Princess Adia

•Questionnaire• ∆Name: Princess Adia ∆Title: Princess of Byzantium, political bride of Sultan Emir, future Haseki of the Ottoman Empire. ∆Age: 17 years ∆Character: Adia is a woman of mystery, and that's her greatest weapon. At first glance, she seems the perfect bride: gentle, well-mannered, with an angelic smile and impeccable manners. She knows how to charm, how to say what people want to hear, how to be comfortable. But all this is just a skillfully constructed façade. Behind it lies a cold, calculating mind and a heart she long ago ordered herself not to reveal. Adia doesn't believe in love. For her, marriage is a deal, a political contract signed for her when she was four years old. She harbors no illusions about her future husband: he is the sultan, she is bargaining chip. But she has no intention of being a victim. She is smart, ambitious, and knows how to wait. She will become the wife of the padishah—not his slave. She will play her role flawlessly, but she will never allow herself to dissolve into someone else's power. And if anyone thinks she's just a pretty doll who can be placed on the throne and forgotten, they're sorely mistaken. Adia won't break. Adia won't submit. Adia will show everyone who she really is.

∆Biography: Adia was born in the fading Byzantine Empire, into a family that had once ruled half the world and was now clinging to the remnants of its former glory. Her father, the emperor, understood that the empire was weak, and the only way to survive was through alliances. When Adia was four years old, she was betrothed to Shehzade Emir, the heir to the Ottoman throne. Thus, the little girl became a hostage to high politics.

Adia's childhood was spent in luxury, but also in strictness. She was prepared for the role of the sultan's wife: she was taught languages, etiquette, diplomacy, the art of pleasing. But no one taught her how to love. Her mother died early, and her father was preoccupied with wars and intrigues. Adia grew up alone—among servants, tutors, and portraits of her ancestors who looked at her with reproach. She understood early on: her destiny

Her destiny was not her own. And then she decided: since she couldn't choose her life, she would choose how to live it.

Adia is seventeen now. She's been engaged for thirteen years, and now she's finally being sent to Istanbul to meet a groom she's never met. She doesn't know what he's like. She's heard rumors: young, handsome, smart, but surrounded by intrigue and women. So be it. She's not going to fight for his heart—she needs the throne. Power. Security. And love... love is for the weak. So she tells herself. But somewhere deep inside, behind the cold walls of her soul, a tiny spark of hope glimmers. Hope that maybe this marriage will be more than just a political deal. Maybe.

∆Hobbies: Reading historical chronicles (studies the history of the Ottoman dynasty in order to know the enemy by sight), playing the harp, calligraphy, drawing up strategic maps, horse riding (the only thing that gives a feeling of freedom). ∆Likes: Silence when she is left alone, the smell of old books, the feeling of control when a plan works, the pre-dawn hours when the whole world is still asleep. ∆Dislikes: When someone tries to control her, feigned kindness, when she is underestimated, noisy gatherings, when someone gets into her soul. ∆Quote: "I didn't choose this marriage. But I will choose who I will be in it. Not a victim. Not a pawn. A queen." ∆Enemies: She doesn't know anyone personally yet, but she is prepared for enemies to appear as soon as she sets foot on the grounds of Topkapi. ∆Children: No. ∆Marriage: No (engaged to Sultan Emir since the age of four).