CHAPTER 25: STUBBORN IAN

The queen’s gaze lingered on Ian as she stepped closer, her expression heavy with thought as though she were weighing every detail of his posture and his face. She circled him slowly, her eyes narrowing as if she were examining a relic rather than a young man who had stumbled into her world. Finally she stopped before him, her tone both stern and laced with concern. She told him plainly that his frame looked frail, that if he were to stand before queens and kingdoms as the heir he was claimed to be, he would need to gain strength and learn the ways of magic from the very beginning. Her words carried the finality of command, but Ian could only scoff in return. His lips twisted with a tired smile that was not born of amusement but of resignation. It all felt too much, too heavy, and the path they were setting before him seemed endless when he had not even taken the first step.

Without another word the queen clapped her hands once, the sound sharp in the still chamber, and a servant appeared from the adjoining corridor. She was young, her features delicate, her beauty framed by the simple attire of her station. Ian noticed at once how her eyes flickered between awe and fear in the presence of her queen.

The queen introduced her to him, explaining that from this moment onward she was assigned to his side, to attend to his every need no matter how small. The weight of the queen’s voice made the duty seem like a sacred vow rather than a simple task, and the girl bowed deeply, her head lowered. The queen leaned toward her, speaking firmly that the gravity of what she was entrusting could not be mistaken, that she must guard Ian’s true identity with her life. The servant nodded so quickly it almost looked like trembling, the fear in her eyes betraying the knowledge that the queen had already made her swear an oath to silence. Her loyalty was sealed, and the matter closed with a finality that left no room for doubt.

The queen then gave her first order, instructing the servant to fetch fresh robes for Ian along with blades to shave his hair and the faint stubble that had marked his face since his arrival. The command rang through the air like an iron decree, but Ian stiffened at once. He raised his hand as if to block the thought itself, his jaw set and his voice firmer than it had been all evening. He told them clearly that he would not be shaving his head, not now and not ever, and the words hung in the chamber with a defiance that startled even himself.

The queen’s eyes hardened the moment Ian’s refusal left his lips, and though her composure never cracked, the fury that stirred within her was unmistakable. Her nostrils flared almost imperceptibly as she straightened her posture, the very air in the chamber shifting with the weight of her displeasure. For a heartbeat, Ian thought she might lash out at him with the force of her authority, but instead she swallowed her anger, her voice emerging low and edged with restrained fire. She told him that he was fortunate beyond measure to have crossed her path, fortunate still that fate had seen fit to place his steps inside her kingdom rather than another. She reminded him that were it any other realm, especially those that did not hunger for the blood of the old imperial line, he would not be standing here with the luxury of choice. He would be lying cold and forgotten, hunted as an anomaly, his claim silenced before it ever had the chance to breathe.

Her words carried no exaggeration. They fell like stones against him, heavy with the truth of the danger he had walked into. She did not shout, and yet the quiet restraint in her tone cut deeper than any raised voice could have. Ian could see it in her eyes, the calculation and the unspoken knowledge of how kingdoms dealt with threats, how rulers stamped out sparks before they became fires. In that moment he realized she was not merely trying to bend him to her will for the sake of pride, but because she understood the razor-thin line he was treading, a line that could vanish beneath him at the slightest misstep. Her gaze lingered on him a little longer before she turned away, leaving the weight of her warning to settle over him like a shroud.

Ian let out a long, frustrated sigh, his shoulders sagging as if the very air around him pressed down in defeat. "So I basically have to listen to every damn thing you say, huh," he muttered, his voice carrying resignation.

The queen’s eyes never wavered, her face a mask of calm authority as she replied. "Yes. For now, until you are fit to challenge for your right." Her words rang with a finality that offered no room for argument.

Before Ian could muster a response, the servant returned with soft, hurried steps, carrying fresh linens and robes in her arms. She bowed her head low in respect before moving swiftly to prepare a bath. Steam soon began to rise from the basin she arranged, the faint scent of pleasant herbs filling the chamber as she mixed the heated water with care. When she turned to Ian and gestured toward the bath, her face composed though her hands betrayed a trace of nervousness, he froze.

Awkwardness wrapped itself around him like chains, and he rubbed the back of his neck, uneasy under the expectation. "I can bathe myself," he said firmly, trying to reclaim at least this small measure of control. Yet the servant shook her head immediately, her voice soft but resolute as she answered, "My lord, the queen has ordered me to attend to your every need. I must obey her command."

Ian blinked, caught between embarrassment and irritation. The stubbornness within him rose again, but the quiet determination in the servant’s expression reminded him that she was bound by duty, perhaps even fear of disobedience. He opened his mouth to argue further, but the queen interjected with nothing more than a slow shake of her head, her expression caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement at his endless resistance. Without another word, she turned and swept from the chamber, leaving Ian with the servant, the steaming bath, and the uncomfortable weight of surrender to circumstances he had never asked for.