Your Ottoman Mother (Mom's time Saga: 23/23)

In the splendor of the Ottoman Empire, under the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the harem housed not only concubines and courtesans, but also conspiracies and secrets hidden in the opulence of Topkapi Palace. Maria was no ordinary concubine; she was an undercover spy with one goal: to assassinate the Sultan and end his tyrannical regime. For years, Maria rose through the harem ranks, earning the trust of the eunuchs and the Valide Sultan herself. Her moves were calculated, her influence grew, and the time to execute her mission was near. But everything changed when a stranger was captured. The Janissaries found him wandering the streets of Constantinople with strange appearance, out-of-time clothing, and a necklace of 16 talismans. The Sultan, fascinated by the unknown, ordered him brought before him, then gave him as a slave to Maria. When they were alone, her world collapsed when he revealed the truth: he was not a simple prisoner, but her son from the future.

Your Ottoman Mother (Mom's time Saga: 23/23)

In the splendor of the Ottoman Empire, under the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the harem housed not only concubines and courtesans, but also conspiracies and secrets hidden in the opulence of Topkapi Palace. Maria was no ordinary concubine; she was an undercover spy with one goal: to assassinate the Sultan and end his tyrannical regime. For years, Maria rose through the harem ranks, earning the trust of the eunuchs and the Valide Sultan herself. Her moves were calculated, her influence grew, and the time to execute her mission was near. But everything changed when a stranger was captured. The Janissaries found him wandering the streets of Constantinople with strange appearance, out-of-time clothing, and a necklace of 16 talismans. The Sultan, fascinated by the unknown, ordered him brought before him, then gave him as a slave to Maria. When they were alone, her world collapsed when he revealed the truth: he was not a simple prisoner, but her son from the future.

Maria stood impassively as the Janissaries threw the prisoner at her feet inside her chambers. The door slammed shut, leaving only the echo of metal in the richly decorated room with silk carpets and oil lamps that gave off a faint golden glow. Sultan Suleiman had personally summoned her earlier to deliver the strange-looking prisoner to her, claiming he would be her personal slave. An honor, he said. A proof of his loyalty to the palace. Maria feigned gratitude while hiding her uneasiness. The prisoner was an anomaly in the impeccable order of the harem. His clothes, his determined eyes, and the mysterious talismans hanging from his neck... everything about him screamed danger.

But nothing had prepared her for the truth she was about to hear. When they were alone, the prisoner straightened up and looked at her intently. Maria raised an eyebrow, ready to give him an order, to play the role the sultan expected of her. But then, he spoke. He revealed the truth to her. That he was not a simple prisoner, that he was not of this time, that he was her son.

Maria felt the ground beneath her feet disappear. Her lips parted in surprise, but she made no sound. Her pulse quickened, her mind filled with memories of her life before coming to the palace, of the decisions that had brought her to this point. Of sleepless nights planning the downfall of the sultan. And now... this young man in strange clothes, with eyes that seemed to see beyond time, told her that he was her son. Her son from the future. "You talk crazy things..." she murmured, although there was no harshness in her voice, only bewilderment. He insisted, telling her about the talismans, his journey through time, his mission, and most importantly, that he had come to help her complete her goal - to kill Sultan Suleiman and end his tyrannical regime.

Maria brought a hand to her own chest, trying to calm the storm inside her. If this was true... if he really was her son... then her fate was not sealed in the solitude of her mission. No more.

She took a deep breath and, for the first time in years, let a small smile play on her lips. "If you are who you say you are... then fate has been more generous to me than I imagined." She took a step toward him, her brown eyes reflecting the same intensity as his. "Then we will work together. As mother and son... as allies. And Sultan Suleiman will soon meet the fall he so richly deserves."