Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 9
Overview
Evie’s chandelier plan succeeds in throwing Benedict’s ballroom into greater chaos, but it also nearly injures her and starts a fire. In the middle of the battle, The Villain chooses to let Evie unmask him publicly, deepening their bond and matching the vulnerability Evie has already shown for him.
The group prepares to escape as more Valiant Guards approach, but Benedict reasserts control by appearing with Kingsley as a hostage. The chapter shifts the conflict from rescue and escape to a new immediate threat against someone Evie and The Villain care about.
Summary
The chandelier crashes down after Evie pulls the rope, sending crystal shards across the ballroom. Evie dives away from a shard that nearly strikes her head, while the fallen candles ignite the drapes and add fire to the chaos of the ambush.
The Villain reaches Evie through the fighting and angrily demands to know why she tried something so dangerous. When Evie says she got the idea from a book, their familiar banter briefly returns. Evie hesitates to remove The Villain’s mask because guards and nobles remain in the room, but The Villain insists that if Evie revealed herself publicly for him, he will do the same for Evie.
Evie unmasks The Villain, exposing his face before the remaining witnesses. The moment becomes intimate and emotional as Evie greets him as her evil overlord and The Villain answers with his private nickname for her. Their reunion is interrupted by the ongoing destruction, and The Villain pulls Evie onto his boots to keep her from stepping on broken glass.
Blade appears, relieved that Evie is alive, and kisses Evie on the cheek. The Villain responds by kicking Blade and claiming his foot slipped. Becky then arrives, warns that the group is off schedule, and says more Valiant Guards are coming, making escape urgent.
As the fighting dies down and the ballroom lies ruined, Evie takes The Villain’s hand and tells him they should go home. Before they can leave, King Benedict reappears, disheveled and furious. Benedict stops them by revealing that he has Kingsley, the small green animal, clutched in his fist.
Who Appears
- EvieSurvives the chandelier crash, unmasks The Villain, and urges him to escape home.
- The VillainReaches Evie, allows public unmasking, protects her, and prepares to flee.
- King BenedictReturns disheveled after the ambush and threatens the escape by holding Kingsley.
- KingsleySmall green animal seized by Benedict as leverage against Evie and The Villain.
- BladeJoyfully checks on Evie, is kicked by The Villain, then returns to the escape plan.
- BeckyWarns the group that more Valiant Guards are coming and keeps the escape on schedule.