Elmira Shirazi (Mrs. Shirazi; Saliffa’s Aunt)
Elmira Shirazi, known throughout the story as Mrs. Shirazi, is Saliffa’s beloved aunt and the mother of her closest cousin and confidante, Soraya. She is also the lifelong childhood friend of Saliffa’s mother, Mrs. Hatim, with whom she shared formative years learning archery, a bond that has kept the two women close well into their adult lives. Mrs. Shirazi holds Saliffa in the highest regard, affectionately calling her “an incredible soul,” a nickname that reveals her deep admiration for her niece’s fiery spirit and intellectual determination. She appears in the palace during the official meeting between Saliffa and Ehsan, joining the other women of the family to provide a supportive and watchful presence during the crucial introduction. Though her physical appearance is never explicitly described, her presence is felt as warm, approving, and intimately connected to the family’s inner circle, often serving as a conduit for news and opinions that circulate among the women. She is a traditional yet kind figure who participates in the wedding festivities, observing the knife-dance game with amusement as the family extorts money from Ehsan. Mrs. Shirazi’s role in the narrative is that of a gentle, stabilizing elder whose quiet approval matters deeply to Saliffa, and her enduring friendship with Mrs. Hatim underscores the tight-knit, generation-spanning relationships that shape the royal household’s emotional landscape.

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