She mustn't speak in front of magicians unless she carried a message, she mustn't plot against the magicians, and she mustn't think more than her job required. But not thinking was boring, worse than the stale bread the castle chef fed to the servants. And nobody else followed that rule.

"I think he's cute."

"His hair is stunning, that's for sure. Like waves of hazelnut and gold."

"But what if he isn't actually beautiful? He can control minds, after all. It could be an illusion."

"I don't mind an illusion if it looks that hot."

The housing quarters for the female servants looked over the castle gardens, but the view was its only redeeming feature. The mismatched furniture of the common room had been salvaged from the Queen's biennial spring cleaning, the dozen portraits on the wall similarly rejects but of a more entertaining nature. The woman who had snatched them, Lenora, had written the Queen's complaint for each above the portraits' heads. Too thin, eyes too big, eyes too little, too old, the list went on. Without the notes, the portraits would have been an unnerving reminder that the cruel magician was constantly watching them, but with the notes they laughed at daily reminders of her imperfections.

"What about the Guard?" Lucy interrupted the others.

"We can't see his face. He's probably ugly, though. Pretty people don't hide their faces."

"But he has to hide his face so he can spy on the commoners."

Lucy shook her head. "I meant what do you think of him? I've never heard him say anything bad about the magic-less."

"Right, you mostly see him and the Queen, right? I wouldn't take that position if I were paid a gold piece a day. She scares me. He scares me, too. I saw him snap that other magician's neck last year when she tried to attack the Queen."

"Isn't he quiet? You can never tell what the quiet ones are thinking. He probably has the same superiority complex as the rest and just considers it a waste of time to bother complaining about us 'commonfolk.'"

They were probably right. Lucy couldn't guess what thoughts went through the Guard's head. She couldn't even guess at his expression through the mask's colored glass eyes. She had seen him break the bones of magicians and commoners alike, so by all means his silent, emotionless demeanor should scare her. But he nodded to her, genuinely acknowledged her presence, when he saw her. And she had seen him do the same with other servants, though they reacted with fear.

Lucy knew that her imagination overstated the extent of the Guard's kindness, but she needed some kind of hope for humanity. She was stuck in the castle for the rest of her life, after all. And the other magicians made her want to retire early.