58 pages • 1 hour read
Hannah Nicole MaehrerAssistant to the Villain
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Prologue-Chapter 12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary
Evangelina Sage is the primary caretaker for her younger sister and ailing father. Feeling like a failure for not finding a job at the latest fair, Evie wanders into the nearby forbidden forest, which is the supposed home of the notorious Villain; he is known throughout the kingdom for his despicable deeds. Evie’s knowledge of the man is limited to rumors and hastily drawn wanted posters portraying him to be old and grotesque, but she doesn’t fear him. Instead, she wonders if “he would be less murderous if his moniker wasn’t so ridiculous” (2).
Evie stops at a stream, alarmed to see the water turning red with blood. She follows the blood to find a wounded man, who pulls her down beside him as the king’s soldiers arrive. The man is the Villain, and Evie is surprised to find that he is little older than she is and devastatingly attractive. She lets slip that she is seeking a job, and after she helps him to escape the hunters, the Villain brings her to his manor and offers her a position as his assistant. Evie knows that she shouldn’t take the job because he is evil, but her curiosity mixes with her desperation and makes her accept. She also wryly asks, “What depraved things am I going to be doing for you, Your Evilness?” (15).
Chapter 1 Summary
Five months later, Evie arrives at the manor one morning and is unsurprised to note that “there were severed heads hanging from the ceiling again” (16). Evie has grown accustomed to this kind of thing, so she knows that the appearance of multiple severed heads indicates that the Villain’s plans have gone awry. Even so, her current job is still better than her last job with the village blacksmith. She left that job when he stabbed her with an enchanted dagger for refusing to be intimate with him. As a result, she now suffers a permanently unhealed wound that glows when she is in pain. The only true downside to working at the manor is Becky—the head administrative assistant, who seems to dislike Evie for no reason.
A large ballroom serves as shared office space for Evie, Becky, and several others. Evie’s desk is beside the door to the Villain’s private office, and she is startled out of her chair when something slams against the wall. She lands hard on her behind, and the Villain comes out to check on her, which Evie finds sweet even though the crash was caused by the Villain throwing a man against the wall. At the Villain’s orders, Evie goes to the healer, dreading her return, when she’ll have to tell him about the discrepancy in the books.
Chapter 2 Summary
Evie bruised her tailbone in the fall, which the healer (Tatianna) will heal in exchange for two secrets from Evie. Evie tells the woman that she dreamt about the Villain last night, adding that it was a dirty dream. At the shocked look on the woman’s face, Evie laughs and turns away, finding the Villain standing in the doorway, and she casually asks him if there’s “any chance you’d like to add my head to the entry way?” (32).
Chapter 3 Summary
The Villain leads Evie to one of the castle’s many parapets and says nothing about her comments to the healer, which bothers Evie because “my stupidity is profound enough to be acknowledged, dammit” (33). In the last two months, three of the Villain’s operations to steal from the king have been thwarted, and the Villain has concluded one of his employees is a traitor. Though Evie has no proof, she can’t help but think that it must be Becky.
Chapter 4 Summary
Evie spends the next few days trying and failing to figure out who the traitor might be. This includes filling in Blade—the dragon tamer and one of her friends—on the situation. The Villain has been conspicuously absent from the castle, which is worrisome and prompts Evie to remind herself, “Don’t care more than you should, Evie” (45).
Chapter 5 Summary
One night, Evie’s father feels well enough to cook dinner, which is tasteless despite his efforts. The mystic illness that plagues him has run rampant through the kingdom, affecting people differently, and there is no cure. After dinner, Evie washes dishes while her father tells stories of his days in the king’s guard. His tale reminds Evie why she can never tell her family about her employer. To keep from getting lost in her guilt, Evie forces herself to smile. Before Evie’s mother left, she told Evie that a smile could save the world. This isn’t true, but Evie smiles anyway and “hope[s] it [is] enough to keep those she care[s] about safe” (49).
Chapter 6 Summary
Chapter 6 is told from the Villain’s perspective. His real name is Trystan Arthur Maverine. Despite his evil reputation and actions, he realizes that Evie’s bubbly personality doesn’t annoy him like it should, and he is horrified to find that she makes “him feel vile things like joy and the unmistakable need to laugh” (51). One morning, Evie delivers a list of all his employees, complete with anecdotal details, to help find the traitor. The terms of Evie’s employment mean that she can’t betray the Villain without dying, which is why he has entrusted her with the task—not because he finds her pleasant or makes his heart pound when she’s close.
Chapter 7 Summary
That afternoon, the Villain leaves the building again, and Evie hears a strange ticking sound coming from his office. Although she is afraid to go inside without his permission, she investigates and finds a small device, noting with dismay, “Of course it’s a bomb” (60).
Chapter 8 Summary
The bomb’s timer has three minutes left, and Evie makes a run for the closest parapet, intending to throw it over the edge before it explodes. Before she gets there, the heel of her boot gets stuck in a hole, and she drops the bomb. As she frantically works to free herself, she realizes that she’ll never get to safety in time, and her last thought is of the Villain as she wonders, “Who would make him begrudgingly smile now?” (63).
Chapter 9 Summary
Trystan left the office that morning because he received a message that another safehouse had been compromised. Now, he arrives at the safehouse to find the king’s soldiers killing his guards. Using his magic, Trystan murders all the king’s men before instructing his people to empty the safehouse, remembering the long-ago promise he made that “there will be vengeance for anyone who has suffered in my name” (67). Back at the castle, Becky tells him about the bomb and Evie. Trystan races out onto the parapet, throwing himself on top of Evie just before the bomb explodes.
Chapter 10 Summary
Trystan and Evie are uninjured except for Evie’s sprained ankle. Trystan carries her to the healer as they discuss the incident. Trystan is sure that whoever planted the bomb also arranged for him to receive the message about his compromised safehouse. This means that the attack wasn’t for him; whoever did this “wanted to strike where it would wound” (74). Evie doesn’t want to read too much into this statement, but his concern for her makes it difficult to dismiss the comment.
Chapter 11 Summary
After Evie is healed, Trystan brings her home in a carriage, offering her a generous severance package if she wants to quit after what she’s been through. Though it would make her life easier, Evie refuses because the office is the one thing she doesn’t have to give up for someone else. She also feels that “working for The Villain [gives] her the opportunity to do a little taking herself” (79). When they reach her house, Evie’s little sister is amazed to see Evie in the company of such a rich gentleman. Trystan gives his real name before Evie’s sister runs off with her friends, and Evie is shocked that he has a name at all. Trystan gives her tomorrow off, asking her to meet him at a tavern so that they can confront the person who made the bomb, which he recognized by its handiwork.
Chapter 12 Summary
At the tavern the next night, Evie’s ex-boyfriend corners her, and his comments make her feel insignificant and small. When Trystan arrives, Evie pretends that he is her lover, and he obligingly intimidates Evie’s ex-boyfriend into leaving. Evie still doesn’t know why Trystan has asked her to meet him, as socializing is not one of her skills, and the situation bothers her because “she [is] addicted to feeling useful. Without it, what value did she hold?” (91). Trystan argues that she has considerable value, but he is interrupted by the arrival of Malcolm—the tavern owner, the maker of the bomb, and his brother.
Prologue-Chapter 12 Analysis
These opening chapters make it clear that Maehrer’s story universe reimagines traditional fairy-tale tropes and employs them in fresh and unconventional ways, adhering to some and subverting others. As the world of the novel is coalesces, the author uses the growing fondness between Evie and Trystan to establish all three of the book’s major themes: The Effectiveness of Trust-Based Relationships, The True Definition of Evil, and The Damaging Power of Expectations. In particular, the novel explores the relationship between good and evil and uses the primary conflict to show that the demarcation between the two is not always as clear-cut as traditional fairy tales would make it seem. At first glance, Maehrer’s world follows the standard fairy-tale structure—an adventure within a magical land that is ruled by a noble king and terrorized by a horrendous villain. However, Evie and Trystan’s character development soon reveals that Maehrer has reversed the typical fairy-tale tropes by showing the villain as a sympathetic character. Accordingly, the stereotypically kind-hearted girl who would normally win the heart of a prince instead falls in love with the quintessential “bad guy,” who is ironically not quite as evil as he first appears to be. The inclusion of modern-day sensitivities, such as the treatment of women and the power plays of those who are in control, lends a relatable feel to the novel, allowing the author to convey Evie and Trystan’s motivations through familiar lenses.
The use of a workplace setting allows Maehrer to explore the villainous fairy-tale character in a unique way. Typically, fairy tales present the villains as disorganized and erratic, striking as it suits them and relying on chaos to sow fear and distrust. By contrast, Trystan’s office shows the impracticality of the stereotypical villain by illustrating all the moving parts required to keep an evil operation running smoothly. From dealing with payroll issues and tracking the disruption of shipments to keeping employees from murdering one another, Trystan’s staff often find themselves hard-pressed to keep the office on an even keel, and the daily routines of Evie’s job allow the author to insert a wry social commentary on the nature of real-life workplace culture and politics. As the newest member of the team, Evie struggles to adjust, and in this context, the inclusion of colorful elements like severed heads and torture chambers—while meant to be taken literally—can also be interpreted as a humorous hyperbole that symbolizes the daunting responsibilities that any new hire must strive to master. Additionally, Evie forms relationships with her coworkers—making friends with Blade and Tatianna while engaging in an ongoing professional rivalry with Becky. Even more significantly, Evie’s budding feelings for Trystan show the pitfalls of trying to navigate a workplace romance while also grappling with the implications of becoming attracted to a morally ambiguous person.
In particular, Evie and Trystan’s relationship explores the moral quandary of The True Definition of Evil and highlights the uncomfortable truth that emotions do not always align with society’s expectations. Although Trystan is the self-proclaimed “Villain” of the land and the archenemy of the king, the narrative eventually reveals that Trystan only took up this mantle to oppose the king for both personal and societal reasons. Ultimately, Evie discovers that Trystan’s motives are both selfish and selfless. By society’s standards, Evie should hate him simply because he is defined as evil, but as she gets to know him, she finds that he truly cares about those in his employ, as well as the rest of the kingdom, even if he does commit terrible acts for ridiculous reasons. As her feelings for Trystan intensify, Evie’s ideas of good and evil do not match society’s overt values, and this shift will lead directly to her father’s decision to betray her. To him, Trystan is a monster who needs to be destroyed, but to Evie, Trystan is the one person who treats her with the respect and decency she has always craved. Regardless of how he treats his enemies, Trystan is good to her and the others he cares about, and these manifestations of “goodness” blur his form of “evil” into something that is morally gray.
As Evie and Trystan team up to solve the mystery of the spy, the compromised safehouse, and the bomb, their implicit confidence in each other highlights The Effectiveness of Trust-Based Relationships even as Trystan’s actions challenge society’s preconceptions of The True Definition of Evil. The introduction of Trystan’s real name and the meeting with his brother are the first hints that Evie’s boss is a real person whose depths transcend the villainous role he has assigned himself. He also finds their burgeoning connection to be problematic because he knows that his destiny is to fall, as all villains eventually do. At the same time, the attacks on the office, although ostensibly intended to stop a villain, challenge the common perception that the king is “good” because these actions also put civilians in danger. The king justifies this decision by condemning those who helps the villain as villains themselves, and this proclamation is designed to critique the common fairy-tale trope of making sweeping generalizations. Evie took the job with Trystan to support her family, not because she had any particular desire to do harm, and others in the office had similarly innocent motivations. As a result, any action taken against the villain’s staff is aimed at people who are just trying to survive as best they can.
