On a summer morning, Prince Muhammad, the eighteen-year-old fourth son of the former Ottoman Sultan Murad II, was not at his base of Tekke. Instead, he took his confidants, led by Zaganos Pasha, and his ally, Bey Halil of Aydin, onto a fast ship bound for Constantinople. He paced the deck, deep in thought. This eighteen-year-old prince was going with a Bey of similar age to meet a figure who could turn the tide of the war in Anatolia—the Roman Emperor, Manuel III Gavras.
It was June 1450. The weather was bright and pleasant, which stood in stark contrast to Muhammad's state of mind. While Manuel III led the Roman Empire to sweep across Europe and fill the political vacuum left by the Ottomans, the situation in Anatolia was far from optimistic. After the holy fire disease plague passed, the first to recover his strength was actually Sultan Aladdin Ali, whom the former Ottoman Sultan Murad II had regarded as his heir. This promising young Sultan had introduced methods of controlling the holy fire disease from the Eastern Roman Empire, successfully suppressing the plague within his borders.
After barely achieving a smooth transition of power, and with the support of the vast majority of former Ottoman officials, Sultan Aladdin Ali launched a counterattack against his neighboring kinsmen. In mid-1448, the allied forces of Aydin, Tekke, and Karaman were soundly defeated in the Hamid region, stalling their offensive against the Ottomans. Early the following year, in early 1449, the shrewd Karaman Bey, Suleiman, secretly signed a peace treaty with the Ottomans, achieving a temporary peace after ceding part of his western territory to the Ottomans.
After compromising with his biggest threat, Karaman, Sultan Aladdin Ali was able to devote all his energy to conquering the former lands of the Sultanate. In early 1450, having long plotted this, he led his army in two prongs, launching a surprise attack on his brother Muhammad, who held Tekke, and his mortal enemy, Halil of Aydin. Because the Ottomans were well-prepared and their combined enemies were no match for him in terms of raw strength, Tekke and Aydin suffered defeat after defeat under his onslaught. By early summer, Halil was left with only the old Aydin lands west of the Bozdağ Mountains. As for Muhammad, his situation was even more tragic: he was left with only a narrow coastal strip between the cities of Milas and Mugla.
If this were the 1420s, history might have repeated the Interregnum period of the Ottomans. But this time, to their west, there was a powerful Roman Empire.
This was why, in June of this year, after assessing the situation, Muhammad took his confidants and boarded a ship to Constantinople with his ally, Halil.
However, Muhammad felt more anxiety about this trip. Aydin was a power supported by Manuel III, and its monarch, Halil, was even his adopted son. Yet, in the face of Sultan Aladdin Ali's fierce onslaught, the Roman Emperor himself had not spoken out to stop him, but had instead unexpectedly remained silent. Even though he had personally seen a few small detachments sent privately to assist them and material support from the Roman Empire, it was hard to explain why the Emperor himself and even all of Constantinople remained silent on the matter.
Muhammad believed that, in all reason, Halil should be able to weather this storm, but he himself might not. Thinking about it carefully, he had no personal relationship with the Roman Emperor, and he came from the Ottoman royal family, with whom the Emperor had had many conflicts. His father and eldest brother had died directly or indirectly at his hands; it was hard to imagine the man would give him a warm welcome.
The young prince frowned and returned to his sleeping quarters on the ship in utter helplessness. If there was really no other way, he would have to find a way to stay in Constantinople to save his own life. If he returned without obtaining any support, he would likely be killed by his own brother, just like his predecessors in the Ottoman family. Rather than that, it would be better to hide in the prosperous city of Constantinople and rot away, just like his cousin Orhan. Although this would be a great disservice to Zaganos Pasha and the others who had followed him for years, there was no other choice.
Thus, about two days later, Muhammad and Halil arrived at Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, at noon. Less than an hour after arriving in this revitalized, prosperous city, he was able to meet the miraculous Roman Emperor, Manuel III, in the Grand Palace.
Just as he had thought, although a first meeting might play a part, the Emperor clearly favored Halil, who stood beside him. After briefly describing his current situation to the Basileus with a humble posture and tone, and receiving his comfort, Muhammad tactfully requested to leave. Manuel, who had originally intended to have a long talk with Muhammad, saw this and, after a moment of thought, accepted it, continuing to chat with his adopted son, Halil, while discussing how to handle the current situation in Anatolia.
"Whew, he really is a shrewd and capable Emperor; I couldn't handle him at all." Thinking of the energetic and charismatic middle-aged Emperor he had just met, Muhammad felt a bit uneasy. Recalling how Halil had called the Roman Emperor "Father" over and over, he stroked his chin in thought, then frowned and shook his head.
Since things had come to this, he might as well find a place to relax. After asking the officials and servants in the palace, he took a few confidants to the Imperial Garden near the Grand Palace. It was not only a leisure spot for the dignitaries and wealthy families of Constantinople but also an excellent place highly praised by foreign guests. After wandering around there for a while, Muhammad let his subordinates do as they pleased and walked into the depths of the garden. It was said that rare flowers introduced by the Emperor from the East were planted here, which were hard to see on ordinary days and only bloomed in midsummer.
Although this was just a rumor, Muhammad felt he couldn't miss it; he was idle anyway. So, on this summer afternoon, as dusk was approaching, he ventured into the depths of the Imperial Garden, wanting to find those mysterious flowers.
Unfortunately, a rumor remained just a rumor. By the time dusk approached, Muhammad had not found those flowers. Just as he walked to the center and intended to look one last time before leaving, an accidental encounter occurred between him and a young girl.