<strong>"Why does anyone do what they do... if it is him, he could be being controlled by someone and not even know it... he could be an evil mastermind manipulating your heart to get close to the protector... he could be entirely innocent. I'm sure you understand we need to investigate every possibility. If you could... has he ever been here, in this building? Has he ever talked about your work, about the Lord Protector?"</strong>she asks, her tones becoming softer and more agile, sympathetic. She knew, after all, from watching her mother work... in matters of the heart, you had to go slow if you wanted to get your way.<br/><br/><strong>"And you said he claimed... did you have reason to believe otherwise? Something perhaps didn't strike you precisely right?"</strong>she continued, glancing over to Jian, hoping she picked up on what she also did in regards to the lack of mention that he and her had become intimate...