Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 153

Butterfly Effect (2)

Charles V maintained a rigid posture.

Having been thoroughly trained in royal etiquette since childhood, even his stillness exuded dignity.

He didn’t even flinch at the pungent smell of oil. When he heard a knock, he raised his hand.

“Let us take a short break.”

At Charles’s words, Titian Vecellio put down his brush.

He had painted many noble figures before, but this subject was on another level, and even the smallest brushstroke made him sweat.

As he wiped away the sweat caused by the tension, the door opened, and the servants bowed to Charles.

“We have brought the paintings you ordered.”

“Well done. Bring them here.”

Titian swallowed hard as he watched the paintings pass before his eyes.

He was confident in his painting skills, but what was needed to receive a commission from the king of a country was reputation rather than skill.

It was these two paintings that filled the lacking reputation, and Titian looked uneasy.

“Titian, there is nothing to be anxious about. As promised, the story of these paintings will not leak out.”

“Understood.”

Now that he had come this far, there was no turning back.

Charles, averting his gaze from Titian, carefully examined the first painting he saw, stroking his beard.

“So, this is what Yusuf looks like.”

Yusuf, wearing a turban and holding a cane, was handsome enough to evoke a slight sense of jealousy, but more important than that was the atmosphere emanating from the painting.

The firmly closed lips and the arrogantly downward-looking green eyes felt extremely natural.

Even just looking at the portrait, it was no wonder he had achieved so much.

“Titian, how similar is this painting to him? There aren’t many paintings circulating as his portrait, are there?”

A printer in Venice had violated copyright and was hit with a heavy penalty, but this incident actually led to Yusuf’s book spreading rapidly throughout Europe.

The book was even being read across the sea in England, and people’s curiosity naturally flowed to the protagonist of the story.

The faces of the women in the story could not be confirmed, but fortunately, Yusuf’s portraits were all over the Ottoman Empire, and painters commissioned by nobles imitated the portraits.

“It may sound rude, but it is an insult to my painting to compare it to those poor imitations.”

“Enough. A painter should have that much pride. How similar can a painting drawn based on memory be in the first place?”

They would never allow the imitation of the Padishah’s [Ottoman ruler’s] portrait, which they considered sacred, and if caught, they would be enslaved.

They tried their best to capture the image with their eyes and draw the painting in their home country, but how similar could it be?

‘It would be better if they were equally bad at drawing.’

There were even cases where they were drawn in revealing clothes, reflecting the client’s opinion, or overlapping with the image of a demon.

In the end, those who wanted to see his real face even went directly to the Ottoman Empire to see the portraits.

“It is almost the same as it is a direct imitation of the portrait dedicated to the Padishah.”

“I see. So, this is his real face.”

Many nobles and royals despised Yusuf as the emperor of infidels, but Charles knew well that they were hiding fear within.

‘Because I am also like that.’

He had inherited a vast territory and even ascended to the throne of the Holy Roman Emperor, but until recently, he had to struggle to suppress a rebellion in Spain.

Charles knew very well how amazing it was to manage the vast territory of the Ottoman Empire without major problems.

“And this is a portrait of his daughter.”

Charles felt for the first time that he was losing his mind over a mere portrait.

After staring at the bright face of the girl for a long time, Charles asked in a slightly trembling voice.

“…How similar is this portrait?”

“I am sorry, but I did not draw it by looking directly at the princess. It is a painting drawn by looking at a sculpture of the princess.”

“I see.”

Titian hurriedly added, seeing Charles’s clearly disappointed expression.

“However, when I heard the story of Michelangelo, who sculpted her directly, the real person would be better than that, not lacking.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t see her in person?”

“I couldn’t see her face directly because of the hijab [veil], but I was lucky enough to have a short conversation. She was a person whose beauty was hard to hide even with a hijab.”

Charles, half in doubt, could not take his eyes off the painting at Titian’s words.

After looking at the painting for a long time, Charles asked the chamberlain.

“What would you do if I were to marry the Ottoman princess?”

“Your Majesty?!”

“Just kidding. Just kidding. I said it because I was frustrated that the engagement with Portugal was becoming uncertain.”

Portugal, which had achieved tremendous growth by pioneering sea routes to the East, was hit by a series of misfortunes.

The previous king, Manuel, died of the Black Death, and not long after Joao ascended to the throne as the new king, news came that the fleet sent to India had disappeared.

‘At least the damage won’t be recovered in the short term.’

It would have been better if it had ended with the blockade of Eastern trade, but losing so many ships was fatal.

Portugal was in great turmoil, and its value plummeted, making the engagement uncertain.

“Although she is an infidel princess, I was just thinking that she could be converted and engaged. Since the emperor is also lenient to Christianity, conversion would be possible, wouldn’t it?”

“Aside from the Ottoman’s reaction, the domestic backlash will be significant.”

“That’s why I said it was a joke.”

Charles waved his hand lightly and clicked his tongue, thinking of Portugal.

“More than that, I heard that not only did they lose, but several ships were also captured? Pathetic. They don’t even have the courage to scuttle [deliberately sink a ship].”

As Charles clicked his tongue, a hurried voice was heard, and a nobleman who had been granted permission to enter hurriedly paid his respects.

“Your Majesty. We have confirmed the whereabouts of Magellan’s fleet that left for the Malacca Islands.”

Charles’s face lit up at these words, but his face crumpled miserably at the words that followed.

“It is said that they were captured by the Ottoman army near Malacca and taken to Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul].”

Charles, who had been talking about capture and scuttling until a moment ago, said with a reddened face.

“Prepare to send an envoy.”

Everyone who received the order left, and Charles sighed deeply and looked at the painting.

“It would be better to pursue a real engagement…”

Titian, who was left in an uncomfortable position, rolled his eyes.

***

Yusuf looked annoyed at the news from Europe.

“It seems that time has passed. To think that they would dare to send an envoy to me without fear. Should I see some blood for the first time in a while?”

Just five years ago, if you were going to go to the Ottoman Empire as an envoy, you would basically write a will.

“I wish Prince Kasim would grow up quickly.”

Suleiman replied, recalling the past envoy massacres, and Yusuf nodded.

“I think so too. He’s slippery and his insides are black, so he might do better than me.”

“Padishah [Ottoman ruler], I am listening from the side.”

Yusuf clicked his tongue, pressing down on Kasim’s head, who had lowered his head as if hurt.

“You are still far from deceiving your father. You need to learn a little more from the high-ranking officials.”

He was good at hiding his emotions for a 13-year-old, but he was still far from escaping Yusuf’s keen eyes.

Kasim scratched his cheek at Yusuf’s gaze, as if he were watching a child’s antics.

“Kasim, it is good to package yourself, but you must not become a swindler without integrity.”

As Kasim bowed his head with an uncharacteristically serious face, Yusuf smiled and asked.

“So, do you still go on outings to the slave market these days?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Enough. It’s also the age to be interested. Kasim, who is much younger than Suleiman, is better.”

“Padishah. Why am I being…”

Suleiman, who was next to him, had an awkward expression on his face as he was unnecessarily caught in the crossfire.

“Before it’s too late, you should also see your successor.”

“I have a lot of work to do, so I will take a little more time.”

“Suleiman.”

At the quietly calling voice, Suleiman raised his head and could see Yusuf smiling kindly.

“You don’t have to read my mind. My authority is not so flimsy that you can threaten me.”

Even though he had been stripped of his title of Shehzade [Ottoman prince], he was still a member of the royal family.

Since he was keeping his life thanks to Yusuf’s grace, he could take his life at any time.

At Yusuf’s words, Suleiman replied in a firm voice.

“It is not because I cherish the life that the Padishah has spared me. It is just that I am worried that I will be a small nuisance to the Padishah.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Haven’t you heard that there is nothing more unfortunate than not having a child to relieve you of your work?”

It was a famous saying that started in Cairo.

“Or is there a woman you have in your heart? Perhaps Hürrem.”

Suleiman’s face stiffened at Yusuf’s teasing words.

“Absolutely not. I will find a marriage on my own.”

He was going to subtly attach Hürrem like in the original history, but Suleiman answered firmly.

It seemed that the memory of correcting the messed-up writing was too badly ingrained in him.

“If that’s what you think, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Since Suleiman refused, it seemed that he would have to embrace Hürrem.

She had gained fame by writing books related to him, so it was a waste to hand her over to another official.

‘I wonder if I will be able to have children this time.’

He had only five children so far. It was an absurdly small number compared to the number of women he had taken, and Yusuf attributed the cause to luck.

All five children had outstanding talents, as if children with mediocre talents were not born.

Of course, it was also due to his busy work.

“If you don’t have a suitable woman, tell me. Don’t waste time.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

After the war of succession, Selim’s image had plummeted, and the impact still remained on Suleiman, who had been spared from sin.

He was thinking of helping him a little from behind.

-Padishah, there is urgent news to report.

“Come in.”

As soon as Yusuf’s permission was given, the eunuch who entered the audience room paid his respects.

Yusuf, who received the paper handed over by the eunuch, let out a hollow laugh.

“They’re asking to borrow pirates?”

A request came from France to borrow the Barbary pirates.

***

The fact that Ganghwa Island, which was close to Hanyang [capital of Joseon] and also the entrance to the Han River, was looted was a major shock to Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom].

A considerable period had passed since the looting, but the dark atmosphere flowing through the throne room represented it.

“Hehe, only the navy that was trying to prevent the enemy from advancing south suffered more damage. Isn’t that right, Chief State Councilor?”

Nam Gon lowered his head at Jungjong’s question.

“Maengseon [small warship] had its limits.”

When transporting rice under 800 seok [unit of volume] was used for military purposes, it was called Maengseon, and the largest Daemaengseon had 80 sailors on board.

Other officials voiced their agreement with the Chief State Councilor.

“Even Japanese ships use larger ships than Maengseon. It was not enough to catch their ships.”

“Maengseon is a converted transport ship, so it is too slow to catch up with the enemy’s ships.”

“I’m not trying to hear excuses! I’m frustrated, that’s why! Frustrated!”

In a situation where they were already suffering from Japanese pirates, some barbaric guys from the far west came and looted them, and they couldn’t help but be angry that they had missed them helplessly.

Feeling a headache, Jungjong asked.

“So, what was the identity of the enemy?”

There was much debate over the name of the newly appeared enemy.

Some called them Seoi (西夷) [Western barbarians], saying that they were barbarians from the west, while others said that they should be called Namman because they came through Namman.

Of course, the name has not yet been decided exactly.

“As I heard, they are pirates who were pirating beyond Namman.”

That was the reason why they were not given water and food when they first came, and the sound of clicking tongues could be heard here and there.

“It seems that there are people like Japanese pirates even in that far place.”

“The ugly ones must be everywhere.”

Jungjong, who raised his hand to stop the whispering, asked.

“What is the reason why they came to our country?”

“According to what I heard, they fled because they were pushed back by a huge empire beyond Namman.”

He was angry that he had been attacked by those who were fleeing, but at the same time, he became curious about the huge empire.

“So, what happened to the enemy’s whereabouts?”

“According to what I heard, they traded in Japan and were kicked out and moved northeast.”

“That’s a strange thing.”