Aftermath

Orhan, who was reorganizing the military supplies beneath the southern section of the city wall, suddenly saw the purple-robed emperor appear at the gate.

Orhan, now past forty, quickly stepped forward to greet him and bowed his head humbly. "Your Majesty, I am ashamed that I left you and Miss Vivianna to fight alone."

"You did everything you could. There is no need to blame yourself for it."

Lothar consoled him.

Constantine XI had previously lacked trust in Orhan, but things were different now. Dragon Blood Kin were destined to be incapable of betraying him. If necessary, he was even willing to make Orhan his co-emperor.

"How is Miss Vivianna?"

"She is fine. She merely exhausted her strength and fell asleep. I sent her back to her chambers."

Without any further pleasantries, Lothar asked directly:

"Mahmud II is dead, and his children are still too young. They are destined to be unable to Turn the Tide at such a critical moment. So, as the head of the Constantinople branch of the House of Osman, do you think you could ascend the Ottoman throne?"

The Ottoman royal bloodline had not been cut off. Not only did Mahmud II have descendants, but Orhan did as well. It was merely that in the original history, Orhan and all his descendants had died when Constantinople fell.

"I am afraid not, Your Majesty."

Orhan's expression turned bitter. "Although my family still has some connections with the Bektashi order, the brotherhood, the imperial court, and others, those ties are not close. After Murad II's purges, we have not been in contact for a very long time."

"Then try reaching out to them. They may have been unwilling to contact you before, but that may not be the case now."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Orhan was the