Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #2)

In the present, one of King Benedict’s knights falsely reports to the king that Evangelina Sage is dead. The king feigns sadness but calls her death merciful. Internally, the knight seethes with hatred for the king. When Benedict requests to see Evie’s body, the knight deflects, saying it is not yet ready for viewing. The king accepts this but reminds the knight that Evie’s body must be prepared for the unmasking ceremony at the end of the week, where he plans to reveal to all the nobles of Rennedawn that The Villain captured in the dungeon is Trystan. According to the king, this event will mark a new era for the nation.

The king references Rennedawn’s Story, a fable that outlines the origin of the kingdom and contains a prophecy that may hold the key to restoring the nation’s fading magic. He then instructs the knight to locate Nura Sage’s letters, hoping to discover Evie’s mother’s whereabouts. Coldly, the king comments that Lyssa, Evie’s younger sister, is also likely dead. The knight inquires about the guvres, mythical venom-breathing beasts. The king responds that they have captured The Villain to deal with that.

Trystan, confined in a dark prison cell designed to suppress his magic, struggles to maintain his composure. Worry for Evie consumes his thoughts, as he last saw her in the hands of her abusive former employer—a blacksmith who sexually harassed her and whom Evie actually killed at the end of the first novel—and the King’s guards.

King Benedict and his Guards visit Trystan, periodically beating him during the interrogation. The king demands that Trystan hand over the mated pair of guvres, which Trystan holds captive. Trystan refuses and demands that the king release Trystan’s father, Arthur, who has been falsely accused of being The Villain. When Trystan asks about Evie, King Benedict cruelly informs him that she is dead.

Trystan refuses to believe the news of Evie’s death, knowing that the gold ink magic around her pinkie finger would have alerted him if she were truly gone. Seven days later, guards drag him from his cell. A knight with familiar green eyes escorts him to the unmasking ceremony.

Desperate, Trystan attempts to escape but only manages to reach a small room where what he sees leaves him horrified.

In the room, Trystan finds Evie’s lifeless body laid out on a marble table. King Benedict, feigning sympathy, claims he wished to spare Trystan this sight and assures him that Evie did not suffer much. Overcome with fury and grief, Trystan slams the king into a wall and begins to strangle him. However, as he tightens his grip, he suddenly sees Evie’s face instead of the king’s and stops. Desperate, Trystan tries to wake Evie, but his efforts are in vain. It takes three Guards to drag him from her side. As the Valiant Guards pull Trystan away, the green-eyed knight silently mouths for Trystan to have hope.

Rebecka (Becky) Erring, The Villain’s HR manager, anxiously waits for the unmasking alongside Blade Gushiken, The Villain’s dragon trainer. Frustration builds as the event fails to start on time. Blade, disguised in stolen noble’s clothes, suddenly pins Becky against a wall, but quickly apologizes, explaining that his father, a political advisor, is in the crowd.

Finally, Valiant Guards drag a masked Trystan up an enormous staircase and chain him to a pole on a raised dais, where his father, Arthur, is also shackled.

As the crowd watches, the guards haul a glass coffin into view. King Benedict declares that it holds the body of Trystan’s final victim, Evangelina Sage. The king grandly proclaims that this unmasking marks the dawn of a new era. He is embarking on a quest to fulfill the prophecy in Rennedawn’s Story, and failure will mean the kingdom’s end.

Arthur pleads for Trystan to look at him, but Trystan ignores him, pretending not to hear as the audience pelts him with food. Arthur urges Trystan to escape before the unmasking, but Trystan, consumed by grief over Evie’s death, no longer cares.

King Benedict steps forward, accusing Trystan of multiple crimes, including the imprisonment of a guvre for 10 years and thus causing the Mystic Illness—crimes actually orchestrated by the king himself. In response, Trystan accuses the king of being the true villain.

Suddenly, the crowd erupts in shock—Evie’s coffin is empty. At the top of the staircase, an alive Evie whistles to grab everyone’s attention.

Evie ate a sleeping death fruit to feign her demise, expecting the antidote to take effect before the unmasking ceremony. Upon waking, she initially planned to escape but changed her mind when she saw Trystan.

King Benedict seizes Evie’s arm, declaring to the crowd that this is The Villain’s final, desperate attempt to escape. In response, Evie slashes the king’s cheek with a dagger and offers a deal: If he releases both Trystan and Arthur, everyone in the room will live. The king scoffs at her threat.

Evie then points out that, unlike the king’s Valiant Guard, The Villain’s Malevolent Guard is predominantly comprised of women. At her signal, the Malevolent Guard members tear off their noble disguises, ready to act.

The Malevolent Guard launches their attack, quickly overpowering the Valiant Guard. Amid the chaos, Clarissa (Clare), Trystan’s younger sister, rushes to free Arthur and Trystan from their chains. Once he is released, Trystan’s magic returns.

As he scans the room, he spots Evie gripping a rope tied to a massive crystal chandelier.

Evie pulls the rope, and the chandelier crashes down, scattering glass and candles across the room in a spectacular burst. Trystan immediately scolds her for her recklessness, but when he reaches her, she hesitates to remove his mask. At his insistence, she takes it off and finally sees his face.

Becky and Blade rush over, warning that they are running out of time before reinforcements arrive. Just then, King Benedict’s voice cuts through the chaos: He has seized hold of Kingsley.

Trystan moves to attack King Benedict with his magic but hesitates when he notices Evie’s startled expression—she can see the magic. Encouraged by Evie, Kingsley bites the king, forcing him to release the frog prince. Trystan quickly snatches up the frog, relieved to find him unharmed.

As the king threatens Evie, Trystan realizes that she has managed to steal back her mother Nura Sage’s letters. Without wasting another moment, they make a run for it.