I sit in my chambers, still trembling hours after the poison attempt. Every time I close my eyes, I see that jeweled cup at my lips, smell the bitter almonds hidden beneath rose water.
Esma stayed with me for hours, a quiet comfort. She left not long ago, and now I'm alone with thoughts that won't stop circling.
Gülnar tried to kill me. She looked me in the eye, handed me death wrapped in sweetness, and smiled.
The knock makes me flinch.
"Leyla?" The voice is gentle. "It's Selim. May I come in?"
I open the door, trying not to think too much about him asking permission. He stands there in casual robes, genuinely concerned. When he sees my face, his worry deepens.
"May I?" he asks, gesturing inside.
I step back, letting him enter. He maintains a respectful distance. "I heard what happened. Are you alright?"
Something in me cracks. "I'm alive. That's more than I would have been if Mehmet hadn't—" My voice catches.
"You're allowed to be shaken," Selim says quietly, settling onto the cushions. "Someone tried to kill you."
I sink onto the opposite cushions. "Why are you here, Your Highness?"
"Selim," he corrects. "I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were alright."
I lift my gaze to his face, searching for hidden agenda. "What do you want to achieve through this? Through visiting me, through breakfast and poetry discussions—all of it?"
He looks surprised. "You think I have ulterior motives."
"Everyone here has ulterior motives," I say flatly.
Selim's expression shifts to something more serious. "Because I was honest when I said I enjoy your company. You're bright, Leyla. Kind, even after everything you've endured. You think before you speak, you listen when others talk, and you don't perform the way everyone else here does."
He pauses. "I find that refreshing. Worth preserving as friendship, if you'll allow it."
"Friendship," I repeat. "With a prince."
"With a person who happens to be a prince," he corrects with a small smile. "I know what people whisper. I know Gülnar was spreading rumors. But none of that was ever my intention. I just like talking to you. That's all. No schemes, no manipulation."
I want to believe him. "Your brother might not see it that way."
"My brother is protective of what's his," Selim acknowledges. "But he also knows me. I respect boundaries, Leyla. I respect what you have with Mehmet. That doesn't mean I can't value your friendship."
The door opens. Mehmet fills the doorway, his expression tight with barely controlled fury and fear. His gaze sweeps the room, and I see the jealousy flare before he can mask it.
"Brother," Selim says, rising. "I was just checking on Leyla."
"I can see that." Mehmet's voice is controlled, but I hear the edge beneath. He moves closer to me, his body language territorial. "Thank you for your concern."
The tension crackles. I stand quickly, moving to Mehmet's side. My hand finds his arm. "Selim was just being kind. He heard about the poison and wanted to make sure I was alright. That's all."
"That's all?" Mehmet's gaze searches mine.
"That's all," I confirm quietly. I turn to Selim. "Thank you for checking on me. It means more than you know."
Selim nods. "I'm glad you're safe, Leyla. And I meant what I said—about friendship. The offer stands." He bows slightly. "Brother. I'll leave you to your evening."
The silence after he leaves feels heavy.
I watch Mehmet's shoulders relax. He cups my face. "Are you alright? Really?"
"I am now." I cover his hands with mine. "Mehmet, Selim just wanted to be friendly. That's all it ever was."
"I know. I know my brother wouldn't cross that line. But after nearly losing you—" His voice cracks. "Seeing you alone with him made something in me panic."
I pull him to the cushions. "I understand. But you need to trust me. He wants friendship. I think I might actually believe him."
He’s silent for a bit, his hands caressing mine. Then he speaks. "You breathed out in relief when he left. Why?"
The observation surprises me. "Because I finally understand what Selim wants. And because Gülnar isn't here to twist innocent conversations into scandal." I meet his eyes. "I was afraid of rumors, of creating problems between you and your brother, of giving you reasons to doubt me."
"I don't doubt you," he says immediately. "But Leyla—" His expression shifts into frustration. "Why didn't you tell me about Gülnar's smear campaign? About Selim's attention and how she was using it against you?"
The question lands like an accusation. I pull back slightly, my hands slipping from his. "Because it was harem drama. Because you were dealing with investigations that affected entire provinces, with corruption that starves families. My petty problems with Gülnar seemed—" I search for the word. "Insignificant."
"Insignificant?" His voice rises slightly. "Someone was spreading vicious rumors about you, creating a narrative that could have destroyed your reputation and mine. That's not insignificant, Leyla. That's dangerous."
"I handled it," I counter, hearing the defensiveness in my own voice. "I confronted her. I didn't let her rumors define me. I thought I was being strong by not running to you with every—"
"I'm not asking you to run to me with every problem," he interrupts. "I'm asking you to trust me enough to tell me when you're under attack. You asked me for honesty about Kemal. You were right to demand that. But you weren't being honest yourself."
The words hit like a slap. I open my mouth to argue, then close it. He's right. I expected complete transparency from him while hiding my own struggles.
"You're right," I whisper. "I asked you for honesty while not being honest myself. And my reasoning was the same as yours—I thought I was protecting you. Protecting us. I didn't want to seem weak or incapable or—" My voice breaks. "I don't want to be fasceitous anymore. I promise, this was the only thing you didn't know of."
His expression softens incrementally. He pulls me against his chest, one hand cradling my head. "No more secrets. From either of us. Agreed?"
"Agreed," I murmur into his robes. The familiar cedar scent grounds me, makes breathing easier.
We sit like that for long minutes, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. Eventually, he pulls back enough to meet my eyes. "I have news. About the investigation."
Something in his tone makes my stomach clench. "What kind of news?"
"Your father is involved. Directly involved in the scheming with Kemal." The words are gentle, but they land like stones. "He's been facilitating the corruption, using his connections to smooth over irregularities, taking a percentage of the profits. He's as guilty as Kemal. Maybe more so."
I stop breathing. The chamber tilts sideways, and only Mehmet's hands on my arms keep me upright. My father. My cold, calculating father who sent me away to save face is a criminal. A thief stealing from families who can barely survive.
My father is a criminal. My sister is married to a criminal. Everything I escaped was built on suffering I didn't even know existed.
And somehow, impossibly, I'm the one trying to stop it.