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prologue
The world rejoiced on a chilly March morning in 1978 when Buckingham Palace announced the arrival of Princess Victoria Grace Windsor, Duchess of Cheshire. The bells of Westminster Abbey chimed, and crowds gathered outside the palace gates, cheering for the newest member of the royal family.
From her first breath, Victoria was adored by everyone who met her. With her mother Diana's radiant warmth and her father Charles's regal bearing, she was destined to captivate the hearts of the nation. But from the beginning, there was something different about her.
Her mother, Diana, noticed it first. Strange little incidents seemed to occur around the princess. At just three years old, when she was playing in the palace gardens, she reached out for a butterfly, and it landed perfectly on her outstretched finger. At five, during a royal visit to Balmoral Castle, she made a vase tumble from a table, only for it to hover mid-air before gently settling back. Diana watched these moments with awe and a trace of fear.
The magic in her family's bloodline—long thought dormant—had reawakened.
Diana decided to keep this secret, knowing Charles would never understand. He was too steeped in tradition, too tied to his sense of duty. So, when Victoria was 11, and her powers manifested in a way that couldn't be ignored, Diana wasn't entirely surprised.
It happened during a royal gala at Windsor Castle. Victoria, dressed in a delicate lavender gown, stood beside her father as dignitaries greeted the family. The event was formal and stifling for the lively young princess, who longed to run in the gardens instead of curtseying to strangers.
When the time came for a dull speech from an elderly duke, Victoria's frustration bubbled over. Suddenly, every chandelier in the grand hall flickered and dimmed before bursting into radiant, multi-colored light. Gasps filled the room as sparkling beams danced on the marble floors.
