Two months have passed since Sultan Murad left Topkapi Palace together with his sons Selim and Suleyman and also his viziers Silahtar and Mahmud.

Murad heard that Mehmed is not feeling good, so he didn't want to take him to the war. Mehmed acted like he really wants to go there, but Murad didn't allow him to do it.

I must admit Mehmed know how to play the game really well, and I had nothing to do with it or mix into it anymore, only thing I didn't want is for Murad to find the real truth.

Murad named Mehmed as the one in duty until he returns. Mehmed was assigned to rule as Murad's deputy until he returns.

My four daughters moved into their new palaces together with their new husbands and each of them four was happy with their new lives.

I was sitting in my chambers browsing the papers about Harem and the State. I never had much wish to mix into the state jobs, but I was really afraid what could happen when Mehmed is in deputy now. He was rebellious and I could never know what he was able to do.

" Sultana, wife of Russian Emperor is sending you a letter." Haci-aga said and gave me a letter.

Murad wouldn't like for me to mix into those relationships with another countries, but I had nothing else to do while he wasn't here.

Dear Mihrişah Sultana,
I am Empress Maria of Russia and I am sending you all the greetings. I know our countries are in war now, and I hope at the end there will come to the peace. Two large and powerful countries like Russia and Ottoman Empire shouldn't fight between eachother, but there is no way I can explain that to my husband, and I guess same goes to you.
I know you have been born as Russian, from Odessa. I have heard a lot about you. Whole country is talking about you like a powerful Russian which was sold into Ottoman Harem, and now you are one of the most powerful women in the whole world.
I hope one day I could meet you so we could collaborate as two powerful woman who want nothing, but only peace between their countries.

I took the letter and putted it by side. Whole letter was written in Russian and it reminded me of my childhood I lived in Odessa. I remembered for how many years I had no option or ability to talk Russian with anyone.

" It must be a great honor when those powerful women are writing to you, Sultana. But you are even more powerful than all of them." Haci said and smiled to me.

" She wants to collaborate with me and make peace between our countries." I said to him.

" Will you answer her?" Haci asked me.

" I won't until Murad returns, I don't want to make him angry if I write something he doesn't like." I said to him as my respect and love towards Murad was bigger and more important than anything else.

" Sultana, I also wanted to inform you that Şehzade Mehmed's favourite Gulnuş Sultan came here to the palace together with their son Şehzade Murad." Haci said to me.

" We have to keep an eye on her. No one should know they are legally married, I am afraid how all of this will go now." I said and putted all the letters aside as I was tired from job today.

" Would you like to meet her? She wanted to come to you." Haci said to me.

" Yes, let her in." I said and went to sit on my sofa where I would await for her.

After few minutes a woman with long black hair, dressed in luxurious dress and which had a lot of jewerlies came inside. It was obvious Mehmed loves her a lot when he gifted her with all of these.

" Sultana, I am glad I am finally able to meet you." Gulnuş said and looked at me directly and smiled.

Haci coughed to signalise her she can't look at me still, because there were some rules that had to be respected.

" I am glad too." I answered her shortly as I measured her. I have not known anything about her only some things that she told me in a letter.

" You are more magnificent than Mehmed told me you were, you are the most beautiful Sultana I have ever seen." Gulnuş started telling me and I already knew those were fake words just to get closer to me, but that wouldn't work with me.

" Thank you, Gulnuş. I hope you know already that you should never ever tell anyone here about that marriage. Both you and Mehmed could lose your head because of that." I said to her seriously and her smile went down immediatley.

"Don't worry, Sultana, I would never do something which would cause any bad to Şehzade Mehmed." Gulnuş said and smiled to me.

" Where is my grandson, I would like to see him." I said to her as I was really excited to see my grandson.

At that moment, maid came inside with little boy who was one and half year old. She gave me Murad into my hands.

" My beautiful grandson." I said as I admired beauty of my grandson and I was so happy to hold my first granchild in my hands.

" I hope Sultana that you did what was needed about Azize Hatun and her child." Gulnuş said proudly to me and raised her head. Azize Hatun was a free woman Mehmed has slept with and who was pregnant.

" Yes, I made sure to get rid of her." I lied to Gulnuş, but real truth was that I took her here in Istanbul where I could take care of her and the child who were innocent.

" Then we will be able to work good together, I know you are very intelligent woman and I know we will get along to reach our dreams." Gulnuş said and raised her head.

I gave Murad back to maid and looked at Gulnuş with a sarcastic smile. I don't know what she wants to me.

" Why do you think I should work with you to get what I want? I can do it by myself like I did for my whole life without anyone's help." I said to her.

" We both have the same goal and that is to put Şehzade Mehmed on the throne. If we collaborate we could be both powerful after that." Gulnuş said proudly and she only made me laugh at her words.

" Gulnus, you obviously don't know that all the heirs to the throne are my sons. I will never chose a favourite between my own sons. You must remember it." I said to her coldly and I could see she is not feeling good because of it.

" And secondly, Sultan Murad is still alive so I don't want you ever again to hear things like those. No one can talk about ascending the throne while he is still alive." I said and saw her feeling anxious and embarassed in front of me.

After she left my chambers, I went immediatley to Mehmed's chambers, and saw him being there and drinking wine.

" What are you doing Mehmed?" I yelled at him when I saw he is doing the same thing his father does.

" A man can't enjoy in a glass of wine?" Mehmed asked me and laughed at my words, obviously he haven't understood me clearly.

" Your father prohibited wine and now you are the one who is drinking it." I said to him angrily.

" Father won't know about this, you shouldn't worry." Mehmed said and continued to laugh.

I walked closer to him, took his glass of wine and broken it on the floor. Mehmed stood up and looked at me angrily.

" What is wrong Valide? Why are you acting like this? How can you behave to me like this?" Mehmed asked me and raised his head. My nerves started to work at this moment.

" I am your mother and I have been doing whatever is needed to protect you from your father's anger, but what you are doing is letting yourself into a trouble where I won’t be able to save you anymore." I said to him seriously. I didn't want to yell at him because at this age he should already know how to act properly.

" Valide why do you act like I am child? I know how to help myself alone without you defending me." Mehmed started yelling on me. I could never even think my child would yell at me.

" First calm down your tone, Mehmed." I said to him seriously.

" I can't, Valide. You obviously don't want to see me on the throne. Gulnus said to me everything you said to her, and obviously you are against me." Mehmed said to me angrily.

" You are my son the same way Selim, Suleyman and Ahmed are my sons and I love you all equally, but none of them dreams now about the throne while your father is still alive." I said to him.

" You love them all but you don't love me. You always think I can't do anything without your help." Mehmed started yelling on me even angrier and angrier. He reminded me on Murad at this moment so much.

" I love you the same way, Mehmed. And if you think you don't need my help, then I won't help you anymore. You will let yourself out of troubles alone now." I said to him seriously.

" I will, and then I will be successful. I don't want to be known as the one who his mothers helps about everything. I want to do things by my own." Mehmed said to me angrily.

" Fine, do then. But if your father ever would want to do something to you, you won't have my help anymore. Because you think you can do everything on your own." I said to him coldly and left his chambers.