Prince in the City [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Prince's POV:

"She's the daughter of a criminal, Harry!"

"Mum, please." I widened my eyes, pleading for her to keep her voice low even though I knew Vera wasn't nearby. While I wish I was with Vera, reassuring her that everything was fine, I knew I had to talk to my parents first. Things were getting messy after Vera told my parents about her father; Mum had gotten up and walked away and Dad went to follow, which only served to make Vera feel terrible. "I think you're being a bit overdramatic."

She let out an indignant exclaim, eyes widening as she stared at me in disbelief. "Overdramatic?" Mum repeated with a shake of her head as she took a step towards me. "I'm only stating the truth, Harry. How could you ever possibly think it would be okay for you to be with someone whose father is in prison?"

"Her dad made a mistake, Mum, and he's being punished for it," I responded in exasperation, wishing she would calm down. "Besides, Vera isn't her father. It's not her fault he made some bad choices."

"He sold drugs, son," Dad pointed out, as if I needed a reminder of a fact Vera had been embarrassed of for eight years. "He's serving out a life sentence in prison—that's not something we take lightly."

I let out an impatient breath. "Neither do I—nor does Vera, for that matter. She hadn't spoken to her father for nearly ten years—"

"For good reason!" Mum interrupted.

My jaw clenched, growing increasingly tired of this conversation already. They couldn't be even a little open-minded about this? For fuck's sake, it's not like Mr. Queen murdered someone! That, I understand, could be a bit difficult to look past. "He was just a man desperate for money to look after his family," I defended the man. Obviously I've never met Mr. Queen, but he was Vera's father and if she could forgive him for his misdoings, then who was I to judge? "Not everyone's born into royalty and on a pile of money."

"Sweetheart, what's the world going to say when they find out your girlfriend's father is spending his life in prison?" Mum sighed tiredly, giving me a look that told me to give it my best shot. "They do research; they're going to want to know who the prince is getting involved with. Not only will they question you about the people you surround yourself with, but they're going to tear her apart."

Teeth grinding together, I ignored the ache that the action brought as I stared at my parents defiantly. I knew there was some truth to Mum's words; I knew how nasty the media and people could be, how much the stories they create and post for everyone else to see could hurt someone. The last thing I wanted was for Vera to be hurt in any way. But I was also selfish, and I wasn't about to let other people's opinions prevent me from being with the only woman I've ever loved.

"She'll be fine," I insisted, although I had no true knowledge of the fact. It's something I'll definitely have to talk to Vera about, if she was prepared for the way the world may start digging into her life. She has a job and a family to think of, and their lives would probably change as well once everyone knew of Vera's relationship with me. "I just need you two to stop being judgemental about what her father's done."

Mum had that expression of disbelief painted on her face while Dad looked like he was ready to give in. But he shared a look with Mum, letting out a sigh as he almost reluctantly said to me, "we can't just put our heads in the sand about this, Harry. Her father sold drugs."

I wondered if they thought by repeating the fact would somehow change my mind about being with Vera. Not a chance. "And my ancestors oversaw imperial genocides throughout the world," I shot back with a quirk of an eyebrow, watching as my parents blinked at me in surprise. They clearly didn't see that one coming. With a shrug and arms crossed over my chest, I finished, "that doesn't relate directly to me, just as Mr. Queen's actions don't relate to her."

Mum's shoulders were rigid. "It's unseemly."

"I don't care," I stressed, the edge in my voice once again taking my parents by surprise. I didn't mean to sound angry, but if they thought for a second I was going to break up with Vera because they were afraid of what everyone else would think, then they were thoroughly mistaken.

Taking in a breath and a step closer towards my parents, my hands linked together in front of me, shooting them a look of begging desperation. "Mum, Dad. . . I love Vera. She was the first person to become my friend; she looked past the fact that I was the Prince of England and I can't tell you how amazin' that was—"

"What's wrong with being Prince?" Dad questioned, eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Nothing," I sighed, lips pursing. "That's just all I've been known for. My—my status has given me great opportunities; I've met people and I've been able to help them because I'm the prince but there were times where I just wanted to be Harry. Where I didn't have to worry about what other people thought of me, keep up appearances or pretend like I gave a damn about being a prince." I offered a brief and fleeting apologetic smile to my affronted parents in regards to my last few words. "I was normal there—she made me feel like there's more to me than being a prince, which I needed more than I realized."

Mum looked bewildered as she blinked, taking a step closer to me as she grasped my hands in hers. "Sweetheart, of course there's more to you than being a prince," she assured, staring up at me. "But the people love their prince—you can't fault them for that."

"I don't," I told her with a single shake of my head. Letting out a breath, I squeezed Mum's hand as I looked at both her and Dad. "It's just—it's difficult to properly explain, y'know? Vera just—she makes me feel different. The good kind. The kind where I can be myself without being weighed down by everyone else's expectations. She looked past everything to see the real me—I'm just askin' you guys to do the same for her."

My parents were silent for a few moments, exchanging looks between each other before gazing at me, calculating looks on their faces. I didn't dare say anything, though I was impatiently waiting for them to say something. I was both anticipating and nervous for whatever the next words out of their mouths would be.

"She is a lovely girl," Dad finally conceded with a deciding nod, eyes still on Mum who nodded in agreement, eliciting my eyes to widen ever so slightly. "Despite her father's mistakes, she seems like a good person—I doubt you would want to be around her if she was anything but."

They may have a point there—when it came to my innermost circle of friends, it consisted only of people I wholeheartedly trusted and knew were genuinely good people inside and out.

"She's going to have to be vetted if you're to be with her," Mum said in a mildly warning tone, raising a brow at me. "You've been together for nearly a year without the proper channels a royal's partner must go through." She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "So long as Vera's father's situation is the only questionable thing about her life. . ." Mum trailed off and I had the urge to scream at her to finish, so I could know what they ultimately decided through the silent conversation they had with their eyes. Then she smiled at me. "Then I don't see why she can't be welcome here."

And just like that, the crushing weight that had sat on my chest with dreading anticipation was suddenly lifted, and I felt like I could breathe again.