All Chapters of The Queen is Man: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Get the Physician in here. Now!"Ethan’s voice cracked through the corridor like a whip. He didn't wait for a response from the guards. He paced the length of the bedchamber, his boots heavy against the stone floor. Each step was a thud that echoed in Noah's chest. Noah sat on the edge of the mattress, the cream lace of the gown itchy against his skin. His hands were buried in the silk folds, hiding the way his fingers twitched."Ethan, I told you, I'm fine. I’m just... it’s the heat.""It’s been three months, Abigail." Ethan stopped. He turned, his eyes searching Noah’s face with a silver intensity that felt like a physical weight. He reached out, his hand cupping Noah’s jaw. The thumb was rough, dragging across Noah’s bottom lip. "No child. No sign of a legacy. If you’re sick, we fix it. If you’re broken, I’ll find the man who can mend you.""I'm not broken." Noah pulled back, his throat tight. The gold collar around his neck felt heavier than usual.The heavy oak door groaned open

"You're shaking. Why the fuck were you shaking when he touched your wrist?"Ethan's voice didn't just carry; it bruised. He kicked the heavy oak door of the library shut. The sound was a gunshot in the stagnant air of the room. He didn't wait for an answer. He moved like a predator, closing the distance until the heat of his body collided with Noah’s. His hand, heavy and smelling of expensive tobacco and cedar, slammed into the bookshelf behind Noah’s head. Leather-bound volumes rattled."Ethan, it’s a physical exam. People get nervous around doctors. Especially ones with scars like that." Noah’s voice was a jagged thing. He pushed back against the shelves, his spine digging into the hard spines of the books. The cream silk of the gown felt like a target."Don't lie to me. Not today." Ethan’s other hand gripped Noah’s jaw, forcing his head up. His thumb dragged across Noah’s bottom lip, pulling it down to reveal the trembling wetness inside. "You looked at him like you seen a ghost. O

"Where the hell are you going? The dance isn't finished!"Ethan’s roar bounced off the stone walls of the corridor. Noah didn't stop. He gripped the heavy red silk of the Luna gown, hauling the hem up to his knees so he could move. Every step was a gamble. The gold threads on the bodice were frayed, the fabric sagging. One more deep breath and the chest binder would be bare for the whole North to see."I... I can't breathe, Ethan! Just give me a second!" Noah didn't look back. He ducked into the shadows of a narrow servant's passage, his boots skidding on the cold floor."Abigail! Get back here!" The thud of Ethan’s footsteps followed, rhythmic and predatory.Noah hit the wall of a dead-end alcove. His lungs burned. He reached into the hidden pocket of the gown, his fingers closing around the jagged shard of glass he’d kept since the vanity mirror broke. He looked at the red silk. He looked at the flickering torchlight at the end of the passage.He had to explain the flight. He had to

"Give me the keys, Noah. Right now. You've played the martyr long enough."Daniel’s hand was out, palm up, twitching with a frantic energy that had nothing to do with medicine. He stood in the damp mouth of the servant's passage, the smell of stagnant water and old stone thick between them. Noah clutched the gold chain in his pocket, the dragon’s head digging into his thumb."You said this was for the Resistance," Noah whispered. His boots felt heavy, caked in the mud of the lower tunnels. "You said once we had the armory, we’d have leverage. That we could stop Ethan from hunting the rest of the village.""Leverage? You’re a fool." Daniel stepped closer, his shadow stretching long and jagged against the granite. He snatched the keys from Noah’s trembling grip with a violent yank. "There is no Resistance left, Noah. Just survivors. And I’m tired of surviving on scraps while you’re draped in silk and eating off silver plates.""I did it for you! I put this collar on so they wouldn't han

"Get the robe off. Now. Unless you want the guards to do it for you."Charlotte Reed’s voice sliced through the humid air of the courtyard. She stood at the edge of the stone basin, her whip coiled like a sleeping snake against her thigh. Behind her, the high priestesses stood in a semi-circle, their white veils fluttering in the morning breeze. Lucas stood nearby, a jagged, expectant grin stretching his scarred face.Noah gripped the hem of the translucent ritual shift. The fabric was a thin, cruel joke. Below him, the water of the Sacred Pool remained unnervingly still, a mirror reflecting the harsh, judgmental sky."I can walk in myself," Noah rasped. His fingers cramped against the silk. "I don't need an audience for a bath.""This isn't a bath, you little rat," Lucas barked, taking a step forward. "This is a purification. The King wants to know why his bed is cold and his Queen is barren. Move, or I’ll throw you in myself."Ethan stood on the high balcony, his armored hands clamp