Villain Origin Story

When you have run out of options, choose Evil . . .

Life has never been easy for a poor, uneducated village girl. But when things in Joslen's life go from bad to progressively worse, it fills her with intense frustration. How does she fight back against an arranged marriage and a lifetime of misery if no one will even listen to her? What's a nice girl supposed to do?

When she has a brush with the handsome but dangerous Scourge King, the conqueror of her land, she realizes something important. Maybe it's time to stop being nice. And the perfect person to show her how to be bad? The Scourge King himself, Vilos Saumien.

But Vilos has a few rules of his own. If he's going to take Joslen as his apprentice, she needs to agree to obey his commands, to learn quickly, and to let him seduce her.

Joslen isn't about to trade away her newfound independence, though. If Vilos wants to play games, she'll play games. She just intends to win. Is their kingdom big enough for two villains?

Tropes: Antihero Romance; Fae Courts/Royalty; Magic; Disguise; Revenge; Morally Grey; Shadow Daddy; Forced Proximity; Scars; Knife to Throat; Disability Rep; Jilted Bride