Khoshyar Sultan

Questionnaire

Name: Khoshyar Sultan
Status: Aunt of the Sultan Osman, twin sister of Dahiye Sultan, wife of the Belirbey of Egypt Murad Pasha
Age: 34 years

Character:

Hoshyar is a mirror image of Dahiye, but a distorted one. Where her sister chose ice, Hoshyar chose fire. She didn't learn to hide her emotions behind a mask of dignity—she learned to use them as weapons. Her anger is terrifying, her laughter infectious, her tears rare but devastating. She lives loudly, loves loudly, and hates so much that the palace walls remember it for years.

But Hoshyar isn't stupid. She's clever, with that special cunning that comes with being a woman raised by men who treat her like nothing. She can feign weakness when it suits her. She can be charming when needed. She knows how to remain silent—but she prefers to speak. Because silence is Dahiye's weapon. And Hoshyar has one of her own.

She loves her sister—with a love that knows no boundaries and respects no distance. They are twins, and between them there is a bond that neither years, nor marriages, nor palaces have been able to sever. Hoshyar knows something about Dahiye that no one else does. And Dahiye knows the same about her. This is their strength. And their curse.

Hoshyar is married to Murad Pasha, the Belirbey of Egypt—a calm, patient man who loves her with a love she couldn't immediately accept. She bore him three children. And, despite everything, she became attached to him. Not like Dahiye to Ahmed—quietly and reservedly. But loudly, passionately, sometimes destructively. But sincerely.

Arriving in Topkapi, Hoşyar senses something is changing. And she's not going to stand aside. If her sister wants to play quiet games, so be it. Hoşyar will play loud ones.

Biography:

Hoshyar was born a few minutes after Dahiye. The second of twins, she knew from childhood: her sister is the elder, her sister is the boss, her sister is the one everyone listens to. But Hoshyar wasn't jealous. She simply chose a different path. While Dahiye learned to remain silent and observe, Hoshyar learned to speak and act. While Dahiye hid in the shadows, Hoshyar stepped into the light.

At sixteen, they were married—in the same year, but to opposite ends of the empire. Dahiye to Anatolia, to a cruel ruler. Hoshyar to Egypt, to Murad Pasha, a man twice her age but kind. She was luckier. But she never forgot that her sister had been less fortunate. And that bonded them more strongly than blood.

Life in Egypt taught Hoshyar much. She learned that power comes in different forms: not just the kind that comes with the throne, but also the kind that comes with wealth. Egypt was the empire's granary, and Murad Pasha was its guardian. Hoshyar became his shadow—but a shadow that could speak. She conducted correspondence, received ambassadors, and resolved disputes. And gradually, she became someone who was respected no less than her husband.

Now Hoshyar has returned to Istanbul for the first time in many years. She wants to see her sister. She wants to see her nephew, whom she only remembers as a child. And she wants to understand what's happening in this palace she once called home. Something tells her: her time has not yet passed.

Likes:

· My sister Dahiye - more than anything in the world.
· Your children - loudly, passionately, without looking back.
· Murad Pasha - for patience and kindness, although he does not always show it.
Luxury—gold, silk, jewelry. She sees nothing shameful in it.
· Power - but not for oneself, but for the sake of those one loves.
· Smart women - especially those who are not afraid to speak up.
· Laughter - your own and someone else's.

Dislikes:

· When she is underestimated because of her gender.
· Hypocrisy - although she sometimes resorts to it.
· When someone threatens her sister or her children.
· Boredom - she doesn't know how to sit idle.
· Dahiye's silence - sometimes it scares even her.
· His hot temper - but he doesn’t try to correct it.
· Those who believe that a woman should remain silent.

Hobby:

· Playing chess - with my sister, and they always play until the last piece.
· Reading - especially poetry and historical chronicles.
· Dancing - when no one is watching, she allows herself to forget herself.
· Bird watching in the garden.
· Correspondence with Dahiye - letters they write to each other over the years.

Quote:
"My sister chose ice. I chose fire. But we both know: in this palace, only those who can be both survive. And we will teach our nieces this. Even if they don't want to."