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The heat was still a bit too intense for non-servants, Hector felt, but it was much better than it used to be. Soon, he would be able to open this place up to everyone and hopefully provide the current residents of Warrenhold with an extra bit of much needed comfort. He still had no idea what to call this place or who he should put in charge of it, but he could worry about all that later.

Right now, he sat alone in the hot water with his eyes closed, breathing in the steamy air and trying not to think about anything in particular.

And not succeeding.

There were so many different things vying for his attention that just keeping his thoughts organized between them all was beginning to become a tiresome task unto itself. Garovel had suggested that he hire a personal secretary, and while Hector had been very resistant to that idea at first, he was starting to come around. It certainly wouldn't solve all his problems for him, but if things kept up like this indefinitely, then it would probably be a huge help.

Who the hell could he get for a job like that, though?

Ugh.

He added that to the list of things he could worry about later.

At the moment, he felt as though there were three big issues that were more demanding than any others.

The first was House Gaolanet. After his and Garovel's little investigation in that empty mansion, the Gaolanets had been at the forefront of his mind. He knew he should probably talk to them, and he supposed that a simple courteous visit from one local lord to another would be a good enough excuse, but what would he say to them, exactly? It certainly didn't help that he suspected they might have been the culprits behind a string of mysterious poisonings over the last few decades.

And then, of course, there was his meeting with Leo tomorrow. Hector at least had a plan for that one, but thinking about it was still nerve-wracking in the extreme.