"Efsun Kalfa, those are new women Pasha's wives have sent to Harem as a gift for our Sultan Iskender. Safiye Sultan ordered you to take the five ones which are most beautiful or well-mannered to our Sultan," Bulbul Aga said as we stood in the line in Harem to head of harem treasury and right hand of Safiye Sultan, Efsun Kalfa.

About 30 of us stood there in line hoping we will be the chosen ones. All those girls wanted it because they wanted to have bright future and maybe one day role the empire like Safiye Sultan does now, but I had to wish for it because I was forced to. I had to do whatever was needed for them to notice me and send me to Sultan otherwise Davut and Dilruba would get angry really soon.

"There are so many of them, all are beautiful, how are we supposed to chose?" Efsun said to Bulbul as they measured us all from head to toes. They knew we aren't like those slave girls that were bought on market because we were raised under Ottoman family for the last decade and they knew all of us were well educated.

"What is your name?" Efsun Kalfa asked a girl with long curly black hair who was standing three or four girls next to me.

"Asubcan," she said quite shy like she is afraid of Efsun Kalfa.

"You are the first one," Efsun said and continued to walk between all of us. She walked past me without even looking at me and this wasn't the good sign for now. I looked at Bulbul for a moment and then looked at her when she turned back to me.

"And yours name?" She asked me as she raised my chin and lifted up my face.

"Bezmialem," I said and looked her with courage.

"Take her also, I guess Sultan won't be able to not to look at her eyes," Efsun said and I smiled. My eyes were something everyone recognised first on me because I had light blue eyes which were rare for this place.

I stood next to Asubcan and another girl named Selimiye while Efsun choosed another concubines, until a woman came inside.

"What is this happening here?" A woman with long curly brown hair and beautiful blue dress came inside which made me already think she is one of the royals. Davut told me about everyone but hasn't mentioned if Iskender had a concubine yet.

"Sureyya Hatun, we are choosing new concubines for Sultan," Efsun said and Sureyya looked at her with so much of anger in her eyes. She called her Hatun which meant she wasn't any kind of royal.

"Sultan has me and that is enough, dismiss those girls," she said and raised her head.

"Sureyya Hatun you are the same like them. You aren't Sultana to order to me, the difference between you and them is that you have spent night with him and one of them will tonight or tomorrow," Efsun said to Sureyya.

"Sultan won't accept them," she said and measured us with disgust. Like she thought she is better than us.

"You think so," Efsun said and laughed and pretended like nothing has happened and that Sureyya isn't there.

Efsun Kalfa took us three to hamamm together with two other girls Yildiz and Hatice she has chosen to become future Sultan's concubines. We had no idea when we will be sent to him but she wanted to prepare us already and send us one by one to see which one will Sultan like the most.

All of them were beautiful girls and all were raised in rich households just the way I was. Only thing that could stop me from going to Sultan would be if Safiye Sultan finds out I am connected to Davut Pasha, but I hoped she wouldn't.

I didn't enjoy being part of their evil plans, but I knew I couldn't dismiss my duty because they gave me everything in my life and raised me. Without them I would be sold on slavery market to I don't know who and maybe my life wouldn't be beautiful as this one was.

"Efsun Kalfa, who was Sureyya Hatun that was yelling in Harem?" Asubcan asked Efsun while we were washing ourselves in hammam.

"She is Sultan's favourite, but she acts like she is Sultana. Don't care about her words, because our Valide Sultan doesn't even want her close to her son as she doesn't trust her," Efsun said while looking at all of us.

"Some girl of you might have luck, while others won't. You all want to give your best and get into Sultan's heart, because only that way you could reach some power here. Look at our magnificent Safiye Sultan, which woman wouldn't want to be like her?" Efsun said as she was together with Bulbul closest company of Safiye. All of previous Safiye's maids disappointed her while she was locked in Girl's Tower on the Bosphorus, but Safiye regained her power when her son ascended the throne as the eldest prince alive.

"Which one will be the first one to visit Sultan? She will probably have the most chances," Selimiye said while washing her long blonde hair.

"That doesn't matter, many girls went to Sultan but none of them were invited again. Sureyya Hatun is the only one that has visited his bed more than three times, but she still can't bear him a child, so this might be your great opportunity," Efsun said trying to make every one of us very much interested of going to him.

"But I want the first girl to visit him to be Bezmialem," Efsun said and I looked at her surprised because I had no idea she would chose me to be the first. I felt like I wasn't still ready to go there and start the plan they have been teaching me for so many years.

"But that is tonight?" I asked her worriedly as it was already afternoon and I didn't think I will visit him on my first day as I came here.

"Yes, you better should hurry up, come with me to find the perfect dress for you," she said and I followed her as I could see all other girls looked at me with jealousy.

I followed Efsun Kalfa who bring me to the tailors to find the perfect dress that would suit me the best. She showed me the closet with so many beautiful dresses of all the colours and I was stunned because I have never seen so much of them.

"Which is your favourite colour?" Efsun asked me as she smiled to me.

"Blue," I said as my eye catched one really beautiful royal blue dress and I have never seen something so beautiful like that. Efsun took that dress and put it in front of me.

"Perfect, it matches with your eyes," she said and I went to dress in that royal blue dress.

When I finished they curled my hair and put beautiful jewelry hair pieces on my head, also many of jewelry like ear rings and necklace.

"You are perfect now, do you have any more questions or we can go?" Efsun asked me when I looked at myself in mirror and everything was perfect ready, but I didn't know if I was ready.

"I am afraid, what if I do something wrong?" I asked her as my fears were big before visiting a man I have never seen before.

"You shouldn't be afraid Bezmialem, this is opportunity of your life. Show the Sultan your true yourself and one day you might capture his heart," she said as we started walking towards the Golden Way to his chambers.

I was nervous for the whole time and I didn't know where this nervous comes from. I knew what expected me here and I knew what was my duty, but still something around my heart put me pressure. Efsun explained the rules to me one million times more again before we came to the doors of his chambers.

Man who was standing at the doors opened them. I looked at Efsun and Bulbul for the last time before I entered his chambers. I followed all the rules they said. My head was bowed down and I walked towards him who was standing in the middle of his chambers. I went down on my knees and kissed his robe, when he lifted my chin and raised me up.
Our eyes met in that moment and in front of myself I saw the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life with deep brown eyes and brown hair.

"What is your name?" He asked me while constantly looking at my eyes.

"Bezmialem, Your Majesty," I answered.

"Bezmialem, you have the most beautiful eyes I have seen in whole world, they can hypnotise me at any moment while looking at them," Iskender said placing his hand on my cheeks, while his look quickly moved from my eyes to my lips which he kissed passionately.