On the north side of Lambeth Bridge, the café has an unremarkable facade, but upon closer inspection, one can see a sign at the entrance that reads "The Ephesian Whisper."

The afternoon sunlight filters through the half-open blinds, casting slanting rays inside the room and stretching the shadows of the guests long.

Among all the guests, the one sitting by the window seems particularly eye-catching.

Wearing a deep purple robe over a woolen cape, the hem embroidered with delicate gold lines, you can vaguely see through the robe that he is wearing snow-white pants and edged soft leather boots below. Although this outfit might seem disorienting in London, paired with his well-trimmed beard and the lapis lazuli silver ring he toys with between his fingers, it somehow feels quite fitting.

Arthur arrived five minutes earlier than the agreed time.

He removed his hat as he entered the café, glancing around the room before his gaze confidently settled on the man by the window.

"Your Excellency is punctual indeed," Arthur said with a smile, removing his hat in greeting. "How should I address you? According to the British diplomatic system, should I call you Your Excellency? Or follow the Ottoman custom and call you Rechid Bey?"

The man chuckled and gestured for Arthur to sit quickly: "In Istanbul, they call me Rechid Bey. But in London, I’ve heard ’Your Excellency’ so often, I’m almost thinking of myself as Rechid Pasha."

Bey and Pasha, just hearing these titles reveals much about the identity of the person before Arthur.

Bey can also be translated as Bay, a term originating from Turkic language, initially used to honor leaders among the Turks. In the early Ottoman Empire military, Bey referred to centurion-level officers, and later it was widely used as an honorific for male nobility, local leaders, and mid-level civil servants in the Empire.

In English equivalence, Bey’s status roughly corresponds to ’Sir.’

As for Pasha, it’s an exclusive honorific title in the Ottoman Empire, conferred only upon those imperial officials of significant influence. Every Pasha title must be granted by the Sultan’s decree and often comes with a real position.

If forced to compare, the status of an Ottoman Pasha roughly equates to a combination of a British Cabinet Minister and a Privy Council Advisor.

However, even among Pashas, there are distinctions.

Ottoman Pashas are generally divided into three ranks.

The lowest, one-tail Pasha, is mainly given to local governors and frontier commanders.

Two-tail Pasha is mainly granted to provincial governors and deputy commanders of the army and navy.

As for the highest, three-tail Pasha, it is reserved for the Grand Vizier, Army and Navy Marshals, and other senior officials of the Ottoman Empire.

Any Ottoman official awarded the title of Pasha not only receives swords, badges, edicts, and special belts bestowed by the Sultan, but may also establish an independent guard and enjoy the accompaniment of a ceremonial band during travels.

Nonetheless, despite the high prestige of Pasha, this is not directly related to the Ottoman official before Arthur.

Mustafa Rechid, although holding the significant position of Ottoman Envoy to London, due to his relatively shallow qualifications, hasn’t yet been granted the title of Pasha by the Sultan. However, even though he is not a Pasha, any civil servant familiar with Ottoman politics from the Foreign Office can predict Rechid’s prosperous future.

Why is this prediction so assured?

The reason is simple.

Because the 1833 Qushita Treaty signed between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire was formally facilitated by Rechid after arduous negotiations with the Governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali. After the treaty was signed, the desert hero Ali even developed a fondness for Rechid’s talent, offering Rechid a high-ranking diplomatic position in the Egyptian system on the spot, hoping to bring Rechid under his command. However, Rechid ultimately declined Ali’s invitation.

Nonetheless, the following year, Rechid was appointed by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II as the Ottoman Envoy to France, tasked with reclaiming Algeria from France for the Ottoman Empire. Though Rechid ultimately failed to persuade the French at the negotiation table, the Sultan not only did not blame him, but even transferred Rechid as the Envoy to Britain this year.

In the current world, regardless of the country, if a diplomat has served both as an Envoy to France and to Britain, then unless he meets an early death, his future as a Foreign Secretary is almost guaranteed. It wouldn’t even be surprising if he later becomes the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.

From this perspective, even if Arthur calls Rechid Pasha, it wouldn’t be inappropriate.

"Alright," Arthur said with a smile, sitting down and accepting the hot cocoa brought by the server. "Since you’ve already reached the doorstep, if I call you Pasha first, it might even bring a bit of good luck to your promotion."

Rechid chuckled lightly and shook his head: "Thank you for your kind intention, but I still hope you call me Rechid Bey. It sounds more authentic than Your Excellency and safer than Pasha. Or if you find it too formal, just call me Mustafa."

"Mustafa..." Arthur joked: "I always felt this name could be heard on almost every street in Istanbul."