𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍, george weasley

036

THIRTY SIX

The sitting room was eerily quiet, the faint ticking of an antique clock the only sound as Victoria paced back and forth, her hands trembling. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat louder than the last. She had come here for answers, but now that she was moments away from facing her father, the weight of what she had read crushed her.

The door opened with a creak, and Charles entered the room. His presence was commanding, as always, but there was an air of discomfort about him. He adjusted the cuff of his tailored suit, avoiding her gaze.

"Victoria," he greeted stiffly. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon."

She stopped pacing, her eyes locking onto him. For a moment, she was silent, her jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. Then, she held up the crumpled copy of The Daily Mail that she had brought with her, the damning headline glaring from the page.

"What," she began, her voice low and trembling, "is this?"

Charles' face hardened. He knew exactly what she was referring to, but he made a show of glancing at the paper anyway. "Ah," he said calmly. "It appears the press has overstepped their boundaries once again."

"Overstepped?" Victoria's voice rose, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the paper tighter. "Overstepped? They published a conversation—a disgusting, vile conversation—between you and another woman. A woman who is not Mum!"

Charles exhaled slowly, his expression remaining stoic. "Victoria, you must understand—"

"No!" she interrupted, her voice cracking. "You don't get to explain this away. How could you? Mum is pregnant! She's carrying your child, and you're... you're talking about turning into a bloody tampon for another woman! A woman who is also married!

"Victoria, watch your tone," Charles snapped, his calm façade slipping for the first time. "You are a princess. You will not speak to me like that."

"I'm not a princess right now—I'm your daughter!" she yelled, her eyes brimming with tears. "And you've humiliated me, humiliated Mum, and embarrassed our entire family! How could you do this? How could you betray us?"

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration evident. "You don't understand the complexities of my relationship with your mother—"

"Complexities?" Victoria scoffed. "It's not complex, Dad. It's simple. You took vows. You have a family. And now the whole world knows you're cheating!"

Before Charles could respond, the door opened again, and a short, stubby woman, who looked a lot older than she was, with heat damaged curls and an air of self-importance walked in. Victoria recognized her immediately from pictures she'd seen. Camilla.

"Ah," Camilla said smoothly, her lips curving into a smile as if this were a social visit. "You must be Victoria. I've heard so much about you."

Victoria's breath hitched. She stared at the woman in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me."

Camilla took a few steps forward, her smile unwavering. "I know this must be difficult for you, darling. But relationships are... complicated."

"Don't 'darling' me," Victoria spat. "You're the reason my family is falling apart."

Camilla's expression didn't falter. "Your father and I—"

"Don't," Victoria warned, her hands shaking. "Don't act like you're my mother. You're not. You'll never be."

"Victoria," Charles interjected, his voice sharp. "That's enough."

"No, it's not enough!" Victoria shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. "You let her walk in here like she belongs. Like she has a right to talk to me. She doesn't. And neither of you seem to care about Mum at all."

"I care deeply for your mother," Charles said, though the words sounded hollow even to him. "But marriages in our position... they're not like normal marriages."

Code for: Mum was there for babies and appearances. Victoria rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Stop making excuses!" Victoria cried. "This isn't about being a royal. This is about being a decent human being!"

Camilla opened her mouth to speak again, but Victoria's glare silenced her. "Stay out of this," she hissed. "This is between me and my father."

Before another word could be exchanged, the door swung open once more. Diana stepped in, her face pale and drawn, but her eyes burning with quiet determination.

"Victoria," Diana said softly, her gaze flicking to Charles and Camilla. "Come with me."

Victoria's shoulders sagged with relief. She brushed past Camilla and Charles without a second glance and followed her mother out of the room.

They walked in silence down a long corridor until they reached Diana's private sitting room. Once inside, Diana closed the door gently and turned to face her daughter.

Victoria's composure finally cracked. She sank into one of the armchairs, burying her face in her hands. "Mum... I don't know what to do."

Diana crossed the room and knelt beside her, taking her hands in her own. "Oh, darling," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Victoria looked up, tears streaming down her face. "How can you be so calm? How can you just... just stand there while the world finds out he's been cheating on you?"

Diana's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Because I've known for a long time."

Victoria's breath caught. "You... you knew?"

Diana nodded slowly. "I suspected. And eventually, I knew for certain. But I stayed for you. For your siblings. I wanted to protect you from... all of this."

Victoria's heart ached. "Mum... you don't deserve this."

"No, I don't," Diana agreed softly. "And I've made a decision."

Victoria's eyes widened. "What decision?"

Diana took a deep breath, her hands tightening around Victoria's. "I'm leaving him. We're getting a divorce."

The words hung in the air, heavy with finality.

Victoria blinked, her mind racing. "Are... are you sure?"

Diana's expression was resolute. "Yes. I've stayed silent for too long. But I won't let him disrespect me, or this family, any longer."

Victoria's chest tightened with a mixture of sadness and relief. "What will happen to us? To the family?"

"We'll be okay," Diana said, brushing a strand of hair from Victoria's face. "We'll rebuild. I will be by your side the entire way, through your eventual position as your mother, not as your fathers wife."

Victoria nodded, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I'll stand by you, Mum. Whatever you need."

Diana pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank you, my darling. You're stronger than you know."

For the first time that day, Victoria felt a glimmer of hope.