Assistant to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Five months into her role as The Villain's assistant, Evie has settled into the macabre rhythms of Massacre Manor, navigating severed heads, office rivalries with Becky Erring, and her growing attraction to her enigmatic boss. A playful exchange after Evie falls from her chair reveals a rare moment of warmth from The Villain, but the chapter ends with Evie dreading a financial discrepancy she must report—hinting at a larger problem brewing within the organization.
Summary
Five months after Evie began working as The Villain's personal assistant at Massacre Manor, she arrives at work to find three severed heads hanging from the ceiling—a sign that one of the boss's plans has fallen through for the third time in two months. Evie has grown accustomed to the gruesome realities of her job, recalling a past incident where The Villain tested her by leaving a tortured corpse on her desk. She passed the test by calmly offering to work around it, and he responded by tossing the body out the window. She reflects on the unspoken pact between them that he won't pursue his villainy in her village.
As Evie climbs the long staircase to the hidden top-floor workspace—a converted ballroom accessed through a secret entrance—she reflects on her life. Her father suffers from the Mystic Illness, a mysterious plague affecting the kingdom for ten years, and she supports him and her younger sister Lyssa by working here, telling them she's a maid at a neighboring estate. She also recalls her previous job with blacksmith Otto Warsen, which ended badly and left her with a cursed scar from a white dagger on her shoulder that glows whenever she feels pain.
At her desk, Evie exchanges thinly veiled barbs with Becky Erring, the competitive head of the administrative pool. After an hour of work balancing ledgers, a violent crash from The Villain's office sends Evie tumbling from her chair, scattering her papers. The Villain emerges, finds her on the floor, helps gather her papers, and lifts her to her feet by the waist. Their exchange is playful: Evie jokes about her chair staging a revolt, and The Villain nearly laughs—a rare occurrence that thrills her. He orders her to see the healer, Tatianna, for her bruise.
On her way to the healer, Evie passes The Villain's office and sees a scrawny, weaselly man pinned under a dislodged brick—evidently the source of the crashing. Kingsley the frog, sitting on the boss's desk with his tiny crown, holds up a sign reading "Ouch." Evie reflects that despite the violent scene, she has discovered a discrepancy in the financial ledgers that morning, and she dreads having to tell The Villain about the disorganized recordkeeping he despises.
Who Appears
- Evangelina "Evie" SageThe Villain's personal assistant; optimistic, clumsy, and increasingly attracted to her boss while supporting her sick father and sister.
- The VillainEvie's enigmatic, intimidating boss in a foul mood after failed plans; shows rare warmth when he helps Evie up and nearly laughs at her joke.
- Rebecka "Becky" ErringHead of the administrative pool; competitive, pretty, and passive-aggressively antagonistic toward Evie.
- KingsleyThe Villain's crown-wearing frog who sits on his desk and communicates via small written signs.
- LyssaEvie's younger sister, kept in the dark about Evie's true job.
- TatiannaThe office healer whom The Villain orders Evie to visit for her bruise.
- EdwinThe ogre kitchen worker who makes cauldron brew and pastries for the office.