The Concubine Does Not Love the Emperor - Chapter 22

At the sound, the eunuchs rushed to open the door and enter, but he gestured for them to calm down and shooed them away.

“Shisha?!”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m referring to the shisha you have in your arms right now.”

Suleiman removed the suspicious-looking mouthpiece from his lips and shot a menacing glance before tossing it aside.

“Mustafa is already with Shisha. Is he receiving a proper education?”

“Already, you say. He is fifteen this year, Your Majesty. Even if you take in concubines, you should have two or three by this age.”

It had a somewhat reproachful tone. However, what bothered Suleiman was something entirely different. He sat up straight, his voice firm and resolute as he shouted.

“Concubines? Absolutely not. Make it clear that no one is allowed to enter the palace until I permit it.”

“….”

Altar was taken aback by the intense reaction.

“His Highness the Crown Prince hasn’t requested anything, and there’s one more thing you should know…”

Altar hesitated as Suleiman impatiently urged him on.

“His Highness has also offered himself a kadima. He says it’s his sacred duty.”

“Really? He offered Kadima? Hold on! Mustafa did that!” Suleiman’s expression noticeably hardened.

Altar, struggling to find his words, scratched his head as if flustered. According to the laws of succession, Mustafa should have been dead. The only reason he was kept alive was solely the Emperor’s will. Knowing this well, the officials had caused a stir by summoning Crown Prince Mustafa to the palace, but the Debran family, his maternal relatives, remained strangely silent. They knew that getting involved would only harm them in the end. However, sending Kadima in their name was a different matter. It could be seen as a challenge to imperial authority. After all, power was something that emerged from fulfilling one’s duties.

“When did this happen?”

“Um, not entirely sure, but it seems to be at least a month ago. The report doesn’t specify the exact departure date, so we need to look into the harem’s access records.”

“I’ll have that investigated.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Only three assassination attempts. And they sent Kadima.

Suleiman stroked his chin. He recalled his younger brother. When was the last time he had seen him? Mustafa had been a remarkably clever child from a very young age. Not only did he have an excellent memory, but he also had a keen sense of awareness, capable of discerning the truth beyond mere facts. Even when he had imprisoned him in the mansion, Mustafa had quietly waited, knowing it was the only way to save himself.

“He’s already fifteen. He’s grown to an age where he might have other thoughts.”

An impulse to bring the pipe to his lips again washed over him. Altar, noticing the change in his expression, swiftly replaced the mouthpiece on Shisha and offered it to the Emperor. The violet eyes lit up.

“…Don’t light it.”

“If it bothers you, shall I take care of it for you?”

“Never mind. Keep it out of sight.”

Altar left with Shisha. Suleiman’s mind was once again filled with thoughts of his younger brother.

“Ha! He deliberately let him go to save himself, and now he keeps sending assassins. It would be better to bring him back to the palace…”

However, hastily bringing him back would only invite turmoil within the palace. A valid pretext was needed—a significant reason for both sides not to attack each other. Once that was resolved, Mustafa would return to the palace, and Suleiman would finally achieve his long-sought wish.

“Just a little more patience. The palace is too dangerous right now.”

As he recalled the painful memories, a throbbing headache overcame him. Grimacing in pain, he reached for his temples. Altar, who had returned, rummaged in his pocket and handed him a bundle of betel leaves.

“When did you get these?”

“I had them mixed with Shisha. Chewing them might help alleviate your discomfort.”

As he chewed on the betel leaves, a bitter and spicy taste filled his mouth. While it didn’t provide instant relief like Shisha, it seemed to ease the pain gradually. Altar cautiously spoke up, observing Suleiman’s relaxed expression.

“It’s possible that the Kadima sent isn’t from Crown Prince Mustafa.”

“Why is that?”

Suleiman asked in a low voice, and Altar shrugged.

“Well, if it were sent by the Crown Prince, wouldn’t Orhan have informed us first? Perhaps the Queen Mother is disguising herself as a gift from the Crown Prince.”

“Or maybe someone intercepted the information along the way.” Altar held his tongue.

No one knew that Emperor Suleiman had spared Crown Prince Mustafa’s life, not even his location within the mansion. After a few incidents where letters being sent via the couriers managed by the Queen Mother’s spies were stolen, Crown Prince Mustafa’s existence became publicly known, leading to frequent assassination attempts. It was already on record.

“He’s never visited the harem even once. Why would Mother go to such lengths to bring in Kadima?”

“But according to the Sparrow, it seems the Queen Mother is planning to summon Your Majesty to the harem soon.”

The “Sparrow” was the code name for the spy Altar had planted in the Queen Mother’s camp.

“Mother has occasionally tried to summon me to the harem, but she’s never succeeded even once.”

“So, what do you plan to do this time?”

“Did the Sparrow mention anything about Kadima?”

“As you know, the code for this rendezvous is quite strict. We can only use predefined words.”

Mother Aldebaran was an extremely sensitive and shrewd woman. All the spies planted around her had been discovered and thrown into the straits. The current spy she had in place was in a precarious position. She supplied information to both the Queen Mother and Suleiman. She was, in fact, a double agent. This was why she had difficulty passing on critical information. While she occasionally provided seemingly plausible but inconsequential information to maintain her cover, it was challenging to protect her existence. Suleiman tapped his fingers anxiously on his knee. It was a habit that often surfaced when he was lost in thought. Altar waited patiently, allowing the Emperor to gather his thoughts. After a long silence, Suleiman finally spoke up.

“Whether it’s a trap set by Mother or a gift from Mustafa, we should verify it first. Fine, I’ll go meet Kadima.” The Emperor rose from his seat.

It was his first visit to the harem.

****

“His Majesty the Emperor is visiting the harem tonight.” Gulle was so startled that she dropped the small sherbet glass she had been holding. It had taken so long to properly chill the sherbet, and now it was spilled on the floor. Instead of cleaning it up, she stood frozen, holding the empty glass. Bahari, who had appeared with a dry cloth, frowned at the wasted sherbet. Then she took a mop and bucket and began cleaning.

“What? What did you just say…?”

She picked up the fallen sherbet glass from Gulle’s hand and refilled it in a lidded container.

“Pomegranate sherbet is to commemorate His Majesty’s visit, as the Queen Mother instructed. Please enjoy it to the fullest.”

His Majesty the Emperor’s visit. No wonder the kitchen had been obsessively and stingily particular about the frozen sherbet. Bahari also asked with a skeptical expression.

“His Majesty is visiting the harem tonight! Is that true?”

Bahari, too, inquired with an incredulous expression. Although the exact timing was kept secret, the fact that the Emperor was visiting the harem for the first time had already leaked out several days ago. Yet the Rem sisters acted as if they were hearing the news for the first time. Bahari widened her eyes in astonishment, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Good heavens, hasn’t anyone told you that news?”

“Who told us such a thing? We heard it for the first time.”

“But didn’t the eunuchs…”

Ina trailed off, glancing discreetly at Margaret. She, too, was completely clueless about this story. Although she had thought the harem had been busier than usual lately, she had never imagined such rumors were circulating.

“Then, does this evening’s event have anything to do with the banquet the Queen Mother is holding?”

“She’ll probably attend.”

“Do you happen to know why His Majesty is coming to the harem?”

“Well, he’s visiting the harem to choose his concubines today-” Gulle and Bahari bombarded Ina with questions. She tried her best to answer them, but the Rem sisters’ questions seemed endless.

“Then, do you think others knew in advance and prepared?”

“Most likely.”

“Did the goods merchant arrive today?”

“The goods merchant has been here since morning.”

“Ina, what about-!”

lna realized that if she stayed, she might be bombarded with questions all day long. She quickly picked up the sherbet dishes and calmly said, “I’m busy.”

The curious Rem Sisters, with a pile of questions, puffed out their cheeks and looked at Ilna. She turned her head toward Margaret with ease.

“I have to distribute sherbet to the other Kadimas.”

“But, lna, if you could just tell us when exactly His Majesty is coming-”

“If you want more, there’s plenty available, so send Gulle or Bahari to the kitchen.”

“Ina!” “Ina!!!”

Ignoring the pleas of the Rem Sisters, lna left the room as if escaping. Besides Ina, there was no one else in the harem who could convey messages to them comfortably, so the Rem sisters were left in confusion.

Ever since Margaret had rumors circulating about her salary being reduced when she had been called to see the Queen Mother last time, the women in the harem had either openly ignored her or treated her as if she didn’t exist. There were stories that she had fallen out of favor with the Queen Mother, and they didn’t want to get involved unnecessarily. So, after that incident, the women in the harem thought it would be best to have nothing to do with her.

Therefore, the Rem sisters couldn’t easily come across the rumors circulating in the harem. They had been rejected by all the information circulating in the harem.

“This isn’t right; let’s go to the large bath first!”

Gulle pulled Margaret, seeming in a hurry. Eventually, Margaret had to put the sherbet in her mouth in one gulp and follow Gulle. The sherbet was so cold and sweet that it made her head spin.