Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 81
Overview
Lyssa’s tea party reveals Trystan’s gentler side and makes Evie even more certain of her love for him, even as he begins distancing himself because of what he knows about destiny. The chapter shifts from tender domestic comedy to revelation when stardust activates their mother’s crystal slab, transforming it into a piece of starry sky. Evie connects the clues from her search and realizes that the path to her mother leads back to the caves.
Summary
Night has fallen at Massacre Manor as the guards and damaged office recover from the recent battle. Outside Evie and Lyssa’s chambers, Tatianna, Blade, Gideon, and Evie listen warily to a noisy tea party inside. Trystan emerges furious but wearing Lyssa’s elaborate pink hat, while Kingsley sits on his shoulder in a tiny dress, making the scene absurdly tender despite Trystan’s embarrassment.
Edwin arrives with pastries for Lyssa’s tea party, and Evie thanks him for leaving her a dinner plate earlier. Edwin quietly clarifies that he made no such plate, making Evie realize Trystan had cared for her without taking credit. Inside the room, Trystan continues humoring Lyssa, even apologizing to her doll, Miss Halliway, which deepens Evie’s recognition that she loves him.
That warmth is undercut when Trystan tells Evie that, along with her promotion, he has moved her desk to a distant alcove until a proper office can be built. Evie recognizes this as deliberate distance and suspects something happened with the destiny monster that Trystan is hiding. Instead of accepting his retreat, Evie warns him that he will regret the choice and makes it clear she intends to fight for their relationship.
During the tea party, Lyssa uses the dark, oddly shaped crystal slab left by their mother as a plate. When Lyssa tries to replace missing sugar with their mother’s stardust, Evie’s attempt to stop her startles Lyssa, and the vial shatters onto the crystal. A bright flare fills the room, and Trystan pulls Evie and Lyssa to safety.
Evie notices the crystal is glowing but incomplete and asks Trystan for the remaining stardust from the caves. When Trystan adds it, the slab transforms into a dark piece of sky with a single bright star at its center. The image and shape unlock Evie’s memory of the clues surrounding her mother, wishing stars, starlight, namelessness, and the caves.
Evie realizes they must return to the caves because she now knows where her mother is. Trystan immediately trusts her and prepares to follow, promising Lyssa future tea parties in exchange for ending this one early. In the hall, Evie asks Blade to ready Fluffy, Trystan orders speed, and Evie tells Gideon that she knows where their mother is.
Who Appears
- Evie SageRecognizes her love for Trystan and deciphers clues to her mother’s location.
- Trystan MaverineHumors Lyssa’s tea party, distances himself from Evie, then trusts her urgent discovery.
- Lyssa SageHosts the tea party and accidentally activates their mother’s crystal slab with stardust.
- KingsleyPerches on Trystan during the tea party and silently reacts with signs.
- EdwinProvides pastries and reveals Trystan secretly made Evie’s dinner plate.
- Blade GushikenWaits outside the tea party and rushes to ready Fluffy for departure.
- Gideon SageWatches Evie closely and learns she has found their mother’s location.
- TatiannaWaits outside Lyssa’s room, wary of the commotion from the tea party.