I went together with Seniha Sultan to her Palace, and I saw this as better idea than being in Harem. As long as there is Harem, there are battles for power and for political influence. I didn't want to involve in anything as I just came to Istanbul, but the thing that was obvious to me was the rivality between Bidar and Seniha Sultan.

I didn't even know Bidar well, but I knew whatever happens I would have back of my cousin Seniha Sultan. She has done a lot to me like no one else had, and I had huge respect for her.

We arrived into her palace which was more like mansion on few floors and I liked this idea so much more than staying in Yildiz where there was so many people and I wasn't used to be with so many people around.

" I hope you will enjoy in my palace, Turhan. I didn't want you to be close to Bidar because she would soon start to turn you against me." Seniha said when she entered her Palace. With each her word she proved me even more that there is something bad between them.

" I know everything that happened, Seniha. You shouldn't worry." I said and smiled and made her bit confused. Seniha obviously had no idea my maids in Paris told me about everything in Harem, but as much as I keep it to myself, the safer I am.

" What do you mean?" Seniha asked me confusedly. She obviously couldn't believe that I was informed about everything so far away.

" All the situations between you and Bidar, that is going around very quickly. But you shouldn't worry, I have nothing to mix in it." I said and she felt bit easier. I would never do something against her because she cared for me all those years.

We came inside and I saw man in his early 20s sitting there and reading the newspapers. He didn't even see who came inside because he only expected for his mother.

" Sabahattin, won't you welcome our guest?" Seniha said and at that moment man with similiar age to me stood up and looked at me. I could see he looks me in kinda weird way for few seconds, he didn't even say a word.

" Valide, who is this?" Sabahattin asked as he obviously had no idea who I am. He just measured me.

" This is late Sultan Abdulaziz's daughter, Melike Turhan Sultan. She returned from Paris and she is my guest in this Palace." Seniha said and Sabahattin smiled to me with wide smile from ear to ear.

" I am sorry fot not recognising you, Sultana. I would never tell that on you, I would say you are from some other country." He said and gave me a smile.

" Time in Paris put its effect on me, Effendi." I said and Seniha showed us to sit on the table to have a dinner.

" Mahmud Paşa isn't here?" Seniha asked her son, but he just replied that he had some work outside. I have heard a lot about Mahmud Paşa, but only bad things. I couldn’t tell anything to Seniha, because it wasn't the right time yet. He was her husband and she loved him a lot, at the end, they had two children together.

"What led you from beautiful Paris to come here in Istanbul? Wasn't it better there?" Sabahaddin asked me with lot of interest.

"Beauty of the city means nothing when my family isn't there." I said to him. Even though I found Paris really beautiful, Istanbul always had special place in my heart.

"Makbule dear, prepare coffee to Turhan Sultan. We know she loves it." Seniha said and I could see Sabahttin rolling his eyes and I had no idea why is that for.

" Makbule is Sabahattin's fiancee." Seniha said to me and everything made sense to me now. Only thing I knew about Makbule was that someone stabbed her in Harem, and no one knew who did it. Or at least they hid it. And I knew I would want to find out more informations about this, because I always wanted to know everything about people. But not to tell it around, just to know for myself.

" Why then you Effendi had so bad expression on your face when your fiancee came here, wouldn't you be happy to see her any time?" I asked him as I knew there was for sure some problem with that. He didn't have any emotion in presence of his fiancee.

" She won't be my wife. I will never accept it." Sabahattin said and looked at his mother seriously.

We had a coffee, and after that, Makbule noticed Seniha that someone called for her. Then I stayed alone with Sabahattin. He showed me to sit on the chairs in his living room. He took newspapers and started reading them.

" It seems you are really interested in politics when you read newspapers always." I said to him and he placed them aside.

" I want to see what is happening in the world." He said and smiled to me with his eyebrows raised.

" You shouldn't believe whatever writes there, of course everyone writes what goes to favour in them." I said.

" You are smart, Sultana. Western life teached you a lot of things." He said with a smile.

"I heard you and your father are biggest supporters of western system." I said.

"Now when I have you as my guest, you can learn me about life there even more." Sabahaddin said with a smile.

" Of course." I answered and looked at another side because I could see he couldn't hide his look from me.

Sabahaddin continued to read the newspapers and there continued to be embarassing silence which I couldn't stand.

" What is the thing with Makbule girl? Why aren't you happy with your fiancee?" I asked him and I could see he is not happy to talk about her. I was too curious to know why he doesn't even like his fiancee.

" I would never want to be with woman like her, look at her. Woman which will always stay silent and never dare to say anything against her husband, who will have no charachter and won't have anything special that can impress me." he said and laughed.

" And what is that special that can impress you? You know alone whichever woman you find here is like her." I said to him.

" Intelligence impress me. When woman knows excatly what she wants." He said and smiled again.

" And what do you expect from slave girl that worked in the Harem before she was stabbed?" I asked him and he looked at me shocked. He obviously had no idea where from I knew those things.

" How did you manage to hear this all the way to Paris?" He asked me and raised his eyebrows.

" How couldn't I, Effendi? I can know whatever I want without anyone knowing." I said and drank a sip of my coffee, then continued.

" I heard a lot of things about you and Şehzade Abdulkadir, also." I said and he just laughed at my words.

" You are example for woman with intelligence I have just talked about. You know how the things works." Sabahaddin said to me.

" My life taught me for that, and obviously yours has too. You can't expect the same from girls as Makbule who did nothing but served Bidar and her children." I said to him and now it totally made sense to me why he doesn't want to marry her.

"And that is the problem because I could never find a woman I would want to, because as Sultanzade only option I have is for the royal family to arrange me marriage with someone. I don't have freedom to choice," he said and I exactly knew how that would feel.

"That sounds better to have someone young, than is it meant for us Sultanas to marry old Pashas just to make political alliances," I said knowing how life of my sisters was who were married off to some elder pashas they didn't even like, just because the Sultan who ruled at that time needed favour of those pashas.

"And how would you react if Abdulhamid wanted to marry you for old pasha?" He asked me as he moved his newspapers away trying to concentrate more into the conversation.

"I wouldn't allow that to happen," I said.

"Would he listen to you?" He asked me as he raised his eyebrows.

"From my young age I had to learn how to manipulate over people to get what I want. I was all alone on myself and for sure I can make everyone do what I want," I said and I was for hundred percent sure into my words. I knew how to rebel if it was needed and how to manipulate over people because otherwise I would be nowhere today.

"I like that," he said and smiled at me once again.

Later as everyone went somewhere around, I went to see the chambers Seniha prepared for me to live now. Very soon after I slept a bit since I was really tired from the travel, my nanny Gulbahar woke me up.

" Sultana, this letter came for you." Gulbahar nanny said to me and gave me the letter.

Since I saw you for the first time, I felt something that made my heart warm. If you wish, we can meet in Gardens of Seniha Sultan's Palace. I will wait for you there.

" Who did this letter come from?" I asked Gulbahar but she had no idea. No one came to my mind about this letter and it was weird since I arrived today and why would anyone send me this.

" Maybe Sabahaddin Effendi? I could see how he doesn't look at anything except you, Sultana." Gulbahar said and made me feel weird at that moment.

" No way, Gulbahar." I said and I knew it isn't him, because we were in the same Palace and he could see me without even writing a letter and we saw each other few hours ago. Something was weird to me and I didn't know what it was.

I took the coat and went in the Gardens to see who waits for me. I had luck so Seniha couldn't see me because I didn't want anyone to see me with a mysterious man before I know who it is.

I walked there and I saw young man turned with his back so I couldn't know from the start who it is.

I walked closer to him, and when he heard my footsteps, he turned and looked at me. I was shocked when I saw it's Şehzade Abdulkadir.

"Şehzade." I said as I was completley shocked when I saw he is the one who wrote me the letter, even though we had no conversation today beside his compliments for me.

" You didn't except to get that message from me?" He asked me and he had smile on his face.

" Excuse me, I didn't..." I said to him as he was the last one to come on my mind about the letter. As Gulbahar was right, I excepted it before from Sabahattin because at least I had some kind of conversation with him, but with Abdulkadir I didn't.

" When I saw you, I totally understood Sabahaddin's words of ideal woman. Intelligent woman with european fashion and way of acting." Abdulkadir said and already made me feel nervous as his words. Why would he look at me as his ideal woman?

I didn't look at him, but at another side. I had no thing to answer him on that. Why would he want to tell me this before he even knows me? I felt so awkward but not for me but for him who said those things loud instead of keeping them for himself in his head and thoughts.

" You don't even know me well, Şehzade. What you could judge on me was based on my looks." I said to him. I didn't believe on these words and this wasn't what I was searching for in love. No one can feel so deep emotions until they get to know the person's personality.

" I heard a lot about you, you are educated like no other woman in this city. You have that energy everyone could feel the moment you step into the chambers..." Abdulkadir wanted to say, but I stopped him.

" You don't even know me, Şehzade. I think you can't express me something you feel before you meet how I am." I said and he stayed really confused at my words.

" I think people can know their true emotions the first time they meet that person. You can feel at first moment if there is a soulmate around you. And that is what I felt in your closeness." Abdulkadir said and with each his word he made me to want to leave his presence.

" I am sorry to disappoint you." I said to him and turned to go back, but he took my arm.

" You haven't felt that way for me?" Abdulkadir asked me. I couldn’t get on my mind why is he acting like this when he doesn't even know me well.

" I am sorry, I haven't." I said and wanted to leave, but at that moment Sabahaddin came to the Gardens.

" I didn't know you two know each other." he said and at that moment Abdulkadir left my arm. I could hear coldness in Sabahaddin's words.

" I didn't know, too." I said and I could see Abdulkadir looks at me disappointedly. Sabahattin just laughed at my words to Abdulkadir, who looked ashamedly.

" I want to talk alone with Turhan, Sabahaddin, can you respect my wish?" Abdulkadir said and I couldn't believe how is he acting and why is he doing this.

"Turhan Sultan is my guest, you will have to respect her opinion." Sabahaddin said and at that moment I left the Gardens.

While I was going inside, I could hear their conversation.

"Sabahaddin, why do you mix into this? This is excaxtly what you told me idealistic woman is, and when I want to find her, you destroy everything." Abdulkadir said nervously to Sabahaddin who was totally comfort.

" This is not the way you do it. I heard everything, she declined you. You maybe don't even know how to get close to girl, that's why none accepted you. Ahsen, now Turhan." Sabahaddin said and laughed, but Abdulkadir was serious. He started getting angry.

" Sabahaddin, is it maybe because you like her?" Abdulkadir said, and at that moment I saw Seniha Sultan standing in front of me. I frooze at the moment I saw her as I was carefully listening to them, and to be honest, I really wanted to hear Sabahattin's answer.

" Turhan, is everything fine?" she asked me curiously as she had no idea why I was standing there.

" Yes, Sultana. Everything is fine, you shouldn't worry." I said and continued into my chambers. Seniha looked at me kinda weirdly, but I didn't mind it now.

I sat on my couch, and not many time was needed for Seniha to return to my chambers. She came closer to me and then sat next to me.

" It is obvious Şehzade Abdulkadir has a crush on you, why did you leave so quickly? Did Sabahattin interrupt you?" Seniha asked me and I knew she is curious about all of this. She wanted to know everything.

" No, no.. I am glad he interrupted because I didn't even want to have that conversation." I said to her.

" You don't like Şehzade?" she asked me surprisedly. I could see she didn't except something like this from me.

" I don't even know him well. I am not person who can feel emotions towards someone only by looking at them. That's only physical attraction." I said and Seniha putted my hands into hers.

" You are intelligent girl, Turhan. Abdulkadir doesn't know what is he doing, he has a fiancee, Pakize. He should take care of her first." Seniha said and smiled.

" Of course." I said and smiled.

" I wish my son would treat his fiancee well too, but obviously there is no way for that. My son told me he doesn't like girls like her." Seniha said and sighed.

" Well maybe you can change something about her then, because if she is his fiancee, he will must have contact with her." I said to her.

" You are kind of girl I am sure my son prefers, I could see it from the first time he looked at you." Seniha said and smiled to me. She made me so confused with her words. I wasn't here even for two days, and this all is happening now.

" Then I can help Makbule to have something to win over Sabahaddin." I said to her and I saw smile from her face disappeared.

" I think there is no way for this. I made Makbule his fiancee so she would keep her mouth silent. She has a secret that can destroy us." Seniha said and left my chambers.

I knew I will have to find out who really stabbed Makbule, because this was obvious reason why they kept Makbule here in Palace.