After returning to the palace, Hurrem no longer leaves the same impression of an unyielding and dazzling ruler. In her gaze fatigue is read more often, and in her features a shadow of deep sorrow. The loss of her son was a blow from which she cannot fully recover, and this pain does not subside with time. The death of Mehmed, which she blames Mahidevran for, left a wound in her soul, making her more restrained and wary. Nevertheless, for the sake of Suleiman she strives to preserve dignity and her former gentleness, filling the palace with the warmth of her presence and trying not to let personal grief destroy their union. However, the calm proves to be illusory. In the palace appears Fatma-sultan — resolute and active; she intends to support the shehzade Mustafa and weaken Hurrem's influence at court. At her instigation, Huridjihan arrives in the capital, the daughter of the late Hatice. Her beauty and refinement unexpectedly captivate Bayezid. Despite prohibitions and possible consequences, he resolves to bind his fate to her, which triggers a new wave of tension. Against this backdrop, the sultan makes a fateful decision: he proclaims Selim as heir and sends him to govern Manisa. Along with him goes Nurbanu, who soon becomes his favorite and closest ally. Such a choice by Suleiman is a heavy blow to Bayezid, whose ambitions were already growing day by day. Hurrem, seeking to strengthen the positions of her children and weaken Mustafa, acts cautiously but shrewdly, steering events in a direction favorable to herself. At the same time Mihrimah takes a risky step — secretly seizing Bayezid's seal, framing her brother and heightening suspicions around him. Palace intrigues become increasingly tangled, and distrust among the dynasty's members grows, turning the sultan's family into an arena of covert struggle for the empire's future.