He reminded her of a story that she had once read, in which a handsome prince repeatedly rejected the advances of the equally beautiful princess who had fallen in love with him. The princess had chased the prince for years until he finally gave in, at which point the two were married, had ten children, and went down in history as the most loving married couple that had ever walked the face of Martir. Their relationship was even said to have been blessed by Yashira, the Goddess of Love herself. Now Raya sincerely doubted that that story had ever happened, but she liked its overall message: Never give up on your dream man, even if he doesn't know that he wants you at first. Even so, Raya had spent the trip from her apartment to the Stadium without speaking a word to Carmaz. She had no problem with admitting—to herself, at least—that she was upset at Carmaz's constant rejections of her advances, but even when she was stewing in her anger, a part of her was busy figuring out a way to woo him anyway.
