Evangelina Sage

Protagonist, a poor village girl seeking work, meets The Villain in Hickory Forest and later accepts his job offer. Continues as personal assistant to The Villain, reveals magical scar, family background, and personal rules. Evie receives magical healing for a bruised tailbone, negotiates two secrets as payment, shares a secret dream about the boss, and is given a pink vial intended for her father's pain. Evie navigates the parapet, reveals a muddy dream, debates a pro/con list, and suspects a traitor while learning about the Villain's plans. Evie spends the day drinking cauldron brew, suspects a coworker, interacts with Blade, learns about the dragon exchange and the boss's habits, and notes the boss's office is closed at day's end. Evie reflects on family dinner, reveals secret employment for The Villain and learns details about his moral code and sugar preference. Compiles a detailed employee list, suggests interrogation, offers to torture the traitor, and is placed on the suspect list as the Villain’s right‑hand. Evie discovers a bomb hidden in the Villain's desk after hearing a clicking noise, interacts with Edwin and Kingsley, and expresses distrust of coworkers. Evie handled a ticking bomb, tried to discard it, ran to the parapet, stumbled, and the bomb fell near her. Evie attempts to rescue Trystan from a bomb in his office, gets her foot stuck, the device falls near her, and she is injured while trying to disarm it. Evie suffers severe injuries (head bleed, sprained ankle) and intense emotional distress; claims a tear‑duct condition; receives a blue handkerchief; observes Villain's ash‑white hair; witnesses manor damage and explosion aftermath. Evie is driven home by The Villain, considers resigning but declines, and interacts with her sister Lyssa at home. Attends tavern, confronts ex‑lover Rick, clings to The Villain, mentions Lyssa's novel, wears brown cloak and drab dress with corset. Evie is present at the tavern during Trystan's confrontation with Malcolm, remaining calm under Malcolm's scrutiny. Evie interacts with the Villain and Malcolm, observes glowing blue ink on Malcolm's clock and the Villain's black horse, and receives a cloak from the Villain. Evie researches magical ink, prepares cauldron brew for the Villain, interacts with Blade and discovers a royal employment letter. Evie confronts Blade about a certificate, learns his secret about stealing a dragon egg, and pressures him to reveal the truth to the boss. Evie discovers The Villain's past with King Benedict, learns Clarissa is his sister, and gains new information about magical ink and a buyer named Lark Moray. Evie quits her position, breaks her magical contract, and confronts the Villain about betrayal while sustaining injuries from a fall. Evie cares for her ill father, reflects on family tragedy, feels guilt over quitting her job, and contemplates her impulsive nature. Sage apologizes, asks to be reinstated as Trystan's assistant, and reveals a personal fear of ladybugs and their spots. Evie interacts with Becky, Blade, Tatianna, and witnesses The Villain in the courtyard, learning about the project "Fluffy". Evie confronts Otto Warsen at his smithy, feels pain from her old scar, learns about Otto's past work on dragon collars, and continues her mission for the Villain to obtain a guvre collar. Evie experiences painful magic from a dagger, learns about a caller's crystal, and plans to find a traitor inside Massacre Manor. Evie hangs a new portrait revealing a hideous depiction of the Villain and endures a burn on her palm. She reflects on the previous portrait destroyed by a dragon and deals with Becky’s strict office policies. Evie learns about King Benedict's captive female guvre and the Villain's impending vengeance tonight. Evie drinks a suspicious cauldron brew, joins coworkers for wine during the storm, questions the absence of the female guvre, laughs with the group, and observes the Villain's claim about not being obsessed with his hair. Evie survives a deadly guvre attack, is rescued by the Villain, and learns his plan to move the wounded female guvre to the cellar. Evie receives a magical dress that adjusts to fit her, refuses bandages to hide hand injuries from The Villain, and learns extensive details of Tatianna's past. Evie is exhausted, wants to go home, mentions her family, discovers a missing map and a third key, notes a blister on her palm, and suspects an internal traitor. Evie jumps from the carriage, chases a masked figure, discovers Becky is a spy, learns about the Mystic Illness affecting her father and Becky's grandmother, and decides to help both parties. Evie returns home, cares for her ill father, receives a mysterious invitation to Briar’s Peak, and discovers a rainbow dress. Evie receives a gold‑foiled merfolk parchment invitation and heads to Briar’s Peak with Blade. Evie attends a lavish celebration at Briar’s Peak, encounters floating candles, silver wine, unicorns, pixies, and meets Arthur Maverine. Evie witnesses the guvre attack, assists wounded Arthur, and learns key differences between male and female guvre behavior. Evie is captured with others, reveals she is married to the Villain, mentions trying for a baby and her white dress, and attempts to protect the Villain. Appears in a dream kissing The Villain and later physically embraces him after the battle, thanking him. Evie physically clings to the Villain, expresses guilt over a kiss, searches for the Villain's father, reacts to the loss of her horse, and confronts injured Becky. Evie wakes up on the sofa, discovers a bruise on her upper arm, mentions a rat loose in the manor, a traitor’s note in her bedroom, and that her father left for a walk; she is late for work. Evie enters the office with messy hair, shows sympathy for Becky's stomach pain, feels uneasy about Tatianna and Clare, and follows Tatianna to the healer's quarters. Evie hears a scream, tries to open a locked door, is unable to, and is rescued after the door is forced open; she pleads for mercy during the interrogation. Evie continues dagger training, receives a pain potion for her father's Mystic Illness, and takes a blue magical ink vial from Clare for future use. Evie gives her father a mysterious potion vial, learns about her mother's past magic struggles, and discovers a heartfelt letter from her mother Nura Sage. Evie hears about her father's identity, learns about the gold ink contract permanence, and receives the news of Lark Moray's death. Evie learns her father's betrayal: he planted the bomb, faked a mystic illness, worked as a Valiant Guard for King Benedict, used rare blue ink to spy on her, and sold sexual favors to Otto Warsen. Administers a sedative to her father, reveals knowledge of Otto Warsen's assault on her mother, and discusses the family's betrayal. Evie listens to Trystan's confession, remains speechless and processes his painful past without anger. Evie hyperventilates when discussing trauma, apologizes for mentioning her father, asks for a hug, wants the hug to last longer, and leaves the manor carrying Kingsley in two large bags. Evie dismounts from the horse, carries a satchel with a dagger, attempts to protect the Villain during an ambush, and identifies King Benedict among the attackers. Evie attempts to kill Otto, briefly escapes, then is recaptured and pleads for her life. Evie experiences intense grief, discovers Otto's severed head, finds Trystan's torn shirt, vows to save the Villain, and reveals a plan to have Becky kill her.