✧. ┊ And I know you could fall
for a thousand kings.
𝗂𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁， 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝖺 𝖿𝗎𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝖾𝗇
𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗋
𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗌𝖾𝗒 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗇．✧˖*°࿐
george weasley...
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NINETEEN
The flash of cameras was relentless. The sharp clicks echoed in Victoria's ears as she and her mother walked through Heathrow Airport, Diana holding baby William close to her chest.
Victoria kept her head high, just as her mother had taught her, but she could feel the weight of the stares and the incessant shouting from the paparazzi.
"Princess! Over here! Look this way, Victoria!"
"Princess Diana, a word about the Portugal photos!"
"Victoria, how do you feel about the Daily Mail's coverage?"
The questions came like rapid fire, each more invasive than the last. Diana's lips were pressed into a firm line, her blue eyes steely as she refused to acknowledge any of the journalists.
Victoria felt her mother's free hand reach for hers, gripping it tightly as they made their way toward the car waiting just beyond the terminal doors. Behind them, bodyguards moved in tandem, creating a buffer to keep the paparazzi at bay.
One particularly aggressive photographer tried to dart past, his camera raised high, only for a bodyguard to step in front of him.
"Back off," the guard growled.
The man stumbled but kept snapping photos, and Victoria flinched.
Once inside the car, the doors slammed shut, and the noise outside became muffled. Diana handed William to his nanny in the front seat before sitting back, her chest rising and falling quickly.
Victoria turned to her, noticing the way her mother's hands were trembling. "Mum?" she asked softly.
Diana's breath hitched as she tried to compose herself, but it was clear the strain of the situation was too much. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she pressed her fingers to her temple. "I can't— I can't do this today."
"It's okay, Mum," Victoria said, her voice filled with concern.
"No, it's not," Diana said, her voice cracking as she wiped at her eyes. "They—those people—they took pictures of you, Victoria. You're only 15! And they splashed them everywhere, without a second thought. It's disgusting. I should have stopped it somehow."
"It's not your fault," Victoria said firmly.
Diana let out a shaky breath, her fingers gripping the armrest of the car. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. I just want to protect you, but they twist everything. They make you feel... exposed. And your father—" She broke off, shaking her head.
Victoria bit her lip. "I don't want to go home, Mum," she whispered. "I can't handle Dad right now. Not with everything. I feel like I'm suffocating." Her voice wavered, and tears pricked at her eyes. "I just... I want to go to the Weasleys. Or maybe they can come to us? I don't know, but I need them."
