Chapter 17: Becky's Secrets and the Manor's Visibility
Spoiler Alert: This page contains full plot details from Chapter 17 (Chapter 19) of Apprentice to the Villain. If you haven’t read this far, turn back now.
Summary
The chapter shifts to the manor, where office manager Rebecka (Becky) Erring is supervising workers while reluctantly tolerating the presence of Lyssa Sage, Evie's young sister. Lyssa insists on helping organize papers, specifically by alphabetizing—a task Becky obsesses over. The child accidentally spills a set of keys from a desk drawer. As Becky lists the uses of each key, Lyssa notices a large golden one etched with an F. When Becky says it belongs to a place she no longer goes, Lyssa suggests discarding it. Becky snatches it back with uncharacteristic panic, then feels guilty and apologizes.
The lunch bell rings; Becky sternly dispatches the staff and feels a flicker of pride when Lyssa looks impressed. They prepare to search for Evie’s missing journal, but Lyssa’s mood sours when she mentions their father is in the dungeons. Unprepared for emotional honesty, Becky deflects. Lyssa then reveals a knit dragon toy given to her by Blade; Becky recognizes it as her own childhood possession, once a gift from her father. She allows Lyssa to keep it, smiling lightly, which prompts Lyssa to remark on how beautiful her smile is. Becky launches into a quiet but fierce monologue: she no longer smiles unless it is genuinely her own desire, because she once performed so many false smiles she lost track of what was real. She urges Lyssa never to smile just to please others.
Lyssa absorbs the lesson and observes that Evie often smiles when she doesn’t want to. The insight strikes Becky: Evie’s constant people-pleasing is why Becky can barely stand her—it reminds her too much of the person she herself used to be. Before the moment can settle, Marvin, the front guard, bursts in breathless and terrified. He announces that the protective ward over the manor has shattered. Massacre Manor is now visible to the outside world.
Key Events
- Becky allows Lyssa to help with paper organization and indulges her fascination with alphabetizing.
- Lyssa finds Becky’s key ring; the gold F key triggers a visceral reaction when Becky says it unlocks a place she no longer visits.
- Becky snaps at Lyssa for removing the key, then instantly feels guilt and apologizes.
- Becky reluctantly reveals to Lyssa that Evie’s father is in the dungeons.
- Lyssa produces Becky’s childhood dragon toy, stolen by Blade; Becky gives it to the girl permanently.
- Becky delivers a heartfelt lesson: she refuses to smile unless the smile is truly hers, and she advises Lyssa to do the same.
- Lyssa realizes that Evie habitually wears a fake smile; Becky recognizes her own past self in Evie’s behavior.
- Marvin arrives with the catastrophic news that the manor’s concealment ward has broken, exposing Massacre Manor.
Character Development
- Rebecka Erring: This chapter unspools layers of Becky’s guarded personality. Her obsessive need for order and her irritation with Lyssa mask a profound vulnerability. The golden key signifies a painful chapter of her life that she refuses to revisit. Her lecture about smiling is not just a lesson for a child—it is a manifesto of self-reclamation after years of losing herself in the expectations of others. Her admission that she can't stand Evie because Evie echoes her former self is a raw moment of self-awareness and emotional honesty. The chapter deepens her from a stern office manager into a wounded, resilient figure fighting to hold on to her reclaimed identity.
- Lyssa Sage: The child serves as a catalyst for Becky’s confession. Her innocent questions and her frank observation about Evie’s fake smile reveal a perceptiveness that belies her age. She accepts Becky’s advice with gravity, showing she internalizes the world around her in complex ways.
- Marvin: Though appearing only at the end, his terror underscores the gravity of the broken ward, elevating the stakes from personal drama to imminent external threat.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
- Authenticity vs. Performance: The chapter’s heart is Becky’s rejection of feigned emotion. She equates forced smiling with a loss of self, making it a central theme. Lyssa’s comment that Evie smiles when she doesn’t want to extends the motif into the broader story.
- Objects as Emotional Anchors: The golden F key and the knit dragon both represent fragments of Becky’s past—one a door she refuses to open, the other a childhood comfort she is finally ready to pass on. These tangible items carry the weight of trauma and healing.
- The Broken Ward: The cliffhanger introduces a motif of exposure. The manor’s sudden visibility is both a literal plot threat and a metaphor for secrets being dragged into the light—mirroring Becky’s own reluctant revelations.
- Childhood Wisdom: Lyssa’s presence highlights how children can pierce adult defenses. Her simple observation becomes the seed for Becky’s epiphany about her own past.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter transforms Becky from a background figure into a deeply sympathetic character. It provides crucial context for her frosty demeanor: she is not merely stern, but scarred. Her backstory, signaled by the golden key and her self-imposed rule about smiles, suggests a history of compliance and lost identity. The emotional arc also strengthens the thematic backbone of the novel—how people wear masks to survive. Additionally, the chapter advances the external plot dramatically with the ward’s failure. The manor’s exposure threatens everyone inside, raising stakes that will ripple into the next chapter. The quiet personal moment between Becky and Lyssa ends on a note of dread, blending character study with narrative urgency.
Study Questions and Answers
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What does the golden key with the engraved F symbolize for Becky, and why does she react so strongly when Lyssa touches it?
- The key symbolizes a place—possibly literal or metaphorical—tied to a traumatic period Becky refuses to revisit. Her violent snatching and subsequent guilt reveal that she has tightly compartmentalized this part of her past. The key represents a door she has closed forever, but its very existence still triggers panic, showing her past is not fully healed.
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How does Becky’s lesson about smiling reflect her personal history, and why does Lyssa’s mention of Evie resonate so deeply?
- Becky explains that she once smiled habitually to please others until she lost the ability to distinguish her true feelings. This reveals she was once a people-pleaser much like Evie. When Lyssa says Evie “smiles when she doesn’t want to, all the time,” Becky sees a mirror of her former self. The recognition is painful because it forces her to confront the person she used to be and the resentment she still carries for that version of herself.
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What significance does the broken ward hold for the overall plot, and how does Marvin’s entrance change the tone of the chapter?
- The ward’s collapse removes the manor’s invisibility, exposing its inhabitants to enemies and the outside world. Marvin’s panic shifts the chapter from introspective character study to high-stakes suspense. The broken ward likely triggers the novel’s next major conflict, forcing the characters out of their hidden refuge and into direct danger.