No sooner had Maximilian and Ludwig disembarked than Derya Pasha, the harbor master, rushed toward the palace at the fastest speed of his life.
At this time, ten-year-old Murad V felt no fear despite the Russian army pressing down upon the border. He was still playing with the eunuchs and palace maids in the Flower Hall.
There was no doubt that Valide Sultan Shevkyevza had protected him well, but she was, after all, merely a woman with little political experience.
Had Abdulmejid I not died so suddenly, so precipitously, she would only have wished to be a proper and dutiful wife.
Baz, the chief palace steward, entered with a panicked expression. Valide Sultan Shevkyevza knew something grave must have happened. With a sigh, she discreetly led her trusted palace maids out of the Flower Hall.
Once outside, Valide Sultan Shevkyevza put away her loving mother's smile and immediately assumed a dignified, imposing expression as she spoke coldly.
"What happened? Speak."
"Archduke Maximilian and Archduke Ludwig of the Austrian Empire have arrived."
Valide Sultan Shevkyevza's face darkened as she said bitterly.
"Damn vultures. Do they want to tear a piece of flesh from us, a widow and an orphan, too? What do the Austrians want?"
In truth, Valide Sultan Shevkyevza had long been mentally prepared. In her eyes, Austria's emperor was an exceedingly bellicose man. Once the war in Spain had been settled, it would naturally be the Ottoman Empire's turn.
The Ottoman Empire's upper ranks had also long prepared a contingency. In the Near East, it was fundamentally impossible to face Austria and Russia at the same time.
Even with Britain's support, the Ottoman Empire would be beaten into a blank wasteland. The war might perhaps be won, but the Ottoman Empire would certainly be finished, and the Ottoman family's