzade Osman and it is forbidden for me to have. I never even thought about something like that, nor I will." I lied to him but gave my all effort to it to seem realistic to him.

" It is better if it is like that, because I don't want to have any problems later again." Mehmed said and he had a smile soft smile.

" What do you mean? What kind of problems could you have?" I asked him as I was even more and more confused with each of his words.

" I wouldn't like that you fall in love with Osman and later you live unhappy." Mehmed said to me seriously and looked me deep in my eyes.

" That won't happen, but I don't understand why are you telling me all of this?" I asked him and raised my eyebrow.

" Because my Valide Kosem Sultana wants to marry me with you as soon as my father Sultan Ahmed returns from the campagin." Mehmed said to me.

When he said those words I felt shocked. I couldn’t come to my senses because of what I heard. I felt like all my ships were sinking at that moment. How is that possible? How can Kosem do that to marry her younger son?

I tried to stay normal so that Mehmed would not realize my disappointment and shock with this decision. Although Prince Mehmed did nothing wrong, he was not the man I wanted to spend my life with.

" You didn't know about it?" Mehmed asked me surprisedly. He probably recognised my reaction and he just sighed and looked disappointedly far away from me.

" I am hearing this for the first time, Şehzade, I was shocked a bit because I didn't except Kosem Sultana will be the one who will tell me who I should marry." I said as I couldn't believe what Kosem lets herself do. I wasnt part of Harem and she couldn't be the one who chooses my husband.

" You are only disappointed that it is not Osman. Everyone is disappointed in me, and now you are also and you want him instead of me. Why? Is he so much better? What is there that I am missing to be perfect as he is?" Mehmed asked me as he was at the egde of tears. I couldn’t look at him being so sad. My heart hurted me while I was looking him like that.

Mehmed tried to hide the tears from his eyes, but failed. I saw on him how hard it was for him and I just took his hand in mine and squeezed it.

" No one can compare two different people, Şehzade. Each of us is different. Everyone has their own ideals of perfection, and everyone has someone who is perfect to them. Don’t think you’re not someone's perfection either, because there are hundreds of girls in this harem who would give anything just to be around you." I told him looking him in the eye pitying him.

" What should that mean to me when even my own mother cares more about Osman and finds him more perfect than she founds me? And I am her son, not Osman. Also you, you are disappointed that you will have to marry me instead of Osman." He said and removed his hand from mine. He covered his face with his hands, which was red with nervousness, and his eyes were full of tears. He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but I knew it was hard at this point.

" I never made a difference between you and Osman. And I am sure your mother also doesn't do any difference between you. I didn't even get a chance to meet you well. If we are destined to be married, expect me to treat you the way you deserve, and that is to be treated in the best possible way. That's what you deserve. So wipe away the tears now and don’t cry about things like this anymore because it’s not worth your tears." I told him and tried to comfort him as much as possible.

Mehmed just got up and left my chambers without a word. I didn’t know if I had done well. I was very sorry for him, but I didn’t want to spend my life with someone I didn’t love. Like everyone else, I wanted to spend my life with a person I love, and who loves me.

I got up from my chambers and set out to visit Humasah. On the way there I met Ayse, the eldest daughter of Kosem and Ahmed, who quickened her pace as soon as she saw me. She came closer to me and measured me insolently from head to toe.

" You. Huma. Stop right there." Ayse yelled as soon as she saw me and I stopped there to bow to her.

" Sultana." I bowed to her and I saw on her facial expression that she is angry and upset, and I didn't have any will to be close with Kosem or anyone like her now.

" It is because of you both of my brothers suffer. Mehmed went crying to his chambers, and our Valide is angry on Osman. This is all because of you." Ayse yelled at me hysterically. Her actions showed exactly who her mother was. It was clear from whom she had seen and learned to behave like this. Sadly, for a girl like this like her.

"  Why are you blaming me for something that I have never done? I am not fault for what happened to both Princes'. I don't know why you and your mother have only me to blame everything on." I said to her. I wouldn't care for her threats. There was nothing she could do to me now.

Poor young girl acted like what she saw her mother is doing. She was bad influenced since her childhood, and nothing else was excepted from her to be alike.

"  Listen to me, Huma. You will never ever again come close to Osman. I don't want to see you near Osman. And you will be Mehmed's wife. You will give him all the love he deserves. He deserves the whole world." Ayse said hysterically to me and stopped for a bit to calm down.

" Mehmed will be Sultan one day and you will respect him now, because who doesn't respect him now will be punished when he becomes the next Sultan." Ayse said to me proudly.

" How can you think of who is going to be the next Sultan while your father Sultan Ahmed Khan is still healthy, young and alive?" I asked her as I couldn't believe even she as a young girl wants to mix into the things that have none of buisness with her.

" Of course he is Sultan now, but one day Mehmed will ascend the throne. You have two options. To be his wife, or to be his enemy. You will chose now." Ayse said to me seriously.

" Ayse, what are you talking about?" I heard Osman's voice which was standing behind her.