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Hector sat down on his bed. "It's not that I don't want a chamberlain," he said, "but it would be an unnecessary expense. I can take care of my own room. I'm not even here all that often, so it doesn't even get that messy to begin with."

"Your frugality is admirable, Lord, but a chamberlain would be able to provide you with many more services than just the cleaning of your bedchamber," said Mara.

That was news to Hector. It was true that he had only given the subject of castle staff a quick bit of research. "...Like what?" he decided to ask.

"A competent chamberlain could run your entire household for you," she said.

Hector cocked an eyebrow.

"I do not mean all of Warrenhold," she clarified. "I mean only you and your immediate family."

"...That's just me and my mother, then," said Hector. "I still don't really think it would be worth the expense, right now. Maybe in the future, when money is less of a concern."

"Begging your pardon, Lord, but in the future, you may have a wife and children to factor into the equation as well."

Hector did his best to not be taken aback by that statement, but it was hard. He didn't want to appear flustered in front of a staff member, but at the same time, what she'd just said struck him as so utterly inconceivable that he was struggling not to let it show on his face.

"And in such a case," Mara went on, "it would be ideal if your own chamberlain were already a long-serving and well-trusted person. They could have a significant impact on the lives of your children. And of course, if your wife happens to be a woman of means, then she may have personal retainers of her own who would be moving in and tending to your family as well. You might be a bit overwhelmed by them all, if you do not have any of your own. And forgive me if I am overstepping here, but I believe that such an imbalance between you and your wife could invite problems into your relationship that might otherwise have been avoided."

Hector just kind of sat there, blinking.