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The next morning, Soo Ho was waiting for her.  Out in the street.

“Are you all right?” he murmured upon his first glance at her.

She was walking towards him.  Still a ways off.

She nodded her head.  “I am.”

He frowned.  “I don’t like you walking alone this early in the morning.  He glanced up at the sky.  “It’s not really even light out yet.”

She shrugged.  “I often head to school just as the sun is coming to life.  Sometimes, beforehand.  I have much to accomplish today before my students arrive.”

He grimaced.  “Tell me when you’re going to leave in the mornings, and I will escort you.”

She glanced up at him.  “Aren’t you supposed to be inside?”  She gestured with her chin at the walls behind him.

He bobbed his head.  “But I know the king.  We’re friends of sorts.  I can get special permission to escort a lady of the realm to safety.”

She snorted.  “You are kind.  But I am hardly a lady of the realm,” she muttered dryly.

He frowned.  “Isn’t your father a member of the royal council?”

She shook her head.  “That’s my uncle.  Through some fluke of favor with the former king….”  Her voice trailed off.  “My father is dead,” she breathed after a silent moment.

“Dead?” he asked, alarmed.  “I am so sorry.”

“I’m not,” she mumbled under her breath.

His eyebrows shot up to assault a cloud innocently passing in the heavens above them.  “Pardon?”

Her eyes met his.  “Nothing.  It doesn’t matter.  I don’t need your condolences.  But I do need to be on my way.”

“Then I will walk with you.”

She stopped and turned towards him.  “Must you?  I would prefer to walk alone.”

Shocked by her frosty attitude, he upbraided her.  “Do you not recall how I saved you from that grubby beggar yesterday?  Is this any way to thank the man who so graciously rescued you?”

She heaved a deep sigh.  Then she bowed to him.  “Thank you, most kind sir,” she spoke the last three words with a heavy emphasis of irony, “for coming to my aid yesterday.”  She squared her shoulders.  “There.  My debt is paid.  Good day.”

She turned abruptly, and he reached out to touch her arm.  She flinched.  And drew her arm up tight against her side as she clenched her fist.  And his hand instantly stilled itself. 

Concern burning in his gaze, he exclaimed, “Are you hurt?  Did he hurt you?”

Startled by the worry in his voice, she glanced up into his eyes briefly before tearing her gaze away and turning back towards the school.  “No.  I am fine.  You rescued me in time.  Thank you.”  This time the last two words carried a reverent emphasis.  Heartfelt gratitude.  “I must be on my way.  I have a student coming early for tutoring.”

She took a few steps down the road.  But she heard footfalls landing behind her, so she stopped again.  She turned her head and sighed as she caught sight of him following her.  She quirked a dark eyebrow at him.

An answering cock of his own midnight brow met her gaze.  “What?  This is a public road.”

“You don’t need to protect me.”

“I want to,” his words dueled with hers.  As did his eyes.  Finally, he resorted to appeal.  “Please.  Allow me to escort you.  It will make me feel better.  Look, I’ll stay back several feet so I don’t disturb you.”

Her countenance softened.  Just the slightest.  And she gave in to him.  “You may walk beside me.  I’ve no desire to be stalked.  But,” her tone grew stern, “I will not be chatting with you.  I was in the middle of a meditation when you disturbed me this morning.  I’ve a problem that I must find a solution to before the day’s end.  So I must think.”

He fell into step beside her.  “You don’t wish to share it with me?  Two minds often work better than one.”

“You wish to help me find a solution?” she asked in surprise.

He bobbed his head.

She furrowed her brow.  “I fail to see what intrigues you.”

“Pardon?” His dark eyes beamed artlessly down at her.

“About me.  Why do you keep involving yourself in my affairs?”

“Keep involving myself?” he questioned dubiously.  “I believe this simply makes twice.”

“But it has been three times.  Yesterday, walking me to school today, and now this.”

“Still.  You act like I’ve made attending to you one of my habits.”

She blushed scarlet suddenly and swung her head away from him.  “Excuse me,” she begged him curtly. 

He studied her curiously.  “Why does my attention embarrass you?” he asked, truly perplexed.

“I am not used to the attention of a gentleman.  And I am well aware that there is nothing in the slightest intriguing about me.  At least, not anything that would garner the positive attention of a man.”

His heart shifted violently in his chest at her critical attitude.  “You are very hard on yourself.”

“I spent the greater part of my life enduring hardness, sir.  I can guarantee you this is not it.  This is simply the very plain truth.”

He frowned at her obvious use of the word plain.

“Do you mean that a man couldn’t possibly find you attractive?” he asked suddenly.

And noticed how she shuddered.

What was that about?

She cleared her throat and walked on.  Without giving him an answer.  And he was left to simply ponder the possibilities.