Chapter 6 shifts to The Villain's perspective—Trystan Arthur Maverine—as he listens to his assistant Evie Sage humming outside his office door. Despite his reputation as a feared, cold-blooded killer, he finds himself drawn to the sound rather than irritated by it. He presses his ear against the door to identify the tune, only to be struck in the face when Sage opens the door unexpectedly. Rather than reacting with rage, he is disarmed by her wide smile and flustered apology.

Sage settles into one of the chairs Trystan quietly added to his office after hiring her—something he insists was purely practical. She greets Kingsley, the frog who sits on his desk and communicates via one-word signs, with affection, much to Trystan's feigned annoyance. Trystan reminds her not to make pets of his prisoners, but he internally acknowledges how thoroughly she has invaded his world, softening him against his will.

Sage presents her compiled list of every employee at Massacre Manor with detailed anecdotes beside each name, impressing Trystan with the thoroughness of her work. When she asks why he doesn't simply interrogate or torture everyone to find the traitor, Trystan reveals his strategy: he wants the spy to feel safe and unsuspected while he quietly narrows in on their identity, so that both the traitor and whoever they report to are caught off guard. Sage immediately grasps the deeper layer of his plan—that exposing the search would alert the traitor's handler—and Trystan is visibly stunned by her insight.

Sage reveals she included her own name on the suspect list to avoid special treatment, but Trystan orders her to remove it. He points to the gold-inked ring on her pinkie finger, a magical employment bargain that prevents her from betraying him. He reflects on how he originally intended to give her the standard green-inked bargain used for his Malevolent Guards—which kills the bearer if they betray him—but at the last moment chose gold instead, though the distinction is left unexplained. Sage accepts her elimination from the list and jokes about wanting to torture the traitor herself for ruining her work.

As she leaves, Sage pauses at the door and tells Trystan with alarming sincerity that she would torture someone if it meant protecting him, and that she would probably enjoy it. After she exits, Trystan is shaken. He grips the windowsill, his heart pounding, while Kingsley holds up a sign reading "Trouble." Trystan stares out the window, unable to calm his racing pulse—his heart insisting on reminding him that he still has one.