Chapter 74
The next morning.
After a deep and refreshing sleep, I began my day as usual.
“Did you sleep well, Lady Ishtar? You seem to be in a particularly good mood today.”
“Maybe it’s because I had a pleasant dream last night.”
“Really? What kind of dream?”
“Uh… well. I don’t remember too clearly.”
The young girl looked disappointed and continued helping me with my morning routine.
In truth, I remembered the dream vividly.
I simply didn’t say anything—because it was childish and, frankly, embarrassing.
In that dream, I was traveling freely around the world with Suleiman.
He wasn’t a prince or a sultan-to-be—just an ordinary commoner.
And I wasn’t some girl who could transform into a cat, but merely a normal woman.
We were wandering merchants and sometimes even fine adventurers.
We searched caves for a fabled treasure lamp straight out of a fairy tale,
and once, we met desert bandits and lost everything we had.
But rich or poor, we were perfect partners—never apart, by day or night.
‘If I told Arin that, even she would probably look at me like I’d lost it.’
They say dreams are illusions woven from hope.
Unlike that empty dream, the real Suleiman was royalty—
a man destined to be king.
Moments as sweet as yesterday’s would soon become rarer.
And one day, we might not even share the same space again—
might not even meet at all.
Those gloomy thoughts turned the pink glow in my head into gray in no time.
I had fully returned to reality.
Since I didn’t have to go to the clinic that day,
Arin and I decided to stop by the library to return some books
and then take a long walk to the flower fields we had visited before.
The busy morning lifted my mood a little.
We were on our way back to the prince’s palace,
our arms full of flowers, when a familiar maid came running toward us, panting.
“Arin! Lady Ishtar! Something terrible has happened! You must return right away!”
“You’re about to collapse. What on earth happened?”
“There’s… there’s a gift for Lady Ishtar! But it’s… it’s enormous—beyond imagination!”
“A gift? From the Sultan’s palace?”
“No, from Lady Roxelana’s palace! You should really see it yourself!”
We handed her the flower basket and hurried back to the palace.
And the moment I stepped inside, I understood her panic.
“What in the world…?”
My room was filled to the brim with large and small gift boxes, all lavishly wrapped.
There were so many that I could barely get through the door.
They were all big and heavy—
the kind of things that must have drawn plenty of attention on their way here.
‘This is just a showy display.’
When one imagines a noblewoman’s gift, one thinks of small, precious things—jewels, ornaments, trinkets.
If Roxelana’s intent had truly been gratitude, she wouldn’t have needed such an ostentatious spectacle.
“Here’s a letter, my lady. Would you like to read it?”
“Let me see.”
Pressing my temples from the forming headache,
I held out my hand for the letter.
Unlike the grandiose pile of gifts, Roxelana’s letter was short and simple.
―I send you these gifts with heartfelt sincerity. I chose each one carefully, and I hope they please you.
So basically: I went to the trouble of picking them out, so don’t you dare return them.
‘There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate.’
With a bitter laugh, I tore the irritating letter cleanly in half.
“Arin, I don’t need any of this. Send it all to the clinic as a donation.
Darcan will handle it once it gets there.”
“Eh? But shouldn’t we at least open a few to see what’s inside…?”
“They’re probably all top-grade stuff. But these aren’t really gifts for me.”
“But they were addressed to you, Lady Ishtar…”
Arin tilted her head in confusion, clearly expecting an explanation.
But I kept silent. Soon after, every last box was removed from my room.
Only then did I begin to understand what Suleiman had said yesterday.
‘That gift was sent to show off to Hürrem and Suleiman.’
If she truly wanted to express gratitude,
there would have been no need for such theatrics.
Whatever her motive, she had used the “gift” as a graceful means of provocation.
“I don’t need to get caught up in their mess.
I’m not interested in being the shrimp crushed between whales.”
“Whales? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Uh… well…”
I sat Arin down, who now had question marks floating over her head,
and did my best to explain the proverb—complete with drawings.
A while later, I realized being a teacher wasn’t easy,
and Arin had learned a new proverb that she’d probably never get to use.
Meanwhile.
Roxelana was being briefed about what Ishtar had done.
“How dare a mere priestess reject the personal gift of Lady Roxelana?
Such insolence cannot be tolerated!”
“That’s right! Even if she is favored by Prince Suleiman, this is outrageous! We should issue a formal protest!”
The chief maid and butler, both long in her service, were fuming.
But Roxelana herself remained perfectly calm.
“The gifts have already served their purpose simply by being sent.
I have other matters to attend to—leave me.”
“You truly mean to just let that insolent woman go unpunished?
Allow me to go and confront her myself—!”
“Silence.”
Her cold voice froze the air in the room.
“Since when did anyone in this palace have a louder voice than mine?
I let you be because of your years of service, but don’t mistake that for leniency.”
Her subordinates bowed their heads, trembling, and left the room.
Moments later, a servant outside announced a visitor.
“Lady Roxelana, Prince Theron has come to see you.”
Unlike the last time he visited, he waited for permission before entering.
But the anger on his face was just as fierce as before.
“Welcome, Theron. You’re later than I expected. Busy with something?”
“…You sent an excessive gift to her. Rumors are already everywhere in the palace.”
“It was merely a small token of gratitude, but it seems people like to exaggerate.”
“You even summoned her personally yesterday for a healing session.
What exactly are you plotting?”
“She was said to have a curious power. I simply asked her to heal a sick child.”
“Enough of these word games. I told you clearly to leave her alone.”
Theron’s usually composed face twisted with anger.
He was struggling to keep his temper in check.
Had she been anyone else—not his mother—he would have cut her down on the spot.
She had ignored his warning,
and the very idea of someone threatening Ishtar made his blood boil.
“I’ll ask again. Why are you stirring up all this nonsense?
Depending on your answer… even as your son, I won’t hold back.”
A dangerous aura began to radiate from him—
so dark and intense that any ordinary person would have fled in terror.
But Roxelana only laughed, seemingly delighted by the sight.
“My, my. To see my son so emotional—it warms my heart, Theron.”
“Get a hold of yourself, Mother.
You know full well my patience has its limits.
Remember—my sword spares no one.”
“Don’t look so grim. I haven’t done anything.
I received help from her, and I sent her gifts. That’s all.”
“For now, perhaps. But what are you planning next?”
“Well… I was thinking of bringing her over to our side.
But first, I’ll need to find a way to get her out of the palace.”
“…What did you just say?”
Theron glared at her, disbelief in his eyes.
But Roxelana didn’t even flinch.
“Hans said something interesting.
That the weakening of Suleiman’s curse wasn’t because of the prophesied cat—
but because of that woman.”
At her casual words, Theron’s body trembled ever so slightly.
‘Don’t tell me she’s figured out that Ishtar is the prophetic cat…?’
That was the one truth Theron never wanted revealed—
especially not to Roxelana.
He knew his mother too well.
He had endured her all this time only because of blood ties.
But Roxelana intended to use him, as always,
to complete her revenge.
If she ever learned Ishtar’s true identity,
she wouldn’t hesitate to kill her—
cruelly,
just to make Hürrem and Suleiman suffer.
Thankfully, it seemed she hadn’t realized it yet.
“If I can win Ishtar over to our side,
I can find that hidden cat Suleiman’s been protecting,
eliminate it, and restore the curse to its full power.”
“It won’t be that simple.”
“How odd—to see my fearless son so cautious.
You must care for that girl quite a bit, hmm?
Are you planning to just watch while she stays in your brother’s arms?”
