Morning came, and I said an awkward goodbye to Ayşe before the coachman took me to the hotel I would be staying for as long as I could pay, and I was going to make sure that that stay would be as long as I could manage to get money from my suitors. As Ayşe had already paid for an entire day and night at the hotel, I was able to save, at least for the time being, the roughly two thousand liras I had with me.

While I was unpacking and preparing to take a long bath to relax, there was a knock on the door and I opened it, not really expecting to see anyone important, that's why I was beyond surprised when I saw Ambassador Kirkland, holding a bouquet of roses, and looking down, flustered. He looked up.

"Mr. Ambassador, what are you...?"

"This is for you!"

He said in a hurry as he pushed the flowers into my face. I pulled back and grabbed them with my both hands. I stepped backwards, so I could let him in and he entered my room. I put the flowers in a vase and sat down in the bed, motioning for the Ambassador to take a seat in a nearby sofa. He did and looked down at his lap, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Thank you for the flowers"

"You are welcome"

The answer came awkwardly as he continued to cast his glance downwards. I cleared my throat and he managed to catch on what I was trying to imply so he looked up. His face was blushing so hard that it could have been easily mistaken with the red curtains that covered the windows. I couldn't understand how a man with so much power as the Ambassador of the British Empire would feel so awkward sitting in the same room as a dancer. He finally spoke up.

"I'm here to invite you to tea, an invitation I hope you will consider"

It was quite blunt, but I thought it was kind of cute, too, so I decided to accept. He thanked me for my time and left the room in a hurry, in the same condition in which he had entered it. I was left behind a little uncertain of what had happened and looked at the roses at the vase. I didn't like roses, I liked sunflowers, but he didn't have to know that, of course. Anyways, I decided to take my bath after all.

While I sunk into the warm water and rinsed my body slowly, I began to think back to my life up until that point: I had been seduced by the charms of an dance that had brought be to this exotic place, and in my way, I had seduced a plethora of powerful men that had made me grow accustomed to the life of an aristocrat, as I went from empire to empire. The problem would be when my charms died, I would be in a hurry, but I decided not to worry about that and live in the moment.

At five o'clock I met with Ambassador Kirkland at a tea house near Taksim Square and, as it had been with his brother, we chatted about the weather and other unimportant things, but our chat was full of uncomfortable silences, though I sensed that they were more uncomfortable to him than to me, I actually didn't mind the silence.

"Have you, umm... heard from this woman called "Mata Hari", Menekşe?"

He asked me, while stirring his tea and looking down at the table with a prominent blush on his face. I looked up from my cup of tea and began to think. I had never heard of such a name, but then again, I never really paid attention to what was currently happening in Europe or the world unless it affected me directly, which had been the case of the war that had driven Sadiq to his death roughly a month before. I decided to focus on what the Ambassador had told me instead, as I had begun to think back of Sadiq and that would not have ended well.

"No, I haven't, Mr. Ambassador. Why?"

He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before sipping his tea. He seemed to burn his tongue with the hot liquid as he immediately put the cup back on the saucers, causing a few drops to spill. I was going to ask him if he was okay, and put my hand over his causing him a major blush. He pulled his hand back before I had time to speak.

"She is a dancer that earned fame and fortune in Paris. Have you not heard of her?"

He asked, after drinking a sip of water and putting the hand I had put mine over, in his lap, safely away from mine. I shook my head.

"Have you never thought of venturing into the European stages? You would be quite the success"

And that's when it hit me. If I wanted to make good use of Sadiq's teachings and keep living the high life I would have to move to Europe and earn fame there, more specifically Paris, the capital of the arts. While immersed in thoughts about triumphing in Paris and becoming the famous Menekşe the world cheered for, I didn't notice the Ambassador speaking to me until he cleared his throat. I looked at him slightly surprised.

"Yes?"

"Did you enjoy your time with my brother? He can be very loud sometimes"

I blushed, remembering the loud grunts he made when we were making love, but quickly shook those thoughts away. I sipped my tea and put the cup back on the saucer.

"Yes I did, very much so...

I said nonchalantly. The Ambassador looked down at the table as if it had pissed him off, so I decided to remediate it quickly.

"... I'm also enjoying my time with you, Mr. Ambassador"

He smiled a weak smile and we finished having tea in complete and awkward silence. The Ambassador insisted on paying the bill and I couldn't say no to that, so I let him, and we began to walk back to the hotel when I decided to speak to him about my economic situation.

"Hmm... Mr. Ambassador, there is something I need to tell you"

He looked up at me in wonder, his serious expression still planted in his face. I was mesmerized for a second with his bright green eyes, which reminded me of Heracles' and, in consequence, reminded me of the night we had together. I found myself unable to stop thinking of my lovers.

"What is it?"

"I'm in a precarious economic situation"

"Well, you are staying in one of the most luxurious hotels of Constantinople, so I don't think that..."

"It was a friends' favour, but the truth is, I'm broke and I would need your help"

Before he could answer me anything, he opened the door of the hotel for me and I entered the lobby, where I was greeted by a sight I wasn't expecting: Field Marshall Angus Kirkland was asking to see me in the front desk, when he turned around, he fumed upon seeing who I was with.

"What are you doing with him?!"

Angus asked, yelling and drawing attention from the rest of the people in the lobby. The Ambassador clenched his fists. I decided to ask Angus.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you, but you are with him now!"

"I'm not with him!"

I said defensively. Then the two of them began to argue about old siblings' rivalry which made me think that I wanted something quieter than those two. They could be high-rank diplomats but they were a couple of brats for me.

I decided to send a letter to the Cypriot entrepreneur and accept his invitation.

I forgot to say that I got the idea of the pairing Scotland x Russia from FlippedOutFlippy's "Trapped" in which said pairing is featured. Go read it and review, it's a beautiful story as well as every single story she writes.