Lucien “Lucy” Minor

Lucy is the 17-year-old protagonist of our novel. Tall, pale, and “pretty,” the boy is on a quest to find something meaningful. After a near-death experience in which a mysterious stranger gives him his life back, Lucy sets off to the Castle Von Aux in order to become the undermajordomo.

As his new, exciting life begins, Lucy meets a series of oddball characters, including a pair of thieves, a band of soldiers, and a mad Baron. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with Klara, a village girl whose father is the local thief. After Lucy wins her affections and the couple seems destined for a happily-ever-after, her ex-boyfriend, Adolphus, returns from war and pushes Lucy out of the picture.

To get revenge, and win Klara back, Lucy plots to murder Adolphus. For, although he is our hero, Lucy has a fatal flaw: the...